Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 17 – The Strong

We turn our attentions to strength of schedule over the next four to six Gameweeks this evening. As always, the first instalment shines a light on those clubs with the more favourable fixtures, where last year’s top two and a couple of the bottom three could be poised for a prosperous festive period.

Man City

The champions’ preparations for a stunning run of fixtures have been hit hard by injury. With Sergio Aguero ruled out for six weeks and Stevan Jovetic and Edin Dzeko unlikely to recover before the New Year, Manuel Pellegrini has been contemplating a change in tactics to resolve his crisis – David Silva, Samir Nasri and James Milner will all be handed a chance as a false nine in training this week. Certainly, whoever manages to grab that role will be elevated in our thinking and heighten their appeal over the premium-priced Yaya Toure ahead of three home matches (CPL, BUR, SUN) and a trip to West Brom in the next four alone.

At the back, Pellegrini’s outfit have conceded just one goal in the last four, and despite Aleksandar Kolarov’s recent return to fitness, Gael Clichy (5.5) was handed a ninth straight start at left-back. If skipper Vincent Kompany is ruled out through injury once again, Martin Demichelis and Eliaquim Mangala look secure as route into City’s backline, though the latter – like Kompany and Toure – has four yellows to his name. Having been rested last weekend, though, there’s a hope that Pablo Zabaleta will therefore be less likely to be benched over the festive schedule.

Liverpool

Brendan Rodgers’ side may have the fixtures but their form is far from convincing right now. Aside from the upcoming visit of Arsenal, though, the Merseysiders will be optimistic of climbing back up the table – trips to Burnley, Sunderland and Villa, in addition to back-to-back home encounters with Swansea and Leicester, make for a very kind winter schedule.

Liverpool have three clean sheets in their last four at Anfield, and with Simon Mignolet dropped indefinitely, Brad Jones, at 4.9, looks poised to be handed a run of starts, whilst Martin Skrtel has earned seven bonus points over that trio of shut-outs. Further up the field, Raheem Sterling could prosper if he can hold onto the “false nine” role his manager handed him in the first-half against Man United – Rodgers certainly seems unconvinced by Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli, and unless there’s a dramatic turnaround in either forward’s fortunes, it’s difficult to make a case for their consideration.

QPR

After last night’s 3-1 defeat at Everton, Harry Redknapp now has some excellent home matches to steer his side up the table. West Brom, Palace, Swansea and United all pay visit to Loftus Road in the upcoming six, and with a trip to Burnley also on their agenda, investment in the R’s could prove a canny tactic.

QPR have served up two clean sheets in their last four at home – Yun Suk-Young sets you back just 3.9 though Steven Caulker, at 4.7, has a far superior goal threat, if he recovers from the head knock that forced him out of last night’s squad. Further up the field, Leroy Fer has netted in each of the last two in front of his own fans, whilst Charlie Austin – back after serving a one-match suspension – has six goals and two assists in his last seven appearances. At a price of just 6.0, Austin looks a real festive bargain and with a mere 9% ownership could be an ideal differential.

Aston Villa

A five-match winning streak was brought to an end by rivals West Brom last weekend but the Villains have the fixtures to bounce back. Paul Lambert’s side now have four home fixtures (MUN, SUN, CPL, LIV) in the next six to steady their mid-table position, with trips to Swansea and Leicester also thrown in over that period.

Having conceded just four times in six, Villa’s defence looks key here. With Alan Hutton suspended this weekend and doubts surrounding the centre-back positions after Ron Vlaar returned at the weekend, Brad Guzan seems the safest option for now. Up front, Christian Benteke is the one legitimate option – at a price of 7.9, he’s a definite contender in the mid-price bracket and has a goal and assist in his last three.

Also Consider

Spurs
A late, late win at Swansea could hand Mauricio Pochettino’s side a real shot in the arm for the festive period. Spurs have four home encounters (BUR, MUN, CHE, SUN) allied with trips to Leicester and Palace in the next six to maintain momentum and move into the top four. Granted, the United and Chelsea matches are far from straightforward, but beyond that, Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane’s prospects look bright. At the back, Ben Davies has now started each of the last five and at 4.4 could be worth a budget gamble.

Hull
With two goals and a pair of clean sheets in the last eight Gameweeks, the Tigers have done little to suggest they are worthy of our attentions. Steve Bruce is likely to be without Michael Dawson and has ruled out Mo Diame until the New Year, but with three home matches (SWA, LEI, EVE) and trips to Sunderland and West Brom, Hull could dig themselves out of the bottom three. Allan McGregor’s heroics in goal will be key here, whilst Nikica Jelavic will need to rectify a run that has seen him fail to score since Gameweek 7.

Swansea
Despite dominating Tottenham at the Liberty, the Swans succumbed to defeat on Sunday afternoon. Garry Monk’s side will be optimistic of bouncing back, though, as they face up to Hull, Villa, Liverpool, QPR and West Ham in the next five – teams hardly renowned for their defensive resilience. At 3.9, Kyle Bartley remains in the XI as Federico Fernandez battles back to full fitness following a calf complaint, though one clean sheet in six underlines their problems at the back. Gylfi Sigurdsson will be desperate to improve upon a record of a single assist in five, whilst Wilfried Bony’s stock will surely be on the rise in light of those fixtures after netting eight times in his last ten.

Newcastle
Alan Pardew’s side are more of a short-term punt, with three home fixtures in the next four Gameweeks. The Magpies welcome back the likes of Moussa Sissoko and Steven Taylor from suspension ahead of the visits of Sunderland, Everton and Burnley, though a trip to United looks unlikely to reap reward. At 4.0, Jak Alnwick remains an option between the sticks, whilst Daryl Janmaat’s goal and three assists from right-back have justified his 5.2 price tag. Sissoko has bagged a goal and assist in his last three, though up top, Papiss Cisse and Ayoze Perez’ lack of guaranteed pitch time is frustrating, bearing in mind they’ve struck 11 times between them this season.