Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 5 – The Strong

There may be no Premier League action this weekend due to the international break but we’re wasting no time in casting our eye towards Gameweek 5 and beyond. Manchester City and Bournemouth once again feature among the sides who have the most favourable schedules over the next six Gameweeks, while West Ham also have some kind fixtures over the coming period, with our confidence in the Hammers assets on the rise after the comprehensive 3-0 win at Anfield on Saturday.

MANCHESTER CITY

Manuel Pellegrini’s side couldn’t have made a more impressive start to the campaign, with a 100% record, 10 goals scored and none conceded. They’ve also added Nicolas Otamendi and Kevin de Bruyne to an already strong squad, and have a great run of fixtures (cpl, WHM, tot, NEW, BOU, mun) over the coming month or so.

At the back, Aleksandar Kolarov has emerged as the number one target, with the 5.8-priced defender seemingly assured of a starting berth at left-back because of both his sensational form, and the absence of Gael Clichy through an ankle injury, which is set to keep the former Arsenal defender out for another six weeks. Bacary Sagna (5.1) offers a great short-term option, but he’ll have competition for the right-back position when Pablo Zabaleta returns from a knee injury later this month.

Raheem Sterling (8.9) opened his account for the Citizens against Watford on Saturday, and given Yaya Toure now sets us back the same amount in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), is probably worth further consideration, while David Silva (10.2) should remain a reliable source of steady attacking points having racked up his fourth assist of the campaign against the Hornets. De Bruyne arrives at the Etihad with a big reputation, but his 10.0 price tag may deter any potential suitors until we see how he fits into Pellegrini’s plans.

Sergio Aguero will have disappointed the many Fantasy managers who trusted him with the captain’s armband over the past two weeks, but the 13.2-valued forward will surely find his goal scoring form sooner rather than later.

BOURNEMOUTH

With the Cherries facing four more favourable fixtures (nor, SUN, sto, WAT) before some tougher match-ups, the likes of Callum Wilson and Simon Francis still look great options for Fantasy managers.

Wilson has scored four goals in his last two appearances, and available at 5.7 in FPL, offers fantastic value and is a great enabler for those premium options such as Sergio Aguero, Alexis Sanchez and David Silva. Max Gradel had started to show real promise over the last two matches, registering three assists, but with the summer signing now sidelined for around six months with a knee injury, the focus from the Bournemouth midfield once again turns to Matt Ritchie. The Scotland international has seen his value fall to 5.8 in FPL after four successive blanks, and perhaps the fact he’s only created four chances shows he’s struggling to make an impact in the top flight. The addition of Glenn Murray (5.8) will further enhance the attacking options available to Eddie Howe, with the former Crystal Palace forward expected to combine with Wilson up front.

While they have yet to register a clean sheet, Bournemouth have conceded exactly one goal in three of their four matches, so a first shut-out shouldn’t be too far away. With a licence to also bomb forward, right-back Francis (4.5) looks the pick of the options at the back, having already notched an assist in the 4-3 win against West Ham. Loan signing Joe Bennett (4.0) could come into contention if both Charlie Daniels and Tyrone Mings are sidelined at left-back.

WEST HAM

It’s been a topsy turvy start to the campaign for the Hammers, with outstanding wins at Arsenal and Liverpool combined with bitterly disappointing home defeats to Leicester and Bournemouth. With the Gameweek 6 trip to City the only difficult fixture in the next five (NEW, mci, NOR, sun, cpl), the likes of Aaron Cresswell, Dimitri Payet and Diafra Sakho certainly look worthy of consideration for the coming period.

Left-back Cresswell (5.5) has bagged assists in his last two appearances, and while Fantasy managers may be wary to invest in the defender until Slaven Bilic’s side perform better at the back in the plum home fixtures, there’s no doubt his attacking potential marks him out from some other defenders with similar price tags.

