Whatever Jose Mourinho seems to think, his Chelsea team are certainly in the box seat with regards to Premier League glory this season. The Blues sit seven points clear of Liverpool and Arsenal currently, but crucially it is the nine point gap to Manchester City which seems to hold the key to the title race. […]
Category Archives: GW previews
Manchester City’s sparkling David Silva to continue golden form
As the Premier League title race enters a crucial stage, the big players are starting to make even bigger contributions for their teams.
The perceived wisdom is that the battle at the top is now going to be between Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea – despite what Jose Mourinho thinks – and all three clubs have players capable of earning them crucial points.
Take City, who go into Saturday’s game at home to Southampton off the back of picking up four points from back-to-back away games at Manchester United and Arsenal.
Key to earning those points was the Spanish international David Silva (£9.4m), who shone in the 3-0 win at Old Trafford and then gave his side the lead at the Emirates Stadium last Saturday with a close range finish.
Although clearly one of the most gifted players in the Premier League, Silva has often been overlooked by many from a Fantasy football point of view due to his comparative lack of goals when stacked up against other attacking midfielders. He’s currently in just 7.9% of teams.
His strike at Arsenal was his sixth of the season though, and with Manuel Pellegrini opting to play the World Cup winner behind front man Edin Dzeko (£6.9m) in recent weeks, Silva has found himself getting into attacking positions more and more.
At the time of writing it isn’t clear whether Sergio Aguero (£12.0m) will be fit to face Southampton at the Etihad Stadium this weekend, but even if he isn’t then City shouldn’t worry and will probably field the same team they started with in their last two games.
Silva has been a key part of those selections, and with City players likely to be crucial to your team for the rest of the season given that they face two double Gameweeks (the first of which comes next week) then he could be seen as a more than useful addition.
Samir Nasri (£8.1m) and of course Yaya Toure (£10.4m) will of course be crucial too, as City look to utilise their midfield power in their bid for glory.
Elsewhere, City’s title challengers Liverpool head into the weekend on top of the table and will be looking to stay there when they go to West Ham on Sunday.
Everyone knows who the main men for the Reds are, but Jordan Henderson (£6.5m) continues to impress and grabbed a goal against Tottenham, whilst Glen Johnson (£5.7m) has picked up two assists in his last three games and registered 11 points in that 4-0 win over Spurs.
Chelsea’s Andre Schurrle (£6.9m) should start at home to Stoke, against whom he scored twice earlier in the season, whilst arguably the match of the weekend sees fifth-placed Everton host an Arsenal side they’ve got their eye on overtaking and reaching the Champions League ahead of.
A tight clash is expected, but Gerard Deulofeu (£5.4m) has now started four of Everton’s last five games in the league, and after scoring in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal in December he’ll be determined to give home fans something else to shout about before he returns to Barcelona in the summer.
One player who could also be on the move at the end of the season is Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke (£8.7m), and after he had a day to forget at Manchester United he could take out his frustrations on a Fulham side who now seem destined for the drop.
Juan Mata (£9.2m) managed his first goal for Manchester United in that 4-1 win over Villa last weekend, and he’ll be worth keeping an eye on as the Red Devils go to a Newcastle side who seem to have mentally switched off for the season already, whilst although they had that day to forget at Anfield last weekend, Tottenham should get a result at home to Sunderland on Monday when Nacer Chadli (£6.8m) may continue in his advanced midfield role.
The Belgian international would be a huge gamble for your team, with Christian Eriksen (£6.5m) perhaps a safer and cheaper option.
GW32 Preview: Back Swansea’s Wilfried Bony to beef up your closing weeks
We all know who the key players have been during this Fantasy Premier League season, but as the campaign draws to a close it is your differentials who’ll be crucial.
Gaining a few extra points here and there on your rivals are what now stands between mini-league glory and potentially your status amongst your office or group of mates, and so we’re going to assume that you’ve already got the likes of Luis Suarez, Yaya Toure, Eden Hazard, Seamus Coleman and Daniel Sturridge to call upon ahead of Gameweek 32. Everyone else has.
