Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 29 – The Strong

With double Gameweek 27 and the Gameweek 28 blanks now behind us, the path ahead now looks a lot more straightforward.

Although four Gameweek 34 fixtures have been postponed due to the FA Cup semi-finals that same weekend, there is a strong chance that those teams currently with blanks will have their fixtures re-appear in midweek to remain in the same round of fixtures.

With that in mind, the outlook remains very positive for north London sides Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal over the next four-to-six Gameweeks, while Watford assets could also provide unexpected value.

Tottenham Hotspur

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

Spurs enjoy three compelling home fixtures over the next five Gameweeks, while avoiding all of the current top nine over that period.

Their Gameweek 34 fixture, away to Leicester City, has been postponed due to progress in the FA Cup, but, as mentioned, it’s likely that fixture will be rescheduled and remain in the same Gameweek.

The Spurs attack has been in red-hot form at White Hart Lane of late, scoring 12 goals in their last four home matches.

While they may be without the injured Harry Kane for the majority of the upcoming fixtures, the fact that no team has conceded more goals than Southampton (eight) over the last four matches suggests that they could still enjoy some success on Sunday.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, have conceded 31 goals in their 14 away matches, and Watford shipped four goals against Southampton last time out.

The clashes against Swansea City and, to a slightly lesser extent, Burnley, should also offer up attacking opportunities, so Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli, along with likely stand-in striker Son Heung-min, should all enjoy returns.

Spurs have kept more clean sheets at home (nine) than any other side this season, and the Watford and Bournemouth fixtures in particular, look promising in that regard.

The Hornets have failed to score at top six sides Manchester City and Manchester United this season, while Bournemouth rank in the bottom six for both total goal attempts and shots inside the box over the last four matches.

Stopping the in-form Manolo Gabbiadini this weekend may present a tougher challenge, but shut-outs may also be possible in the away matches at Burnley and Swansea.

Given that he’s also proved reliable for both attacking returns and bonus points, Kyle Walker should certainly be a target over this spell, with Ben Davies providing a value option until the return of Danny Rose from injury.

Arsenal

(wba, MCI, WHM, cpl, mid, (bla))

Four of Arsenal’s next five fixtures appear strong, while we can also presume that the home fixture against Sunderland, which will be rescheduled due to the Gunners’ progress in the FA Cup, will also re-appear in midweek and remain in Gameweek 34.

The Arsenal defence has been pretty erratic of late, but the matches against Middlesbrough, and perhaps West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United, could see them pick up defensive returns.

A new managerial appointment makes Boro something of an unknown quantity, although their struggle for goals is so stark, we can still assume that Arsenal look well placed for a shut-out in their encounter.

Meanwhile, West Brom have also blanked in their previous two encounters and West Ham have created just four big chances in as many matches.

The Palace match-up also looks reasonable, given that the Eagles have failed to score in two of their last three at Selhurst Park.

Hector Bellerin could come back onto our radars, then, although that 6.5 price tag still looks lofty given that he’s only registered three assists this season.

From an attacking perspective, the prospects appear even stronger.

West Brom have struggled at the back in their last two matches, shipping five goals, while West Ham have conceded eight times in their last four, and have allowed 10 big chances over the same period.

While Boro are a difficult team to break down, the ease at which Manchester City coasted to a 2-0 win in the FA Cup last weekend offers hope the likes of Alexis Sanchez could run riot at the Riverside Stadium.

Sanchez, providing doubts surrounding his future at the Emirates are put to one side, could also shine against newly resilient Palace and top six rivals City, given their past vulnerabilities at the back.

Watford

(cpl, SUN, WBA, tot, SWA, hul)

The Hornets have three very favourable home matches over the coming period, while the trips to Crystal Palace and Hull City could provide a platform for points.

It’s Watford’s attack where investment appears most likely, bearing in mind that Sunderland and West Brom have conceded eight goals over the last four matches, while Swansea have leaked nine in four on the road.

Hull, meanwhile, rank joint-second for the most big chances conceded over the same period with 11, while, although Palace have kept back-to-back clean sheets, they shipped four goals at home to Sunderland only last month.

The in-form Troy Deeney certainly looks worthy of consideration for our three-man forward lines over the next month or so, then.

Walter Mazzarri’s men have only managed one clean sheet in their last 17 matches, but they may be able to improve upon that record over the next few weeks.

Palace have only scored three times in their last four matches, while Sunderland, West Brom and Hull are generally finding goals hard to come by.

The Swansea fixture is also fairly favourable, so Jose Holebas will edge back into our thoughts, providing he can stall the incessant stream of yellow cards.

Swansea City

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

The Welsh side face just one match against a team from the top eight over the next six Gameweeks (bou, MID, TOT, whm, wat, STO).

As already mentioned, showdowns with Bournemouth, West Ham and Watford are currently among the most favourable you could wish for from an attacking perspective, so Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente, providing he can recover from a dead leg, should remain strong options.

The Swans have only managed one clean sheet in nine matches since the appointment of Paul Clement, but a home fixture against Boro may well deliver a second.

Their other fixtures – bar the Spurs clash – could also yield further defensive returns, so, along with the added set-piece threat that has harvested four goals in his last nine appearances, Alfie Mawson’s stock remains in the ascent.

Also Consider

West Ham United
Slaven Bilic’s side square up to four of the current bottom six (LEI, hul, SWA, sun) over the upcoming period, although they do also face a trip to Arsenal and home clash with in-form Everton.

It’s the West Ham attack that should be our focus, with all four of those opponents finding clean sheets difficult to come by.

Michail Antonio and Andy Carroll could prove to be solid low-to-mid-price options for the next month or so, then.

The Hammers are without a clean sheet in their last seven, making investment unlikely, although they may be able to muster some defensive points from those four favourable match-ups, with Winston Reid the most likely target.

Leicester City
The in-form Foxes have a pretty kind upcoming schedule (whm, STO, SUN, eve, cpl), which should bring their main Fantasy assets back into focus.

Leicester have scored eight goals in three matches across all competitions since Craig Shakespeare took charge, and with the next five fairly favourable, the likes of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez could re-emerge as differentials.

Confidence in the Foxes defence may still be lacking, but the Stoke City and Sunderland home fixtures, along with the trip to Palace, all appear promising.

With a goal and an assist in his last two outings, Christian Fuchs is another who has to be considered as a differential for those willing to part with 5.2 for their backlines.

Sunderland
The Black Cats have a plum home clash against Burnley this weekend, while three of their following four fixtures (wat, lei, MUN, WHM) also show promise.

Jermain Defoe will certainly be targeting a return to his prolific best over this period, with only the Manchester United providing any real obstacle.

It’s unlikely that FPL managers will be turning to the Stadium of Light for defensive reinforcements, but David Moyes’ men may yet be able to muster a clean sheet across the next five Gameweeks.

Certainly, Jordan Pickford returns as a key option over this spell, with save points always providing a likely fall-back.