Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 35 – The Strong

With only four rounds of matches remaining, we roll out the first of our final pair of Frisking the Fixtures articles for the season. Arsenal’s chase for second spot is smiled upon kindly, whilst Leicester and Villa’s survival prospects are strengthened by three home fixtures over the final four Gameweeks.

Arsenal

Despite Sunday afternoon’s stalemate with Chelsea seeing them drop down to third, the Gunners are still in pole position to claim second courtesy of their match in hand. That extra fixture will be at the forefront of Fantasy managers’ minds and many are now set to load up on the north Londoner’s assets ahead of their Gameweek 37 double-header against United and Sunderland. What’s more, Arsene Wenger’s men boast strong fixtures either side of the double, with a trip to Hull and home meetings with Swansea and West Brom also on their agenda.

The Gunners’ rearguard have collected back-to-back clean sheets and conceded just twice in their last five league outings, and appear just as worthy of our attention as their premium attacking options. David Ospina’s 4.9 price tag makes the Colombian hard to ignore between the sticks, though centre back Laurent Koscielny has earned bonus points in each of the last two and, with three goals accrued this season, could well justify the extra outlay.

In midfield, Alexis Sanchez’ stock will undoubtedly be on the rise, despite the Chilean blanking in four of the last five Gameweeks. Indeed, it is Aaron Ramsey who has emerged as the form option in recent weeks, with two goals and three assists in that same period suggesting that the Welshman could offer excellent value at 8.6. Mesut Ozil also comes into contention here and, with an ownership of just 3.5%, will appeal as a differential pick for the double. Up top, Olivier Giroud will be hoping to bounce back after failing to score in his last two, and a tally of seven strikes in the six Gameweeks preceding that should ensure that the striker tops many a shopping list over the next couple of weeks. The only worry here is that Arsene Wenger could rotate with one eye on the FA Cup final – we should hopefully get a better idea over the next couple of matches if he’s planning to make many alterations.

Leicester

The Foxes are firing on all cylinders as they continue to charge up the table, with a host of managers now eagerly awaiting their clash with Chelsea tomorrow night for further rewards in the current Gameweek. It’s now four consecutive victories for Nigel Pearson’s charges, and the final run-in suggests that their ascendancy may well continue; the Midlanders host three home matches (NEW, SOU, QPR) in the final four in addition to a trip to relegation rivals Sunderland.

Owners of Jeffrey Schlupp will be hoping to see the Ghanaian recover from the knock that kept him out of Saturday’s defeat of Burnley in time for tomorrow’s fixture. Should he do so, the defender’s out of position prospects still make him a promising option in a backline who have collected three clean sheets in their last six efforts. With doubts still afoot, however, Kasper Schemeichel’s appeal intensifies, whilst Wes Morgan usurps Schlupp in our Watchlist: the centre back has returned a goal, an assist and five bonus points in his previous five appearances and, at 4.4, couldn’t be more readily available.

Further forward, Esteban Cambiasso will be looking to reward the 52,000 managers who snapped up his services prior to the double after blanking for the first time in four outings at the weekend. Meanwhile, Jamie Vardy’s involvement against Chelsea has been to cast into some uncertainty after Pearson conceded yesterday that the striker had to have an injection in his foot prior to his goal scoring display at Burnley. Having bagged three goals and two assists in his last five appearances, the former Fleetwood Town forward looks a viable option for our starting XIs for the final four Gameweeks as Pearson goes on the offensive to clinch his side’s survival.

Aston Villa

Sitting just two points above the drop zone, the Villains are handed an encouraging final set of fixtures to boost their chances of beating the drop. Tim Sherwood’s side have a trio of home clashes in their final four (EVE, WHM, BUR) offering plenty of reason to believe that they can avoid tumbling through the relegation trap door.

Despite drawing a blank in the 3-2 defeat to City, Christian Benteke was an ever-present threat at the home of the champions and is now primed to add to his tally of eight goals in seven as the fixture list brightens, potentially making a mockery of his mere 3.8% ownership. Meanwhile, youngster Jack Grealish, at 4.3, is another budget midfielder to emerge in recent weeks, having started the last four in all competitions for his side. Injuries continue to plague the Villains’ backline, though if their recent 1-0 victory over Spurs is anything to go by, ignoring their rearguard for the remainder of the season might not be wholly advisable – Brad Guzan and Ron Vlaar are the obvious options here.

