Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 17 – The Weak

After we dissected the fixture list to identify the sides who appear ripe for investment over the next four-to-six Gameweeks, our attentions turn to those braced for tougher times over the festive spell.

Both Everton and Stoke City have mixed fixtures to see out 2016, while West Bromwich Albion may struggle to maintain their recent run of form.

Everton

(LIV, lei, hul, SOT, MCI, cpl)

A trio of testing home fixtures cause concern for the Toffees, and with their poor away form also factored in, Ronald Koeman’s men may find it difficult to build on Tuesday’s win over Arsenal.

Liverpool, Southampton and Man City are among the five sides allowing the fewest number of shots inside the box over the last four Gameweeks, while all three teams registered clean sheets in Gameweek 16.

On the other hand, the three away trips see Koeman’s side take on a number of the leakiest defences, with Crystal Palace and Hull City having conceded 10 and eight goals respectively over the last four Gameweeks.

Leicester City have also shipped seven goals in their last four home matches, so while Romelu Lukaku probably doesn’t warrant investment at this point, he may still be able to keep ticking over.

It’s in defence where the outlook is particularly bleak, though, with Liverpool having scored 10 goals in their last four matches, while Man City and Southampton rank third and fourth for shots inside the box over the last four Gameweeks.

Palace have also scored 11 times in their last four matches, while a clean sheet is also unlikely at the King Power Stadium, leaving only the Hull fixture as a reasonably kind match-up in the next six.

Defensive returns may continue to be in short supply, then, so while Seamus Coleman has scored three goals this season, it’s unlikely he’ll attract much investment over the coming weeks.

West Bromwich Albion

(MUN, ars, sot, HUL, tot, SUN)

It’s in the short-term in particular where there are big concerns, with four of the next five seeing them take on sides currently sitting in the top nine.

Defensive returns look set to be hard to come by, given those four teams are among the top six teams for total goal attempts over the last four Gameweeks.

But with Hull and Sunderland visiting the Hawthorns towards the back end of the current slate, those who own the likes of Gareth McAuley and Chris Brunt may well be happy to hold, with both offering the upside of attacking potential.

It’s a similar story when assessing the prospects for the West Brom attack, with United, Spurs and Southampton having all only conceded three goals apiece over the last four Gameweeks.

Arsenal, meanwhile, generally only concede one goal per match, so those four fixtures appear unlikely to provide many goals.

Again, the home match-ups with Hull City and Sunderland do look very hopeful, so the in-form Matt Phillips and Salomon Rondon may well do well in those clashes.

Owners of those two face a tricky decision, then, with patience required through the short-term fixtures.

Stoke City

(LEI, liv, che, WAT, sun, MUN)

The Potters have a mixed fixture list over the next six Gameweeks, with the immediate prospects looking fairly bleak given that Mark Hughes’ side have to travel to Anfield and Stamford Bridge.

Clean sheets appear very unlikely in those two matches, while Leicester City have scored in three of their last four clashes on the road.

The Watford and Sunderland match-ups do provide two strong opportunities for defensive points, but a home encounter with Manchester United in Gameweek 22 again dents the long-term appeal of the Stoke rearguard.

Those currently holding onto a Potters defender may be happy to keep faith, particularly if there are more pressing transfers to be made, but defensive returns look set to be in short supply over the next month. Lee Grant should still tick over with save points, however.

In terms of the Stoke attack, the outlook may be slightly brighter, given that Leicester City have lost at Watford, Sunderland and Bournemouth in their last three away trips.

The clashes against Liverpool, Chelsea and United are unlikely to provide many chances, but that is balanced off somewhat by having to face Watford and Sunderland.

The Potters are finding goals hard to come by, though, managing only five in their last six matches, suggesting that their attacking assets will continue to be ignored.

Also be wary of…

Man City
It’s in the short-term in particular where we’re slightly concerned regarding City assets, with Pep Guardiola’s men facing a home clash against Arsenal and trip to Anfield.

It’s hard to see City keeping a clean sheet in either of those fixtures due to their weaknesses at the back, while matches away to Everton and at home to Tottenham mean defensive points may remain scarce.

With heavy rotation also a major issue, there looks to be no appeal in owning a City defender, then.

Rotation is perhaps even more of a concern at the other end of the pitch, while those four match-ups offer limited potential for goals.

City do also face clashes against Hull City and Burnley over the coming period, but, with Kevin De Bruyne struggling for goals and Sergio Aguero still suspended, there’s no real avenue to explore right now.

Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs faced a mixed upcoming schedule, with three strong fixtures (BUR, wat, WBA) countered by a trio of testing match-ups (sot, CHE, mci).

Southampton have kept four clean sheets in the last five, while Chelsea have only conceded two goals in their last 10 matches.

But the other fixtures are generally pretty favourable from an attacking standpoint, so there isn’t a strong case to avoid investment in the in-form Christian Eriksen, or to keep faith in Harry Kane.

With Spurs defenders offering a strong attacking threat, there’s perhaps less reason to be concerned regarding their prospects.

The Chelsea, City and to a lesser extent Southampton, encounters may see them concede, but with defensive returns appearing possible in the other three matches, Fantasy bosses will more than likely be happy to keep faith.

Bournemouth
It’s the defensive prospects for Eddie Howe’s men in the short-term that we’re most worried about.

Chelsea and Arsenal both have to be backed to crack the Cherries’ rearguard, while Swansea City have scored eight goals in their last two home fixtures.

The other three matches (SOT, hut, WAT) are fairly favourable for those investing in the likes of Nathan Ake and Charlie Daniels this week.

With Swansea so porous at the back, the outlook perhaps isn’t so gloomy for the Bournemouth attack.

But Saints and Chelsea are among the strongest defences at the moment, so it’s difficult to see Cherries attackers enjoying much success over the next two Gameweeks.

Crystal Palace
The Eagles face a home clash against Chelsea and trip to the Emirates in the next three, while they also face West Ham and Everton in the next six.

Alan Pardew’s side have also only managed one clean sheet this season, so Palace defenders should remain off our radars.

With only a home clash against Swansea in the next six looking really favourable, there may be limited opportunities for Christian Benteke or Wilfried Zaha to plunder the points and boost their stock further.

But the Eagles have scored 11 goals in their last four, so we should not overlook the prospect of Pardew’s men overcoming the schedule to keep their goal tally ticking over.