It could be seen as a toss-up between Suarez and Hazard for your captain this week, with a personal preference for the former as he takes on a Tottenham defence he battered with two goals and three assists in the same match in December. For those crucial differential points though, we’re off to Wales.
Only 5.1% of Fantasy players currently possess Swansea’s Wilfried Bony (£7.1m) in their team, and as the Ivorian comes towards the end of what has been a largely successful first season in the Premier League, the Swans are looking towards him to score the goals which can ensure they stay in the division for the next campaign.
With Norwich heading for the Liberty Stadium this weekend before Swansea go to a Hull City team who’ll be a week away from an FA Cup semi-final next Saturday, Bony can fire those goals which would, with two wins, place Swansea on 36 points and within touching distance of survival with five matches left.
Bony is in good form, too.
In the past month he’s scored against Liverpool, Everton and Arsenal to take his tally to 11 league goals for the season (or 12 in the Fantasy game, where he’s still awarded a goal which was later credited to Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel), whilst the return of Michu (£8.4m) from injury ensures that he’s likely to get plenty of chances in the weeks ahead.
He can be the difference between staying up and going down in the next couple of weeks for Swansea, and your team can benefit from his good form as well.
Elsewhere on another huge weekend in the title race, Chelsea go to Crystal Palace and it isn’t just Hazard (£11.0m) you should be focusing on.
Picking a Chelsea defender should be a given due to their excellent defensive record – Cesar Azpilicueta (£5.6m) is a current favourite despite being owned by just 5.3% of teams – but further forward it’s Andre Schurrle (£6.8m) who is currently making an impact.
The wide man found the net in the 6-0 hammering of Arsenal and fired a hat-trick the last time the Blues faced an away game in London at Fulham earlier in the month. Willian (£7.5m) will return from suspension at Selhurst Park, but if you can afford to take a gamble on his German teammate then he could well be worth it.
Of the other title contenders, Manchester City go to an Arsenal team who are seemingly on the slide. Edin Dzeko (£6.8m) will be confident following his Manchester derby double and could be turned to in place of Bony if you’re not convinced about the Swansea man, and whilst everyone knows about Liverpool’s main men ahead of their home clash with Spurs, Raheem Sterling (£6.0m) remains pleasingly cheap.
Manchester United’s next attempt at getting things right under David Moyes comes at home to Aston Villa, and although Villa were awful in last weekend’s loss at home to Stoke you really can’t back any United players with confidence at the moment. They should win and Wayne Rooney (£11.4m) should star, but you just never know this season.
Meanwhile, that Stoke win at Villa was inspired by a fine display from Peter Odemwingie (£5.4m).
The Nigerian features in just 0.5% of Fantasy teams despite becoming revitalised in the Potteries, and following three goals in two games he faces up to Hull at home on Saturday eyeing one or two more.
Fantasy Football GW31: Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City and Man United ALL play twice!
You’ll have had your eye on it for a while, but Gameweek 31 looks like one to separate the men and the women from the boys and the girls.
Ten teams face two matches over the next week, and the points on offer in them could be the difference between a strong finish to your season or petering out amongst the also-rans.
In honour of the Double Gameweek, we’ve taken a look at all 10 teams and highlighted players who you should consider for your teams.
Off we go:
Arsenal (Chelsea away, Swansea home)
The opening game is obviously the tougher one here, especially given Chelsea’s strong defensive record at home. Tomas Rosicky (£5.5m) impressed in the North London derby, but if Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (£6.6m) had sharpened up his finishing skills there the win could have been more emphatic. With the Gunners’ defence and attack set for a tough game at Stamford Bridge, the England man could be the way to go.
Swansea (Everton away, Arsenal away)
Undoubtedly dealt the toughest hand in Gameweek 31, Swansea’s players don’t really appeal at all. If you had to pick one, Michu (£8.4m) returned for 28 minutes in the West Brom game and should feature again.
Manchester United (West Ham away, Manchester City home)
After going from bad to worse against Liverpool, Manchester United face another tough couple of matches. No-one at the club is in any sort of form at all, and so with a daunting meeting with rivals City on the horizon not to mention a tough examination at West Ham, their players might be best avoided. Adnan Januzaj (£4.9m) remains the best value though.
