Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 26

Our weekly look at the upcoming schedules across the next four to six Gameweeks is rolled out once again, with the fixtures continuing to favour three of the top four. Liverpool and Swansea also play a part here; while they both face blanks after double Gameweek 26, their schedules that follow are also enticing. For Reading, Southampton and Wigan, though, the short-term looks tricky.

Chelsea

Granted, their form and confidence is low after one win in six in all competitions but the fixture list comes to Rafa Benitez’s rescue now, offering a crumb of comfort. Next up for Chelsea is three favourable home games in the next six (WIG, WBA, WHM), while trips to Fulham and Southampton also offer reasons to be cheerful for the beleaguered Spaniard. At the back, with Petr Cech currently nursing a broken finger, Ashley Cole looks the only one immune from Benitez’s rotation obsession – with one clean sheet in seven, though, the Blues have hardly inspired investment in defence.

Further up the field, Juan Mata continues to accumulate points with an astonishing regularity – an average of 6.8 points per game is now joint-top with Robin Van Persie for regulars this season, with the Spaniard scoring or assisting in 15 of his last 17 starts. Frank Lampard has kept pace with Mata over the last few Gameweeks and has scored seven times in his last eight, while Eden Hazard is now back from suspension to bolster their attacking potential. Up front, the rotation policy has seen Demba Ba’s price drop 0.6 since Gameweek 23 – his domestic game time looked set to be on the up due to the fact he is cup-tied for the upcoming Europa League matches but a broken nose, sustained at former club Newcastle, casts doubts over his availability in the short-term.

Man United

With a nine-point lead in hand after the weekend’s results, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side are afforded further opportunity to extend their 13-match unbeaten run. The league leaders welcome Everton, Norwich and Reading to Old Trafford in the next six and also make their way to QPR, West Ham and Sunderland; given their current form, it’s difficult to see just where they will stumble. Wayne Rooney has served notice of his ability to rival Robin Van Persie in the last couple of matches and with a difference of over 2.0 in FPL, certainly helps balance the budget a little better, though the Dutchman remains superior in terms of consistency over the season.

Once again, the midfield continues to frustrate. Both Nani and Antonio Valencia failed to impress at Fulham last Saturday and have offered little to suggest they would be worth any level of investment, while Ferguson continues to be cautious with Shinji Kagawa’s game time after a knee injury earlier in the season. Patrice Evra continues to look the stand-out option at the back. The Frenchman has played all but one game this term and continues to offer strong attacking threat – Rafael and Jonny Evans are more modestly priced but are less nailed-on, while David De Gea has now started the last 10 between the sticks.

Newcastle

Having registered back-to-back league wins for the first time this season, the Magpies will be buoyed ahead of a tricky trip to Tottenham this weekend. After their sojourn to the Lane, however, Alan Pardew’s side have an eye-catching run of fixtures to follow – home clashes against Southampton and Stoke, allied with trips to Swansea and Wigan, offer the Tyneside team plenty opportunity to maintain their ascent up the table.

Four clean sheets all season makes it difficult for Fantasy managers to invest any faith in Pardew’s backline, though Davide Santon’s pair of assists against Chelsea brings him onto the radar – the left-back has received bonus in each of the last two and comes in at 4.9 in FPL. Moussa Sissoko’s advanced central midfield role, which has harvested an assist at Villa and a brace against Chelsea, has kick-started a bandwagon for the 6.0 priced Frenchman – over 64,000 FPL managers have already scrambled aboard, though Yohan Cabaye’s set-pieces and penchant for long-range strikes looks equally appealing at 6.6. Papiss Cisse, with three strikes in the last seven, has been ticking over without offering any real explosive returns – with Demba Ba out the picture, though, his game time and central role will surely help him plunder more points.

Stoke

Two points and no clean sheets in the last six sum up Stoke’s current plight. Away from the Britannia, they’ve been dire in attack with a single goal in their last five on the road; luckily for the Potters, they’ve three strong looking home clashes to bolster their chances of returning to form. Tony Pulis’ side play host to Reading, West Ham and West Brom over the next five, suggesting faith in their Fantasy fortunes could soon be restored.

While Asmir Begovic and Ryan Shawcross have proven the most popular picks at the back – though many are keeping a keen eye on 4.0 priced Marc Wilson, the left-back took to twitter on Friday to reveal he is still a few weeks away from returning. In midfield, it’s slim pickings – Jon Walters is the leading scorer despite scoring once in his last 11, while Peter Crouch could be a decent mid-price shout up top. He’s now back in favour as the lone forward and has scored or assisted in five of his eight starts at the Britannia so far.

Man City

Roberto Mancini’s side have three favourable fixtures in the next four Gameweeks to aid their pursuit of United at the top of the table. City now square up to three of the bottom five, with trips to Southampton and Villa followed by a home clash with Wigan. At the back, Pablo Zabaleta offers the most likely source of points at both ends of the pitch, while Matija Nastasic’s owners will be concerned after he was subbed off before the hour mark against Liverpool as Mancini moved to a three-man defence.

Yaya Toure is back to bolster the midfield after Ivory Coast’s elimination from the African Cup of Nations, while David Silva has produced attacking returns in five of the last nine and offers a security of starts that none of the forwards have managed to replicate. Fully recovered from a hamstring problem, Sergio Aguero has now averaged over eight points per game in his last four starts, while Edin Dzeko has scored or assisted in each of his last five starts – Carlos Tevez has produced in two of his previous six in the first XI by comparison. Even so, rotation is still an issue up front when it comes to Dzeko and Tevez.

