Scout Scribbles – De Bruyne at the Double

Kevin De Bruyne produces two goals and an assist as City coast past Hull at the Etihad. Everton’s Gerard Deulofeu bags a goal and assist, Ibrahim Afellay helps Stoke progress, whilst Philippe Coutinho still remains a doubt for Liverpool’s clash with Southampton this evening.

De Bruyne Double Steers City Through

Inspired by a Kevin De Bruyne brace (and assist) – which included another inch-perfect free-kick – Man City cruised to a 4-1 victory against Hull City. In the absence of Sergio Aguero, Wilfried Bony led the line and netted in the 12^th minute. Raheem Sterling set up Kelechi Iheanacho for the Sky Blues’ second at the 80-minute mark, before De Bruyne bagged two in the final 10 minutes.

David Silva made a welcome return to the starting XI and lasted 83 minutes – he was one of four changes from the side that won against Southampton, as Gael Clichy, Eliaquim Mangala and Wilfried Bony also came in for Yaya Toure, Aleksandar Kolarov, Martin Demichelis and Sergio Aguero. Mangala will miss the weekend trip to Stoke after earning a fifth yellow card of the season.

Post-match, Manuel Pellegrini confirmed he will be without Vincent Kompany for now, whilst Aguero remains a doubt for the trip to the Britannia:

“I don’t think Vincent will be ready soon, maybe against Swansea but not before. Hart could be fit for Saturday; if not Tuesday, while Kun has pain in his heel – he is improving but we will see tomorrow if he can play on Saturday.”

The Scout Says: Sold by 80,000 FPL managers prior to last Gameweek, De Bruyne has recorded three goals and as many assists in his subsequent two outings. With Alexis Sanchez a major doubt amongst the premium midfielders, and with question marks remaining over Aguero, the Belgian has risen in price again as his bandwagon picks up pace. Notwithstanding the bevy of positive notes from their Capital One Cup triumph, City once again failed to keep a home clean sheet, having conceded in their last six league clashes at the Etihad. It’s perhaps a blessing, then, that they’re on the road for six of their next 10 fixtures, though Mangala’s suspension, allied with Kompany’s ongoing absence, means that Demichelis will retain his starting berth for the Stoke encounter this Saturday.

Deulofeu Dazzles in Toffees Win

Everton gained entry into the semi-finals of the League Cup by way of a 2-0 road win over Middlesbrough. Gerard Deulofeu produced a stunning solo effort (Ramiro Funes Mori assist) to fire the visitors into the lead, before Romelu Lukaku combined with the Spaniard to double their advantage. James McCarthy failed a late fitness test, but Gareth Barry recovered from a shin problem, whilst Leighton Baines stepped up his rehabilitation with a 22-minute run-out in the second period. In terms of personnel, Roberto Martinez made three changes from his starting XI at Bournemouth, with Joel Robles, Leon Osman and Tom Cleverley coming in for Tim Howard, McCarthy and Arouna Kone.

The Scout Says: Lukaku’s strike against the Boro offers further incentive to captain him for the Toffees’ home tie against Crystal Palace. That being said, it’s worth noting that the Eagles lay claim to the second-best road record on the defensive front, having conceded just five goals away from Selhurst Park. With three goals and two assists in a pair of league outings, Ross Barkley had stormed ahead of Deulofeu in that internal contest, yet the latter’s man-of-the-match display last night will certainly sate his 3% ownership. A cameo appearance for Baines has paved the way him to return to the starting line-up. Few Fantasy managers will be willing to take a punt on the 6.1-priced left-back just yet, but he could emerge as an intriguing differential during Everton’s agreeable winter schedule (CRY, nor, LEI, new, STO).

