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.
I would appreciate some feedback on my team.
I think my team is linked to my username, hopefully.
I see you have made 2 transfers. Was it Song and Zamora out? I would make no more changes this week and then look to move Faye Ab out next week. Then, I think you should transfer out Arshavin before their tough run of fixtures. You have Fab to cover Arsenal and I think having both will not be profitable for GW 24-26.
Graham Onions: he’s a legend isn’t he? We keep asking our number 11 to do the job for us.
Andrew Strauss
Just makes me
Yeah i heard something about Defoe but don’t think itll keep him out. I I
imagine they’ll prob all play anyway with games being inevitably called off
wat man utd defenders would you recommend for the next few fixtures? already have evra.
brown, or if you wanna take more of a risk evans
No more if you already have Evra. Dont double up, look towards their midfield or strikerforce instead.
Agree with Razor’s comments. But if you had to get another defender Rafael maybe?
Is vds going to return for the dgw??
Wouldn’t say so, his wife has a brain haemorrhage United have told him to take as long as he needs before returning. Fair dues to United
i heard hes on his way back to united and his wife is stable
http://www.fantasyfootballscou.....ed-return/
Hadn’t seen that, thanks. Good to see his wife made a good recovery
what does everyone make of viera on ff terms?
Wouldn’t touch him with a barge pole, the only reason I can think of that City would want him is for his leadership because he is finished as a player at top level.
DM apparently he was before my time lol…… I think he Will be subject to rotation i don’t think he is worth a gamble especially with no fixture in GW23…….
i know but i was just thinkin for the double. i just keep rememberin him at arsenal he was a good player…………… and still is
he was and if injury-free for at least 6 month he still is. but makelele was a great player also…
in my opinion hes better than barry and de jong. on ssn (the bible) they say he joined city for first team football, so that must of been part of the agreement (that he gets first team football)
but as your question asks we are giving u our opinions on whether he is good fantasy football wise, regardless if he starts or not he wont be worth it imo.
ok
how much do you think hell be?
terrible
what?
terrible in fantasy football terms. imagine palacios, but not even playing every game. terrible.
……………………………. i had palacios in my team at the start of the season
do you still have him now? no. why? because he is a defensive mid who is not a goal or assist threat and picks up lots of yellow cards.
look at my ? ^, how much do you think he’ll be?
5 mil, maybe 5.5, 6 max
would you consider him for the double?
not really. you would be relying on bonus points with him and even in a double there should be better options.
besides with your rank you should be giving us all advice
Maybe if De Jong, Barry and Ireland get injured
barry has been terrible all season
Vieira has been terrible since he left Arsenal.
In fantasy terms yes, but only Bellamy, Given and recently Tevez have been above average for City. Barry to come good.
Is it clever to buy Ivanovic tonight as he will rise or wait until 11.25 on Saturday… I have Hangeland and I doubt that he will play against Portsmouth because of injury setback last game and a probably frozen pitch that makes it even more risky to play him. However there is no news on Hangeland’s injury. What do you think? Thanks in advance
Def wait
Hangeland won’t play, but with the games all in doubt best waiting until as late as possible with transfers this week.
I just transferred Ivanovic in tonight. Hate to wake up tomorrow and see that I can’t get him!
he’s injured.
I have exactly the same thing in mind, was going to buy him tonight to save the 0.1m rise but my mind isn’t at ease with it. What if the Hull Chelsea game gets called off. I’m going to leave it till Saturday morning.
Thanks for advices! I kept calm and did not do the transfer, and he didn’t rise either. It will be harder to keep away tonight though…
am thinking of putting in evra and valencia in gw22. i already have shrek so i might put in hunt this week as he’s hull’s only good player. then i could use my wildcard in gameweek 23…
not a bad idea, might do the same myself, transfer window will be closed too so we could bring in any new players.
don’t think it will be closed until february 1st. gw23 is midweek on the 26/27 jan…thanks anyway!
dont touch players, even with a dgw (spurs and utd)
they are bound to get a goal at least. spurs are sometimes a bit inconsistent against the small teams who they underestimate (e.g wolves at home). hunt is capable of getting an assist or even a penalty as he’s takes them.
The stand out fact of the weekend…
•Gabriel Agbonlahor has scored in his last two trips to the renamed DW Stadium.
and Wayne Rooney has scored four goals in five Premier League starts for Man Utd against Birmingham.
Good stat Morrissey – almost as good as 296-9!!
Don’t start you
We couldn’t get our Onions.
brings tears to your eyes! Heaven knows you’re miserable now!
chortle chortle, very good.
wigan are villa’s bogey side though. he scored against them at villa park in the 06/07 season. might be a decent one to stick in.
