First off, without the usual meander in midweek, I need to come clean on my thoughts on where I see the goals and clean sheets will come in this gameweek…
Luckily the fixtures have fallen nicely and given me some pretty bloody obvious targets. Yes Chelsea and United have tricky away games at Fulham and Wigan respectively, but we get compensation for that by way of strong fixtures for Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool. All three have very decent home games with a good quota of goals looking likely. Those sides also look healthy options for a clean sheet, giving us a definite focus for our spending and my picks this week…
This is reflected by the selection of City’s Given in goal who provides a decent clean sheet opportunity at home to Wolves but can also bring in the save points should McCarthy’s side muster some efforts on the City net. The Arsenal and Liverpool defences are best represented by Alex Song (who is excelling in the holding midfield role) and Glen Johnson (who will be a big attacking threat to Villa at Anfield). Song is a misclassified player in the Fantasy Premier League game but if you’re playing an alternative fantasy game, then Gallas is probably your best bet given his goal threat from set plays.
The final two spots in defence go to Birmingham’s Roger Johnson keeps his place in the picks following his clean sheet at home to Portsmouth in midweek. He too carries a decent goal threat from set-pieces and has another strong chance of a shut-out at home to Stoke. United’s Evra gets the last spot. I do worry about a possible United cleanie a Wigan but then the return of Vidic has swayed me to think that they are more likely to keep Wigan at bay, than Chelsea are to deny Fulham at the Cottage. It was a very close call though.
I’ve also spurned Chelsea in midfield – opting for Gerrard over Lampard. Frank’s role in the midfield diamond is in question and with Deco and Drogba playing their part in set-plays, Frank’s potential output is under scrutiny. Fulham at the Cottage is a tough game too, while Gerrard, in contrast faces a out-of-form Villa side. He scored a hat-trick in the same fixture last season.
I can easily see Arsenal getting at least two to three goals against Portsmouth at the Emirates, so Arshavin gets the nod for the first time in the picks. Another close call this, with Fabregas also a very strong option this week. The Russian is due to get off the mark though and I don’t fancy Pompey’s full-backs too much which gave him the slight edge on his skipper.
Man City are another side that look good for goals against Wolves, so I’ve opted to cover this in midfield by selecting Shaun Wright-Phillips. He’s been inconsistent since his return to City but he looked lively in the opener at Blackburn and of all the attacking riches available to Hughes, he looks the most secure in his starting role.
The final midfield selection is a gamble of sorts – I’ve gone for Sunderland’s Kieran Richardson. A player who sparkled in pre-season but has yet to set fire in his first two games. Darren Bent has got all the attention from fantasy managers but I can see the encounter with Blackburn at the Stadium of Light being a tight one. A Richardson penalty or free-kick could decide matters. I’d also expect FPL bonus with a Sunderland win.
Up front it was a difficult choice. Bent and Defoe both have form and speeding bandwagons so they are a major temptation, whilst Adeabayor also looks a very strong pick. A slight groin problem and a likely full debut for Tevez casts doubt on the wisdom of his selection. Instead I’ve opted to play safe with Torres at home to Villa and go with a gut feeling and go for Bendtner of Arsenal.
Torres is up against a Villa defence that’s suffering a shortage of personnel. Curtis Davies is carrying a shoulder injury and he’ll be up against possibly the best striker in the Premier League this weekened. I backed Villa to make it difficult for Liverpool in this fixture last season and got it wrong. This time around I’m backing two or three Liverpool goals and profits for Torres and Gerrard. I’ll probably get it wrong. Again.
As for Bendtner, well he’s sniffing around a new contract at Arsenal which should provide motivation. He looks likely to start with Walcott out for a number of weeks and he represents decent value to balance my selection of Torres alongside him. Van Persie is your other option of course but I see Eduardo having some impact on his pitch time this weekend.
Looking at my alternatives – at the back I fancy Sunderland to offer the best chance of a budget clean sheet, although the Hull vs Bolton encounter also looks a flat one. Any defender from those three sides looks good value then, although I’d opt for Collins from the Black Cats.
Moving into the midfield and you can consider the likes of Benayoun or Kuyt if Gerrard is too rich for you, Bolton’s Matt Taylor is celebrating a new contract and is always worth a pop, while I also like Modric, Huddlestone and West Ham’s Jimenez. I’ve settled on the latter for a place on the bench, in a fixture at Upton Park which could well give us a few goals.
As for a bench striker, aside from those already mentioned you have Saha in form for Everton at Burnley but I’ve gone for Steven Fletcher from the home side as my choice. The Everton defence is under the microscope and severely weakened by Lescott’s absence, while Burnley will have their tails right up after the victory over United in midweek. Fletcher will be a threat and is worth a shout as a budget option this week.