Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 4 – The Strong

With the season now in full flow, this evening we’re delving into the upcoming fixture lists to see which sides have the most favourable schedules over the next six Gameweeks. With several teams facing four home fixtures over this period, including leaders Manchester City, this is definitely worth taking into consideration when planning our transfers this week. Form and fixtures are very much in favour of City and Liverpool, while Bournemouth’s thrilling 4-3 win against West Ham has catapulted many of their Fantasy assets onto our radars ahead of some friendly match-ups.

Man City

Manuel Pellegrini’s side have started the campaign in sensational form, scoring eight goals and keeping three clean sheets, throwing up several options for Fantasy managers to consider. With four favourable home matches (WAT, WHM, NEW, BOU), along with decent away trips to Crystal Palace and Tottenham, the need to load up on City assets is pretty obvious.

At the back, the attacking potential of both Aleksandar Kolarov (5.7) and Vincent Kompany (6.3), primarily from open play and set-pieces respectively, makes them very attractive options given defensive returns appear likely with the lesser opposition they’re facing in the coming period.

In midfield, Yaya Toure (8.8) and David Silva (10.1) look the obvious candidates to target, with the Ivorian already drafted in by over 119,000 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) bosses this week on the back of his sublime assist against Everton on Sunday. Raheem Sterling (8.9) picked up his first attacking returns of the season with an assist for Kolarov’s opener at Goodison Park, but at this point is down the pecking order for our three City slots. Sergio Aguero may have disappointed the many Fantasy managers who placed the captain’s armband on him last week, but the 13.2-priced forward should be back in the goals very soon, and unsurprisingly leads this week’s Captain Poll with a whopping 63% of the vote ahead of Watford’s visit to the Etihad.

Liverpool

The first two of the Reds much vaunted tough away assignments at the start of the season have yielded four points, and with three kind home fixtures (WHM, mun, NOR, AVL) in the next four, now looks a great time to invest in Brendan Rodgers’ side.

It’s at the back where Liverpool have impressed the most, having yet to concede a goal, so Simon Mignolet (5.1), Martin Skrtel (5.5) and Joe Gomez (4.7) all hold plenty of appeal, with further shut-outs expected.

Further forward, Philippe Coutinho (8.1) has begun the season in imperious form, and while he may not have transferred that into significant Fantasy points thus far, only managing one goal, those juicy fixtures could provide the ideal platform for the former Inter Milan playmaker. Despite a promising first start against Arsenal, Roberto Firmino (8.3) holds less appeal given he’s more expensive than his Brazilian compatriot, while he’s also less assured of a starting spot as he continues to build-up his match fitness. If Jordan Henderson can shake off the foot injury he sustained against Bournemouth, he offers a solid option in the mid-price category, although the 6.9-rated midfielder’s Fantasy appeal is lessened if he continues to operate alongside James Milner in the double-pivot.

Christian Benteke may have been fortunate to register his first Liverpool goal against Bournemouth, but available at 8.5 in FPL, he should reward his 40.3% ownership with a few goals in the coming weeks.

Stoke

Mark Hughes’ men may still be waiting for their first win of the season, but with three of their next four matches (WBA, ars, LEI, BOU) at the Britannia, those elusive first three points may not be too far away.

The obvious player to target is forward Mame Biram Diouf, who has scored in his last two appearances and looks the most nailed on of the Stoke attacking options, with plenty of competition for the three advanced midfield positions in Hughes’ preferred 4-2-3-1 formation. The Senegal international comes in at a very reasonable 6.5 in FPL, and only has an ownership of 4.1%.

Xherdan Shaqiri marked his Potters debut with an assist for Diouf’s goal against Norwich, and could also be worth consideration, particularly as he has an ownership of just 2.6%. He also bagged two bonus points against the Canaries, and with some set-piece duties in the locker, looks the clear pick of the midfield options, despite his 7.0 price tag. Marko Arnautovic (6.0) and Ibrahim Afellay (5.4) were both hauled off after 56 minutes on Saturday, and while they could well keep their starting places for the home encounter against West Brom on Saturday, the competition from the likes of Stephen Ireland, Charlie Adam, Jon Walters and Bojan, when he returns to full fitness, all means investment in the pair would carry a significant risk.

