With four teams facing two fixtures in gameweek 26 there will be many Fantasy Managers looking to maximise their squads and invest. But what are the likely returns and where should our money go? All us to help you out by analysing the teams and players in the running – starting with Manchester City…
The Opponents
City start their double gameweek with a home encounter with Bolton on Tuesday, with a trip to the Britannia to face Stoke following a week later. The complication here is that City also have an FA Cup match, ironically with Stoke at Eastlands, sandwiched in between.
Undoubtedly we’ll be looking to the Bolton game for the bulk of City’s returns. The visitors are carrying key injuries and the back which could make them even more vulnerable to the City attack which normally flourishes at Eastlands.
The second of City’s two fixtures looks a far harder proposition. Stoke have conceded six goals in their last five at home matches and only one goal in their last three. City will surely find their defence far more resolute, while Tony Pulis’ side will go all out to disrupt their passing game in midfield. We could see Mancini switch to 4-5-1 and start with Viera and De Jong to stand up to Stoke’s bullying here. A more combative game will certainly be expected and attacking returns for City could be minimal.
The Current Form
Mancini’s side have slumped a little following a run of four straight wins from gameweeks 18-21. Defeat at Everton in gameweek 22 was followed by an unconvincing win over Portsmouth in gameweek 24 and a defeat at the weekend to Hull.
In attacking terms the home form remains devastating. Five wins from their last five home matches with 14 goals scored and five conceded. The away form is less convincing, with just one win in their last five trips, with seven scored and ten conceded.
Indeed, defensively City have kept one clean in their last four league matches and that was against Portsmouth. Defensive investment looks questionable then.
The Rotation Risk
Unfortunately, this looks high. With City facing a competitive FA Cup match with Stoke next weekend, Mancini will doubtless rotate his lineups across the three games. He has already gone on record today to hint that changes are afoot after the defeat at Hull, with new signings Adam Johnson and Patrick Vierra set to start on Tuesday.
Johnson’s arrival in particular means that the likes of Wright Phillips and Petrov look prone to rotation over the three games in seven days. Bellamy’s injury that keeps him out of Tuesday’s game at least removes some threat. Selecting any of those players for the double fixtures still looks a gamble though.
The major concern for us Fantasy Managers is how Mancini chooses to juggle his strikers. We need both Tevez and Adebayor to start the league games and hopefully this will be the case. Mancini doesn’t have the option to start the departed Benjani in the Cup this weekend, but Santa Cruz is back in contention for the Bolton game on Tuesday according to Mancini. Hopefully he’ll be saved for the weekend Cup tie with a fit-again Bellamy his partner, otherwise Tevez and Adeabayor may start and either pick up an injury or be rested/rotated for the bruising trip to Stoke.
The Potential Targets
Carlos Tevez
The most obvious source of points when you consider his form over the last few months. The concern is that Adebayor’s return has seen Tevez shifted to a support striker role and that this has diminished his potential output. We could also see Mancini forced into a difficult decision should he switch to bolster the midfield for the Stoke trip and go with one recognised striker. We’ve seen Tevez lead the line in Adeabayor’s absence so he may still get the nod. Much will depend on Mancini’s lineup in the FA Cup.
Tevez has gone three league games without a goal or an assist having scored seven goals in the four league games prior to this run. Regardless, the Argentine should offer some returns from the Bolton encounter, while his battling qualities could be priceless and come to the fore at Stoke to earn him FPL bonus, if City can get a result.
Predicted return: 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 FPL bonus points
Emmanuel Adebayor
Having returned from the trauma of Togo’s African Cup of Nations experience, Adebayor has slotted back into the City lineup and struck two goals in as many games.
Disrupted by injury this term, his record still shows an average of a goal every other game with 8 strikes in 15 starts so far. Some returns look likely, particularly in Tuesday meet with Bolton. The trip to Stoke looks far more tricky and I’m slightly concerned that Mancini may be forced to play Adebayor in the Cup tie this weekend, making him a candidate for a rest for the league game that follows. We’ve already seen how effective Tevez can be when he leads the line, although Mancini may need Adebayor’s height to counter Stoke at set-plays. A tough call.
Predicted return: 1 goal, 1 FPL bonus point
Martin Petrov and Adam Johnson
When Petrov gets his opportunities he normally produces a performance. The Bulgarian enjoyed four consecutive starts from gameweeks 19-22 but was subbed at half-time at Everton and was benched in the defeat to Hull last weekend. Mancini may well see Petrov as a starter for home matches and having opted for Bellamy at Hull, he could be in the side for the Bolton game.
Adam Johnson is also a factor though. The new signing from Boro could be worthy of consideration in his own right, particularly after impressing on his substitute appearance at Hull. Mancini is indicating that he will start against Bolton which may well shift Petrov to the right-wing, although Wright-Phillips is also a consideration here.
One more thing that could work in Johnson’s favour for the two league fixtures – he will be cup-tied next weekend having started for Boro against City in the Third Round. He should therefore be well rested and fit for the league trip to Stoke. Mancini will likely start with two of Petrov, Wright-Phillips and Bellamy in the FA Cup match then, making them more of a rotation risk for the Britannia trip.
Predicted return: Petrov 1 assist, Johnson 1 assist
Shay Given
While the City Mancini’s defence is hard to predict, Given is an ever-present who will offer clean sheet potential over City’s two matches. Again, the home fixture with Bolton will be his best opportunity for returns but the trip to Stoke should also see points from saves. Personally, I think that City clean sheets in either game look shaky so while I can’t see too much value in their defenders, Given at least can cover this with save point potential.
Predicted return: 9 saves