Scout Scribbles – City Set for Wembley Duties

Sergio Aguero seals Man City’s place in the Capital One Cup final by scoring the decisive goal in a 4-3 aggregate win over Everton. Kevin De Bruyne is stretchered off with a worrying-looking knee injury, whilst Ross Barkley notches the visitors’ opener at the Etihad. Elsewhere, Duncan Watmore bags a hat-trick as Sunderland’s reserves put six past neighbours Newcastle.

Aguero Seals Final Spot for City

Manchester City emerged as 3-1 victors (4-3 on aggregate) in a high-octane showdown at the Etihad, booking their place in the Capital One Cup final against Liverpool. Joe Hart, Bacary Sagna and Kevin De Bruyne were rested from the start, with Pablo Zabaleta, Raheem Sterling and Willy Caballero earning call-ups. De Bruyne eventually emerged from the bench at the 66-minute mark and went on to find the net before serving up the assist for Sergio Aguero’s winner. Unfortunately, however, the Belgium international had to be stretchered off with what appears to be a serious knee injury. As for the other Sky Blues recruits that made contributions, Fernandinho popped up with the opener, while Raheem Sterling claimed an assist.

The Scout Says: Having also served up back-to-back braces in the league, Aguero’s pinpoint header provides non-owners with further justification to invest in the 13.4-priced forward – who currently ranks third with regards to “transfers in” (106,000) this week – ahead of a trip to Sunderland. Considering that the Wearsiders chart top for goals conceded (46) and second for shots inside the box conceded (213) across the entire campaign, Aguero will fancy his chances of racking up the points yet again. Runaway leader of this week’s Captain Poll with over 61% of the votes, the only real surprise now is that the Argentine’s ownership (25%) is still relatively low – he’s only the fifth most popular forward in the FPL game. Beyond the Black Cats clash, the Sky Blues embark on back-to-back home ties against two of the top-four sides, as Leicester and Spurs roll up to the Etihad. Although they’ve recorded shut-outs in their previous two match-ups at the Etihad, Leicester City (42) and Tottenham Hotspur (41) place second and third, respectively, for goals scored this term, suggesting that Man City’s inconsistent rearguard may find clean sheets hard to come by.

Pellegrini sweating over De Bruyne injury

During injury time of the second half, De Bruyne sustained a knee injury while tussling for the ball just outside Everton’s penalty box and subsequently left the field on a stretcher. Quizzed on De Bruyne’s status after the match, Manuel Pellegrini revealed:

“The doctor thinks, but he cannot be sure, that it’s a problem in his medial ligament. We’ll see how it is but it’s impossible to know before tomorrow. I’m optimistic he won’t be out for the rest of the season. We’ll see how important the damage is. It’s not the cruciate ligament; it’s the medial we think. Kevin has been a very important player all season. He didn’t start this game as we have nine games between now and next month. It is difficult to know. He is with the doctor, it could be the medial ligament. Tomorrow we will have more news but it is not a nice injury.”

The Scout Says: Assuming he’s ruled out, the Belgian’s 23% ownership might elect to stay within the same camp in their search for a replacement, given that Yaya Toure (three goals in seven) and David Silva (one goal and an assist in two) boast decent form and stand to profit from Aguero’s hot streak. However, prospective investors in those players will be wary of the fact that Man City and Liverpool – by virtue of their involvement in the Capital One Cup final on Sunday February 28 – now have blanks in Gameweek 27. By that same token, their opponents in that round of fixtures, Everton and Newcastle, also experience a bye week, diminishing the immediate appeal of players like Ross Barkley and Georginio Wijnaldum. That quartet of clubs will consequently enjoy a double Gameweek, which – dependent on their progress in the FA Cup – looks likely to be Gameweek 25, 34 or 37. On the flip side, both Dele Alli and Dimitri Payet are rendered more alluring De Bruyne replacements because of their respective schedules. The former travels to Norwich in Gameweek 24 and welcomes Swansea City in Gameweek 27, while the latter hosts Aston Villa next time out and faces a visit from Sunderland in Gameweek 27. De Bruyne’s 10.7 price tag also makes bringing in Alexis Sanchez (10.8) a straightforward swap. After returning to action last weekend, the Chilean is the fifth most transferred in midfielder in FPL, though his fixtures over those two Gameweeks – at home to Southampton then away to United – look a little more difficult.

Barkley nets for beaten Toffees

Despite taking the lead through Ross Barkley in the 18^th minute, Everton were unable to threaten much beyond that point, recording just four attempts and two shots on target throughout the match. Romelu Lukaku had a subdued evening, failing to notch a single shot at goal as he continued the form that’s seen him score in just one of his last six league outings.

The Scout Says: Tallying zero goals and three assists in his previous nine league starts, Barkley has given his 36% ownership little to cheer about since Gameweek 15. Moreover, his underlying stats over the past four Gameweeks are somewhat lacklustre, with the Liverpool-born midfielder racking up four shots inside the box and two key passes. Nonetheless, the Toffees’ schedule (NEW, sto, WBA) affords him and an out-of-form Lukaku (four consecutive blanks) with ample opportunity to banish their lean spells. Certainly, both men will be heartened in the knowledge that Newcastle have shipped the fourth-highest volume of goals in away matches (23) prior to their Goodison Park visit.

Watmore stakes a claim

Duncan Watmore bagged a hat-trick for a second-string Sunderland outfit as they trounced Newcastle 6-0 in a behind-closed-doors friendly on home turf yesterday.

Elsewhere for the Wearsiders, Big Sam has recruited Ivorian centre-back Lamine Kone from FC Lorient. Speaking on the Paris native, the Black Cats boss said his physical attributes should hold him in good stead in England’s top tier:

“Strengthening our defensive options was a priority for us and Lamine is a player that has impressed me when I’ve seen him play. He is big and strong, attributes you need to play in central defence in the Premier League, and his arrival will give us healthy competition for places in a key position.”

The Scout Says: With five goals in four outings, Jermain Defoe remains the prime route into Sunderland’s attack. Across the last four Gameweeks, the ex-Tottenham stalwart placed fourth among forwards for shots on target (seven). The Wearsiders impressed as a whole during that time frame, ranking joint-top for goals (nine), top for shot accuracy (45.7%) and top for shot-conversion rate (25.7%). Nonetheless, they’ll struggle to maintain that potency in the final third as they prepare to embark on a challenging trio of fixtures (MCI, liv, MUN). Irrespective of whether Kone is able to forge a route into the starting XI, Patrick van Aanholt – who’s netted four goals in as many starts – will be near impossible to displace as the choice source of defensive coverage among Sunderland’s ranks. Regardless, their unforgiving run of match-ups doesn’t bode well for a back line that’s not posted a clean sheet since Gameweek 15.