Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 28 – The Strong

With the much-discussed Gameweek 28 just around the corner, it’s now time to digest which teams look well placed to shine not just weekend, but over the next four-to-six rounds of matches.

Spurs’ fixtures following the blank look hugely promising, while for those looking to transfer in players for Gameweek 28, it’s worth remembering that both Swansea City and West Ham United also have a smooth schedule ahead.

Tottenham Hotspur

((bla), SOT, bur, swa, WAT, BOU)

While Spurs face a blank in Gameweek 28, the fact that they have three strong home fixtures over the coming period, along with two reasonable away trips, means that the outlook looks very bright for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

From an attacking perspective, all five fixtures appear very promising.

Bournemouth have been the leakiest defence in recent months, shipping 21 goals in their last eight matches, while Southampton and Watford have conceded eight goals apiece in four.

Burnley and Swansea City have both let in seven goals in their last four, while the Clarets, along with Bournemouth, feature among the four teams allowing the most shots from inside the box over the last four matches, with 40 and 44 respectively.

Having been in red-hot form in recent weeks, the fixtures suggest that Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen should all remain go-to options over the next month or so, then.

The prospects for the Spurs defence also affords reason for optimism.

Pochettino’s rearguard have already managed nine clean sheets at White Hart Lane and could well add to that tally against Watford and Bournemouth, in particular.

The Burnley and Swansea match-ups on the road are slightly trickier, but given his additional attacking threat, Kyle Walker should continue to shine as one of the leading premium options.

West Ham United

(bou, LEI, hul, ars, SWA, sun)

The Hammers benefit from being one of only eight teams playing in Gameweek 28, when they travel to Bournemouth, one of five fixtures against sides currently sitting in the bottom seven.

West Ham have failed to keep a clean sheet in six but the matches against Hull and Sunderland, in particular, appear promising.

Both teams have scored just four goals in as many matches, while the Black Cats have created only two big chances over that period.

The Bournemouth match-up also looks reasonable given that the Cherries have registered fewer shots inside the box (17) than any other side over their previous four.

The Leicester City and Swansea City clashes could also supply defensive returns, though the knock received by Winston Reid on Monday night could yet be a concern – as mentioned in Monday’s Treatment Table, Slaven Bilic is hopeful that this was merely cramp.

It’s at the other end of the pitch where investment in Hammers assets is more likely, though.

As already stated, fixtures against Swansea and Bournemouth should provide plenty of opportunities for Bilic’s side, while Sunderland and Hull lead the way for shots conceded inside the box over the last four matches, with 49 and 45 respectively.

Leicester have also shipped seven goals in their last four, while a trip to the Emirates does not appear as daunting in light of Arsenal’s current form and confidence.

Picking the right West Ham attacker to invest in may be an issue, though, with Michail Antonio, Robert Snodgrass, Manuel Lanzini and Andy Carroll all viable options at this time.

Swansea City

(hul, bou, MID, TOT, whm, wat)

The presence of a Gameweek 28 fixture boosts the prospects of Swansea assets, with the short-term outlook very healthy.

The Welsh side have scored 12 goals in their last six matches, and face promising match-ups away to Hull and Bournemouth.

Middlesbrough will offer sterner resistance, although their poor performance away to Stoke last weekend offers hope that the Swans could get some joy against Aitor Karanka’s men.

Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente look sure-fire options for the next three Gameweeks, then, while further down the line, the West Ham and Watford fixtures also look reasonable if their form can be maintained.

There could also be some merit to investing in a Swansea defender.

The ‘Boro match-up in Gameweek 30 stands out given that they’ve failed to score in six of their last seven on the road, while Paul Clement’s side may be able to muster another shut-out from the four other reasonable clashes.

Alfie Mawson remains towards the top of the Watchlist, having netted three times in his last eight appearances, although with two goals in three, Martin Olsson provides a viable alternative.

Also Consider

Arsenal
Once the Gameweek 28 blank is out of the way, the Gunners look to have four strong fixtures (wba, MCI, WHM, cpl, mid) over the following five Gameweeks.

They look particularly promising from an attacking standpoint, with West Bromwich Albion having conceded five goals in their last three matches, while the West Ham, Crystal Palace and, to a slightly lesser extent ‘Boro clashes, should provide plenty of chances for Arsene Wenger’s men.

That’s providing they can get out from their current slump, though, while doubts surrounding Alexis Sanchez’s future at the club are a concern given his standing as the highest scoring player in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), and the stand-out Arsenal attacking option.

Having conceded exactly three goals in three of the last four on the road, and with a clean sheet not expected against free-scoring City, it’s unlikely that Arsenal’s premium defenders will attract much interest for the month ahead.

Everton
The Toffees play four of their next six (WBA, HUL, LEI, BUR) at Goodison Park, although tough trips to Anfield and Old Trafford may cause mild concern for those that have loaded up on Everton assets.

Certainly, Romelu Lukaku still looks to have an excellent chance to maintain his rich vein of form and he is capable of delivering, even in those two testing away matches.

The prospect of defensive points also look positive across those four home match-ups, so with attacking returns also a strong possibility for Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines, they should remain key components in our squads, at least until the double Gameweeks become a factor.

Leicester City
Back-to-back victories under caretaker manager Craig Shakespeare have reignited our confidence in Leicester assets, along with the fact that they face kind run of fixtures (whm, STO, SUN, eve, cpl) following the Gameweek 28 blank.

It’s the Foxes attack that appear most likely to warrant investment, with only Everton and Palace in Gameweeks 32 and 33 likely to present a reasonable level of resilience.

Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez could be back on our radars as short-term differentials, then.

At the back, the two home fixtures provide the best opportunity for defensive returns, but despite the fact that he’s registered a goal and an assist over the last two Gameweeks, Christian Fuchs may still struggle to attract the interest of FPL bosses with his 5.2 price tag.

Watford
Walter Mazzarri’s side are another who face four pretty favourable match-ups (cpl, SUN, WBA, SWA) after this weekend’s blank.

The Hornets have scored six goals in their last three home matches and could maintain that goal scoring form against their next three opponents at Vicarage Road.

Having found the net in five of the last six Gameweeks, the in-form Troy Deeney could be worth a look as a differential after the international break, then.

The three home fixtures could yet yield some defensive points, but only the Sunderland clash can really be classified as “favourable”.