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Gameweek 21 preview: Juan to make Matas worse for QPR?
Like plenty of Fantasy managers, Queens Park Rangers can only hope that a new year brings a change in fortunes. It doesn’t look like starting off that way.
After three consecutive defeats at the tail end of 2012, QPR begin 2013 with a trip to a resurgent Chelsea on Wednesday night. It may be a short hop across west London, but the gap in quality in huge.
One man who represents that gap is Juan Mata (£9.8m), the Spanish ace who has slowly overtaken Eden Hazard (£9.5m) as Chelsea’s main creative force the longer the season has gone on, scoring seven goals and making eight assists during the campaign to overtake his Belgian teammate following Hazard’s stunning start to life in England.
Against QPR you’ve have to feel that Mata will be able to exploit the shortcomings of Harry Redknapp’s side in much the same way that Luis Suarez did for Liverpool on Sunday, and with Rafael Benitez also surely likely to stick with Frank Lampard (£8.4m) following his brace in the weekend win at Everton, the potential for another big Chelsea home win is there for all to see.
They beat Aston Villa 8-0 in their last game at Stamford Bridge, and if another huge scoreline is to be achieved then Mata is sure to be key to the home side’s efforts. He looks to be a solid captaincy choice.
The festive period was a time to trust ex-Southampton players with your armband, with Gareth Bale (£9.9m) and Theo Walcott (£8.8m) both hitting hat-tricks to thrill the managers who own them.
Bale would have been backed for more points had he not picked up a suspension which keeps him out of Tottenham’s home match with Reading on New Year’s Day, but Arsenal’s Walcott is sure to be raring to go as he heads back to the south coast to take on Southampton fresh from racking up this season’s highest individual points total in one fixture against Newcastle on Saturday.
His three goals and two assists have of course seen plenty of Fantasy bosses draft him into the team in the hope that he can repeat the trick, and whilst he might not manage to pull off that incredible feat again he certainly looks as though he’ll be in the points as he heads back to his old club ― who conceded six to the Gunners, and one to Walcott, back in September.
The Manchester clubs look set to spent 2013 battling with each other in the same way they did in 2012, and both will fancy New Year’s Day wins as champions City host Stoke and leaders United go to Wigan. Sergio Aguero (£11.0m) and Robin van Persie (£14.0m) will again be the main men, whilst City’s Yaya Toure (£8.0) will play his final Premier League match before heading off for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Suarez (£10.2m) and Liverpool will be looking to arrest their schizophrenic form as they welcome Sunderland to Anfield in a match which should see the Uruguayan forward impress, whilst Demba Ba (£8.4m) could be playing his final match for Newcastle as they host Everton. Logic dictates that he’ll be getting less chances to pick up points should he move to Chelsea as expected.
Logic also says that whoever faces Aston Villa should be in the points given recent form, and as Swansea welcome Paul Lambert’s men to South Wales perhaps a move for Nathan Dyer (£5.3m) could pay off.
Michu (£8.2m) is doubtful for the match, and whilst his fitness should be monitored all the way up to the deadline ― not the most exciting way to spend New Year’s Eve admittedly ― the likes of Dyer and Jonathan de Guzman (£5.7m) could be the men to watch.
* Remember, the January Wildcard kicks in after Gameweek 21’s fixtures. The earliest your Wildcard can become active is Gameweek 22.
Gameweek 19 preview: Van Persie is alive and kicking
Having survived Manchester United’s trip to Swansea, Robin van Persie (£13.9m) will be determined to help his side fight back to winning ways on Boxing Day.
United drew for the first time this season in South Wales on Sunday, and although Sir Alex Ferguson was more concerned with the excellent Ashley Williams (£4.8m) accidentally booting the ball at his Dutch forward after the game, the Scot will by now have switched his attentions to his side’s next three matches over the festive period – all of which offer United a glorious chance to stretch their lead at the top of the table.
Newcastle are first visitors to Old Trafford on Boxing Day before Ferguson’s side host West Brom and then make the short trip to Wigan on New Year’s Day. All are winnable matches as they look to increase their four-point advantage over neighbours Manchester City.
