Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 14 – The Weak

After running through the teams that face the most favourable upcoming schedules yesterday, our focus now turns to those braced for tougher times over the next four-to-six Gameweeks.

Despite the talent on offer, Manchester City assets could be set to struggle as they square up to a number of title rivals, while Stoke City and Everton may also look set to face a sticky festive period.

Man City

(CHE, lei, WAT, ARS, hul, liv)

Pep Guardiola’s side take on the other three teams that currently sit inside the top four over the next six Gameweeks.

Those three clubs feature among the five sides allowing the fewest number of shots from inside the box over the last four Gameweeks, while Chelsea and Liverpool have only conceded one and three goals respectively during that spell.

The difficulty of those three matches is reduced somewhat by the fact that the other three fixtures on the City slate are fairly favourable, considering that Watford and Leicester City have shipped eight and seven goals respectively over the previous four.

The Gameweek 19 trip to Hull City is also very favourable but Guardiola’s penchant for rotation may limit our scope to consider only Sergio Aguero, after Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva warmed the bench away to Burnley last time out.

City have only managed two clean sheets so far this season, and with Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal leading the way for goals scored over the last four Gameweeks, it’s difficult to see them recording shut-outs in any of those matches.

The appeal of owning a City defender through this stretch appears limited, then. John Stones has also been left out in the last two matches and, with rotation as much of a concern at the back, it looks wise to ignore members of the City backline.

Stoke City

(BUR, ars, SOT, LEI, liv, che)

Once Saturday’s home fixture against Burnley is out of the way, the road ahead for the Potters appears particularly treacherous, with trips to top four sides Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea all on the agenda.

That means Stoke will come up against three of the strongest defences, while Southampton also provide another tough opponent having kept back-to-back clean sheets in their last two Gameweeks.

The Burnley and Leicester fixtures are favourable, though, so those that have clung to Joe Allen following his ban may be happy to hold until at least Gameweek 15.

But in general, there doesn’t look to be any real appeal in owning a Stoke attacker over the coming spell.

It’s a similar story when assessing the prospects of the Potters backline, with defensive returns appearing unlikely once this weekend’s Burnley tie is decided.

Lee Grant owners may want to look elsewhere then, particularly with Jack Butland closing in on a first-team return, while there looks to be little upside in owning a Stoke defender from Gameweek 15 onwards.

Everton

(MUN, wat, ARS, LIV, lei, hul)

It’s in the short-term, in particular, where the schedule looks testing for the faltering Toffees.

Opportunities could be at a premium against Man United and Liverpool, with both allowing just three and two big chances respectively over the last four Gameweeks.

Arsenal have also conceded just four goals in as many matches, although things may be easier on the road, given that Watford, Leicester and Hull have all shown vulnerability at the back.

With form and fixtures conspiring against him, Romelu Lukaku has already been transferred out more Fantasy Premier League (FPL) owners than any forward this week, seeing his price drop to 9.6. In midfield, there also looks to be a vast array of stronger mid-price options than Yannick Bolasie.

The prospects may be even gloomier at the other end of the pitch.

Free-scoring Liverpool and Arsenal have to be fancied to breach the Everton rearguard, while United rank third for shots inside the box (47) over the last four Gameweeks, suggesting they’ll be able to create plenty of chances at Goodison Park on Sunday.

The Watford and Hull clashes could offer a clean sheet, but with Everton’s starters in defence costing upwards of 5.0 in FPL, they look extremely unlikely to live up to their price tags over the next month or so.

Also be wary of…

West Bromwich Albion
Once home fixtures against Watford and Swansea City over the next three Gameweeks are out the way, three testing match-ups (MUN, ars, sot) places doubt as to whether we should retain our West Brom assets.

Points at both ends of the pitch could be hard to come by in those three fixtures, while Tony Pulis’ side also have to travel to league leaders Chelsea in Gameweek 15.

Baggies defenders may be consigned to our benches in those tougher matches, then, with sales unlikely given that Albion host Hull City in a plum home fixture in Gameweek 20.

Once the encounters against Watford and Swansea have passed, those owning a Baggies attacker could be tempted to make alternative plans, with Salomon Rondon and Matt Phillips perhaps expendable given the importance of our front eight positions.

Crystal Palace
Faltering Palace face three unfavourable match-ups (MUN, CHE, ars) in the next six, while Saturday’s home clash against Southampton could also prove to be tricky.

All four of those teams can be strong defensively, so while the fixtures against at Hull and Watford are reasonably kind, there are surely better mid-price options than Christian Benteke for our three-man forward lines.

The in-form Wilfried Zaha is offering good value at 5.4 in FPL, but he may struggle to maintain his consistency up against some tough defences.

Alan Pardew’s side have yet to keep a clean sheet this season, so it’s been no surprise that Eagles defenders have barely featured on the radars of Fantasy managers.

That looks unlikely to change in the near future, with shut-outs continuing to look unlikely through the next six Gameweeks.

Watford
The Hornets face a trip to the Etihad in Gameweek 16, while the home clash against Spurs in Gameweek 19 will also offer a stern test for Walter Mazzarri’s side.

The other four matches on the current slate (wba, EVE, sun, CPL) are pretty mixed, with Saturday’s trip to The Hawthorns also looking tough fixture from an attacking perspective.

Troy Deeney’s remaining owners will surely be considering options, then, although Etienne Capoue could prove useful if required from the bench.

The clashes against Everton, Sunderland and Palace may be enough for those who own a Hornets defender to consider holding for the time being, but in general, clean sheets look decidedly uncertain over the Christmas period.