Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 33 – The Weak

Having assessed those sides with favourable fixtures to follow, we now turn our focus on those with trickier upcoming schedules. Given that we only have six Gameweeks left in the season, we afford more weight to the next four rounds of matches in particular here.

QPR

The Hoops demonstrated all their grit and determination to avoid the drop against Chelsea on Sunday, but it came to no avail as Cesc Fabregas struck a late winner. The next four could be set to pile on further disappointment, as a blank now awaits Chris Ramsey’s side this weekend, whilst trips to Liverpool and Man City in Gameweeks 35-36 don’t bode well for the strugglers. That could well leave the Hoops out of contention for survival before the penultimate Gameweek of the season, though with Newcastle and Leicester their final two opponents, Ramsey will hoping his side are still in with a shout.

Charlie Austin’s 21% ownership looks set for a considerable drop before this weekend’s deadline, then, and the 17-goal striker could struggle to find a way back into our plans. Proprietors of Matty Phillips are less likely to get rid courtesy of the midfielder’s enabling 4.6 price tag, though the winger, who has accumulated a goal and two assists in his last three outings, is due an extended stretch on owner’s benches. Meanwhile, the Hoops’ rearguard – who have managed a single clean sheet in their past 12 displays – no longer even warrant our attention as budget options.

ARSENAL

The Gunners sit second in the table thanks to a superb second half of the season that has chalked up wins in 11 of their last 12 league matches. With a blank this weekend followed by the visit of Chelsea, Arsene Wenger’s main men may not arrive on our radars until Gameweek 35, where they embark on a run of five matches in the final four rounds of fixtures.

Owners of the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud now face something of a quandary, then, as the trio will be hard tasked to produce the points across the next two Gameweeks. To complicate matters further, a number of other sides boast Gameweek 34 doubles, including Liverpool and Chelsea, who both offer premium priced options. Freeing up budget to acquire those assets could be on many managers’ wishlists, and Sanchez, Ramsey and Giroud could be temporarily let go in order to do so. Meanwhile, owners of the Gunners’ backline options will be eyeing up replacements from their benches this week, but are likely to maintain their faith in a unit who have collected clean sheets in three of their last six outings and offer budget options in David Ospina and Nacho Monreal.

SUNDERLAND

The Black Cats looked like they were back on the right track with a 1-0 win over bitter rivals Newcastle two weekends ago, before a 4-1 defeat to Crystal Palace last Saturday put things back in perspective. Dick Advocaat’s men will now have to wait until the final weekend of April to take up their survival bid once again, and with four immensely tough away fixtures (sto, eve, ars, che) and home clash with Southampton yet to play, things are looking ominous for the Wearside outfit, and even a double Gameweek 37 may not be enough to convince managers to monitor their assets.

It’s the Black Cats rearguard assets who have dominated our attention in recent times, with Patrick van Aanholt and Costel Pantilimon earning a place in many managers’ sides over the past few months. However, if recent capitulations against Palace and Aston Villa weren’t enough to convince them to look elsewhere, the forthcoming schedule should do the trick for their owners. Further forward, Jermain Defoe and Connor Wickham have registered a goal apiece in the last pair of fixtures, and are the most likely to feature in double Gameweek plans with the Wearsiders midfield so devoid of consistent starters or points potential. For the time being, though, our interests are sure to lie elsewhere in terms of options for our three man frontlines.

Be Wary Of…

Aston Villa
Tim Sherwood returned to haunt former employers Spurs at the weekend by securing a vital victory for his relegation-threatened Villa side, taking them six points clear of the drop zone. That gap could well be halved this Saturday, however, with Villa devoid of a fixture, and with a trip to City directly after, they could be dragged back into the fight for survival. Those who chose to hold onto Christian Benteke after the double Gameweek were richly rewarded with his winner at the Lane, but face a further dilemma courtesy of the impending blank. The big Belgian certainly looks central to the Villain’s chances of avoiding Championship football next season, and with eight goals in his last six appearances, looks vital for the run-in, with Villa handed three home clashes (EVE, WHM, BUR) in addition to a trip to St Mary’s. Elsewhere for the Midlanders, there is little in the way of potential, with their backline unlikely to garner much attention in spite of their shutout at Spurs.

West Brom
Three defeats on the trot, and ten goals conceded in that period, have suggested that Tony Pulis’ impact as manager at the Hawthorns is beginning to wane. The Baggies now sit seven points above the relegation places, and with the upcoming fixture list in mind, will be glancing nervously over their shoulder at the chasing pack. A trip to in-form Crystal Palace is on the cards this weekend, before West Brom take on four of the current top five then in the final five Gameweeks of the season (LIV, mun, CHE, ars). That should well see clean sheets remain at a minimum, though owners of Boaz Myhill may think twice before parting company, considering the propensity for save points the keeper demonstrated in the Gameweek 30 loss to Man City. Saido Berahino, though, will surely be heading out of many squads before long.

Tottenham
With Harry Kane having gone off the boil in recent weeks, the cracks are beginning to show for Mauricio Pochettino’s men, who have subsequently failed to find the net in three of their last four fixtures. Now seven points adrift of the top four, their hope for Champions League football next term look slim at best, with a remaining schedule handing them four away dates (new, sou, sto, eve) and a home meeting with Man City in the run-in. Kane’s owners are unlikely to abandon ship just yet, though the striker’s automatic claim for the armband now looks quelled, particularly with so many popular assets boasting double Gameweeks over the remaining weeks of the campaign. Meanwhile, Spurs’ backline have come back into contention thanks to conceding a single goal in the past two Gameweeks, but the likes of Danny Rose will now have their mettle put to the test to continue to show such resilience. With two assists in the last nine, the 25%-owned Christian Eriksen also looks poised for a major exodus as we eye up our options for next week’s double.