Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 22

With the frantic festive schedule now finally behind us, we can focus once again on our weekly regulars. As usual, we assess the strengths and weaknesses over the next four to six Gameweeks, with the upcoming doubles for Chelsea, Southampton, Arsenal and West Ham all factored into our thinking…

The Strong

Arsenal

While double Gameweek 23 holds an obvious appeal, Arsene Wenger’s side have a home game in five of the next six Gameweeks – highlighting their potential over the next few matches. The upcoming weekend is the least appealing, as City makes their way to the Emirates and, while the first leg of the double sees them travel to Chelsea, a home clash with West Ham is likely to see Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla attract huge Fantasy interest, though the former’s return to the wing in the FA Cup draw at Swansea is a little worrying. Bearing in mind the Hammers have scored five away goals all season, faith in the likes of Kieran Gibbs and Wojciech Szczesny is also set to swell.

After the double, the Gunners then have three home games in four (LIV, STO, sun, AVL); a kind schedule that will allow us to hold our Arsenal assets with a degree of optimism over the next few matches as Wenger’s men look to take advantage of the fixture list in their bid for yet another top four finish.

West Ham

Another side with a double on their short-term agenda, the Hammers will be looking to build on a first win in five against Norwich last time round. A trip to Sunderland will hold little fear this weekend before Sam Allardyce’s side square up to QPR and Arsenal in Gameweek 23 – after that, they face Fulham, Swansea and Villa before Spurs make their way to Upton Park. Jussi Jaaskelainen’s owners will surely hold in light of the double, though a single clean sheet in 10 sums up their downturn in defensive displays. With George McCartney injured and Joey O’Brien a doubt, Allardyce is shopping around for a left-back – in the meantime, Guy Demel’s 4.0 price tag affords a cut-price route into the Hammers’ defence with an assured start on offer.

Joe Cole’s pair of assists in the FA Cup draw against United will bring him onto Fantasy radars as a possible alternative to Kevin Nolan in midfield – the latter has scored a single goal since Gameweek 9 and shed plenty of owners in recent weeks. Carlton Cole’s game time may be at risk after Allardyce revealed earlier today that Andy Carroll could be back in time for the January 16 replay with United, while Marouane Chamakh’s appeal is lessened by the fact he is unavailable for the clash with parent club Arsenal, due to the conditions of his loan deal.

Everton

Three home games in the next four brings the Toffees back onto Fantasy radars as David Moyes’ men look to recover from losing their unbeaten record to Chelsea. Swansea, West Brom and Villa all roll up to Goodison, while a trip to Southampton also breeds confidence in the Merseyside outfit’s main assets. While they have failed to register a clean sheet since Gameweek 5, Leighton Baines served a reminder of his potential with a stunning free-kick and maximum FPL bonus points at Newcastle in Gameweek 21. Marouane Fellaini has also seen plenty investment since returning from a three-match suspension, while both Steven Pienaar and Nikica Jelavic offer mid-price routes in midfield and up front respectively as Moyes looks to engineer his side’s customary strong second half to the season in the Gameweeks ahead.

Chelsea

The Blues are picking up plenty interest ahead of their double Gameweek 22, though their interim manager’s obsession with rest and rotation remains an issue. While next weekend’s trip to Stoke is far from straightforward, Chelsea’s home clash with Southampton looks particularly enticing in light of their 5-1 FA Cup destruction of the Saints last Saturday. Matches against Reading, Newcastle and Wigan all hold appeal, with plenty of options right through Benitez’s side – that, however, is the problem from a Fantasy perspective, with the Spaniard’s decision to rest Juan Mata and Eden Hazard to the bench in the Gameweek 21 defeat to QPR highlighting our worries.

The hope, then, is that Benitez decides he can ill-afford to omit his key protagonists if he’s to keep the home crowd happy. Mata and Hazard offer plenty potential, while Demba Ba’s debut brace in the cup rout has already earned him huge numbers of new owners. Ross Turnbull offers short-term appeal for the double, while David Luiz’s share of free-kicks and penalties, in addition to a move into midfield, is likely to see him earmarked as the most popular defender for the double and possibly beyond.

