The Dugout Discussion – Saturday

Tomorrow’s bumper schedule means there are just five Saturday mid-afternoon kick-offs taking place across the country. There’s intrigue aplenty in each match-up, but Manchester City’s home tie against Southampton could be the most impactful from a Fantasy perspective.

The Sky Blues are reeling from their 4-1 defeat at the hands of Liverpool, which marked their second home loss of the campaign. Although they’ve been bested by the Reds and West Ham United at the Etihad, Man City rank top for home goals (20), attempts (134), shots inside the box (83), shots on target (51) and big chances (24), so they’re unlikely to be held to a clean sheet. On the flip side, the Saints will be encouraged by the fact that Manuel Pellegrini’s troops claimed just two shut-outs in their last eight outings. Furthermore, no side on their travels has conceded fewer goals (four) than Southampton.

Bournemouth strive to arrest their seven-match winless streak when they play host to Everton. The Cherries notched just three goals in the last four Gameweeks but will be heartened that only Liverpool (55) fashioned more key passes (49) over that stretch. As for the Toffees’, their attack – which has chalked up 11 goals in three outings – will be relishing the prospect of facing off against a team that charts top for goals conceded (27).

Aston Villa welcome Watford to Villa Park as they attempt to register their first win since Gameweek 1. Although they’ve yet to taste victory on home turf this term, only four teams have conceded fewer goals than Villa (seven) on familiar soil. Moreover, they rank fourth-bottom for big chances surrendered (seven) in home fixtures. Couple this with the fact that the Hornets place second-bottom for shots on target (18) in road clashes and a clean sheet could be on the cards.

Crystal Palace will search for a solution to their poor home form (two wins, one draw, four losses) when Newcastle United square up to them at Selhurst Park. The Eagles have lost three of their previous five match-ups, while the Magpies have posted just two wins across the entire season. Buoyed by their 1-0 win at Palace, Sunderland take on a Stoke outfit that’s not conceded in their last four road matches.