Wayne Rooney (£12.0m) played poorly in that Swansea game, and although Patrice Evra (£6.8m) showed that the Red Devils can score from all over the pitch on Sunday, it is Van Persie who should be backed as Alan Pardew’s side make the trip to Manchester for a match that the hosts should win.
Strikes on the London Underground mean that Arsenal and West Ham’s players can enjoy themselves on Christmas Day just that little bit more in the knowledge that they won’t be playing on Boxing Day – their fixture at the Emirates Stadium has been rearranged for Gameweek 23, double Gameweek fans – and so with no Santi Cazorla or Kevin Nolan to call upon then midfield points will have to be found elsewhere.
They might be seen at Goodison Park, where a still Marouane Fellaini-less Everton host Wigan.
The Blues were perhaps a little fortunate to beat West Ham on Sunday, but with the scheming Steven Pienaar (£6.6m) in their side they could follow that win up with a home victory over the Latics.
Pienaar has scored three goals and made six assists this season, and in the absence of Fellaini he’ll be looked to provide the goods for the Blues, who will also be looking for goals from Nikica Jelavic (£8.2m) and good service from Leighton Baines (£7.5m) against his former club.
Manchester City face a tough game at Sunderland and they could have to be as patient as they were in the 1-0 win over Reading. Whatever happens though they should keep things tight at the back against one of the lowest scorers in the division, with Serbian defender Matija Nastasic (£5.6m) looking to help keep a clean sheet for the seventh time in his last 10 matches.
Defenders look like being on top at the Britannia Stadium too, where Asmir Begovic (£5.6m) and Ryan Shawcross (£5.9m) will look to keep it tight at the back against a Liverpool side for whom Martin Skrtel (£5.9m) and Jose Enrique (£6.0m) impressed in their win over Fulham.
Three Chelsea’s defenders chalked up a double-figured amount of points against Aston Villa on Sunday – Cesar Azpilicueta (£5.6m) was the odd man out with a measly nine – and although Gary Cahill (£6.2m) didn’t join David Luiz (6.5m) and Branislav Ivanovic (£7.0m) on the scoresheet in that huge 8-0 victory, he’ll be ready to impress at Norwich ahead of the expected return of John Terry (£6.5m) and can always be relied upon to provide a goal threat.
Williams and Swansea go to Reading, where Michu (£8.2m) will be hoping to continue his stellar form, whilst many Fantasy bosses will be looking upon Fulham’s home match against Southampton as a last chance saloon for Dimitar Berbatov (£7.1m) following seven matches without a goal for the Bulgarian.
QPR have a great chance to pick up a second win of the season as they host West Brom at Loftus Road, where Adel Taarabt (£5.7m) will be hoping to inspire the hosts, whilst Aston Villa won’t enjoy taking on a lively Tottenham side following that hammering by Chelsea.
Gareth Bale (£9.5m) and Jermain Defoe (£8.4m) will once again be the main men for the visitors.
Gameweek 17 preview: No Chelsea, no problem?
The Hazard lights are flashing as Fantasy bosses come to terms with the Mata at hand. Chelsea aren’t playing this Gameweek.
Sorry, that was an awful pun-related start to a weekend which looks as though it could offer up quite a lot of points if you stay away from the west Londoners and focus your attention on the red halves of Manchester and Merseyside.
Having come through last Sunday’s fixtures clutching 3-2 away wins and in some cases a few scars, Manchester United and Liverpool return to action in home matches that they should take three points from.
United host Sunderland at Old Trafford, and although the Black Cats saw their form dramatically improve in midweek thanks to a 3-0 win over Reading which mercifully featured goals from Steven Fletcher (£7.2m) and Stephane Sessegnon (£7.6m) for those managers who trusted the Black Cats pair during their double Gameweek, this contest looks like being one that the home side will have the upper hand in.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s men have hit ominous form and with a relatively kind fixture list over the Christmas period their players could be ones to follow as they seek to extend their lead at the top of the table.
Robin van Persie (£13.8m) grabbed the late glory at the Etihad Stadium last weekend, but it was the two goals from Wayne Rooney (£11.9m) which really attracted the attention and has seen his price begin to slowly rise back towards its original £12m.
