The Midweek-ish Meander

For just a brief period, let’s just forget about the turmoil the weather is causing us and pretend that the weekend fixture list will be untouched, untarnished; that our fantasy weekend will be complete and run according to plan. Hold that thought while I lead you through the games in question then, giving you my thoughts on where I see the points coming from at both ends of the field…

Best For Clean Sheets…
This looks tough again this week. Four of the current in form defences come up against each other with Birmingham facing United at St Andrews and Liverpool hosting Spurs at Anfield. It’s hard to tip clean sheets for any of that quartet then – United would probably be the strongest option of the three if you’re backing an away win.

There are still good alternatives however. Starting with Fulham up against lowly Portsmouth at the Cottage. Hodgson’s men have conceded just a single goal in their last 5 home games and will face Avram Grant’s side who have lost 4 of their last 5 on the road, scoring just 3 goals in the process. To compound matters Portsmouth go into this game without their African contingent which is likely to disrupt them further. Hangeland’s likely absence will hurt Fulham but it still screams a home win with a clean sheet.

Mancini’s City have two consecutive clean sheets in the league under his stewardship and look to have a fixture tailored made to help them record a third. Blackburn visit Eastlands with a record that shows just 4 goals in their last 8 games. Allardyce’s outfit have failed to score in 10 league games so far this term and Monday’s match could well be the latest. David Dunn should be fit to provide at least some creative spark but you have to back City for another shut-out here.

Reluctantly I also have to consider the Chelsea back four, despite a clear lack of confidence, simply because they have a decent fixture away at Hull. The home side have a fairly good record in front of their own fans of late and may nick one, but I can’t help but wonder if Ancelotti will play a tighter game without Drogba and come home with a narrow win and an eleventh clean sheet of the season.

Aston Villa are on their travels this week but pay a visit to a Wigan side who have just one win in their last 8 games. Wigan have six goals in their last 5 home games – no a massive return, while Villa have conceded just 6 goals in their last 8 league games – all of those goals have been away from Villa Park though. A long-ish shot then but Villa appear to present reasonable value for a cleanie.

For other long shots you can look to Burnley against Stoke, although it’s far from clear cut. Burnley are in a state of transition following the Owen Coyle saga but they are up against a Stoke side who have recorded just a single goal in their last 5 away games. Similarly you could consider West Ham at home to a Wolves side who have also struggled for goals. Three strikes in their last 5 away games tells you that Zola’s men have a decent chance of a cleanie here.

Best For Goals…
There are three sides that stand out for me – all of which look ready and able to dish out heavy defeats to their opponents. As mentioned previously, Fulham have the form at the Cottage and are up against a Portsmouth side fighting for Premier League breath and without their African contingent. It’s got to be a home win with two or three goals thrown in, making Murphy and particularly Dempsey strong candidates for your mid-price money this gameweek.

Similarly City look to have the platform to continue their run of form under Mancini with a home fixture against Blackburn on Monday. Tevez is in outstanding form while Bellamy and Robinho are playing for their starting roles. Again, a two or three goal return for the home side looks likely.

Finally you’ve got Chelsea up against a Hull defence who have conceded 9 goals in their last 5 home games. We’re not quite sure how Ancelotti will set his side up without Drogba and much will depend on the availability of Anelka. I suspect that we might see a more conservative approach from Chelsea throughout January but they still look good for a couple of goals at the very least from this game.

I also see goals shared in the Sunderland vs Bolton fixture. Bolton arrive without a clean sheet all season and although Sunderland aren’t flying in terms of form, they are scoring goals again having notched 6 in their last 3 league games. I can see these sides producing three or four goals between them at the very least.

Finally there’s always Arsenal of course. It’s hard to see less than a couple of goals in their encounter with Everton with the visitors still troubled by injuries. Moyes’ side have conceded just 2 goals in their last 3 league games however, while Arsenal, as we know, have been robbed of so much attacking creativity through injury. I’m not backing a big win for the Gunners then – they may well have to sneak this one with a second-half goal if they fail to break through early.

Best For Frustration…
Look no further than the aforementioned Birmingham vs United and Liverpool vs Spurs fixtures. In fantasy terms, it’s hard to tip returns here. United have very strong goalscoring form but come up against the best defence in the league on current form. A tight away win looks the most likely result but I’m still hesitant to recommend United investment given Birmingham’s confidence into this game.

At Anfield meanwhile, we have a stuttering Liverpool side, up against Spurs who have struggled away from home. Redknapp’s men have scored 19 goals in their last 8 league games but only 5 goals in their last 5 away trips. On the flipside they have stiffened up considerably in defence, with 5 consecutive clean sheets in all competitions. That new defensive resolve could well frustrate Rafa’s men and lead to a very tight encounter here. I can’t see heavy fantasy returns for either side.

Paddy Says…
Let’s round things off by taking a look at how our friends at Paddy Power are sizing up the gameweek fixtures. In terms of clean sheets, they are offering the shortest odds on Chelsea at Hull, with City at home to Blackburn and United at Birmingham just behind. Fulham and Arsenal come next in their reckoning. Personally, I’m a little surprised that they fancy United over Fulham and I’m also not totally convinced about Arsenal at home to Everton without Song in the midfield.

When it comes to goals, again Paddy likes the look of Chelsea at Hull but they also see goals at Arsenal vs Everton, City vs Blackburn and Liverpool vs Spurs. I’m certainly not sold on that last game – as mentioned I see that one be a tight encounter. I much prefer the Sunderland vs Bolton game and like the look of Paddy’s odds of 10/1 on 4 goals in that one.

As per usual I’ve lined up some Fantasy Football Scout specials with Paddy this week. In the clean sheet accumulator you can get 6/1 on Fulham, City and Chelsea all keeping clean sheets in the gameweek. While in the Scout Picks market, Paddy are offering 9/1 on Lampard, Bent and Tevez all scoring one or more goals this weekend. Dive in if you fancy those odds – Paddy’s offer of a free £20 bet when you register via this site and bet a tenner still stands of course.