West Ham

The Hammers are stumbling their way towards the finish line, with just a single victory in their past 12 league outings highlighting a lack of impetus. The remaining schedule does offer them a chance to kick on at the back end of the season, though, as home meetings with Burnley and Everton and promising visits to Villa and Newcastle lie in wait before their players can start applying the sun lotion.

Having blanked in their last two, and with top scorer Diafra Sakho still sidelined with a thigh injury, interest in the Hammers’ attack is unlikely to pick up, though. Indeed, only three sides have recorded less attempts on goal than the east Londoners in the past six Gameweeks, with the likes of Stewart Downing and Enner Valencia failing to warrant any interest from Fantasy managers. At the back, however, it’s a different story, with Saturday’s stalemate against QPR their second shutout in their last five and those clashes with Burnley and Newcastle looking particularly encouraging for further defensive returns. Adrian’s spot-kick heroics at Loftus Road saw the Spaniard walk away with a whopping 16-point haul, and no other keeper has matched his tally of three penalty saves this season. Left-back Aaron Cresswell is slightly dearer at 5.6 to Adrian’s 5.1 but the free-kick specialist’s recent strike against Stoke ensures that the extra outlay is well justified.

Also Consider..

Newcastle
With the home fans’ boos still ringing in his ears, and the relegation trap door now looking a possibility, John Carver will be desperate to turn his side’s dire form around promptly. The fixture list is certainly in Newcastle’s favour, with away days at Leicester and QPR and home encounters against West Brom and West Ham suggesting that they should be enjoying top-flight football at St James’ Park next season. So long as he can overcome the illness that forced him off on the 60-minute mark on Saturday, marauding right-back Daryl Janmaat still looks a key figure for his team going forward, and with three of their four remaining opponents struggling for goals recently, defensive returns are also not out of the question. Jack Colback has now registered a goal and assist in his previous two appearances and, at 4.7, looks a worthy enabler in midfield, whilst young forward Ayoze Perez, who has started the Magpies’ last five outings, will be hopeful of kicking on after getting on the scoresheet against Swansea at the weekend. Papiss Cisse is also back in contention once this week’s trip to Leicester is out of the way and, at 5.2, could be worth considering.

Sunderland
Things are looking equally gloomy over on Wearside, with Dick Advocaat’s side dropping into the bottom three after a 1-1 draw at Stoke. A match in hand over many relegation rivals could play a significant part in determining their final standing, and a double Gameweek 37 ensures that Fantasy interest in the Black Cats’ assets is due to proliferate in the coming weeks, though two tough preceding fixtures (SOU, eve) should keep investment at bay until the penultimate round of fixtures arrives. Until then, the likes of Costel Pantilimon and Patrick van Aanholt are likely to be monitored, whilst Connor Wickham’s back-to-back strikes in his last two suggests that the 5.6-valued striker could well play the role of double Gameweek protagonist that fellow forwards Benteke, Charlie Austin and Dame N’Doye have occupied in their recent doubles.

Everton
Without the burden of European football weighing heavy on their shoulders, the Toffees have been free to get themselves back on the track, as evidenced by their 3-0 battering of Man United on Sunday. The next three suggest that form should continue, as the Merseysiders enjoy trips to Villa and West Ham either side of a home meeting with Sunderland. Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman look set to add to their four clean sheets in the past six Gameweeks, then, with the former’s set-piece duties and knack for picking up bonus points giving him the slight edge over the Irishman in our Watchlist. Further forward, Aaron Lennon is a ready-made differential in midfield having recently struck form, though it’s worth nearing in mind he cannot play against parent club Spurs in Gameweek 38. Romelu Lukaku is back in the frame after injury and could be set to profit from the kind schedule as he aims to end what has been a modest season on a high note.

Southampton
A single win in their last four has seen Ronald Koeman’s men lose significant ground in the race for the top four, though the remaining schedule ensures that their hopes of taking on Europe’s elite next season are not yet extinguished. A trip to Man City on the final day of the campaign is sure to be a heated battle, though their next three should put them in good stead to rise to the challenge, with two favourable away fixtures (sun, lei) followed by Villa’s visit to St Mary’s. Owners of the likes of Kelvin Davies, Nathaniel Clyne and PFA Team of the Year member Ryan Bertrand will be optimistic of the Saints’ backline adding to their 15 clean sheets for the season, then, whilst Graziano Pelle is offered the perfect platform to continue his rise back to prominence after notching three goals in as many outings.