PREVIEW: Leicester, Man City and Spurs heavy this week!

Mar 11

#FPL Gameweek 30 Preview

Written by @CraigHazell

You can also listen to Craig, Tom and Ash on their Fantasy Football Podcast – The Gaffer Tapes

DEFENDER: Robert Huth, Leicester

Much like the Aston Villa Player of the Year Awards, it’s slim pickings this week with only 5 fixtures going ahead for gameweek 30. Yes, that means there’s an exciting DGW ahead that could ‘shape your season’ but I unfortunately live so spectacularly in the now, I can’t yet get excited about it. Not when Aston Villa vs Spurs is deemed a ‘Super Sunday’. It’s not really a week for surprises and the three title contenders playing will be saying the same.

Defensively, it seems wise to go for one of the home sides in action. Leicester have kept 5 clean sheets out of their last 6 home games, and that includes some top top teams. Newcastle are not a top top team. They’re barely a team and so big Robert Huth should have no problem handling a side that would struggle to beat Robbie Williams and his mates at SoccerAid. Bloody great cause. Socceraid not Newcastle.

MIDFIELDER: Riyad Mahrez, Leicester

It’s back to the FPL comfort blanket that is Riyad Mahrez. While Eriksen might be tempting, he has drawn blanks in his last 3 and Alli hasn’t scored points as consistently as Mahrez in the previous few weeks. He’s the people’s player of the year and I think Newcastle will be genuinely terrified to face him. No amount of kicking from Jack Colback will stop him and even the ghost of Bobby Robson won’t stop a Leicester win. I promise I might even pick a non Leicester player in a minute.

FORWARD: Harry Kane, Spurs

Bet you thought I’d pick Vardy right? Well, equally boringly I am gong to say Harry Kane will have a good game against Villa and to be honest I presume a huge number of you have Aguero, Kane and Vardy as a front this week and so I wouldn’t be too surprised if little Kun pops up later. You can’t underestimate the amount of people who won’t be in a position to field 11 players or even 10 and so doing the obvious thing like bringing these high percentage players into your side is no bad thing in such a sparse week.

CAPTAIN: Sergio Aguero, Man City

Of course! It’s the other member of the 2016 FPL holy trinity Sergio Aguero. He’s one of the most in form FPL strikers in the game and City just can’t afford to rest anyone if they have any shot at the title, no matter how many fixtures they have to play. Plus, do you really think Pellegrini cares about the well being of his players now? Aguero will be playing with a splint attached to him if he has to and Norwich now look alarmingly like they could go down. The last think the Carrow Road faithful want to see if an on form Aguero. Well that and heavy rainfall. It’s awfully flat there.

OUTSIDER: Matt Ritchie

Finally! Some variation! It’s been tricky who to pick here and the Bournemouth vs Swansea game stands out as having some value. As a betting man I will be steering clear of it but as an FPL man it is very tempting! Gylfi Sigurdsson showed glimpses of his former self (not the Spurs former self, the Swansea former self) in previous weeks but I’m going to give the edge to Matt Ritchie, who is currently the 6th most in form midfielder in the game. He’s averaged just over 5 points a game for the last 6 and has 16 in his last 2. Bournemouth have been tremendous in their debut Premier League season and at 1.7% picked Ritchie has really flown under the radar. He is only on 96 for the season but the Swansea game is a good chance to reach the century.

Written by @CraigHazell

You can also listen to Craig, Tom and Ash on their Fantasy Football Podcast – The Gaffer Tapes

Craig Hazell is a television professional, writer and Heart of Midlothian fan who makes up one third of the popular FPL podcast The Gaffer Tapes. As a student, Craig won the BBC Sports Broadcaster and Comedy Broadcaster of the year, before going onto to be a regular on the London open mic comedy circuit. He now writes about anything from TV & Movies, to food and of course football, providing he can shoehorn a 90s pop culture reference into just about anything.