Over 460 Fantasy Managers put their name in the hat for the Members’ Paddy Power Cup and now, eight rounds later, we are down to our final two. Before previewing the Grand Final, let’s take a look at how both finalists negotiated their way through the Semis…
Zophar 61 – 75 Kippax Kloggers
In our first Semi-Final, big favourite Zophar suffered a hefty 14-point defeat at the hands of Kippax Kloggers. In a very similar fashion to his Quarter-Final dismissal of Cup legend Gooner dave, Kippax Kloggers’ win came courtesy of a strong defensive showing. With most of the outfield ‘cancelled out’, it was left to a double of Everton clean sheets and a bargain Manchester United one to ultimately prove the difference between the two sides. If Zophar -currently ranked 14th in the world in Fantasy Premier League (FPL)- can recover from this trauma, then he could possibly go win the whole thing, and we certainly wish him the best of luck in doing so.
The second Semi was a much tighter affair, with the key differentials being David Luiz in a 4-5-1 for Roostars, to Peter Odemwingie in a 3-4-3 for The Hunt. Roostars is also left bemoaning his failed four-point hit; removing Rafael van der Vaart and the suspended Wayne Rooney wasn’t costly, but replacing the pair with Frank Lampard and Javier Hernandez hardly turned out to be a fruitful move.
So, to the Final…
Ranked 2,772nd in the world, Kippax Kloggers takes an early lead (effectively half a point) against 9,996th overall The Hunt. As it stands, he also goes into the double Gameweek an Arsenal player up (Samir Nasri) which could prove vital should The Hunt not level that particular balance. An interesting potential differential is Kippax Kloggers’ Fernando Torres to The Hunt’s David Luiz. Having said that I imagine Luiz will, like with many others, be high on Kippax Kloggers’ wish list.
The winner, of course, grabs all the glory which comes with a fantastic prize of £75 worth of free bets, as the runner-up takes the very healthy consolation of £100 worth of free bets.
Don’t forget that it’s also Zophar Vs. Roostars for third place, with the victor pocketing a cool £50 worth of free bets.
I’ll bring results of both matches next week when we crown the first ever winner of the Members-only Paddy Power Cup.
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