Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 31 – The Strong

Following yesterday’s much anticipated announcement surrounding double Gameweeks, we’ve updated our Season Ticker to ensure Fantasy managers’ all-important planning can begin in earnest. Arsenal and Man City have the fixtures to reignite their flagging title bids, whilst Rafa Benitez has cause for optimism in his attempt to steer Newcastle clear of the drop zone.

Arsenal

Without a win in their last three league matches, and having been dumped out of the FA Cup on Sunday, Arsenal’s form – and morale – is obviously a concern right now. From a fixtures perspective, though, their double in Gameweek 34 looks hugely promising, with Crystal Palace having conceded nine goals and 10 big chances over their last four matches (ranking them second worst in both categories). West Brom, meanwhile, have conceded the most shots from inside the box over the last four matches. The matches against relegation candidates Sunderland and Norwich in Gameweeks 35 and 36 are also looking profitable, although they have surprisingly defended fairly well in recent matches, both allowing just three big chances over their last four matches, conceding five and four goals respectively over the same period. This weekend’s hosts Everton have the worst home defensive record in the top-flight, whilst Watford have managed two clean sheets on their travels all season, boosting the prospects of Alexis Sanchez (10.8) and Mesut Ozil (9.8). Arguably, then, only the trip to West Ham looks tricky for the Gunners attackers.

With both Palace and West Brom improving in front of goal of late, scoring six and seven goals respectively over their last four matches, those fixtures don’t look as appealing from a defensive standpoint as they would have done a month or so ago. They should still represent fairly decent chances of providing clean sheet points, though, while the clashes with Sunderland and Norwich do appear more favourable – both teams are struggling to create big chances (four and three respectively over the last four matches), while Norwich have failed to score in their last four away fixtures. The trips to Everton and West Ham do look difficult, though, and based on the evidence of Sunday’s FA Cup tie against Watford, defensive points appear far from guaranteed for the likes of Laurent Koscielny and Hector Bellerin (both 6.2) in the short-term.

Newcastle

The early signs from the Rafael Benitez era on Monday night indicated we may see a much more organised Newcastle backline from now until the end of the season, so Magpies defenders could attract some investment given they also face a double in Gameweek 34 (SWA, MCI). The Swans reside around mid-table for goals scored (six) and big chances created (six) over their last four matches, representing a reasonable match-up, while although Man City boast similar statistics (five goals scored and seven big chances created over the same period), Manuel Pellegrini’s men will arguably be tougher to keep out at St James’ Park. Newcastle do also have a match in Gameweek 35, although a trip to Liverpool looks tough from a defensive standpoint, given the Reds have scored more goals (13) than any other side over the last four matches. The home clash to Crystal Palace in Gameweeks 36 looks fairly favourable, though, while their short-term prospects also look fairly decent with Sunderland, Norwich and Southampton all far from prolific over the last month. Daryl Janmaat (4.8) looks the obvious target given his added attacking potential, although much will depend on which defenders are fit by the time Gameweek 33 comes around. Rob Elliot, at 4.0, could also prove a decent enabler between the sticks.

Should Vincent Kompany be out for the home fixture against City, the prospects for the Newcastle attack in that match should be far more favourable, while Swansea have conceded six goals in their last three away matches. The double looks pretty promising for Magpies attacking assets, then, although the trip to Anfield that follows may be quite the opposite, given Jurgen Klopp’s charges have only conceded three goals and allowed as many big chances over their last four matches. The home clash against Palace in Gameweek 36 appears very favourable, though, so Georginio Wijnaldum (6.8) could certainly be a popular choice for those wildcarding, while Ayoze Perez (5.1) or Aleksandar Mitrovic (6.2) may emerge as differentials should their starting positions look guaranteed come that time. Those players could also shine in the short-term, though, with the match-ups against fellow strugglers Sunderland and Norwich in particular looking pretty friendly.