Bear in mind that there is NO snow at all in the centre of London.
Thus ARSenal v everton and WHaM v wolves should happen.
there was no snow wed’s morning in london, the arsenal game was called off weds night.
good to hear.fulham, arsenal and w ham all playing on sat/sun
crap weather Sunday mind. I will put all my eggs into a Sat Basket
Help please guys, needing a fresh eye on my team, getting caught by rivals and having bad luck, need some inspiration. Was thinking 4 pt hit to take Lampard (and Captain him) and Tevez in for Arshavin and Drogba, I could do it over 2 weeks but would not have Tevez next week obv. Help, what do I do???
arshavin v everton this week though…
Yeah that’s why I thought of doing it over 2 weeks.
Team this week could be …
Hart
Cahill, Hangeland, Dunne
Arshavin, Diaby, Cohen, Gerrard
Tevez, Bent,Torres
I don’t like the look of it to be honest
I reckon Arshavin could do ok, personally I would leave him in
Hey guys,
What do people think of my team for this gameweek:
Hart
Faye, Ivanovic, Evra, Dunne(Dann)
Arsh, Dempsey, Cohen(Fabs, Lee)
Torres, Bent, Rooney.
Have I got the starting 11 right.
I think I might captain Bent, any objections to this.
Why would we object?? Its your team. I would captain Dempsey if I had him. Pourtsmouth will be awful and Demps playing up front.
not bad at all man. who’s your other keeper? hart will probably concede v man u…imo
bent as (c) sounds good v bolton who have no clean sheets.
My other keeper is Sorensen fleeto, so dont really want to double up. Also I can see Sorensen conceding so it may well come down to save points hence why I choose Hart.
Looks OK to me – captaincy shout is your only difficult call. I would edge towards Dempsey over Bent as captain particularly as Fulham could keep a cleansheet whereas I fancy Bolton to score v Sunderland.
so? it doesn’t affect the strikers when they concede…
Midfielders get an extra point when their team doesn’t concede – I know it’s only an extra 2 points, but they all count; and midfielders get 5 points for a goal, whereas forwards get 4 points.
i know that. bent is the better option imo.
Alrite guys no need to fight.
Thanks for the advice, seems most of you fancy Dempsey for captain ahead of Bent. If he was playing up front I would probably agree.
To be safe I will wait til Sat morn.
Also anyone see any obvious transfer to improve my team 0.3 in bank.
Thanks
haha! just a friendly discussion. dempsey is a good shout, but i just think with bent at home and his recent goalscoring that he will get a goal at least.
I think he will score myself although I think Demps could score also. If he plays up front I would strongly consider him for the armband but as of now it stays with Bent.
Hey guys, I’ve already made one transfer this gameweek (Drogba to Tevez) but was thinking about a second transfer of Dempsey for Reid. What does everybody think?
My team is http://fantasy.premierleague.c.....c?id=39670
Def a good shout
Got 2.4 in the bank..
Arshavin & Zamora out for who?
Lampard and Donovon
donovan won’t start. leave him til he’s actually playing from the start.
Leave Arsh this week, Zamora for Diamani then upgrade Arshavin for Lamps next week
why get rid of arshavin? next 2 fixtures: everton (h) bolton (a)
Lamps about to score big I reckon, saying that with fab back at bolton Arsh could also score big points
chelsea do have good fixtures alright. lampard’s been hit and miss though.
Hi all, I’ve had a poor few weeks and have dropped from first to fifth in my league, I’m getting jumpy – I’ve held on to my wildcard and it’s calling to me! But I’m not sure it’s good timing re weather, African cup, transfer window… Any thoughts on my current team? I need to drop Drogba, probably for Tevez.. unless I wildcard it..!
Thanks
anyone think sturridge is worth a shout?
Trouble is if he doesn’t start he is likely to come on. A gamble but its what this game is all about!!
he’s bound to start though with no drogba or kalou right? anelka’s still down as injured on the fpl site. i know he’ll be back but i just want to know if sturridge is good enough to stick in.
i fancy ancellotti will go with the same sort of team as in the champions league when drogba was suspended, with anelka on his own with any 2 of malouda, cole, deco or zhirkov playing off him.
Its not weather he is good enough its weather he will start. Being away from home, I have a feeling he will play Anelka up top on his own. But he looks a quality gamble.
Very much so – the two goals in the FA Cup puts him on the radar, especially if Ancelotti persists with the 2 up front as part of the diamond. At the price he’s worth a gamble.
Is Anelka fit again? If he is, I reckon Mr Sturridge may find himself on the periphery – as usual.
