Team Talk Game-week 23 FPL Fantasy Premier League

Team Talk Game-week 23 FPL Fantasy Premier League

Welcome to GW23, a pleasant little midweek two-dayer, with loads of opportunities to score heavily. Kicking off this evening we have Juan Mata being unveiled as a Red ahead of United’s match with Cardiff, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer returns to his old stomping ground. Norwich entertain a Newcastle side, who have to do without PSG-bound Yohan Cabaye, Arsenal travel down to Southampton with a fit-again Aaron Ramsey in their ranks but with Jack Wilshire injured again and then we have a real six-pointer near the bottom with Swansea hosting Fulham down at the Liberty Stadium. And that’s just the 7.45pm’s!! We have two 8pm starts as Hull visit Crystal Palace and then the big one, the Merseyside Derby, as Everton take the short trip across Stanley Park to Anfield.
Wednesday is no less manic as we have the Midlands derby as Aston Villa welcome WBA, there’s a London derby at the Bridge as Chelsea meet West Ham, Sunderland host Stoke and Man City take the trip down to North London to face Tim Sherwood’s Tottenham.
So, huge opportunities for FPL managers – let’s take a trip around the grounds and catch up on the latest team news.

Man Utd vs Cardiff City (Tues 28 Jan 19.45)
The big question on everyone’s lips….. will Juan Mata start the match? Not long now to wait and see, but Moyes has confirmed he will likely feature at the very least. RvP, Wayne Rooney and Marouane Fellaini all trained on Monday, with RvP believed to be the closest to a start. Michael Carrick is out for three weeks with an ankle injury and Nemanja Vidic is suspended. Rio Ferdinand and Nani remain sidelined, while Anderson is munching his way around Florence.
On his return to Old Trafford, Cardiff boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reports no new injuries, meaning defenders Andrew Taylor and Matthew Connolly remain on the sidelines with ankle problems and midfielder Don Cowie has a calf strain. New signings Kenwynne Jones and Fabio will not feature, but will be unleashed on Norwich at the weekend.

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Norwich vs Newcastle (Tues 28 Jan 19.45)
Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye has played his last game for Newcastle as he seals his dream move to PSG. Striker Papiss Cisse also misses out, but with a back injury – he won’t leave until the summer, while Yoan Gouffran also doesn’t make the trip as he is carrying a small knock. Defender Mathieu Debuchy returns from suspension, but defenders Fabricio Coloccini and Ryan Taylor continue to miss out through injury.
Norwich have to do without Michael Turner, Elliott Bennett and Jonny Howson for a few weeks, while loanee Jonas Guiterrez is ineligible to play against his parent club. Midfielder Alex Tettey may be considered after recovering from injury that has sidelined him since October.

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Southampton vs Arsenal (Tues 28 Jan 19.45)
Jack Wilshire is extremely doubtful with an ankle injury, but Thomas Vermaelen, Aaron Ramsey & Mikel Arteta are all back in the Gunners squad. Lukas Podolski is vying with Olivier Giroud for a starting spot after scoring a brace vs Coventry, but Alex Oxlade Chamberlain is still not 100% match fit and may not start, while Theo Walcott and Tomas Rosicky continue to miss out.
Saints striker and wannabe middleweight Dani Osvaldo is suspended after a training ground spat with Jose Fonte, while Dejan Lovren and Gaston Ramirez are out with ankle injuries. Better news of midfielder Victor Wanyama, who could make the squad after a seven week lay-off. Keeper Artur Boruc is fit, but Rickie Lambert will have to be assessed before the game as he struggles with a hamstring injury.

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Swansea vs Fulham Tues (28 Jan 19.45)
Fulham defenders Fernando Amorebieta and John Arne Riise are both doubtful, while fellow defender Matthew Briggs remains out with a hernia.
Swansea manager Michael Laudrup is finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel regarding injuries as Pablo Hernandez, Roland Lamah and Wayne Routledge are fit, Jonathan de Guzman hopes to return and Jonjo Shelvey, Nathan Dyer and keeper Michel Vorm all have outside chances of making the squad. Michu and Jose Canas remain out, but new signing David Ngog could go straight into the squad for the game.

