Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 25

Our weekly refresh of the upcoming fixtures is rolled out once again, as we analyse the strength of schedule over the next four to six Gameweeks. With a double Gameweek 26 followed abruptly by a blank, Liverpool and Swansea will obviously receive significant investment after this morning’s news. Both have decent fixtures around their double, with the Swans amongst the strongest on show along with the top three as both Manchester clubs and Chelsea enjoy enticing schedules.

The Strong

Man United

The fixture list continues to smile kindly on the league leaders, suggesting further investment is set to come their way. United entertain Everton, Norwich and Reading at Old Trafford and have won eight in a row at Old Trafford prior to tonight’s visit of Southampton. Trips to Fulham, QPR and West Ham also follow and look likely to offer Robin Van Persie further opportunity to extend his lead at the top of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) standings.

Wayne Rooney continues to look a differential option but having been dropped to the bench for the Gameweek 23 trip to Spurs, he clearly offers less security than the Dutchman. A lack of consistency in midfield suggests Patrice Evra is the best alternative for United cover – the Frenchman is now over 30 points ahead of fellow full-back Rafael in the FPL standings. Jonny Evans offers another route into United’s backline once fit. Sir Alex Ferguson has recently hinted he sees the Northern Ireland international as his first-choice centre-half – down to 5.6 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Evans has outscored Rafael in terms of points per game, by 4.3 to 4.0.

Chelsea

The Blues may have tricky trips to Newcastle and City on the horizon but are also afforded four eye-catching fixtures in the next six which are likely to boost their chance of picking up points. Rafa Benitez’s side welcome Wigan, West Brom and West Ham to the Bridge and also make their way to out-of-sorts neighbours Fulham – clearly, the potential for Fantasy returns at both ends of the pitch holds substantial appeal.

Juan Mata is handed the platform to cement his place as the top scoring FPL midfielder and with uncertainty still surrounding Eden Hazard’s length of suspension, Frank Lampard comes into the equation as an in-form differential with spot-kicks in his locker. While the rest and rotation policy up top places question marks over Demba Ba, the ex-Newcastle man’s appeal is boosted by the fact he is cup-tied for Chelsea’s upcoming Europa League matches and should help him earn more domestic game time than Fernando Torres. In defence, Ashley Cole is looking like the only hassle-free acquisition – while the likes of David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta offer greater potential for attacking returns, they are more susceptible to Benitez’s rotation than the left-back.

Man City

Four back-to-back clean sheets is indicative of the champions’ defensive solidity in recent Gameweeks. Vincent Kompany could be out for another couple of weeks but Matija Nastasic was fit enough for the bench against QPR last night and will likely return for the weekend clash with Liverpool. It’s Pablo Zabaleta who looks the best route into Roberto Mancini’s backline, though – having started 12 of the last 13, his average of 4.5 points per game (ppg) is bettered only by David Silva and Carlos Tevez.

With games against Southampton, Villa, Wigan and Everton also on their agenda, City’s schedule continues to entice, though Mancini’s decision to bench Edin Dzeko last night once again underlined the uncertainty surrounding the forward slots. Silva’s security of midfield starts looks the best risk-free option and though there’s no denying Sergio Aguero has the ability to offer explosive returns in any given Gameweek, his 10.9 price tag has persuaded just 5% of FPL managers to snap him up.

Swansea

While their double fixture has them face a tricky trip to Anfield, Michael Laudrup’s side now have the best defensive record on the road in the league and will travel without trepidation. Coming out of Gameweek 26, the Swans get over the blank that follows with a home fixture with Newcastle and an away trip to West Brom – with the weekend visit to Upton Park completing the picture, its clear that the Anfiled visit is the only daunting prospect on offer for Laudrup’s men.

While Michu has stuttered in attacking areas, Ben Davies has flourished as a budget option in defence and will surely find place in many Winter Wildcard squads off the back of his recent goal and clean sheet returns. With the fixture list remaining kind, he should be in line for further profits while Michu and Laudrup’s rotating midfield assets could also find goals having dried up of late.

Sunderland

The Black Cats’ fixtures continue to appeal as Martin O’Neill’s side look to maintain their recent climb up the table. Sunderland are set to face just one of the current top eight in the next six Gameweeks (rdg, ARS, wba, FUL, qpr, NOR) with Simon Mignolet likely to attract further investment in light of his rise to the top of the FPL keeper standings. O’Neill’s side have now registered five clean sheets in seven at the Stadium of Light and have kept out the likes of City in front of their own fans, suggesting the visit of Arsenal will do little to deter investment. Carlos Cuellar’s imminent return will surely earn the Spaniard new ownership – with two double figure returns in his last three at home, the 4.5 priced defender offers a cheaper route into O’Neill’s defence than Mignolet, at 5.3.