*shudder*
It’s not gospel but Sturridge figures heavily in these Chelsea fans’ predicted line-ups:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A61547556
I scored 62 points in the cyki fa cup third round last week but had bloody Cahill (Bolton) on the bench…how do I get him off the bench to claim his points….I am not sure how the substitute thing works…..
He would have already been automatically substituted in if it was possible.
He scored one point anyway so I wouldnt get too bothered about him going in your team for the previous gameweek!
hes on about the cyki FA cup fantasy football, as to which i’m not sure alsybach, i would of thaught they would of had it updated by now, just wait and it should happen.
Still got replays people Notts County vs Forest Green Etc….
He scored 14 points in the FA cup game!!!!
He said CYKI FA Cup not FPL……
Autosubs will come in once all the games are complete alsy.
the last 4 cup games are rescheduled for 12th Jan, so if you still have unplayed (outfield) players after these, then Cahill will come on for you.
really want to get in Valencia for the double GW but i cant afford him so i was thinking of doing Faye > Brown this week, then Cohen to Dunn next week. i will have 4 players missing for GW 23 but i still would be fit to field a full 11 that week so im not too worried. what do people think?
yeah sounds good
i would think of gettig rid of arshavin after this week so could do arsh > valencia and then us extra cash to upgrade faye/diaby/cohen
yeah but Arshavin will have a double GW sometime.. although that could be sometime away, anybody know when this is or has it been confirmed yet?
nope.
would still like to have Arshavin over the next 2 weeks. will probally get rid of him then. would Dunn be the best option next week though? i could also get in Hunt who would have a double GW?
anyone else benching valencia this week?!…no just me then
No he will rince Ridgewell
i would defo play him mate.
bit of a risk with the form he is in.
he only averages 3.5 on away games and is playing a good, in form birmingham defence. see if im right at the weekend!!
i didnt want to drop duff,diaby,milner or rodallega
u could be, it’s hard to predict.
if history is anything to go by valencia has never performed in 2 games in a row so you would technically be doing the smart thing not playing him
valencia has 4 goals, 4 assist and 7 bonus pts in his last 8 games. just to let u know.
3, 2, 1, 3, 12, 2, 2. those are valencia’s last 7 away games scores!!…there is method in my madness
yeah man! go for it.
Not much chat about Diamanti. Anyone reckon he is a good cheap option to replace Zamora?
yeah v wolves at home as well he should get something.
how is donovan worth 6.0? he’s unproven in the premier league.
Could be a little overpriced considering I see him playing in midfield as opposed to up front. Good player but hasnt got on well when playing in Europe before so I think il stay away.
Evening all.
Having not read all the posts tonight (so apologies for repetition), who do you think would be the best transfer for Zamora this GW? I am struggling to choose between Diamanti and Sturridge. Thus Sturrudge has the better fixtures, but less likely to play. Thoughts? I have up to 7.7mil if needed, but would prefer to save a bit.
You know for sure that Diamanti is going to get a game.
Sturridge… who knows?
*think Sturridge has better fixtures
Apart from Villa next week West Ham have a decent run
Thanks for the replies chaps, much appreciated.
Should i play dunne or diaby?
both if you can
If you look at my team its hard to play both,my 3 strikers are def playin and i fancy etherington at Burnley!drop shawcross for dunne maybe?
def Diaby, prob Dunne over Shawcross, not much in it for me
Diaby at home and pushing forward with Denilson back
diaby
Hope this helps…
Aston Villa have had one clean sheet and one victory in their last EIGHT away fixtures (and that was a kinda freaky result V Man U). Yeah, I found that surprising as well.
Everton have conceded three goals in four of their last five away games.
If I was a Fantasy Bookie I’d price up Diaby at 8/11 to get more points this weekend.
Thanks,very helpful stats!
channel 4 starting now….the search for the most enhanced woman….sounds like something I could watch!
god bless channel 4 and its ludacris documentaries, one of which i am ultimately about to watch
that was on before.
Got the t-shirt Fleeto
oh yeah!
Holy Moly! I’ve just put it on. Please tell me you find massive plastic tits on over-sized Americans attractive?!?! It’s a freak show!
surely you mean pleast don’t tell me. it is a freak show, hence why i’m watching
Did I mean Don’t? I might like freak shows? I’ve just bought my wife 44GGG’s for Christmas.
lol for a second i thought you wrote 45GGG’s. that would have been crazy. 44GGGs are lush, but 45GGG’s or 44HHH’s are just wrong
It’s her birthday in April
I could bring back Cristiano and give her the full set!
diamanti v wolves should get a goal or assist. could be a decent one to have upfront with these fixtures:
wolves h
a villa a
pompey a
b’burn h
burnley a
b’ham h
hull h
I like the Diamanti shout, Capt him as well maybe this week? Reckon I might drop him in for Zamora, depends on the weather
they are nice fixtures, but Cole will soon be back so would he do as well then?