Manchester City (Fulham home, Manchester United away)
The Fulham game certainly offers up the potential for another City scorefest, and to be honest the trip to Old Trafford does too. David Silva (£9.2m) got an all-too-rare goal at Hull, but Samir Nasri (£8.1m) is more likely to find the net, whilst Edin Dzeko (£6.7m) did so last weekend and could be the one to profit if Sergio Aguero’s lack of fitness and Alvaro Negredo’s poor form continues.
Newcastle (Crystal Palace home, Everton home)
It’s a pity that Loic Remy is injured as these games would have been perfect for him, but instead it looks like being Luuk de Jong (£5.9m) who’ll lead the line for the Magpies. Fabricio Coloccini (£4.8m) will be important as the hosts seek to keep things tight at St James’s Park, but the value could be with Moussa Sissoko (£5.8m) as he continues in a slightly more advanced midfield position to the one he adopted in the first half of the season.
Everton (Swansea home, Newcastle away)
Seamus Coleman (£6.7m) got his customary goal late on in the Cardiff win and the Irishman remains a must-pick for your team, even if Everton have shipped goals away lately. Kevin Mirallas (£7.5m) has gone off the boil recently and whilst Gerard Deulofeu (£5.4m) promises much he’s only completed 90 minutes once all season. All of which points emphatically to Romelu Lukaku (£8.5m).
West Ham (Manchester United home, Hull home)
Andy Carroll (£7.1m) scored his first goal of the season against Stoke last time out, and the forward is a great differential choice here. The former Newcastle and Liverpool forward knows that he’s in the last chance saloon with regards to selection for the World Cup, and he’ll be desperate to impress in front of the television cameras against a dodgy Manchester United defence on Saturday night. Then on Wednesday its Hull at home.
Hull (West Brom home, West Ham away)
Curtis Davies (£4.7m) has been in the goals recently and looks a good shout as a cheap defender for your team, but all of Hull’s power lies with the attack. The club as a whole might have on eye on their upcoming FA Cup semi-final, but both Shane Long (£5.7m) and Nikica Jelavic (£6.7m) are cup-tied for that fixture, and the latter should be backed to fire against West Brom at least.
Liverpool (Cardiff away, Sunderland home)
The team on everyone’s lips at the moment looks to be the ones to back here. Daniel Sturridge’s (£10.5m) emphatic scoring run may have stalled, but that only seems to have started another one for Luis Suarez (£13.1m). The Uruguayan should be your captain this Gameweek but also look out for useful midfield contributions from Jordan Henderson (£6.4m), Raheem Sterling (£5.9m) and of course Steven Gerrard (£9.2m).
Sunderland (Norwich away, Liverpool away)
Getting anything from Anfield will be tough, especially given that forward Fabio Borini (£6.2m) will be unable to face his parent club. The Norwich game could be a different matter though, and whilst Adam Johnson (£6.5m) excites as a potential addition, midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng (£4.3m) is surprisingly cheap and useful if you need someone to pad out the squad.
GW29 Preview: No Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City…No Chance?
It’s a slightly different week in Fantasy Premier League, and so we’re bringing you a slight different type of preview.
Instead of our usual offering we’re going to run through the five matches taking place this weekend, picking out players that you should consider for what is likely to be a severely shorthanded team.
This was written before the international fixtures, so forgive us if anyone has picked up an injury, and we’ll start with the early game at The Hawthorns:
West Brom v Manchester United
Previously such messy weeks in the Fantasy game would see you place your trust in the men from Old Trafford, but their unconvincing season makes them less enticing now.
Robin van Persie (£13.6m) has been surpassed by better and cheaper forward options, whilst Wayne Rooney (£11.1m) has suffered far too many injury problems to warrant complete trust.
West Brom will be tough opponents too. They’ve drawn all four of their home games under Pepe Mel 1-1, including matches against Everton, Liverpool and Chelsea – all of whom are above United in the table.