Adam Johnson remains the in-form midfield option, though Stephane Sessegnon returned to his regular role in “the hole” midway through last night’s match with Swansea after a short stint on the wing. Steven Fletcher’s 5.2 ppg average continues to make his modest 7.1 price tag look a bargain.

Also Consider

QPR – unbeaten in four, in a run that has harvested clean sheets against Chelsea, Spurs and City, the Harry Redknapp effect has been obvious. The R’s now welcome Norwich and Sunderland to Loftus Road in the next six and also travel to Swansea, Southampton and Villa. Given his side’s resilience, faith in Redknapp’s defence is likely to increase, though it remains to be seen just how much the loss of Ryan Nelsen will hurt them. Three goals in the last six is something of a worry, though; Adel Taarabt and Loic Remy are the men to make a difference the R’s are to climb out the drop zone.

Stoke – the Potters’ form is far from good but Tony Pulis can takes solace in his side’s upcoming schedule. Home clashes with Reading, West Ham and West Brom, with a trip to Fulham also factored in over the next six, clearly highlight the potential. Owners of Asmir Begovic and Ryan Shawcross will be hoping Stoke can rectify the defensive frailties that has seen them concede at least twice in each of their last five, while Jon Walters and Peter Crouch (if he remains at the Britannia and can stave off the threat of Kenwyne Jones) offer mid-price options further up the pitch.

Reading – three home games in the next five (SUN, WIG, AVL) afford Brian McDermott’s side the chance to continue the form that has harvested three wins in the last four. The Gameweek 27 clash with Wigan is perhaps of particular interest, given that both Swansea and Liverpool have blanks. The likes of Adam Federici, Ian Harte, Jobi McAnuff, Jimmy Kebe and Pavel Pogrebnyak all offer cut-price options to cover those players without a fixture that weekend.

The Weak

Fulham

After tonight’s clash with West Ham, Martin Jol’s side face a tough looking run of games which pits them against three of the current top four in the next six Gameweeks. Fulham welcome United and Chelsea to the Cottage and also have a trip to the Lane on their agenda, while a home game with Stoke is also sandwiched in between visits to Norwich and Sunderland. With one win in their last seven, they’ve been far from convincing of late; a single clean sheet in 15 sums up their defensive woes, while Dimitar Berbatov’s owners will be concerned with a run which has seen him notch in only two of his previous 12 matches.

West Ham

Sam Allardyce won’t be too optimistic over the Hammers’ upcoming schedule. Swansea, Spurs and United all roll up to Upton Park, while trips to Chelsea and Stoke are far from enticing – the only respite is a trip to beleaguered Villa in Gameweek 26. A single clean sheet in 12 has dented the potential of Jussi Jaaskelainen and Joey O’Brien and with James Collins still sidelined with a hamstring tear, West Ham will be hoping new boy Emanuel Pogatetz can add a much-needed resilience to their ailing backline. With a single goal since Gameweek 9, Kevin Nolan has fallen far from Fantasy radars, while the imminent return of Andy Carroll raises question marks over the lone forward role, with Marouane Chamakh and Carlton Cole also vying for game time. Joe Cole’s owners will be concerned by Allardyce’s decision to bench the midfielder for last week’s trip to Arsenal, suggesting rest and rotation may be an issue until he builds up his match-fitness.

West Brom

A single point from their last four sums up the Baggies form right now. Steve Clarke will hardly be enamoured with what’s up next for his off-form side – home games against Spurs, Sunderland and Swansea in the following six, supplemented by trips to Liverpool, Chelsea and Stoke, suggest the midlands outfit will continue to struggle. The West Brom boss will be boosted by the return to fitness of the likes of Claudio Yacob and Shane Long, though the latter’s availability may dent Romelu Lukaku’s game time as the lone forward; the Belgian has started five of the last six as a result of Long’s absence. Two assists in his last 10 appearances highlights James Morrison’s drop in form, while at the back, one clean sheet in 13 sums up the Baggies’ inability to keep out opponents over the last few months.

Also Be Wary Of

Aston Villa – Paul Lambert’s side have a tough task on their hands if they are to climb out the drop zone. Villa now pay visit to Everton and Arsenal in the next four and with a home clash against City also on the horizon, it doesn’t look good. Two points from their last eight, with 22 goals conceded illustrates their recent dire displays; Christian Benteke continues to plunder the points but elsewhere, Villa will be afforded a wide berth by Fantasy managers.

Newcastle – the Magpies will be buoyed by a first away win of the season at Villa last night but the short-term still looks tricky to navigate for Alan Pardew’s side. Chelsea roll up to St James’ Park this weekend and with trip to Spurs and Swansea also on their agenda, investment in the likes of Papiss Cisse and Yohan Cabaye may be deterred a little until the Tyneside team can show their victory over Villa was more than just a one-off.