The Dugout Discussion – Wednesday

Gameweek 24 delivers two final rolls of the dice before we retrain our sights on the weekend’s action. Everton cross swords with Newcastle United as they strive to card their first victory in six outings, whilst in the other 7.45 pm kick-off, Watford host a Chelsea outfit that’s not tasted defeat since Gameweek 16.

The Toffees’ attack flattered to deceive over the previous four Gameweeks, ranking joint-second-bottom for shots on target (11) and recording the second-worst shot accuracy (22.9%). Those Fantasy managers who’ve sourced attacking assets from Newcastle will certainly draw encouragement from the fact that no team has shipped more goals at home (22) than Everton. On that note, the Magpies placed top for shots inside the box (44) and second for shots on target (24) between Gameweeks 20-23, which bodes well for their trip to Goodison Park.

Chelsea are a different proposition under Guus Hiddink’s reign, as evidenced by the fact they charted joint-top for goals (nine) and big chances (nine) over the previous four Gameweeks. Furthermore, only three teams surpassed their haul of accurate attempts (18) across that stretch. Having ended a four-match losing streak with a win over Newcastle in the previous round of fixtures, the Hornets will look to improve their threat in the final third, given that they’ve registered the joint-second-fewest goals (three) and shots inside the box (20) over Gameweek 20-23.