Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 26 – The Strong

With the picture for Gameweek 28 having taken shape over the weekend and the Fixture Ticker updated accordingly, we’re ready to unveil those teams who benefit from some promising schedules over the next four-to-six Gameweeks.

Hull City and Swansea City appear well placed to profit, while Burnley’s 1-0 defeat to Lincoln City in the FA Cup has propelled Liverpool players onto the radar, with the Reds now guaranteed to host the Clarets in Gameweek 28.

Hull City

(BUR, lei, SWA, eve, WHM, MID)
Four home matches in the next six, in a run that avoids all of the current top six, means that there is a lot to like about Hull’s upcoming schedule.

In terms of the attacking prospects, the Leicester City and West Ham United clashes stand out, given that they rank second and third for goals conceded over the last four Gameweeks, with nine and eight respectively.

The Burnley, Swansea City and Middlesbrough match-ups also appear favourable, though, considering the Clarets poor away record, and the fact that ‘Boro and Swansea have conceded 11 and eight big chances respectively over their last four encounters.

No obvious target in Marco Silva’s attacking ranks has emerged as yet, but Oumar Niasse and Lazar Markovic are certainly the ones to watch.

At the other end of the pitch, our targets are a little more concrete.

On paper, the Leicester, ‘Boro and Burnley encounters appear the most likely to yield defensive returns, with those three teams having managed zero, two and four goals respectively over their last four Gameweeks.

The Swansea and West Ham match-ups are also reasonable ties, though, leaving only the Everton clash in Gameweek 29 as the single fixture which casts doubts over potential defensive returns.

Given his price tag of just 4.1 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Eldin Jakupovic remains an obvious option, although the goal threat of Harry Maguire and the forward runs and supply from Andrew Robertson makes them intriguing picks.

Swansea City

(che, BUR, hul, bou, MID, TOT)

While their next six fixtures are bookended by tough encounters against Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, the four matches in between appear very favourable for the Welsh side.

From a defensive perspective, the home clashes against Burnley and ‘Boro are strong, given that they’ve mustered just five and eight goals respectively away from home this season.

The trips to Hull and Bournemouth are also far from daunting, so Swansea defenders, and, in particular, Alfie Mawson, who has netted three times in his last six matches, appear worthy of consideration during this part of the season as we bid to navigate the blanks.

From an attacking perspective, the outlook is very similar.

Goals will be expected against Burnley with Sean Dyche’s side managing just one clean sheet in their 11 away matches. Meanwhile, no team has conceded more times than Bournemouth (12) over the last four Gameweeks.

If the Swans can maintain their recent upturn in form, the fixtures against Hull and ‘Boro also offer promise, so it’s difficult not to regard Gylfi Sigurdsson as an almost vital Fantasy asset over the next month or so.

The midfielder has registered three goals and a trio of assists over the last six Gameweeks and, combined with Fernando Llorente’s three consecutive blanks, it’s the Icelander who remains the key target in Paul Clement’s squad.

Liverpool

(lei, ARS, BUR, mci, EVE, BOU)

Jurgen Klopp’s men are another team that face four home fixtures in their next six, crucially playing in Gameweek 28, while the schedule remains very strong from Gameweek 31 onwards.

Looking at the attacking prospects, Liverpool appear to have three hugely enticing match-ups, with Bournemouth and Leicester currently two of the weakest defences in the Premier League, while Burnley’s away struggles make Gameweek 28 a tantalising encounter.

The other three fixtures on the current slate are trickier given the quality of the opposition, although, as their 2-0 win over Spurs in Gameweek 25 demonstrated, Klopp’s side can thrive against the stronger sides.

Burnley’s surprise FA Cup exit has really swung the balance towards Liverpool attackers in particular, with Sadio Mane already drafted in by over 188,000 FPL bosses, while Roberto Firmino could also re-emerge as a strong midfield option.

Given Burnley’s tally of a meagre five goals on their travels, those who currently own a Liverpool defender will be happy to hold for the time being.

Monday’s trip to the King Power Stadium is also very favourable given that the Foxes haven’t scored in their last six, while the Bournemouth fixture could also offer defensive returns.

But with the other three matches (ARS, mci, EVE) providing far sterner tests, it’s debatable whether Reds defence merits investment at this point.

Nathaniel Clyne is the leading contender for our five-man backlines, with Simon Mignolet a cheaper option in goal.

Also Consider

West Ham United
The Hammers are another team to benefit from having a match in Gameweek 28, one of four favourable fixtures in their next six (wat, CHE, bou, LEI, hul, ars).

Slaven Bilic’s men look capable of scoring goals against four sides who sit in the bottom half of the table, so Michail Antonio, Robert Snodgrass, Manuel Lanzini and Andy Carroll, providing he shakes off a nagging groin problem, could all provide solid value over this spell.

That’s compounded by the fact that the Hammers also face Swansea and Sunderland in Gameweeks 32 and 33.

Investment could also be warranted at the back, with Winston Reid’s goal threat from set-pieces, allied to the reasonable possibility of defensive returns in six of the next eight, edging the centre-back onto our radar.

Burnley
As already touched upon, the fact that the Clarets now play in Gameweek 28 means that their players hold slightly more appeal, despite playing four of the next six away from Turf Moor.

Tom Heaton’s 19.1% ownership in FPL will more than likely now be happy to hold, with clashes at Hull, Swansea, Sunderland, and at home to Stoke City, all fairly reasonable.

Interest in Burnley attackers may be harder to justify, though, given that the cheaper options available at Hull, Swansea and West Ham appear more likely to produce over the coming weeks.

But Robbie Brady did serve notice of his potential with a stunning free-kick against Chelsea and looks worth monitoring, while Ashley Barnes has shown improved form and consistent starts as a 4.5 option up front. Indeed, no forward has fired more attempts on goal over the last four Gameweeks than the cut-price frontman.

Watford
Although the Hornets suffer a blank in Gameweek 28, the fact that they face four of the next five (WHM, SOT, cpl, SUN, WBA) at home has attracted our attention.

For those seeking differentials in attack, both Troy Deeney and M’Baye Niang look intriguing options, with Walter Mazzarri’s men facing defences that should offer up opportunities for attacking points.

While the blank is likely to limit any investment at the back, those who still have Jose Holebas in their 15-man squads could get some value from the left-sided defender during the coming weeks.

Holebas has already amassed two goals and four assists this season, offering a decent attacking threat, while Watford may even promise one or two shut-outs over what is a crucial period of their campaign.

Everton
The Toffees’ short-term prospects remain bright, with three very strong home fixtures (SUN, WBA, HUL) in four.

Those that have jumped on Seamus Coleman, Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku should continue to be rewarded, then, with the Belgian expected to overcome a minor calf injury to line up against the Black Cats on Saturday.

Back-to-back away matches against Liverpool and Manchester United in early April provide a downside, though, so we perhaps need to have a plan to ditch one of our Everton assets come Gameweek 30.

Further favourable match-ups at home to Leicester and Burnley do follow in Gameweeks 32 and 33, however.