Rooney tends to score in bursts, and with braces in his last two games he is certainly experiencing one of those now. He has apparently complained of illness in midweek, but he is unlikely to let a little thing like that affect him as he bids to shoot down the Mackems on a Saturday afternoon when his inclusion in your team could prove crucial.
Not far away on Merseyside, Liverpool will be bidding to build on their run of back-to-back league victories as they welcome Aston Villa to Anfield.
Like United they have a somewhat welcoming set of fixtures to negotiate over the Christmas period – albeit without the certainty that Ferguson’s men bring to the table – and whilst most might be looking at selecting Luis Suarez (£10.3m) now that he has returned from the one-match suspension he served at West Ham last weekend, it might pay to look elsewhere especially if Chelsea’s lack of action has left you short in defence and midfield.
Glen Johnson (£6.3m) was on the mark last weekend and Raheem Sterling (up to £5.7m now) has showed terrific promise all season, but if you need a one-week replacement for a Mata or a Hazard then perhaps a move for Steven Gerrard (£9.3m) could pay off.
Gerrard has scored more goals against Villa than any other team, and although he blotted his copybook with an own goal last weekend he’d already chalked up an assist for Johnson’s strike. He has created more chances than any other player in this season’s Premier League bar Leighton Baines, and he’s likely to have opportunities for more against Villa.
Speaking of Baines, his Everton side go to Stoke in what looks to be an uncompromising encounter which could see defenders on top, whilst the opposite is likely to be true of Tottenham’s clash with Swansea on Sunday. Jermain Defoe (£8.4m), Aaron Lennon (£7.0m) and Michu (£8.0m) could all be in the points in a match which should produce goals.
Norwich are finding goals easy to come by at the moment, with defender Sebastien Bassong (£4.9m) proving a recent hit thanks to his three strikes in four games. As they entertain Wigan he’ll be hoping for defensive points too, with Javier Garrido (£4.8m) and Steven Whittaker (£4.3m) other cheap choices who have impressed.
Manchester City go to struggling Newcastle as they bid to get over last weekend’s derby loss, and with Carlos Tevez (£9.4m) failing to complete 90 minutes since his 19 point haul against Aston Villa in Gameweek 12, Sergio Aguero (£11.0m) again looks likely to lead the line.
The Argentine hasn’t scored in four games, and although Dimitar Berbatov (£7.2m) hasn’t netted in five he looked sharp against Newcastle on Monday night and could be worth backing as Fulham go to bottom club QPR.
@Mark_Jones86
Southampton: A not-so scary story
There aren’t any monsters living under your bed, Friday the 13th is just a date like any other and The Exorcist was just a movie. Heads don’t really spin around like that.
In short, you don’t have to be scared. What initially seems unfamiliar and daunting can be overcome and eventually enjoyed if you just allow yourself to be a little braver and take control of the situation.
Southampton are proving that at the moment.
Following early run-ins with the big beasts of the Premier League, the Saints have slowly begun to acclimatise to their surroundings and are now even starting to look comfortable.
Brave losses to both Manchester clubs and a 6-1 hammering at Arsenal was a tough beginning to life at the top level for boss Nigel Adkins, but he and his side have recovered and come up with some eye-catching football in recent weeks. They’ve only lost one of their last six games.
That defeat came at Anfield at the beginning of the month when some Saints followers felt that their Merseysider boss Adkins showed Liverpool a little too much respect on the way to a 1-0 reverse. And so just when they were in danger of looking intimated by the division again they came up with last weekend’s 1-0 home victory over Reading, possibly their most important result of the season.
It was a win which lifted Saints out of the bottom three and into 15th, a highest position of the season so far.
Of course it is far too early to suggest that this is form that will see them pull away from the relegation zone and enjoy safety in their first top flight season since relegation from the Premier League in 2005 – they subsequently had a spell in the third tier of course – but what it does show is that Adkins and his side aren’t in danger of being completely overwhelmed by the top division, and nor should they be.
There were a few weeks back in August and September when that looked to be the case though, but crucially Southampton have been beating the teams around them this season.
Aston Villa, QPR, Newcastle and Reading are the four sides who Adkins’s men have seen off to pick up 12 points which were as crucial for Saints to claim for themselves as it was to prevent their opponents from taking them.
