Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 10 – The Strong

Liverpool and Stoke City catch they eye as we assess the upcoming schedules over the next four-to-six Gameweeks.

The temptation to triple up on the Reds certainly looks strong at this stage of the season, while the Potteries offer obvious value following back-to-back victories and clean sheets.

Liverpool

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

The Reds avoid all of the current top seven over the next six Gameweeks and, given their current form, there should be plenty of opportunities to plunder Fantasy points at both ends of the pitch.

From an attacking perspective, it’s the Sunderland fixture in Gameweek 13 that stands out, with the Black Cats ranked third for the most shots against from inside the box over the last four, while they’ve also conceded seven times over the same period.

Crystal Palace are another side who’ve shipped seven goals in their last four matches, while West Ham are fifth for big chances (eight) conceded.

Those match-ups appear pretty favourable, then, and even the trickier trips to Southampton and Bournemouth could yield a goal or two for Jurgen Klopp’s men.

Defensively, it’s the clashes against West Ham, Sunderland and Watford that potentially look the most profitable, with all three teams having scored just three goals over the last four Gameweeks.

Watford and Sunderland are also joint-second for the fewest shots from inside the box over that time frame, so clean sheets look a distinct possibility.

Bournemouth, Southampton and to a lesser extent Palace offer more difficult match-ups. However, the Reds may still muster a shut-out in one of those away encounters.

Philippe Coutinho, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino will all have their backers over the coming period, then, while at the back, Loris Karius and Dejan Lovren appear to offer the best value, with Nathaniel Clyne the strongest pick should your budget allow.

Stoke City

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

Mark Hughes’ side enter the upcoming period in confident mood following successive victories, and look to have five kind fixtures to help maintain that form.

The Potters have kept back-to-back clean sheets, and the home clashes against Swansea City and Burnley, in particular, appear very favourable. The Swans have only scored four goals in as many matches, while Burnley have netted just once in their three away fixtures.

As already touched upon, West Ham and Watford have struggled for goals of late, while Bournemouth have failed to score in two of their four away trips.

Erik Pieters and Geoff Cameron should continue to offer excellent value as budget options, then, although with Jack Butland edging nearer to a first-team return, it may not be worth investing in Lee Grant at this point. Ryan Shawcross’ double-figure haul against Hull and goal threat from set-pieces could yet prove the best route, given he’s dropped to 4.9.

At the other end of the pitch, the prospects look very bright.

Swansea have conceded the joint-most number of big chances over the last four Gameweeks with 11, while Burnley have shipped three goals in each of their three away matches thus far.

West Ham, Watford and Bournemouth generally feature around the mid section in most of the defensive statistics, so while goals may be harder to come by in these fixtures, the Potters may still profit.

Joe Allen’s value makes him perhaps the favoured choice from the Stoke attack, but Xherdan Shaqiri and Marko Arnautovic could also deliver over the next five Gameweeks.

Also Consider

Leicester City
While the Foxes next six matches (tot, WBA, wat, MID, sun, MCI) are bookended by difficult clashes, the fixtures in between look favourable.

Sunderland and West Brom feature in the top five for shots conceded inside the box over the last four Gameweeks, while the likes of Islam Slimani, Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy should also be able to provide attacking points in slightly tougher matches against Watford and Sunderland.

But with Claudio Ranieri rotating his many forward options, Leicester attackers may still struggle to attract significant investment.

Watford, West Brom and Middlesbrough have created two, three and four big chances respectively over their last four matches, so those clashes offer a good opportunity for the Foxes to register some defensive returns.

Sunderland, meanwhile, have failed to score in three of their last five, so despite the Tottenham Hotspur and Man City matches, it could still be worth considering the likes of Wes Morgan, or the slightly more expensive Christian Fuchs, for our five-man backlines.

Southampton
Saints face four of their next six (CHE, hul, LIV, EVE, cpl, MID) on home turf, and although they face three of the current top six at St Mary’s, their leading Fantasy assets should still perhaps remain in our thinking.

Everton have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five matches, while Liverpool have only registered one shut-out this season.

With a trip to Hull, who have shipped 19 goals in their last five matches, also on the agenda, the likes of Charlie Austin, Dusan Tadic and Nathan Redmond could all be handy differentials. With club-record signing Sofiane Boufal finally in the mix, though, some may stave off investing until we see how the new boy settles into the first XI.

The fixtures perhaps aren’t quite so appealing from a defensive point of view, with both Chelsea and Liverpool in good goalscoring form.

But Everton have only netted three in their last four, while Hull and Middlesbrough have managed two goals apiece in the same period.

Southampton defenders could be decent options, then, although they may still struggle to provide enough value over the coming spell.

Hull City
The Tigers fixtures over the next six Gameweeks (wat, SOT, sun, WBA, mid, CPL) are very enticing, but their lack of form will deter most from considering Hull assets.

The match-ups against Sunderland, West Brom and Palace are probably the most favourable from an attacking outlook, but as a block of fixtures, Mike Phelan’s side should really fancy their chances of getting on the scoresheet in each one.

There’s a lack of any real viable targets, though, given that Robert Snodgrass is currently an injury doubt with an ankle issue.

Defensively, it’s only the Southampton clash that looks particularly tricky, so in theory, Hull defenders should be in the mix for points in the majority of those ties.

But recent results mean confidence in their defensive assets is pretty low, so it’s unlikely many will turn to the fit-again Michael Dawson until we see some evidence of improvement at the back.

Watford
Walter Mazzarri’s side face two favourable home fixtures (HUL, STO), along with a decent trip to West Brom in the next five, so those holding Watford assets will be more than happy to stick for the time being.

Troy Deeney should certainly be able to get amongst the goals, particularly against struggling Hull on Saturday, while even in the more difficult matches (liv, LEI, EVE), the Hornets skipper is likely to keep providing solid value.

Hull rank bottom for shots in the box and big chances created (zero) over the last four Gameweeks, so that really looks a plum fixture from a defensive standpoint.

Given that Stoke have hit their straps in recent weeks, that no longer appears such a kind match-up, so defensive points could be harder to come by in the other fixtures.

But Jose Holebas’ ability to plunder points at either end of the pitch should mean he continues to offer great value.

Man City
Although City only face two of their next six (wba, MID, cpl, bur, CHE, lei) at home, the short-term prospects at least appear pretty bright.

West Brom have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last six, while Burnley and Palace have best conceded seven big chances each over the last four Gameweeks.

A home clash against ‘Boro also has to be seen as favourable despite their strong performance at the Emirates on Saturday, so City attackers should be able to prosper over the next four Gameweeks.

Picking the right player may prove problematic, though, and with Sergio Aguero struggling for form after dropping to the bench in two of the last three, the likes of perhaps meaning Kevin De Bruyne – if he recovers from a calf complaint – or even Raheem Sterling could come into consideration.

The City backline has proven to be fallible all too often this season, so while the next four matches should on paper see them rack up a clean sheet or two, it’s hard to have much faith in them at the moment.

But John Stones’ 26.1% ownership in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) may as well hold given the strength of the fixtures, in the hope that Pep Guardiola can turn things around. That is, of course, if he retains his starting role in light of last week’s costly error against Southampton.