Could this be true Rock?
http://www.goal.com/en-india/n.....to-leading
yeah i heard that too mate, could be and if it does happen that would make him an even better prospect imo, but i think he will sign someone else, there also after Gignac who i did’t see mentioned there. we have a few weeks anyway while hes injured to see what happens.
http://www.independent.co.uk/s.....33472.html
I haven’t seen much of Gignac before but he looked absolute muck the night in Paris when Henry handled. Arsenal do need a striker, if they get the right man I reckon they can win the Premiership.
yeah he will play. he has to.
Also i think it may be wise to steer clear of the WHam fixture this weekens as its on snow sunday!!
Am thinking about getting Tevez in for Zamora, the flip side being of course being that he misses GW23, would Anelka be the better option is what I’m wondering.What do ye people think?
Anelka def, will be the main man for a few weeks
Tevez in fine form as the focal point of City’s attack and is home to a pretty poor Blackburn defence this weekend.
I think you know what you want to do!!! At least you will know Sat morning wheather Chelsea’s game is going ahead!!!
Ya I may hold my fire Yak, nice one man
I brought in Tevez for Drogba before the DGW’s were announced. In hindsight I would have gone for Anelka/Sturridge.
tevez should be kept out til gw24.
Just because he misses one gameweek?
yeah
The majority have Rooney (especially with his DGW coming up) as well as Tevez. It would mean playing 1 striker in GW23 which is huge no, no this season or probable points hits to sort your team out.
Actually only 39% have Rooney, and 20% have Tevez.
any one any ideas what games most chance of being called of …. is the weather worse up the north of england ….just trying to get a picture cause from ireland cheers
Sunderland and Burnley look most at risk at present
Sundays games look dodgy
Forecasting heaviest snow Sunday evening so City vs Bburn also high risk
yeah it’s hard trying to pick a team alright. am from dublin…
same!
Forget the Sundat games guys very high risk in Lodon, less so up north. Also Fulham v pompey could struggle without heating on the pitch if Oxford’s -17 right now temp is anything to go by!!
Donegal myself
..the snow has calmed here in the last few days tho.
who is everyone playing on GW23?
Which teams are out? My head hurts when i try work it out
all them are!!!!!
oops i meant i’m playing them gw22.
am thinking rooney, valencia and hunt. maybe evra.
Where would you strengthen here? On a wildcard with 1.7 in the bank.
1: Sorensen
2: Evra
3: Shawcross
4: Ivanovic
5: Diaby
6: Hunt
7: Dempsey(C)
8: Milner
9: Tevez
10: Bent
11: Rooney
12: Hart
13: Dann
14: Fabregas
15: Bale
bale & hunt out
For whom?
Cuellar & Fletcher
Both have great fixtures
Stay away from Cuellar. Villa only have 2 clean sheets in last eight away games. In their next six games they have 3 home and 3 away but 2 of their home games are against Arsenal and Man U. Think a Blackburn defender would be better.
Have to agree Villa’s fixtures are looking tough for the next bit. Not a big fan of fletcher in general and as fleeto points out below, Hunt has a dgw coming up.
With that much cash free why Ivanovic who is a rotaion risk?
He’s been rotated recently just as frequently as Cole, and now with Khirkov on the scene I’d say there is nobody safe in the Chelsea backline (other than the old failsafe Terry)
Ivanovic is the in-form player in the Chelsea defence and there’s still no news on Bosingwa
leave hunt in. he has a double gw in gw22.
Cheers. He gets the nod for now at least then
That is against Spurs & Man Utd Away in both games though.
he’s bound to get something. spurs are dodgy v smaller teams at times. remember wolves…
Obviously weather is very important in this GWs picks but can i get thoughts in my current team please. all comments much appreciated.
Sorensen (Hart)
Evra, Ivanovic, Alexander (Scharner, Faye)
Lampard (c), Milner, Arsharvin, Diaby (Eagles)
Franco, Rooney, Eduardo
I’ve got 1 free sub this week and nothing in the bank.
Burnley game looking v dodgy
I’ve still got Alexander & Eagles. A lot of other players have let me down (I’m looking at you Arse-shavin) but those two have always done me proud for thier price.
They got thier first away win this season in the cup, can’t be bad for the confidence & the players will want to prove a point to Coyle.