Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 9 – The Strong

Our latest look at the teams with the most favourable upcoming schedules sees Liverpool top the bill, while Stoke City players should continue to provide excellent value over the next six Gameweeks.

Liverpool

(WBA, cpl, WAT, sot, SUN, bou)

Jurgen Klopp’s men avoid all of the current top seven over the next six Gameweeks, suggesting Reds assets should be at the forefront of our thinking.

Liverpool had been in fine goalscoring form before Monday night’s goalless draw against Manchester United and should be able to get some joy against Sunderland and West Brom, in particular, with both sides in the top five for shots conceded inside the box over the last four Gameweeks.

It’s only the Gameweek 12 trip to Southampton that looks a tricky match-up for the Reds attack, so while only the Sunderland clash appears to be a plum fixture, there should be ample opportunities for Liverpool’s in-form midfielders to earn returns.

After gaining their first clean sheet of the season against United, the possibility for further shut-outs also appears strong over the next few weeks.

Sunderland have only scored three goals in their last four matches, while West Brom have netted just three times in their four away matches so far.

Once again, it’s only the Southampton fixture that looks a testing one for the Reds rearguard, so there’s every chance the likes of Loris Karius and Dejan Lovren can provide solid value over the next six Gameweeks, with Nathaniel Clyne the strongest option should your budget stretch that far.

Stoke City

(hul, SWA, whm, BOU, wat, BUR)

According to our Season Ticker, it’s the Potters who have the most favourable upcoming schedule over the coming period.

Mark Hughes’ side face just one side currently in the top half of the table, while they’ll square up to two teams, Hull City and Swansea City, who are currently propping up the form chart.

From a defensive perspective, it’s perhaps the Hull City and Burnley fixtures that appear the most appealing, with both sides ranked in the bottom four for total goal attempts over the last four Gameweeks, scoring three goals apiece.

Additionally, Bournemouth have failed to score in two of their four away matches, while West Ham have only created three big chances over the last four Gameweeks, so there does look to be a realistic chance of defensive returns in the majority of the Potters’ upcoming fixtures.

With Jack Butland expected to remain sidelined with an ankle injury for at least the next month, the value offered by goalkeeper Lee Grant cannot be ignored, while Erik Pieters appears to provide the bargain option in the back four.

At the other end of the pitch, the forthcoming fixture list looks hugely promising for the prospects of Stoke attackers.

Hull, Swansea, West Ham and Burnley hold the top four spots for goals conceded over the last four Gameweeks, while Bournemouth rank joint-sixth for big chances conceded over the same period with seven.

Watford, meanwhile, have shipped goals in each of their four matches at Vicarage Road this season, so the lure of owning a Potters attacker appears strong at this point.

Joe Allen looks the obvious target given his current form, although Marko Arnautovic and Wilfried Bony may also thrive over the next month or so. It’s worth noting, though, that the Austrian is now just one booking short of a single-match suspension after earning a fourth yellow of the season on Saturday.

Man City

(SOT, wba, MID, cpl, bur, CHE)

With City avoiding all of the current top four in the next six matches, we should see the premium assets on show at the Etihad live up to their lofty price tags.

Burnley rank second for shots conceded inside the box over the last four Gameweeks and third for big chances allowed, so despite their strong defensive record at home, Pep Guardiola’s men may still be able to shine at Turf Moor in Gameweek 13.

It’s pretty surprising that Middlesbrough have only conceded two big chances over the last four Gameweeks, despite letting in seven goals. But that fixture also appears pretty favourable for the Citizens, while West Brom’s defensive record on home turf isn’t particularly strong, making that another decent match-up.

The Southampton and Chelsea clashes could be slightly more difficult for the City attack, but it’s fair to say that Sergio Aguero should remain a popular captain choice through the next six Gameweeks, despite his poor showing last weekend, while Kevin de Bruyne and Raheem Sterling may also have big scores beckoning.

The Middlesbrough and Burnley match-ups look very enticing from a defensive standpoint, with both teams ranked in the bottom four for both shots inside the box and big chances created over the last four Gameweeks.

Clean sheets appear strong possibilities there, then, while the Crystal Palace and, to a lesser extent, West Brom fixtures are also reasonably favourable.

But having only kept one clean sheet so far, and given the Southampton and Chelsea matches will present fairly testing examinations of their defence, Fantasy managers may still be slightly hesitant in investing members of City’s backline.

Rotation is also a concern with Vincent Kompany now back fit, so outside of goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, investing in a defender looks to have limited appeal.

Also Consider

Hull City
The Tigers have endured a tough start to the campaign, but their schedule (STO, wat, SOT, sun, WBA, mid) eases dramatically over the coming period.

In terms of Hull’s attacking potential, all of the next six matches appear to offer hope in terms of being able to pick up goals, although it’s perhaps the matches on the road at Sunderland and Middlesbrough that seem the most favourable.

There don’t appear to be many appealing options in the Hull attack outside of Robert Snodgrass, though.

Defensively, it’s again the Middlesbrough and Sunderland clashes that stand out as the most likely to yield a clean sheet for Mike Phelan’s men.

But with Andrew Robertson now set to be sidelined for between six to eight weeks with a calf injury, and having conceded 17 goals in their last four matches, it’s unlikely many Fantasy Premier League (FPL) bosses will be rushing to bring in a Hull defender.

Leicester City
The Foxes only face one difficult fixture, away to Tottenham Hotspur, in the next six (CPL, tot, WBA, wat, MID, sun), so Leicester City players may come back onto our radars over the coming weeks.

Those five favourable matches should see Claudio Ranieri’s men get amongst the goals, with the Palace, ‘Boro and Sunderland clashes perhaps the key match-ups.

Jamie Vardy, Islam Slimani and Riyad Mahrez could all be able to flourish over the coming period, then, although with so many in-form options for our front eight positions, the trio will struggle to attract investment. Ranieri’s recent rotation policy may also deter most from rolling the dice on their attackers.

The Foxes have kept three clean sheets at home already this season, so it’s members of their backline that may prove to be the shrewdest purchases over the next few weeks.

Those Palace, West Brom and ‘Boro clashes all look promising, and with decent away trips to Watford and Sunderland also on the agenda, Kasper Schmeichel, Wes Morgan and Christian Fuchs may warrant some consideration.

Watford
Walter Mazzarri’s side have four favourable matches (swa, HUL, STO, wba) in the next six, with the Hornets also having to contend with a trip to Liverpool, and a home clash against Leicester.

Given the Foxes porous defensive record on the road, conceding 13 goals in four matches, that match-up is actually a pretty favourable one for the Watford attack. The Hull fixture should also prove fruitful, while with three other decent fixtures, Troy Deeney should remain one of the leading options for our third forward slot.

With Stoke and Swansea improving in front of goal of late, and with Leicester also providing a difficult challenge, the fixtures aren’t quite so appealing from a defensive point of view.

But there may still be a clean sheet or two in there, and with Jose Holebas also providing an attacking threat, he remains one of the leading budget defenders available to us. The Greek international is one yellow card away from a one-match ban, though.