Potters Ease into Last Four

Stoke City carded a comfortable 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday in their quarter-final match-up. Ibrahim Afellay opened the scoring at the half-hour mark, while Phil Bardsley gave the Potters a two-goal cushion 15 minutes from time. Mark Hughes made five changes to his XI last night. Ryan Shawcross missed out through suspension and was replaced by Marc Wilson, whilst Afellay, Geoff Cameron, Marco van Ginkel and Peter Crouch came in for Xherdan Shaqiri, Charlie Adam, Bojan and Glenn Whelan. Mame Biram Diouf was omitted from the squad by virtue of his wife going into labour.

The Scout Says: Afellay has mustered just four league starts since his switch from Barcelona last summer but he’ll be hoping to muscle his way into Stoke’s attacking quartet for their upcoming home tie against Manchester City, given that Mark Hughes’ troops netted four goals in their previous seven fixtures. After a strong start to the season, Diouf has fallen behind Jonathan Walters as the spearhead of their attack, with Marko Arnautovic and Shaqiri retaining their wide berths and Bojan tucked in behind. The Potters’ defence is of more interest from a Fantasy perspective – considering they’ve chalked up five clean sheets in seven outings – but their challenging run through to the New Year (MCI, whu, CRY, MUN, eve) doesn’t seem too conducive to shut-outs, suggesting Jack Butland may need to rely on save points over the festive period.

Saints Optimistic on Fonte availability

Ronald Koeman revealed in his Tuesday press conference that Jose Fonte is the only absentee for Southampton’s midweek League Cup clash against Liverpool. The Saints boss is confident, however, that the Portuguese centre-back will be available their home tie against Aston Villa on Saturday:

“Jose is not fit for tomorrow. He still has the cut above his knee with the stitches and we are hopeful that he can play this Saturday, but tomorrow is too early. There are no other updates about injuries – the same team, the same squad probably for tomorrow’s game.”

The Scout Says: Southampton’s defence has been solid but unspectacular this term, conceding 17 goals and carding five clean sheets. Although Fonte (13% ownership) is the most popular of their rearguard recruits, Virgil van Dijk (4% ownership) has swiftly established himself as the prime pick, notching two goals in 10 league starts since his summer move from Celtic. Nonetheless, the former has been posting similarly impressive underlying stats, ranking joint-fourth among defenders for attempts (10) and joint-second for shots inside the box (nine). Both men harbour the potential to be valuable pick-ups during Saints’ upcoming pair of favourable match-ups (AVL, cry), before they face clubs from the capital in three successive Gameweeks (TOT, ARS, whu).

Klopp Still Unsure on Coutinho Fitness

Although Jurgen Klopp is intending to rotate his squad for the Reds’ trip to St Mary’s Stadium, he confirmed that Philippe Coutinho is still a doubt for the head-to-head with a hamstring injury:

“At this moment I can’t say which team I’ll play because the last game was only two days ago. Yes, I will play the strongest team but that all depends on the situation and how much they played recently. You can’t ignore the last game. You can’t ignore the next game. Usually, you need the full squad. Really, I have to think about it. It’s a puzzle but in the end it will be our strongest team for sure. We have to wait with Philippe. We will speak with the medical staff and to Phil. He will be close. It’s possible. We have to double check the situation.”

The Scout Says: In a week that’s seen 160,000 Alexis Sanchez owners sell the Chilean in response to his hamstring injury, Philippe Coutinho has welcomed 18,000 new owners, making him the fourth-most transferred-in midfielder. It’s hardly surprising he’s in high demand: before succumbing to injury, the former Inter Milan playmaker tallied four goals and one assist across three outings. Furthermore, no midfielder who clocked at least 100 minutes over the last four Gameweeks fashioned shots at a faster rate (one every 21.5 minutes) than Coutinho, illustrating the wealth of scoring opportunities he’s afforded. The favourable nature of Liverpool’s trip to Newcastle this weekend has encouraged those new Coutinho uptakers to take a calculated risk regarding his fitness. Indeed, only Bournemouth have surrendered more goals (10) than the Magpies since Gameweek 11.