With six games on the agenda this weekend, Fantasy managers are somewhat limited for options. Five of the bottom six are away from home, however, making matters a little more straightforward for the Scout Selection Committee. Aside from the obvious, then, we’ve taken a leaf out of Roberto Mancini’s book and called for a certain temperamental Argentine to help lead the line.
Michel Vorm gets the nod between the posts ahead of a home clash with Blackburn. We’d planned on plumping for Simon Mignolet but Martin O’Neill’s recent comments on possible game time for Craig Gordon has made us think again. With Rovers having notched in two of their last three away, Vorm offers the potential of save points over the likes of Steven Caulker for Swansea coverage, should Steve Kean’s side find the net.
With John O’Shea maybe set for a comeback tomorrow, our confidence in Michael Turner has slipped a little. Instead, we’ve opted for the security of Phil Bardsley in the Sunderland defence. Having said that, even Bardsley is a slight doubt having picked up a gorin problem at Everton. All the noise from the Stadium of Light suggests he’ll play though and, with a goal threat from the right flank, that’s good enough for us. Also, it’s worth noting that the Black Cats have picked up five clean sheets in their last seven at home and, up against a woefully out-of-sorts Wolves, look well-placed for further defensive returns.
Jonny Evans is an obvious candidate ahead of United’s home clash with Villa. The visitors have notched just three times in their last five away games, while Sir Alex Ferguson’s side have conceded a single goal in their last six at Old Trafford. The hosts will be fired up after their unexpected midweek loss at Wigan, suggesting Alex McLeish’s side could be in for an afternoon to forget in Sunday’s showdown.
Thomas Vermaelen’s threat at both ends of the pitch sees the Belgian get the nod. Subject of our earlier Watchlist article, the Gunners centre-half has notched five times this season and goes into Monday evening’s home clash with Wigan on the back of four clean sheets in the last five. While the Latics have upset the form book in recent weeks, a win would take Arsene Wenger’s side eight points clear of Spurs in third – the hosts are likely to be on the offensive throughout.
Theo Walcott’s superb recent form is impossible to ignore. The Gunners winger has finally proven his worth as a Fantasy asset this season and, with goals in three of his last four Gameweeks, Walcott is even threatening to overshadow Robin Van Persie as the campaign draws to a close. Opponents Wigan have recorded a single away clean sheet this term – back in Gameweek 2 – suggesting goals are more than likely for the Gunners next Monday.
The creativity and right wing trickery of Antonio Valencia looks set to cause Villa plenty of problems this weekend. The Ecuadorian has played every minute of the last sixteen matches he has been available for, suggesting the threat of rotation is minimal, despite Nani’s recent return from injury. A return to winning ways would ease the pain of the Wigan defeat and, with tricky ties against Everton and City to follow, Valencia’s contribution will be key on Sunday afternoon.
A four-game losing streak hardly instills confidence but the performances of Gylfi Sigurdsson make the Icelandic international a nailed-on option. After thirteen appearances in Swansea colours, the on-loan star has averaged 5.8 points per game; joint-top for midfielders along with Clint Dempsey. Opponents Blackburn have lost four of their last five on the road, with only a win at Wolves affording Rovers the chance of points – Sigurdsson looks set to flourish against a defence that has harvested a single away clean sheet all season.
Stephane Sessegnon is afforded the perfect opportunity to pick up the Fantasy points as Wolves make their way to Wearside. Terry Connor’s side continue to ship goals at an alarming rate – an average of three conceded per game since the sacking of Mick McCarthy has relegation form written all over it and, with Sunderland picking up 20 home points from a possible 27 since Martin O’Neill’s arrival, the visitors could be set for a Stadium of Light hammering tomorrow afternoon.
After a brief scoring drought, Robin Van Persie rediscovered his goal touch with a cheeky chipped penalty in the midweek win at Wolves. With eleven double-figure points hauls already returned this season, the Arsenal skipper has the potential for another substantial score against Wigan, as the Gunners go looking for their tenth win in the last eleven Gameweeks.
Wayne Rooney looks a viable alternative to Van Persie for the captain’s armband this week. The United forward has scored six of his side’s last seven goals at Old Trafford – an indication of how reliant the league leaders have been on his returns in front of their own fans recently. While Villa will sit deep, United will come out with all guns blazing for this one and, with Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck failing to fire lately, Rooney should be afforded plenty opportunity to further enhance his current haul of 22 goals.
While it’s unlikely Carlos Tevez will get the full 90 minutes at Norwich tomorrow, his performance in Wednesday’s win over West Brom was enough to win us over. Sergio Aguero is the obvious option but his away displays have been notoriously poor, with not a single goal on the road since Gameweek 9. A win at Norwich is near-essential to maintain City’s slim title hopes, with the stage possibly set for Tevez to make the headlines for all the right reasons this time round.
On the bench, we’ve opted for Gareth McAuley. The 4.2 priced defender entertains QPR at the Hawthorns and, with three clean sheets, a goal and an assist in his last four at the Hawthorns, looks strong value ahead of the Baggies home showdown with the R’s.
James McClean is given the nod with the woeful Wolves defence in mind. The 5.0 priced midfielder looks a strong alternative to Sessegnon for the Black Cats and just edges out Adel Taarabt in our thinking. The Moroccan came good for us from the bench last time out and could well make the difference if QPR are to prevail at the Hawthorns tomorrow and is unlucky not to afforded a place in this week’s Picks.
We’ve handed the final spot to Peter Odemwingie. Rested for the midweek hammering at City, the Nigerian is likely to come back into first-team contention for the QPR clash and, with the visitors failing to keep a clean sheet on their travels since Hughes’ installation, he looks the man most likely to grab the goals for the Baggies tomorrow afternoon.