Man City

While City’s double Gameweek 34 (che, new) sees them hit the road twice, the fact they face favourable home matches either side of that Gameweek (WBA, STO) brings all of their key Fantasy assets firmly onto our radars. The trip to Chelsea appears unlikely to yield too many goals, with the champions having conceded exactly once in their last three home matches. The fixture at Newcastle looks much more kind, though, with the Magpies having conceded 10 goals in their last four league matches. West Brom and Stoke have only shipped four goals apiece in as many matches, but the Potters have allowed fewer big chances (two) than any other side over the same period. The trip to Southampton appears fairly favourable, though, with Saints conceding six goals and allowing seven big chances in their last four. Sergio Aguero (13.6) looks likely to find a place in many of our 15-man squads, then, while the return to fitness of Kevin de Bruyne (10.3) will need to be closely monitored as the Belgian appears the stand-out option in midfield when he’s fully fit. City attacking assets should also thrive in the short-term, with Man United and Bournemouth offering reasonable match-ups.

Last night’s injury to Vincent Kompany does hugely lessen the appeal of the City rearguard. The calf injury picked up last night may rule the Belgian out for around a month, leaving his participation for double Gameweek 34 in huge doubt. Although Nicolas Otamendi is confident of overcoming a dead leg, a clean sheet against Chelsea appears unlikely anyhow, with the Blues having scored 17 goals in their last seven matches on home turf. Newcastle have only scored twice and created one big chance in their last four, although they may be a different animal should Rafael Benitez manage to rally the Magpies. Stoke and West Brom also offer a decent attacking threat, so clean sheets look far from guaranteed should Kompany miss those matches, while the trip to Southampton in Gameweek 36 may also be fairly tricky. Bournemouth have scored eight times in their last four matches, so the Cherries will fancy their chances of scoring when the two sides meet in Gameweek 32, with the Man United fixture perhaps offering a slightly better chance of a shut-out given Louis van Gaal’s men have, along with Aston Villa, registered the fewest number of shots from inside the box (20) over the last four matches. With rotation also a concern in the City backline, it may be that the majority of FPL bosses look elsewhere when trying to formulate their 15-man rosters, with only Joe Hart (5.7) looking a sure starter.

Also Consider…

Liverpool
The Reds’ DGW34 (bou, EVE) looks fairly promising from an attacking perspective, with favourable following matches at home to Newcastle and away to Swansea making Roberto Firmino (8.2) a sure-fire pick for most Fantasy managers. Liverpool also have a kind looking home fixture to Stoke in Gameweek 33, so the likes of Philippe Coutinho (8.0) and even Daniel Sturridge (9.9), fitness permitting, may also have their backers given the Reds also face a double in Gameweek 37 (WAT, CHE).

Liverpool should also accrue some fairly decent defensive returns from Gameweek 33 onwards (STO, bou/EVE, NEW, swa), so owning a Reds backline option would appear a sensible decision. For those looking to save some money, Mamadou Sakho (4.7) could be the one to target, with the return to fitness of Jon Flanagan (4.4) likely to result in some rotation in the full-back positions, denting the prospects of Alberto Moreno (4.6) in particular. Indeed, it may well be that Simon Mignolet’s (4.9) security of starts between the sticks proves the most hassle-free way to go.

West Brom
Up next for the Baggies are back-to-back clashes against two of the bottom four, with a home encounter against Norwich preceding a trip to Sunderland. Tony Pulis’ side have a double Gameweek 34 (WAT, ars) and also play the following weekend, though a trip to Spurs is no easy task.

Nonetheless, the goal threat offered by Craig Dawson (5.1), in particular, could still make the right-back an appealing option, whilst the price tags of Salomon Rondon (6.5) and Saido Berahino (5.8) may bring the pair into our thoughts as both enablers and differentials.

Norwich
Although Alex Neil’s men don’t face a double in the next six, the upcoming four rounds of fixtures (wba, NEW, cpl, SUN) look very kind. Providing he shakes off an ankle problem, Nathan Redmond (5.0) could be an option as a budget midfielder, then, with Wes Hoolahan (4.7) an alternative to the winger.

Norwich managed to keep out Man City last weekend, so interest in their defence may be on the rise. All four of their clean sheets this season have come on home soil, so the likes of Russell Martin, Timm Klose (both 4.2) and John Ruddy (4.1) could be useful to own for the matches against Newcastle and Sunderland in particular.