Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 21 – The Weak

After breaking down our updated ratings to assess the teams with the most favourable upcoming schedules on Tuesday, we now take stock of those sides who look to have been dealt a rough hand through the remainder of January and into February.

Rooted to the bottom of the table, the outlook for both Swansea City and Hull City looks pretty bleak based on the forthcoming fixtures, while Liverpool assets may struggle to maintain their impressive early trajectory over their most testing period of the season so far.

Liverpool

(mun, SWA, CHE, hul, TOT, lei)

With the Reds facing four of their title rivals over the next seven Gameweeks, there are understandable concerns surrounding the prospects of Liverpool’s vast crop of Fantasy talent.

It’s at the back in particular where the outlook appears most worrying, given that Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United lead the way for goals scored over the past four Gameweeks, while Chelsea and Arsenal trail just behind.

Defensive returns will likely be in short supply in those matches, so while the Swansea City and Hull City ties may well see Jurgen Klopp’s men earn reward, that may not be enough for their defenders to justify a slot in our 15-man squads.

Simon Mignolet and Dejan Lovren remain solid value at 4.7 and 5.0 respectively in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), though, so they may earn a stay of execution if you have more pressing transfers to address.

The prospects are not quite so gloomy from an attacking perspective, based on how Liverpool have fared in the corresponding fixtures against fellow top six sides.

But the ceiling for players such as Roberto Firmino and the returning Philippe Coutinho will likely be restricted, with double-digit scores more difficult to achieve.

Chelsea, Manchester United and Spurs all feature among the five teams allowing the fewest shots from inside the box, so chances could be at a premium in those matches.

On the flipside, the Reds have the goal power to run riot against both Swansea and Hull, who have conceded more than any other sides this season.

Swansea City

(ARS, liv, SOT, mci, LEI, che)

The Welsh outfit face a particularly evil upcoming schedule, pitching them against four of the current top five.

Unless new head coach Paul Clement can perform short-term miracles with the defence, it’s fair to say the Swans could struggle to keep a single clean sheet in the next six.

The Southampton and Leicester City match-ups aren’t so treacherous but having shipped seven goals in their last two matches at the Liberty Stadium, there are doubts as to whether either of those fixtures can yield a clean sheet.

Swans defenders will remain off our radars, then, while it also seems unlikely that any of their attackers can justify inclusion in our 15-man squads over the next month.

The Welsh outfit will face Liverpool and Manchester City, who have conceded just three goals apiece over the last four Gameweeks, while Arsenal, Chelsea and Leicester City have all managed two clean sheets each in their last four matches.

The Southampton fixture does offer a glimmer of hope with the Saints having shipped 10 goals in their last four, but even the hugely influential Gylfi Sigurdsson could struggle to earn his keep.

Mounting speculation regarding the future of Fernando Llorente is also unsettling – the Spaniard is Swansea’s joint-top goalscorer with six goals so far.

Hull City

(BOU, che, mun, LIV, ars, BUR)

The Tigers face a similar schedule to Swansea, with daunting matches against Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal, along with a trip to Old Trafford.

There are some positives, though, with home clashes against Bournemouth, Burnley and Swansea in the next seven providing the opportunity for Marco Silva’s side to grab a foothold.

Those favourable home fixtures, with Bournemouth and Swansea having conceded 11 and nine goals over the last four Gameweeks respectively, could see Robert Snodgrass’ 9.6% ownership holding tight in hope of squeezing further value out of the Scot.

But Snodgrass will likely struggle to produce attacking returns in his other ties, with United, Liverpool and Chelsea, in particular, showing resilience at the back.

Outside of Snodgrass, it’s fair to say no other member of the Tigers’ squad are likely to edge onto the radar.

While those favourable home fixtures could yield a clean sheet or two, Hull defenders don’t hold much appeal, particularly in light of their current injury crisis.

Michael Dawson (shoulder) and Curtis Davies (hamstring) are doubtful for Saturday’s home encounter with Bournemouth, encouraging us to look elsewhere for backline budget options.

Eldin Jakupovic is one to monitor in goal, though, if you’re shopping for a new budget keeper. Priced at a mere 3.9 in FPL, the Swiss stopper has started back-to-back cup matches since Silva took over and could be set to oust David Marshall between the posts. Certainly, those fixtures should provide plenty of save points, at least.

Also be wary of…

Leicester City
Claudio Ranieri’s men face three very tough home fixtures (CHE, MUN, LIV), while trips to Burnley and, perhaps to a slightly lesser extent Southampton, provide brief respite.

With a trip to south Wales completing the picture, there looks to be few realistic opportunities for defensive returns, with the Southampton and Swansea match-ups the most favourable encounters.

Foxes defenders remain best avoided, then, while with Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani unavailable due to the Africa Cup of Nations, goals could remain in short supply.

Their absence may provide opportunities to the likes of Demarai Gray and Ahmed Musa, but with their places in the starting XI far from secure, investment in either of those assets represents a gamble given the fixtures ahead.

Stoke City
Once Saturday’s trip to the Stadium of Light is out of the way, the prospects for Stoke assets looks dismal for a prolonged spell.

The outlook (MUN, EVE, wba, CPL, tot) gets markedly tougher, with a real chance of attacking returns drying up.

With Joe Allen’s output fading, Stoke are already bereft of convincing options in attack; their schedule seems unlikely to reverse that trend.

Defensive returns also appear unlikely against Spurs, United and Everton, while West Brom are also now packing dangerous attacking threat in home matches.

Lee Grant’s 7.8% ownership will probably be relying on save points to keep them ticking over, then, with the rest of the Potters’ backline unlikely to tempt investment right up until Gameweek 29.

Sunderland
While Spurs are the only top six side the Black Cats face in the next six (STO, wba, TOT, cpl, SOT, eve), the lack of any real favourable match-up raises concerns on the prospects of Sunderland’s assets.

Once the weekend meeting with Stoke City has passed, the Wearsiders slide to the very lower reaches of the season ticker, as ties with Spurs, Manchester and an away trip to Everton loom.

The consistent form of Jermain Defoe means may see him continue to offer excellent value among mid price forwards, but he remains the only real option we can trust from the Black Cats’ attack.

Lamine Kone’s absence at the AFCON rips the heart out of David Moyes’ rearguard, so shut-outs will surely remain scarce over the coming weeks, with Vito Mannone kept busy between the sticks.

The hope will be that, with goals leaked at one end, Defoe and company will need to raise their game even further at the other.