FPL notes: Mateta injury boost + will Isak miss again?

We continue to chat about the Fantasy talking points from Wednesday’s EFL Cup matches.

This time we look back Liverpool 0-3 Crystal Palace And Newcastle United 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur.

You can read about the possible implications (or lack thereof!) for Palace’s Gameweek 17 win here.

WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS

SELECTION/ROTATION

NKETIAH INJURY – A GOOD BUSINESS FOR MATETA OR NOT?

The most bought attacker of Gameweek 10, Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.7m) looked set to emerge from Wednesday’s win at Anfield unscathed. Even better: he had 45 minutes free Eddie Nketiah (£5.4m) got the nod up front. So relief for those who moved early for the Frenchman.

And wouldn’t you know it, now Nketiah is injured again.

“One negative aspect: Eddie Nketiah unfortunately injured his hamstring again, but otherwise everything worked as we had planned.” – Oliver Glasner

Nketiah’s injury could be portrayed as a positive as it is one less positional rival to worry about. But was he really that much of a threat? Mateta is an ever-present league starter and only once this season has Nketiah come on for him in a Premier League match. On four other occasions, the former Arsenal striker replaced a Palace midfielder in the second half.

Instead, Nketiah was used to lighten Mateta’s workload in midweek, whether in the UEFA Conference League against Dynamo Kiev or on Merseyside on Wednesday. Could Nketiah’s absence, if any, actually be a bigger disadvantage for Mateta domestically, given the added pressure on weekday evenings?

We’ll find out from Glasner on Friday the extent of Nketiah’s latest issue.

ISAK TO MISS AGAIN?

In the aftermath of Wednesday’s press conference, Arne Slot seemed to suggest as much Alexander Isaac (£10.4m) would again be in doubt for Gameweek 10.

When asked about his injured contingent, the Liverpool boss said so Ryan Gravenberch (£5.6m) had the “best chance” of recovery – raising obvious questions about Isak’s fitness status.

“I think Ryan has a good chance. The others will… let’s wait and see tomorrow and Friday. I don’t know.” [about] all, but I think Ryan has the best chance of them all. – Arne Slot about his injured players

With Slot we don’t have to wait long for an update Friday at 9 a.m. in front of the media.

LOCK HAS THE WHITE FLAG WITH LINE-UP

This is a loss for Liverpool that probably doesn’t count in the current worrying run of defeats, as it was essentially the reserves that Palace had to deal with. Ten changes compared to game week 9, where all ten rested players were not even on the bench. Complete midweek breathers for people like Muhammad Salah (£14.3 million) and Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.5 million), that is.

Only Milos Kerkez (£5.8m) survived, and the fact he was given 90 minutes suggests he could be one of the substitutes against Aston Villa.

Despite a promising early start, with Ngumoha River (£4.5m) looks lively and is a centre-forward for the day, Federico Chiesa (£6.4m), with two decent chances spurned, it was soon men versus boys. The Reds had just one shot on target all match.

Slot all but admitted after full-time that he sacrificed this EFL Cup match to freshen up his regulars for Gameweek 10.

“When I look at our performance against Brentford, to use that as an example, two days after we played [Eintracht] In Frankfurt I saw a team there that perhaps struggled to play three games in seven days. Again, this is not an excuse to lose that football match, but it is not a complete surprise to me when I see the problems that some players have had in pre-season and players who came from different competitions. It is a new challenge for them to play in three matches in seven days at Premier League and Champions League level.” – Arne Slot

SARR BRACKET

Palace took advantage Ismail Sarr (£6.5m) scored twice and To elect (£5.8m) rounded out the scoring late.

This was probably Pino’s best game in a Palace shirt, with the Spaniard creating a game-high five chances and assisting Sarr’s second goal. What an action that was too.

Football, just pure football…

Powered by @ZonExpress Airlines 🛫 pic.twitter.com/wi9eR5raD8

— Crystal Palace FC (@CPFC) October 29, 2025

Sarr loves facing Liverpool: he had a total of five shots here. Half of his eighteen tries and four of his six goals from the Community Shield came in three meetings with the Reds!

ANOTHER WORLDWIDE GOAL + THIAW’S SET-PIECE THREAT

One more game, one more goal up Nick Woltemade (£7.5m). It’s six goals in nine starts for the German in all competitions, and another with his head – aerial ability is not meant to be his strength!

The German was one of only three Newcastle players to retain their place from Gameweek 9, although an early withdrawal should ensure there are no concerns about a Sunday start. The striker with the sparkling toes also almost had an assist to his name when he made the turn Harvey Barnes (£6.4 million) after a brilliant piece of play just outside Spurs’ area.

One of the other players keeping his place is quietly impressive Malick Thiaw (£4.9m), showed his own attacking threat from set-piece situations. He squared a recycled set-piece across Barnes to hit the crossbar, while the centre-back had two tries of his own from dead-ball deliveries.

He has also had at least one chance in each of the past four Gameweeks.

Newcastle did get success from a corner, with an excellent one Sandro Tonali (£5.4m) crossing for Fabian Schar (£5.4m) to head in. Six of the Magpies’ ten shots on the night came from set plays.

Remember, Newcastle’s next opponent is West Ham, the side with the worst defensive record from set pieces in 2025/26.

“It’s something we’ve been working really hard on in our game lately and I think we have the length and strength to give teams problems.” – Eddie Howe on plays

SPURS NOT BAD, NOT GREAT

Spurs have had a funny old season, sitting third in the Premier League, but without setting the world on fire with their performances. Maybe this is just the new Thomas Frank order: solid but not spectacular.

Their presentation on Tyneside was a good summary of their campaign so far: not outstanding, but not bad either.

Wednesday was a game with fine margins, with Aaron Ramsdale (£4.8 million) forced into great saves from Xavi Simons (£6.8 million), Pape Matar Sarr (£4.9 million) and Richarlison (£6.5 million). A pair of crosses flashed tantalizingly untouched across the Newcastle six-yard box. Schar would have scored DJ Spence (£4.5 million). extra time to get up? Woltemade would have just found it Willem Vicaris (£5.1 million) was in the goal and not in the flutter Antonin Kinsky (£3.9m)?

“I think it was one of our better attacking performances of the season. You could say it wasn’t that we created 500 percent chances, but we created some really big chances.” –Thomas Frank

Spurs made fewer changes than Newcastle, just four, but key figures Vicario, Micky van de Ven (£4.7 million) and Mohammed Jerusalem (£6.8 million) were equipped. That was also the case The Redican Creation (£6.9m), with Richarlison still turning in a mediocre display up front. Frank is undeniably worse off than Eddie Howe in terms of injuries, and perhaps that was the difference on the night, with Newcastle able to call on better options in the reserves.

“He still had a little something that needed to be done, but he will be ready for Chelsea.” – Thomas Frank on the absence of Guglielmo Vicario