Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 9 – The Weak

With eight Gameweeks in the books, all clubs now face an equal split of home and away matches over the next six rounds of fixtures, meaning our assessment of difficult depends on the quality of opponents alone.

During this spell, it’s interesting that only one side – Huddersfield Town – stand out as facing a gruelling schedule.

Others, such as Tottenham Hotspur and West Bromwich Albion, are handed a mix of tests and more favourable match-ups.

But extending beyond the next six Gameweeks, a clearer pattern of teams to either avoid or reconsider becomes more obvious.

Here’s our regular summary of the teams with those weaker schedules, following our assessment of those with favourable fixtures earlier today.

Tottenham Hotspur

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The Prospects – Goals
Given that only three of Spurs’ 15 goals have come at Wembley, their stiffening road schedule is an obvious concern.

Manchester United are yet to concede at Old Trafford, while Arsenal have kept three consecutive home clean sheets.

The trip to Leicester City is more promising, though – the Foxes have shipped five goals in home defeats to Chelsea and Liverpool.

The fact that Mauricio Pochettino’s side host the Reds this weekend emphasises our short-term view that the next four Gameweeks are arguably their toughest of the campaign.

But from an attacking perspective, Liverpool have been vulnerable on their travels, sitting joint-first for the most goals conceded with 11.

Crystal Palace have also allowed 11 goals away from home, but could be revived by the recent victory over Chelsea. Equally, West Bromwich Albion have the capacity to make life difficult at Wembley, in much the same way as Burnley, Swansea City and Bournemouth did.

The Prospects – Clean Sheets
Spurs are yet to concede on their travels, but those difficult away trips suggest that run is about to come to an end.

Man United trail only Manchester City (18) for home goals scored with 14, while Arsenal sit third on that list, netting 11 times at the Emirates.

Leicester City have scored in each of their matches at the King Power Stadium, so away clean sheets could be in short supply during this stretch.

At home, a shut-out also appear unlikely on Sunday – Liverpool rank second for penalty area shots in away matches with 38.

But Palace are yet to score on the road, while West Brom sit among the bottom three teams for both total shots and penalty area shots in away matches, meaning there is some hope for defensive returns during this spell.

The Turning Point
If we take their run from Gameweek 13 onwards in isolation, there’s little doubt Spurs will be back among the “strong” candidates. They enjoy an extended kind schedule all the way up to Gameweek 24.

Verdict
Essentially, there is reason to be wary for now, but we should prepare for investment in the weeks to come.

Owning just one Spurs attacker should suffice over the short-term, but having missed two matches due to illness, and given the return to fitness of Danny Rose, Ben Davies no longer appears to be locked in.

Huddersfield Town

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The Prospects – Goals
The Terriers have failed to register in five of their last six, and face the toughest six-Gameweek run of any side.

Man United arrive at the John Smith’s Stadium having produced clean sheets in seven of their eight encounters, while Liverpool have only conceded one goal at Anfield.

West Brom have allowed a mere three big chances across their four home matches, leaving only the Bournemouth clash which offers any real hope for goals – the Cherries have conceded in three of their four home encounters.

Things then get tougher again – Man City have only shipped one goal away from home, while Arsenal present another difficult challenge in Gameweek 14.

The Prospects – Clean Sheets
David Wagner’s men have conceded six times in their last two matches, double the amount they allowed over the opening six Gameweeks.

That doesn’t bode well with a home meeting against Man United on the horizon – they rank joint-second for big chances from away matches with 11.

Liverpool have registered more shots (95) than any other side in home matches, while although a limited attacking outfit, West Brom have netted on three of their four road trips.

Bournemouth have only scored three times of home, again making it the most favourable match-up of the next six, although a shut-out may still be beyond the Terriers should their confidence levels continue to deteriorate.

The final two fixtures, at home to Man City, and away to Arsenal, offer very little hope of defensive points.

The Turning Point
The Terriers’ run remains tough all the way through to Gameweek 17, before a promising seven-match stretch over the festive period and into the New Year should see budget Huddersfield options return to prominence.

Verdict
This is certainly not a time to invest or retain their defensive assets, then, as things could turn very gloomy for the Premier League new boys over the coming period.

West Bromwich Albion

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The Prospects – Goals
Tony Pulis’ side have only scored seven goals and with a testing spell ahead – particularly over the next five Gameweeks – we’re still unlikely to be considering Baggies attacking assets.

The next two home fixtures certainly provide little room for optimism – Man City have been very solid on the road, while Chelsea, who should have the influential N’Golo Kante back fit by the time the two teams meet, have only given up just five big chances on their travels.

Even Newcastle United provide a tricky match-up – they’ve conceded just four goals away from home.

The good news is that the next two away fixtures are reasonable.

Southampton have conceded seven goals in their last four matches at St Mary’s, while Huddersfield are beginning to struggle defensively.

But goals are unlikely at Wembley – Spurs have only allowed six shots on target at their temporary home.

The Prospects – Clean Sheets
The Baggies will need to exploit the trips to Southampton and Huddersfield if they are to return any profit from the next five Gameweeks.

Saints have scored just five times in five home matches, while the Terriers have scored twice since the opening weekend.

The home meetings with Man City and Chelsea, along with the trip to face Spurs, are all unlikely to be fruitful for West Brom defenders.

The Turning Point
A small window between Gameweeks 14 and 16 sees things pick up for the Baggies, but the outlook then turns nasty once again, with clashes against Liverpool and Man United to follow.

Verdict
There is little desire to invest in West Brom assets, while those holding any members of the backline could probably find better value elsewhere during the upcoming period.

Also be wary of…

Arsenal
Home ties with Swansea and Huddersfield look crucial in this six-Gameweek window if they are to maintain top six pace and reward any Fantasy investors.

In truth, this is not a spell that screams out to Fantasy managers – the trip to Everton is doubtless winnable, but with Man City, Spurs and a visit to Burnley to follow, there is much to concern an erratic Arsenal side, low on confidence.

No Gunners assets are screaming out as must-haves then, though Fantasy managers who own a member of the defence may be happy to hold, with shut-outs appearing distinctly possible against both the Swans and Huddersfield.

Watford
Marco Silva’s side have the form and confidence to come through a difficult run of opponents – particularly on their travels (che eve new). Nonetheless, we should perhaps show caution at this time given the schedule.

Home fixtures against Stoke City and West Ham United feature in a kind four-match run between Gameweeks 10 and 13, which will need to be exploited.

But with both Man United and Spurs visiting Vicarage Road soon after, there is also plenty of cause for concern.

Richarlison has returned attacking points against both Liverpool and Arsenal, though, and has the ability to remain a prominent mid-price option.

Manchester United
It’s a similar outlook for Man United, who over the next six Gameweeks have the fixtures to balance out a home meeting with Spurs and trip to Chelsea.

The three-match run from Gameweeks 12 to 14 (NEW BHA wat) stands out, promoting investment or re-investment in their options.

But extending to the next eight Gameweeks – bringing in a trip to Arsenal and a home fixture with Man City – it becomes clear that this is a period that will continue to stretch Jose Mourinho’s side and could limit returns in the long-term.

Outside of Romelu Lukaku, Phil Jones and David De Gea – providing Jones recovers from a knock – there seems little incentive in looking at any other Man United assets until Gameweek 12 is with us.