Scout Scribbles – Ozil Woe for Arsenal

Mesut Ozil is sidelined with a hamstring injury as Arsenal crash out of Europe. Christian Eriksen is back for Tottenham’s midweek clash with Benfica, Baggies skipper Chris Brunt is ruled out for weeks with a knee injury, Jon Walters has his appeal for wrongful dismissal rejected, whilst Roberto Martinez is keen to court caution with Phil Jagielka’s hamstring problem:

ARSENAL EXIT EUROPE AND LOSE OZIL

Laurent Koscielny returned to partner Per Mertesacker in central defence for last night’s Champions League showdown with Bayern Munich after the former recovered from a hamstring problem that forced him out of the last two games for club and country. Elsewhere at the back Arsene Wenger handed Thomas Vermaelen a rare start at left back as both Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal were ruled out with injury. Mesut Ozil was brought off with an injury at half-time for the Gunners, while Lukas Podolski grabbed the away side’s controversial equaliser.

Post-match, Wenger delivered bad news about Ozil’s early withdrawal:

“He has a hamstring problem that looks quite serious. I don’t know how long he will be out for. For sure, he is out of Spurs. We have to make a scan tomorrow to see how bad it is but he is out at least for a few weeks. I hope it’s not too bad.”

The Scout Says: Ozil’s injury will come as a blow for those still hanging on to the Gunners’ record signing. His first goal since December in the FA Cup at the weekend provided a glimmer of hope that he might be about to finally return to form just in time for the upcoming Gameweek 31 double, but this latest injury looks set to scupper any chances of the 9.7-priced midfielder providing any Fantasy value for the remainder of the campaign. Tomas Rosicky looks most likely to be the man to benefit from the German’s absence, perhaps offering us a cut-price midfield option in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Koscielny’s return to the starting line-up will buoy his owners, although potential suitors of the game’s seventh highest-scoring defender should beware – with Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City and Everton to play in the next four Gameweeks, Arsenal’s defensive picks are unlikely to provide much value in the near future.

ERIKSEN ON COURSE FOR RETURN

Spurs manager Tim Sherwood has confirmed that Christian Eriksen has returned to training from a back injury and is in contention for his side’s Europe League duties on Thursday. Sherwood was quick to acknowledge the impact the Dane had for his side before his current spell on the sidelines:

“Christian has contributed well in his last few matches, both goals and assists and it’s great to have him back in contention.”

The Scout Says: Although Eriksen’s game time has become something of a guessing game in recent weeks, Sherwood’s praise would seem to suggest that the midfielder still has an important role to play for the north London outfit before the season comes to a close. The Dane, now down to 6.7, has not featured since early February in the league, but managers should keep an eye on the playmaker, who – if given the pitch-time by his manager upon his return from injury – undeniably has the quality to defy a tough fixture list and rekindle the form that saw him plunder 45 points between Gameweeks 18-23.

WALTERS BAN CONFIRMED

Stoke City have failed in their late appeal to overturn Jon Walters’ red card picked up against Norwich on Saturday, meaning that the Republic of Ireland international will sit out the next three league games, joining teammate Charlie Adam on the sidelines for the Potters.

The Scout Says: Walters’ first ever red card comes at a sore time for Fantasy managers, with the Stoke midfielder having recently begun to step in form. Back on penalty duties thanks to the absence of the aforementioned Adam, Walters netted from the spot in Saturday’s game and the previous weekend’s win over Arsenal, his first goals since Gameweek 21 and the first time he has returned attacking points in two consecutive Gameweeks this season. However, the 6.1-priced man will now miss a trio of potentially profitable fixtures (WHM, avl, HUL), leaving his small pool of owners, including the 23,000+ managers to snap him following his winning goal against Arsenal, scouring the markets for a replacement.

MARTINEZ TO EASE JAGIELKA BACK INTO ACTION

Everton boss Roberto Martinez has confirmed that Phil Jagielka is close to a return from a hamstring injury but will not be rushed back into the centre of the Toffee’s defence. Martinez acknowledged the backlog of fixtures his team face as we head towards the end of the campaign, and highlighted the importance of having Jagielka at full fitness for the run in:

“Phil is recovering well. Clearly it’s important he is 100 per cent. I know he’s a player who will at times put himself forward at only 90 per cent to help the team. But with the amount of games we have – it’s a nine-week period with 11 games – we need Phil and every player to be fully fit. Whenever Phil is 100 per cent, he’ll be able to help the team, but we need to protect him a little bit and make sure he’s not rushed back into playing too early, which could risk a further period out.”

The Scout Says: A return from injury for Jagielka will be comforting news for the 14.4% of managers who own the defender, although Martinez’s words concerning his fitness will subsequently leave them in significant doubt over whether he will be reinstalled to the Toffees’ defence for the visit of Cardiff this weekend. The majority of managers eyeing up Everton’s defensive assets for the remainder of the season will undoubtedly be deciding between full-backs Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman anyway, although Martinez’s insistence on 100% fitness certainly indicates that he won’t be taking any chances with his teamsheet and is prepared to utilise the depth of his squad: a factor that may potentially hinder our attempts to take advantage of Everton’s upcoming double Gameweeks.

LUCAS AND SAKHO BOOST FOR LIVERPOOL

Liverpool have been handed a boost in the race for the title, after Lucas and Mamadou Sakho returned to full training yesterday. Lucas has been missing for the Merseysiders since mid-January with a knee injury, whilst a torn hamstring has kept Sakho out since late December, but both came through an Under-21’s game unscathed last week and now look set to offer Brendan Rodgers options for Sunday’s clash with United.

The Scout Says: Potentially, given the Red’s current form, both players may initially struggle to force their way back into Liverpool’s starting XI immediately, with Steven Gerrard currently excelling in the holding role and the 4.3-priced Jon Flanagan beginning to cement his name at left-back. However, if Rodgers chooses to retain the midfield diamond utilised so successfully against Southampton last time around, the Brazilian could be back in the centre before long – potentially a worry for Raheem Sterling owners, after the youngster’s run of 15 league starts came to an end at St Mary’s due to the new formation.

Brunt Blow for Baggies

West Brom have confirmed their skipper is set to be sidelined for five or six weeks with the knee injury that forced him off against United last Saturday lunchtime. Pepe Mel was dealt a further blow with the news that Diego Lugano is out for up to four weeks, whilst Claudio Yacob and Steven Reid remain doubtful after picking up problems at the weekend. Billy Jones is “making good progress” from a hamstring complaint ahead of an upcoming trip to Swansea.

The Scout Says: Brunt’s injury arrives ahead of a crucial run of fixtures for the Midlands outfit. The next four matches pit the Baggies against fellow strugglers Swansea, Hull, Cardiff and Norwich and, devoid of their skipper’s creativity, few will be willing to take a punt. Brunt had played every minute on the left flank since Mel arrived, with his absence potentially handing the likes of Scott Sinclair or Graham Dorrans a chance, though for those who reckon West Brom can take advantage of those fixtures, Victor Anichebe looks the one in-form option – the 5.1-priced frontman has scored or assisted four of his side’s last five league goals.