Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 14 – The Strong

With December now upon us and the festive period looming large, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea’s premium assets dominate our shopping lists.

Some cheaper options from Swansea City could also prove handy stocking fillers, though, as we assess those sides with the strongest fixtures over the next four-to-six Gameweeks.

Tottenham Hotspur

(SWA, mun, HUL, BUR, sot, wat)

Spurs face an extremely favourable schedule in the short-term, with home clashes against Swansea City, Hull City and Burnley in the next four Gameweeks.

The Swans have conceded 11 goals over the last four, while Hull City have allowed 15 goals in their previous quartet of away matches.

Burnley, meanwhile, have conceded the second highest number of shots (48) from inside the box over the last four Gameweeks, and have also been extremely porous on their travels this season.

The trip to Watford in Gameweek 19 may also be reasonably favourable given that the Hornets have only managed to keep one clean sheet at home this season, so it’s difficult to look beyond Harry Kane as one of the leading forward options for the upcoming period.

With the search for a Philippe Coutinho replacement escalating, both Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli – owned by around 5% – have the chance to flourish as differentials.

In terms of the prospects for the Spurs defence, the fixtures against Hull and Burnley stand out as prime opportunities for clean sheets.

Both clubs feature in the bottom five for both shots inside the box and big chances created over the last four Gameweeks, while Watford have also struggled as an attacking force of late, managing just four goals in their last four matches.

The Manchester United and Southampton fixtures appear least likely for clean sheets, though Swansea have only failed to score in one of their last eight matches.

Danny Rose and Kyle Walker both look good options at the back, then, with the pair also likely to pick up some attacking points over the next six Gameweeks. Toby Alderweireld’s threat in and around the box could also be worth considering if he recovers from injury in time for this weekend – he has now returned to full training.

Chelsea

(mci, WBA, sun, cpl, BOU, STO)

Antonio Conte’s side have thrived in some difficult fixtures of late, and following Saturday’s trip to the Etihad, they appear to offer a pretty soft upcoming schedule.

The Blues do face some teams, such as Crystal Palace, West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland, who have been in reasonable goalscoring form of late. However, given that Chelsea have kept six clean sheets in their last seven, those fixtures appear reasonably kind in terms of accruing further defensive returns.

Bournemouth and Stoke City have been struggling for goals, although both teams are ranked in the top 10 for shots inside the box and big chances created over the last four Gameweeks.

Again, it’s difficult to curb our enthusiasm surrounding the Chelsea defence in those home fixtures, with Marcos Alonso likely to earn points for clean sheets, while also offering the prospect of goals and assists.

The outlook is perhaps even more positive from an attacking standpoint, with the league leaders facing Palace, a side who have shipped 14 goals in their last four matches, while no team has allowed more shots from inside the box than Sunderland (57) over the last four Gameweeks.

Bournemouth have also been pretty weak on the road defensively this season, while even the Manchester City match-up appears pretty favourable, considering the Citizens have conceded in seven of their last eight.

The West Brom fixture is also pretty appealing given that the Baggies have conceded in their last six away matches, so owning one of Eden Hazard and Diego Costa through the upcoming stretch looks a must, while Pedro could offer some value in the mid-price bracket.

With two goals and an assist in six, Victor Moses also stands out as a contender in the sub-6.0 price bracket over the upcoming schedule for those with a Chelsea slot to spare.

Swansea City

(tot, SUN, wba, mid, WHM, BOU)

Once this weekend’s trip to White Hart Lane is out of the way, it’s fair to say the Swans face a hugely appealing run of fixtures, clashing with teams that currently sit outside of the current top eight.

In terms of the attacking prospects, it’s the match-ups with Sunderland, West Ham United and, to a slightly lesser extent, Middlesbrough, that offer the strongest prospects.

Sunderland, as already mentioned, lead the way in terms of goal attempts conceded of late, while West Ham and ‘Boro rank in the top three for big chances allowed over the last four Gameweeks.

Bournemouth and West Brom have conceded seven and six goals respectively during the same period, so there looks to be five consecutive fixtures where the Welsh outfit should be able to find some joy in front of goal.

It’s understandable the in-form Gylfi Sigurdsson is currently the third most transferred in player in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) this week, then. Meanwhile, Leroy Fer – with six goals to his name already – has to be considered as a cheaper midfield alternative.

Judging by their defending against Palace last weekend, clean sheets may still remain a rarity for the Swans. However, with Sunderland, Middlesbrough and West Ham all ranked in the bottom five for total goal attempts over the last four Gameweeks, they do appear to have the opportunity to reverse the current trend.

West Brom and Bournemouth have more impressive attacking statistics over the past month or so, although the Cherries have only scored three goals in their last four, so they are also fixtures which present Bob Bradley’s defence with an opportunity to show progress.

Jordi Amat now appears to be back in favour having started the last two matches, and represents the obvious route into the Swansea defence, given his 4.1 price tag.

Also Consider

Burnley
The Clarets face three very favourable looking home fixtures over the coming period, while it’s only the Gameweek 17 trip to Spurs that looks unfavourable in the next six (sto, BOU, whm, tot, MID, SUN).

As previously mentioned, Bournemouth, ‘Boro and Sunderland hardly boost intimidating underlying numbers, so those three home fixtures look positive in terms of the prospects at either end of the pitch.

Budget options such as Tom Heaton, providing he recovers from a calf injury, and Sam Vokes should provide solid value over the coming weeks, then.

Michael Keane’s threat in the opposition area also cannot be ignored, particularly with those three home fixtures in mind.

Southampton
Like Burnley, it’s only a fixture against Spurs that provides the downside in Saints’ schedule (cpl, MID, sto, bou, TOT, WBA) over the next six Gameweeks.

As already mentioned, a clash against Palace is currently one of the most favourable match-ups from an attacking perspective, while goals look possible in all of the other five fixtures, given that even Spurs have conceded in four of their last five on the road.

Charlie Austin should continue to offer fantastic value, then, while at the back, it’s Cedric Soares who should emerge as a popular option over the next few Gameweeks.

The right-back took home two bonus points in the 1-0 win over Everton last weekend, and with Claude Puel’s side having managed back-to-back shut-outs, their prospects of further defensive returns appear bright.

Liverpool
The outlook continues to look prosperous for the Reds, with their fixtures over the next five Gameweeks (bou, WHM, mid, eve, STO) remaining favourable.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have looked stronger defensively of late, registering consecutive clean sheets and, given the level of opposition they face over the coming period, further returns could flow their way.

Dejan Lovren may offer continued value in the mid-price bracket, then, while Loris Karius is a viable option in goal. Nathaniel Clyne remains the luxury item for those willing to back Klopp’s rearguard with a greater level of investment.

While the absence of the injured Philippe Coutinho could have an adverse effect on the Reds attack, the fixture list still offers hope the likes of Roberto Firmino, providing he shakes off a minor calf problem, and Sadio Mane.

Having started each of the last six, scoring twice, Emre Can – at just 4.8 – could also be worth considering if he appears to cement a midfield starting berth.

The Bournemouth, West Ham and to a slightly lesser extent the Everton match-up appear the most likely to yield goals for the Reds.