Yet although Chris Brunt (£5.0m) will offer his usual threat from midfield, they don’t really convince at the moment and could struggle.
FPL key man: Adnan Januzaj (£4.8m): Cheap, and likely to start after missing out on the internationals, the youngster can be his side’s spark in the Midlands.
Cardiff v Fulham
This basement battle of the bottom isn’t likely to be one for the faint-hearted, with a defeat perhaps spelling relegation for one of the two sides.
In truth there shouldn’t really be a rush to pick anyone from two such out of form teams, but Cardiff’s Declan John (£3.9m) is a good, cheap defender who has started eight of the last 10 games, whilst Fulham’s Dan Burn (£4.0m) has come into the Cottagers’ side of late, too.
Cardiff have won just two of 10 home games since they beat Swansea in November, and so although Fulham’s away form is usually woeful it is tempting to side with them here. Darren Bent (£6.0m) should start upfront.
FPL key man: Steve Sidwell (£5.3m): Capable of scoring goals from midfield, Sidwell’s total of six this season is more than he has ever managed in a Premier League campaign before.
Crystal Palace v Southampton
Despite their improvement under Tony Pulis, Crystal Palace still sit just three points above the relegation zone and will know that matches such as these will be vital.
The return of last season’s top scorer Glenn Murray (£5.2m) has come at a good time for them however, and he’s likely to start after coming off the bench to score a late penalty at Swansea, whilst new signing Scott Dann (£4.0m) has seemingly taken Danny Gabbidon’s place in defence.
Southampton didn’t deserve to lose to Liverpool by a three-goal margin, but with little left to play for bar preserving their bodies for the World Cup, some of their England stars have gone off the boil a little.
FPL key man: Thomas Ince (£5.5m): Replaced by Murray at half-time at Swansea, Ince will nonetheless be vital to the Eagles at home, where his incisive running could hurt the Saints.
Norwich v Stoke
Norwich got their semi-regular ‘big win for Chris Hughton’ in their last home match against Tottenham, only to follow that up with anaemic display and defeat at Aston Villa.
The potential absences of both Robert Snodgrass (£6.0m) and Leroy Fer (£5.4m) could hit them hard here, especially with Stoke buoyed by last weekend’s win over Arsenal as they chase a top half finish.
Mark Hughes will turn to Peter Crouch (£5.6m) against one of the forward’s former clubs, and with Charlie Adam (£5.9m) now banned for three matches, Marko Arnautovic (£5.1m) could assume greater importance.
FPL key man: Jonathan Walters (£6.1m): The former Fantasy favourite netted the winner from the spot against the Gunners, and could be required to stand up and be counted again.
Chelsea v Tottenham
The standout clash of the weekend in the glamour stakes could see Chelsea move a massive seven points clear of second-placed Liverpool by Saturday night.
The Blues are in the groove and it will certainly be difficult for an injury-hit Spurs to live with them, despite Roberto Soldado (£8.4m) finally returning to goalscoring form in the edgy win over Cardiff.
The problems are in their defence though, and could be exploited by Andre Schurrle (£6.9) following his hat-trick at Fulham, where Fernando Torres (£8.1m) started and earned an assist and a bonus point.
FPL key man: Eden Hazard (£11.1m): Your most likely captain this weekend, the Belgian assisted two of Schurrle’s goals at Craven Cottage and will be a vital influence on his side once again.