In midfield, Payet (7.6) has stolen much of the attention with set-piece duties in his locker but with no attacking returns in his last two outings, the pressure will be on the France international to deliver the goods in the coming few matches. Cheikhou Kouyate comes in at a cheaper 5.6 in FPL, and with an ownership of just 4%, looks ripe for investment, having scored twice and provided an assist already this season. Victor Moses (5.3) will be worth monitoring once he returns to full fitness, having joined on a season-long loan from Chelsea, whilst fellow new boy Michail Antonio (6.0) arrives on the back of 14 goals and 12 assists for Forest in last year’s Championship.

Diafra Sakho grabbed his first goal of the campaign in the final stages at Anfield, and while he has disappointed over the first four Gameweeks, only registering one goal and one assist, the 6.5-rated forward still looks a viable mid-price option given the favourable fixture list.

ALSO CONSIDER…

West Brom
The Baggies have the most favourable upcoming schedule (SOT, avl, EVE, cpl, SUN, nor) according to our Season Ticker, and while Tony Pulis’ side isn’t packed full of enticing Fantasy options, there are certainly one or two options worth casting our eye over.

Pulis’ teams are known for the defensive solidarity, so Craig Dawson (5.0) and new signing Jonny Evans (4.8) look strong options at the back, with West Brom already registering two shut-outs this season. Whoever out of Boaz Myhill and Anders Lindegaard (both 4.5) emerges as the first choice goalkeeper in the absence of the injured Ben Foster should also provide a great budget option for Fantasy managers. As shown by our latest Watchlist rankings, we’re backing the Dane to be handed the chance after arriving from United in the last week.

With some rotation concerns among the more attacking options in the Baggies midfield, Salomon Rondon probably offers the best route into the West Brom attack, although at 7.0, the Venezuela international perhaps looks a tad expensive given, with Sakho and Mame Biram Diouf (6.6) perhaps offering better value. Saido Berahino’s future looks uncertain after he vowed never to play under chairman Jeremy Peace in light of his failed transfer to Tottenham.

Swansea
Garry Monk’s side have surprised many with their attacking performances so far and with all seven of their goals scored by either Bafetimbi Gomis or Andre Ayew, it’s clear who we should be targeting. Gomis, now up to 7.4 in FPL, has scored in all four of his appearances, and having found the back of the net against both Chelsea and Man United, has proven himself to be “fixture proof”. Ayew (7.2) has netted three goals and provided one assist, and has the edge over the former Lyon striker in terms of bonus points by six to one. The upcoming fixtures (wat, EVE, sot, TOT, STO, avl) suggest both players should continue to provide great mid-price options for the upcoming period – the pair are the second and third most transferred players in so far this week.

In defence, Kyle Naughton (5.0) looks the primary option, with his attacking raids from right-back giving him the edge over Ashley Williams (also 5.0), who still holds some appeal given his ability to rack of the bonus points when the Swans register a clean sheet. Lukasz Fabianski looks one of the better options available in goal in the 5.0 price bracket.

Norwich
The Canaries suffered a disappointing 3-0 defeat at Southampton on Sunday, but have generally enjoyed a decent start to the campaign. Alex Neil’s men only have one difficult fixture in the next six (BOU, liv, whm, LEI, new, WBA), so the likes of Nathan Redmond, Wes Hoolahan and Russell Martin should continue to provide great value for FPL bosses.

Redmond (5.6) has two goals and an assist to his name so far, and should continue to trouble Premier League defenders, while Hoolahan (5.0) is at the hub of the Norwich side, and should continue to offer a steady return of assists, having already bagged three this season. Robbie Brady (5.5) has already created ten chances, more than both of his fellow midfielders, despite playing at left-back so far this season. Should the Republic of Ireland international be moved further forward when last season’s left-back Martin Olsson returns to full fitness, he could be worth serious consideration. New striker Dieumerci Mbokani (6.0) has a good goal scoring record from his time in Belgium and with Dynamo Kiev, and appears likely to replace Cameron Jerome as the lone striker at Carrow Road.

While the fixtures look favourable for Norwich, clean sheets have so far eluded the Canaries, so although Russell Martin and John Ruddy (both 4.5) offer good value, perhaps we shouldn’t expect too much in terms of defensive returns. Martin does, of course, offer a reasonable threat from set plays, having scored twice already this season, though he has never scored more than three goals in any of his previous three Premier League seasons.