Given that their weekend fixture with Chelsea has had to be moved into the New Year due to the Blues’ Club World Cup involvement this seems like the perfect time for Southampton to take stock of their campaign and look to move forward again.
A home fixture against Sunderland when they return to action on December 22nd is another opportunity to beat one of those other teams around them, and Adkins will doubtless be looking to prolong the good feeling amongst his players during this gap without a match, a gap which he says will help them given that it provides the chance for captain Adam Lallana to recover from a knee injury without missing a match.
Others such as Rickie Lambert, Jason Puncheon and Nathaniel Clyne – all impressive in recent weeks – won’t be given time off during Southampton’s break but will instead be encouraged to keep working hard and keep proving that they, Adkins and the club have nothing to be scared of as they continue to go through life in the Premier League.
They are still likely to be involved near the foot of the table come May – even the most optimistic of Saints fans would probably agree to that – but any extra confidence they pick up along the way is sure to stand them in good stead when the wins suddenly get more vital and three points can feel like six.
That’s not a situation to be scared of though, and luckily Southampton know that now.
@Mark_Jones86
Gameweek 6 preview: Hair today, goals tomorrow?
The trouble with pesky competitions like the Capital One Cup – which still sounds like an employee of the month award – is that they can easily get in the way of your Fantasy Premier League team’s progress.
They can affect the mood of teams in the real thing too, and as such Everton’s week suddenly doesn’t look as rosy as it did when Marouane Fellaini (£7.2m) headed in the third of their three goals in the convincing win at Swansea last Saturday.
The cup loss to Leeds in midweek saw the chances of David Moyes making this the season that he picks up a first trophy at Everton effectively reduced by 50%, and the question now has to be whether or not that’ll affect the Blues’ fine league form which has taken them to third in the table after five games.
All eyes will be on Goodison Park on Saturday then, as Everton seek to bounce back at the first time of asking by welcoming Southampton.
As fixtures go it is a pretty decent one to make your recovery from midweek misery, and if you can see them getting over the Elland Road loss quickly then expect the Blues to be flying come Saturday afternoon. With fixtures against Wigan and QPR to come in the immediate future too, it could be a good time to put your faith in Moyes’s boys to earn you points, with Fellaini the man most likely.
That said, Nikica Jelavic (£8.4m) is also primed to return here after missing the Swansea game and only appearing as a substitute against Leeds, whilst those who can afford Leighton Baines (£7.2m) will be getting a severely underrated defender who has already contributed a goal, two assists and two clean sheets this season. He could well be set to add to that tally at the weekend.
Across Stanley Park at Liverpool, things could just be about to change for the better.
Last weekend’s unfortunate loss to Manchester United brought an end to a tricky run of fixtures for Brendan Rodgers’ side, and although the midweek Capital One Cup win at West Bromwich Albion was achieved with a smattering of youngsters, it might just have restored somewhat of a feelgood factor amongst those at the club.
Norwich await in the Premier League at Carrow Road on Saturday, and with the Canaries having only found the net twice in their five league games this season – plus with winnable home games against Stoke and Reading on the horizon – it might just be the time to put your faith in Rodgers’ rearguard.
Injury and rotation issues mean that the only two defenders certain to start for Liverpool at the weekend are Glen Johnson (£6.4m) and Martin Skrtel (£6.0m), and with the pair offering the potential for assist and goal points respectively then either could be good additions. It is further forward where Liverpool could make their mark this weekend though, with Raheem Sterling (£4.6m) still an astute cheap choice and Luis Suarez (£9.4m) ready to fire back at a ground where he scored a hat-trick last season. Those now debating whether or not to stick with Carlos Tevez (£9.9m) could decide to switch to the Uruguayan.
Tevez and his Manchester City team-mates go to Fulham on Saturday, and with City far from certain to get a result there and clashes between Arsenal and Chelsea and Manchester United and Tottenham proving somewhat unpredictable, it might pay to look elsewhere for some points.
With apologies to Steven Fletcher (£7.2m) his goalscoring run has become impossible to ignore, and whilst climbing on board the Fletcher bandwagon has to come with the warning that Sunderland face City away next, this weekend’s fixture at home to Wigan could be the perfect one to see the Scot continue his scoring run.
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