GW28 Preview: Everton’s Kevin Mirallas can nail the Hammers
Feb 27
It hasn’t really been a great few weeks for Everton. The trickier away games were always going to test the mettle of Roberto Martinez’s side and be the true judge over whether or not they could make the Champions League, and sure enough after experiencing just two league defeats all season a month ago they’ve […]
GW27 Preview: Tottenham’s Emmanuel Adebayor can continue fine form on the road
Feb 20
Much has been made of the resurgence of Emmanuel Adebayor (£8.2m) since the departure of Andre Villas-Boas at Tottenham, but what is less discussed is that virtually all of his impressive displays have come away from home. Seven of the eight league goals that Adebayor has scored since being restored to the team by Tim […]
GW26 Preview: Sturridge is outshining Suarez in Liverpool’s high-scoring team
Feb 10
Selecting your Fantasy team’s captain was a lot easier earlier in the season when Luis Suarez (£13.4m) seemed to be on a one-man mission to get Liverpool into the Champions League. Anyone lucky enough to have selected Suarez as skipper between Liverpool’s visit to Tottenham on Gameweek 14 and their home clash with Cardiff on […]
GW25 Preview: Yaya Toure can shine as Manchester City bounce back at Norwich
Feb 6
Monday was a night to forget for Manchester City, but as they look to bounce back at the weekend they’ll be pretty pleased with who their opponents are. It was back in early November that City hammered Nowich 7-0 at the Etihad Stadium to record their biggest win of a season which has featured plenty […]
GW24 Preview: Arsenal’s Santi Cazorla can shine on his date with Palace
Before the recent FA Cup North London derby against Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium, Santi Cazorla (£9.5m) had scored just one goal this season. He’s got six now.
Terrific goalscoring form has seen the Spaniard hit the net five times in his last five matches in all competitions, and with the Gunners suffering plenty of injury setbacks as they continue their challenge at the top of the Premier League, those goals are crucial for a side missing plenty of attacking talents.
After scoring in the 2-2 draw at Southampton in midweek, Cazorla will surely start when Crystal Palace come calling to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon in a match that the Gunners should certainly win.
That Saints game was the only Premier League match in the last six that the Gunners haven’t won, with Cazorla starting all of those matches and completing the 90 minutes in all of them bar going off for the final five minutes at St Mary’s.
The Spanish international’s current goalscoring spurt shouldn’t really come as much of a surprise.
Until that Spurs FA Cup clash his only strike this season came in a 2-0 win over Liverpool in early November, but Cazorla scored 12 times in his first season in English football last year, and so there could well be more goals on the way if he is to keep up his average.
Against Palace he’ll be joined by the likes of Olivier Giroud (£8.7m) and Mesut Ozil (£10.0m), but injuries to the likes of Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey has opened the door for young German Serge Gnabry (£4.2m), who is a more than useful cheap squad addition and has started the Gunners’ last three games.
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Elsewhere this weekend, Manchester United’s newfound attacking trio will be backed by many to win at Stoke.
Juan Mata (£9.6m), Robin van Persie (£13.6m) and Wayne Rooney (£11.3m) were all available for the first time in the midweek win over Cardiff at Old Trafford, and as they go to the Britannia Stadium they’ll have plenty of Fantasy bosses cheering them on.
As showcased above though, there are plenty of reasons when Cazorla is the preferred option to his Spanish international teammate Mata right now, but with both players available at a similar price then it is certainly worth monitoring the displays of both over the next few matches.
Everton were embarrassed by neighbours Liverpool at Anfield in midweek, and so they’ll be determined to bounce back when they host Aston Villa at home on Saturday.
Romelu Lukaku was crocked by teammate Gareth Barry in that Liverpool loss and he’ll miss out here, meaning that we could see a debut for giant on-loan forward Lacina Traore (£7.5m), but a shrewder move could be to go for winger Kevin Mirallas (£7.2m), who at least put in plenty of effort at Anfield and scored in his two previous appearances before that.
Everton’s Merseyside conquerors go to West Brom on Sunday, and they’ll be going there with plenty of confidence.
Luis Suarez (£13.4m) will of course be plenty of Fantasy bosses’ pick for the captaincy following his goal and assist against the Blues, but it is Daniel Sturridge (£9.4m) who is catching the eye more for Liverpool at the moment, scoring five goals in four games since returning from injury.
Tottenham will fancy their chances as they go to Hull City, where Emmanuel Adebayor (£7.8m) could shine again and keep up the fine form he’s been displaying recently, whilst the big clash of the Gameweek obviously comes on Monday night when Manchester City host Chelsea.
Often such titanic clashes are ones to avoid from a Fantasy perspective, but you simply can’t ignore City’s stellar home form this season, and in the wake of Sergio Aguero’s injury at Tottenham, a goal for Edin Dzeko (£6.7m) wouldn’t be too surprising.
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