Also Consider

Sunderland – Martin O’Neill’s side are afforded the chance to recover from back-to-back losses at the hands of Tottenham and Liverpool as they prepare for an enticing upcoming run of fixtures. The Black Cats play host to West Ham and Swansea before making their way to two of the bottom three, with trips to Wigan and Reading also on the horizon. O’Neill will be hoping Carlos Cuellar and Danny Rose can recover from the hamstring problems that forced both players off in the FA Cup draw at Bolton, while Adam Johnson, Stephane Sessegnon and Steven Fletcher look the likeliest beneficiaries as the Wearsiders look to accumulate points in their bid to beat the drop.

Wigan – the Latics will be hoping to draw a line under the form that harvested four defeats in their last five Gameweeks over the next few matches. Roberto Martinez’s side travel to Fulham and with the Cottagers conceding in each of their last six at home, Wigan will be optimistic of producing the goods. Factor in a couple of home clashes with Sunderland and Southampton and Martinez is afforded the platform to boost his side’s relegation battle. Emmerson Boyce’s out of position berth could prove fruitful on the right of midfield, while new boy Angelo Henriquez may be tasked with grabbing the goals as Arouna Kone prepares to jet off on African Cup of Nations duty with Ivory Coast.

Aston Villa – Paul Lambert’s side seem to be keeping their best form for cup ties this season but the midlanders’ next three league games looks crucial. Home clashes with Southampton and Newcastle, with a trip to neighbours West Brom sandwiched in between, offers Christian Benteke the chance to produce again – at 6.7 in FPL, the Belgian looks a decent short-term punt for those wielding winter Wildcards before the schedule stiffens once again.

The Weak

Liverpool

Three awful away trips in the next four are likely to dissuade Fantasy managers from snapping up Brendan Rodgers’ assets in the short-term. The Reds pay visit to United, Arsenal and City and, while a home clash with Norwich in Gameweek 23 offers a little respite, the potential for Fantasy points definitely takes a turn for the worse. Luis Suarez’s owners will be hoping he proves fixture proof and Steven Gerrard faces a task to maintain the form that has helped him pick up attacking returns in each of his last six. Jose Enrique owners will be looking elsewhere in light of the left-back’s hamstring injury, then, though the fixtures ease significantly from Gameweek 26 onwards.

QPR

Four home games in six is typically a cause for optimism but with the top three all rolling up to Loftus Road, Harry Redknapp appears to have a real task on his hands. The R’s play host to Spurs, City and United and also have trips to West Ham and Swansea on their agenda – a schedule that could see them struggle to lift themselves from the foot of the table. With two goals in their last four and a single clean sheet in the previous seven, the basement-dwellers have a testing time ahead, though their Gameweek 21 win at Chelsea suggests they may be capable of upsetting the odds.

Southampton

The Saints may have a double Gameweek 22 on their hands but with both matches on the road, faith is likely to be tempered, given they have one away win – at QPR – all season. Indeed, Nigel Adkins’ side have five away trips in the next six Gameweeks; hardly ideal for those looking to stock up on the Saints’ assets for the upcoming double. A visit to Villa will afford a degree of optimism for the likes of Rickie Lambert and Gaston Ramirez, should the latter recover from the dead leg that forced him out of the FA Cup defeat at the hands of Chelsea, though a trip to Stamford Bridge looks tricky – the Blues have conceded one goal in four home games under Rafa Benitez. Factor in games against Everton, United, City and Newcastle and it’s obvious Adkins’ side are facing a real challenge over the next six Gameweeks.

Also Be Wary Of

Stoke – one clean sheet in the last five, with six goals conceded in their last couple of matches, is a little unusual for the league’s best defence. Granted, Ryan Shawcross and Geoff Cameron were both suspended for the Gameweek 20 home draw with Southampton but with games against Chelsea and Arsenal, in addition to a trip to Swansea in the next four, suggest the Gameweek 24 home showdown with Wigan looks the only enticing fixture in the Potters’ short-term schedule.

Fulham – Martin Jol’s side have three home games in the next four but with one win at the Cottage in their last six, Fulham have been far from convincing. A single clean sheet since Gameweek 8 is indicative of their unconvincing backline, highlighting their reliance on Bryan Ruiz and Dimitar Berbatov to produce the goods up top. Both have scored or assisted in the last two matches and will need to continue their recent form if the London outfit are to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle – while visits from Wigan and West Ham could prove fruitful, clashes with both Manchester clubs are perhaps a cause for concern.