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Crystal Palace vs Hull City (Tues 28 Jan 20.00)
Hull have no fresh injury concerns for the game, meaning the only absentees are James Chester and Sone Aluko. Robbie Brady is not quite ready for a start, but will feature at some point while Paul McShane is available. Shane Long has declared himself fit to make his debut, if selected and Tom Huddlestone returns from suspension.
Tony Pulis has to do without Jonathan Parr, who is suffering from concussion, while midfield duo Kagisho Dikgacoi and Jerome Thomas miss out with calf problems and Jack Hunt and Glenn Murray remain a fortnight away from action. On loan striker Cameron Jerome returns after missing out against his parent club last time out.

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Liverpool vs Everton (Tues 28 Jan 20.00)
Everton have a mini-crisis in defence as they attempt to keep Suarez and Sturridge quiet. Seamus Coleman definitely misses out with a hamstring injury, while Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin are doubts. Roberto Martinez is, however, hopeful Jagielka will make the game despite a slight hamstring complaint while the manager describes Distin as “touch and go, but Villa at the weekend is more realistic”. John Stones and Tony Hibbert are ready to fill in, with Antolin Alcaraz also ruled out. Stephen Pienaar will also need to be assessed before the game, but it is thought he will play, while it is rumoured that Ross Barkley may have a pain-killing injection to allow him to be involved. Gerard Deulofeu & Bryan Oviedo definitely miss out and new loan signing, striker Lacina Traore, is not ready to be involved.
Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen has trained, but may not be risked for the game, while Mamadou Sakho is 2-3 weeks away. Glen Johnson, Daniel Agger, Jose Enrique and Lucas all miss out as Brendan Rodgers believes he’ll select from a similar squad to the one he used in the Cup win at Bournemouth. Jon Flanagan is likely to start the game, but Rodgers hasn’t yet decided whether it will be on the left or right.

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Aston Villa vs West Brom (Weds 29 Jan 19.45)
Mixed news for new Baggies chief Pepe Mel – the good news is defender Gareth McAuley has recovered from a hamstring injury and striker Nicolas Anelka has said he will play on despite the FA charge against him. The bad news is that attacking midfielder Stephane Sessegnon is likely to be missing for another month and will undergo minor surgery on his groin problem this week.
Villa striker Gaby Agbonlahor is unlikely to play as he battles with a foot injury, but defender Nathan Baker is nearing a return to action after recovering from concussion. Midfielder Charles N’Zogbia and striker Libor Kozak remain sidelined.

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Chelsea vs West Ham (Weds 29 Jan 19.45)
Big Sam has the least injury worries for a long time, with only Joe Cole missing out through injury. Winston Reid has returned to training, but won’t be risked at Chelsea, while George McCartney & Joey O’Brien are available for selection. New signing Antonio Nocerino, a box-to-box midfielder, may be thrown straight into the squad, while new striker Marco Borriello is unlikely to be included as he has not played for six weeks.
Jose Mourinho sang the praises of striker Samuel Eto’o in his press conference today, but at the same time, there are some press reports that Demba Ba may be given a rare start against his old club. Fernando Torres is recovering well from injury but faces a further fortnight on the treatment table. New signing Mohamed Salah is not yet ready for his debut and midfielder Michael Essien has left the club for AC Milan.

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Sunderland vs Stoke City (Weds 29 Jan 19.45)
Stoke keeper Asmir Begovic returned at the weekend following five matches out and will return to league action at Sunderland, while Mark Hughes is still without injured trio Matthew Etherington, Andy Wilkinson and Robert Huth. Ryan Shawcross has a cracked wrist, but is expected to play. Jermaine Pennant has been released from the club but the boss is hopeful Peter Odemwingie will be in the squad for the trip to Sunderland.
Sunderland likewise have no new injury concerns, so will continue to be without keeper Kieran Westwood and defender Carlos Cuellar. Striker Connor Wickham has been recalled from his loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday, while on loan signings, defender Santiago Vergini and keeper Oscar Ustari should both make the squad.

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Tottenham vs Man City (Weds 29 Jan 19.45)
Manuel Pellegrini has revealed that striker Alvaro Negredo and midfielder David Silva have recovered from injury and will be in the squad for the game, but James Milner, Javi Garcia and Samir Nasri all miss out – although Nasri is reported to have returned to training weeks ahead of schedule.
Tim Sherwood has to do without wingers Erik Lamela and Andros Townsend for the visit of City, but there is better news of midfielders Paulinho and Sandro and defenders Jan Vertonghen and Younes Kaboul, who are closing in on a return, but Sherwood is wary of bringing them back too soon. Fellow midfielder Etienne Capoue is also thought not to be in the manager’s thoughts as speculation grows he is looking to leave the club.

This article was written by Cookie.