Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 31 – The Weak

After analysing the sides who face very favourable fixtures over the next four-to-six Gameweeks earlier this week, our attention now turns to those teams who face more testing upcoming schedules. The upcoming blank Gameweek 35 plays a major part in our thinking, with the likes of Man United, West Ham and Everton all affected.

Man United

Goals have been in short supply for Louis van Gaal’s men of late, scoring more than once in just one of their last five league matches. With both Man City and Tottenham featuring among the four sides allowing the fewest number of shots from inside the box over the last four matches, those matches appear unlikely to yield many goals, while Everton have generally been a strong defensive unit of late, barring the 3-2 defeat to West Ham last time out, when they were reduced to ten men in the first half. The Gameweek 35 blank further lessens the appeal of United’s attackers, while the clash against Leicester that follows offers another tough match-up given the Foxes have kept clean sheets in three of their last four matches. The Gameweek 34 double (AVL, CPL) is hugely favourable, though, with those two teams leading the way for big chances allowed over the last four matches, with 15 and 10 respectively, while they have conceded 11 and nine goals apiece over the same period. The likes of Anthony Martial (7.6) and Jesse Lingard (4.3) in particular could see some investment before those matches then, with their appeal heightened by United’s second double in Gameweek 37 (nor, whm).

The upcoming fixtures are similarly unfavourable from a defensive point of view, with Everton and Tottenham leading the way for big chances created over the last four matches, with 16 and 12 respectively. While Man City have been stuttering in front of goal of late, they still have to be backed to score at home to a struggling United side, while with so much at stake, Leicester have to be fancied to score at Old Trafford in Gameweek 36. The Foxes have only scored exactly one goal in four of their last five matches on the road, though. The double in Gameweek 34 again provides the relief, with Aston Villa bottom for total goal attempts over the last four matches with 33, scoring just two goals in the process. Crystal Palace also offer a reasonably kind match-up, although the FA Cup semi-finalists have netted in each of their last seven matches, and look a far more dangerous outfit since the return to fitness of Yannick Bolasie. David de Gea (5.7), Chris Smalling (6.5) and Marcos Rojo (5.0) could all be popular picks for those using their wildcards before double Gameweek 34, then, but defensive returns appear unlikely in the rest of United’s matches over the next six Gameweeks.

Crystal Palace

The Eagles face three difficult away matches (whm, ars & mun) over the next few Gameweeks, with clean sheets appearing unlikely in all of those fixtures. Arsenal and West Ham in particular will be hard to keep at bay, with the Gunners leading the way for shots from inside the box over the last four matches with 49, while the Hammers have only failed to score once at home so far this season – against Stoke in Gameweek 16. Man United are down the bottom of the standings for shots from inside the box (20) and big chances created (four) over the last four matches, but they have scored three goals in two of their last three matches at Old Trafford. League leaders Leicester also have to be fancied to score at Selhurst Park tomorrow, leaving only the home fixture against Norwich as favourable in the next five. The Canaries have failed to score in their last four matches on their travels, and represent a really good opportunity to pick up a clean sheet. The trip to Newcastle is also fairly kind, while Palace still have a home fixture against Everton that needs to be rearranged. So for those wildcarding in Gameweek 33, Scott Dann (5.8) could still be one to consider given his added goal threat, but Eagles defenders aren’t likely to be in huge demand given the tricky upcoming fixtures.

With Norwich looking an improved defensive unit of late, conceding just four goals in as many matches, and allowing only three big chances in the process, even that match-up doesn’t look too promising for Palace attacking assets. Leicester and West Ham are also pretty solid defensive units, whilst trips to Arsenal and Man United in their double Gameweek 34 hardly boosts their appeal. Yannick Bolasie (6.0) looks the stand-out option, but with so many midfielders looking great options for the double, the DR Congo international appears unlikely to attract much interest, even with the prospect of a pretty favourable match-up against Newcastle in Gameweek 36 and the clash against Everton to be rescheduled further down the line.

Watford

The Hornets have only managed to score four goals in their last nine league matches, and it could be tough to improve on that meagre record with trips to Arsenal and West Ham on the horizon, along with fairly tricky matches against Stoke, Everton and West Brom. No side has allowed fewer big chances over the last four matches than Stoke (two), while West Brom have kept clean sheets in two of their last four matches. With Quique Sanchez Flores’ side just a couple of points away from securing their Premier League status, though, the concern has to be that their FA Cup semi-final will be the main priority over the coming weeks. We may also see rotation during their DGW34 (wba & whm), while they also face blank in Gameweek 35. The home fixture against Aston Villa in Gameweek 36 is hugely favourable, but is general there looks to be little appeal to own either Odion Ighalo (5.9) or Troy Deeney (5.2) over the coming period, with form and fixtures against the pair.

Likewise, clean sheets also look set to be in short supply, with Stoke and West Brom faring pretty well in front of goal of late. The Potters have scored four goals in their last two away matches, while West Brom look a rejuvenated attacking unit since the recall of Saido Berahino, netting seven times in four. Arsenal, Everton and West Ham all look likely to break down the Watford rearguard, so only the match-up against Villa in Gameweek 36 looks favourable in terms of potential defensive returns. Rotation could also be a concern in defence around DGW34 and the Villa fixture, though, so while some may consider a Watford defender on their wildcards given their budget price points, their upside looks pretty limited.

Be Wary Of…

West Ham
The Gameweek 35 blank really hurts the prospects of West Ham players over the coming period, although the fact their double Gameweek 34 (lei/WAT) is followed by a decent trip to West Brom in Gameweek 36 should see Dimitri Payet (8.2) and perhaps Michail Antonio (5.4) feature in many of our 15-man squads. The Arsenal home fixture in Gameweek 33 also doesn’t look too unfavourable, given the current brittleness of the Gunners defence.

Again, the fixtures from Gameweek 33 onwards are kind enough to make us consider bringing in a Hammers defender should you be utilising a wildcard ahead of Gameweek 34. Defensive returns certainly look possible against Watford, while the Leicester and West Brom match-ups aren’t that unfavourable.

Bournemouth
The Cherries have no doubles or blanks to contend with over the next six Gameweeks (tot, MCI, avl, LIV, CHE, eve), but only the Villa fixture in Gameweek 33 looks favourable from both a defensive and attacking standpoint. For those with wildcards to play then, the likes of Charlie Daniels (5.0) and all Bournemouth defenders look likely to be on their way out, with defensive points expected to be in short supply.

The likes of Josh King (4.3) still offer very good value, but the next few weeks are going to all be about loading up on DGW players. So while the home matches, in particular, may still provide a goal or two for Eddie Howe’s men, there appears very little chance that Cherries attackers will remain in our 15-man squads for much longer.

Everton
While Romelu Lukaku (8.8) can still flourish in the next two matches (ARS, mun) given his current rich vein of form, no other Toffees attacker appears likely to thrive in those tough match-ups. The fixture list from Gameweek 33 onwards (wat, SOT/liv, blank, BOU) is very favourable though, while the away match to Crystal Palace that still needs to be rescheduled will provide another double at some point. Ross Barkley (7.1) and Aaron Lennon (5.6) could be popular choices for our five-man midfields after the next two matches, then.

The schedule from Gameweek 33 probably isn’t quite as kind from a defensive perspective, although the bargain price tag of Joel Robles (4.3) could bring the goalkeeper firmly onto our radars. Seamus Coleman (5.8) and Ramiro Funes Mori (5.5) look the pick of the defenders if you don’t fancy gambling on Robles’ security of starts.