Also Consider

Liverpool – the upcoming double Gameweek, which sees West Brom and Swansea roll up to Anfield, is clearly hugely enticing. While the following Gameweek 27 blank somewhat tempers their short-term potential, the schedule thereafter smiles particularly kindly on Brendan Rodgers’ side, with trips to three of the current bottom five (wig, sot, avl) on their agenda. Many will look to hold onto one or even two of the Reds main protagonists beyond the blank in order to take advantage of the run of fixtures, with Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique the obvious contenders at the back, while Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge look the men most likely to plunder the attacking points for the in-form Merseysiders.

Swansea – again, while the upcoming double (QPR, liv) plays a part in Swansea’s appeal, the fixtures following on from their blank Gameweek 27 are also worth considering when eyeing up a transfer out. Michael Laudrup’s side then face three home fixtures in the next four, though admittedly they are far from straightforward, with Newcastle, Arsenal and Tottenham all rolling up to the Liberty, with a trip to West Brom sandwiched in between. Nevertheless, faith in Michu is likely to remain steadfast, given eight of his 13 goals have arrived at home. With Danny Graham now at Sunderland, the Spaniard could well find himself as the Swans’ preferred forward, boosting Jonathan de Guzman’s prospects as a mid-price contender in “the hole”, while Ben Davies remains the standout option at the back.

QPR – four clean sheets in five sums up the R’s resilience right now. Considering they have kept out Chelsea, Spurs and City in recent matches, Harry Redknapp’s side will fancy their chances of producing the points, despite four away trips in the next six (swa, sot, avl, ful). With a home clash against Sunderland also on their agenda, investment in the likes of Julio Cesar and Chris Samba could prove profitable, though Clint Hill offers a cheaper alternative, with a greater consistency of game time than the likes of Fabio or Nedum Onouha. Adel Taarabt remains the man most likely to produce attacking points – the Loftus Road outfit are still awaiting the prognosis on Loic Remy’s groin injury, with recent reports claiming he could be out for up to two months.

The Weak

West Ham

Sam Allardyce’s outfit prepared for a trip to Villa with a narrow home triumph over Swansea but following this Sunday’s game against Paul Lambert’s side, they face a real uphill battle. The Hammers then square up to three of the top four (TOT, MUN, che) and with a trip to Stoke sandwiched in between those two home games, their schedule from Gameweek 27-30 looks horrendous. Faith in Jussi Jaaskelainen and Joey O’Brien is set to take a dip despite last Saturday’s clean sheet, while Kevin Nolan and Andy Carroll’s recent return to scoring form could quickly be halted – worryingly for Allardyce, his side have scored more than a single goal just once in the last nine.

Everton

Having shipped three at home to Villa last Saturday, the Toffees now make their way to Old Trafford as United look to avenge their Gameweek 1 Goodison defeat. David Moyes’ side also square up to Arsenal and City in the next five, with a trip to Norwich also far from straightforward. While Leighton Baines’ owners will be understandably weighing up their options in light of such a schedule, the left-back has scored or assisted in three of his last five and is in strong attacking form, while Marouane Fellaini’s double against Villa served notice of his mid-price appeal after a recent drought – the Belgian has already notched against United, Arsenal and City this term. Victor Anichebe continues to look outstanding FPL value at a mere 4.4, with attacking returns in six of the last eight – he has now started the last two Gameweeks as the lone striker.

Reading

Brian McDermott’s in-form side have a couple of home games on their short-term agenda which could boost their chances of beating the drop, as fellow-strugglers Wigan and Villa roll up to the Madejski in the next four. Looking at their schedule beyond that, though, and the Royals have a tough task on their hands. Four of the next six are on the road, with trips to Stoke, Everton, United and Arsenal set to test the resolve that has recently produced four wins in the last six. The likes of Ian Harte, Jimmy Kebe and Adam Le Fondre are all available as cut-price contenders across the categories but may struggle to justify the recent level of investment on that quartet of road trips. Aside from their two home matches, Reading assets look to be little more than bench fodder over the next six.

Also Be Wary Of

Southampton – the Saints may have four home games in the next six but with City, Liverpool and Chelsea three of those visitors, our Fantasy enthusiasm is somewhat curbed. With trips to Newcastle and Norwich also on their schedule over the next six, it’s far from straightforward for top scorer Rickie Lambert, though the return to fitness of Adam Lallana could bolster their attacking potential. Nevertheless, a clean sheet in their only home game so far under new boss Mauricio Pochettino offers hope for those invested in the likes of Nathaniel Clyne and Luke Shaw – providing they both recover from the injuries that have forced them out of the midweek internationals.

Wigan – Roberto Martinez’s side are faced with a schedule which may see them struggle to address a run of one win in 12. The Latics travel to Chelsea and City in the next four and also play host to Liverpool – in addition, a visit to in-form Reading looks a proverbial six-pointer. Thankfully, Arouna Kone is back from African Cup of Nations duties, while Shaun Maloney is hitting form, with attacking returns in three of the last four. At the back, however, Martinez has reason to worry –his side have a single clean sheet in 15, conceding at least twice in 12 of those games.