Stoke have conceded four goals in their three matches so far, but the favourably priced Jack Butland (4.5) and Marc Muniesa (4.5) look the pick of the options at the back, with Glen Johnson (5.0) probably not worth the extra 0.5 outlay for his slightly superior attacking potential.

Bournemouth

The Cherries were unfortunate not to pick up any points from their first two matches of the season, but they notched their first ever Premier League victory in emphatic fashion at the Boleyn on Saturday. Callum Wilson had been sold by over 60,000 FPL managers over the first two Gameweeks, but his hat-trick against the Hammers has put the forward well and truly back into the spotlight, with 176,000+ FPL managers transferring in the former Coventry striker this week, seeing his price rise back up to 5.5.

Matt Ritchie’s owners would have been hugely frustrated after he failed to play any part in Bournemouth’s four Upton Park goals, but with three favourable home matches (LEI, SUN, WAT) on the horizon, along with reasonable away clashes at Norwich and Stoke, the 5.9-valued midfielder is probably worth persevering with. It was Max Gradel who outshone the Scotland international on Saturday, bagging two assists, and the Ivory Coast international, available at 6.0 in FPL, could be a handy differential with an ownership of just 0.5%.

While the south coast club have yet to keep a clean sheet, raiding full-back Simon Francis confirmed his attacking potential with an assist against West Ham, and looks great value at 4.5 having, like the rest of his Bournemouth team-mates, looked very comfortable at the top table of English football.

Also Consider…

Leicester
While the Foxes face four of their next six matches (bou, AVL, sto, ARS, nor, sot) on the road, at this point it’s impossible to back against midfielder Riyad Mahrez, who is the highest scoring player in FPL so far this season, with 35 points. Despite now setting us back 5.9, the Algerian looks unstoppable at the moment, having scored four goals in just three appearances, and with spot-kick duties also in the locker, is a great enabler for the likes of “heavy hitters” Aguero and Alexis Sanchez.

Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki (both 6.0) have produced attacking returns in the opening three Gameweeks and look great budget options, particularly for the next three matches. Although Claudio Ranieri’s side are yet to register a clean sheet, Kasper Schmeichel, Wes Morgan and Robert Huth (all 4.5) are among the better options available at that price.

West Brom
The Baggies don’t face any of last season’s top four over the next six Gameweeks (sto, SOT, avl, EVE, cpl, SUN), although their three matches so far haven’t thrown many names into the ring for Fantasy managers to seriously consider. Club record signing Salomon Rondon did provide an assist in the 3-2 defeat against Chelsea, but is perhaps a tad expensive at 7.0 in FPL, while recent history tells us James Morrison probably isn’t going to turn into a prolific goal scoring midfielder, although he is available at a budget friendly 4.9. If lively wide man Callum McManaman, also 4.9, can hold down a spot in the starting XI, he could perhaps be someone to monitor from the West Brom midfield.

It’s at the back where investment appears most likely, with Boaz Myhill (4.5) and Craig Dawson (5.0) the leading options, although Jonas Olsson (4.5) has started the last two matches. With Tony Pulis in the market for a centre-back, though, opting for the Swede right now would constitute something of a risk.

Sunderland
It may have gone slightly under the radar, but midfielder Jeremain Lens has registered an assist in all three matches played so far this season, and is certainly worth some consideration coming in at 6.5 in FPL. The Black Cats’ limited goal threat may put off any potential suitors, but their upcoming schedule is pretty reasonable (avl, TOT, bou, mun, WHM, wba), despite only having two fixtures at the Stadium of Light. Likewise, Jermain Defoe (5.5) has two goals to his name already this season, and is likely to be one of the more consistent forwards available at that price.

While Dick Advocaat’s side may have only conceded one goal against Swansea last weekend, the defence still looks vulnerable, so the likes of Sebastian Coates and John O’Shea (both 4.4) aren’t expected to attract much investment until we see more signs of improvement.