With Gameweek 10 now done and dusted, the strength of schedule across the next four to six Gameweeks is reassessed. United’s appeal shows no sign of abating, while Newcastle and Arsenal could be primed for an upturn in fortunes. At the other end of the spectrum, Spurs and West Brom are set for a testing time and West Ham brace themselves for a potentially torrid run…
The Strong
Man United
Having seen off Chelsea and Arsenal in the past two Gameweeks, United have climbed to the top of the table and are now facing a batch of fixtures which is sure to see significant investment come their way. Trips to Villa, Norwich and Reading in the next five all look enticing, while home clashes against QPR and West Ham seem filled with potential. Many Fantasy managers will simply hand the armband to Robin Van Persie over those matches, with the Dutchman’s sensational start at Old Trafford showing little sign in slowing down – he has produced attacking returns in all of his eight starts and now sits atop the FPL rankings.
Wayne Rooney offers a cheaper alternative to Van Persie up top, though it remains to be seen if he is still on spot-kicks, after his woeful effort against Arsenal on Saturday lunchtime. With two clean sheets all season, investment at the back will be mainly down to attacking threat. Interestingly, however, at this time last season, United embarked on a run that saw them concede just two goals in eight matches, keeping six clean sheets in the process. Rafael is offering plenty creativity from the right-back position and has now scored or assisted in four of his nine appearances, while in midfield, Antonio Valencia, with an assist in four of his last five starts, could be set to prosper.
Newcastle
Alan Pardew’s side have four strong looking fixtures in the next five which are sure to bring investment Newcastle’s way. Between now and Gameweek 15, the Magpies play host to West Ham, Swansea and Wigan, and with a trip to Southampton also on their short-term agenda, they are offered plenty opportunity to rack up the Fantasy points.
Pardew is confident Demba Ba will be fit and available for Sunday’s clash with the Hammers – having scored or assisted eight of his side’s 12 goals thus far, Ba looks a strong option over the above-mentioned schedule if, as expected, he can shake off his shin complaint. Yohan Cabaye is also hopeful of overcoming a hamstring strain that forced him off at Anfield on Sunday – he has scored in two of his last three and continues to offer a cheaper alternative to Hatem Ben Arfa in the midfield. Fabricio Coloccini’s three-game suspension has helped cement Steven Taylor’s starts in the centre of defence, though with a single clean sheet so far, faith in the Newcastle backline could be limited.
Stoke
The Potters have three fixtures in front of their own fans in the next four (QPR, whm, FUL, NEW) to entice new suitors their way. With three clean sheets and a single goal conceded in the first four games at the Britannia, Tony Pulis’ side have been the most impressive home defence so far; easy to see why Asmir Begovic has risen from 4.6 to 5.0 since Gameweek 8. Geoff Cameron and Andy Wilkinson, at 4.6 and 4.4 in FPL respectively, offer cheaper options in defence, with the latter benefitting from Marc Wilson’s unfortunate leg break to settle in at left-back.
Stoke’s form in front of goal is a real worry, though. They have notched just three times at the Britannia and have found the net in just one of their last four matches. Peter Crouch remains the obvious option up top, though Michael Kightly has proven to be the equal of Jon Walters and offers a cheaper FPL option in midfield, at 5.5 to the Irishman’s 6.4.
Arsenal
Having tasted defeat in each of their last two away games, the Gunners are now handed four home matches in the next six to get their season back on track. Fulham, Spurs, Swansea and West Brom all make their way to the Emirates between now and Gameweek 16 and with a trip to Villa also on their schedule, the upcoming run of games is certainly looking kind for Arsene Wenger’s men. Indeed, looking at the season ticker, Arsenal have only one testing clash up until Gameweek 22.
Santi Cazorla remains the chief protagonist for the north London outfit – he continues to creative chances aplenty and grabbed his third goal of the season at the weekend, though the fact that he has produced just one assist at home is something of a concern. Wenger has definite concerns up front, though; Lukas Podolski has drawn blanks in his last six, while Olivier Giroud has netted once all season. With injuries and suspension blighting the midfield, Theo Walcott will surely be in line for a start this weekend. At the back, Bacary Sagna seems to have ousted Carl Jenkinson as the regular right-back, while Thomas Vermaelen’s goalscoring history will be enough to persuade plenty to snap up his services.
Also Consider
Southampton – Nigel Adkins’ men will be buoyed by a run of four home fixtures (SWA, NEW, NOR, RDG) in addition to a trip to fellow-strugglers QPR over the next six. Investment in the back is surely a no-go area, leaving Adam Lallana, Gaston Ramirez and Rickie Lambert as the main men for the Saints, with Jay Rodriguez perhaps a real punt option.
Reading – with a double Gameweek in their next six, the Royals are bound to pick up some investment. Brian McDermott’s side offer some decent value at the back; 3.9 FPL priced Kaspars Gorkss has produced 16 points in his last two, Nicky Shorey has offered a strong source of creativity on the left, while Alex McCarthy, at 4.1, seems in the driving seat between the sticks. Jobi McAnuff has supplied five assists already and with home clashes against Norwich and Everton supplemented with trips to Wigan, Villa, Southampton and Sunderland, could prosper yet again.
Sunderland – the Black Cats are hardly a source of inspiration right now but also face a double Gameweek 16. Sunderland have four home matches (WBA, QPR, CHE, RDG) and a trip to Norwich between Gameweek 13-16 and have conceded more than a single goal just twice this term – Simon Mignolet, Carlos Cuellar and Phil Bardsley are the likely men at the back, while Steven Fletcher is the only attacking option worthy of a mention, going on displays thus far.
Everton – unbeaten in their last seven, the Toffees have three home games in the next four (SUN, NOR, ARS) in addition to a trip to Reading. Marouane Fellaini’s brace at Fulham propelled him back onto Fantasy radars, despite the Belgian being one booking away from a one-match ban, while Leighton Baines’ attacking potential remains as solid as ever. Steven Pienaar and Nikica Jelavic are the other obvious options, though Kevin Mirallas continues to impress on the right flank – his only downside is his classification as a forward across the Fantasy games.
The Weak
Tottenham
Andre Villas-Boas’ side will be looking to pick themselves up after last week’s shock home defeat by Wigan but with trips to City and Arsenal up next, their schedule is far from straightforward. Spurs have now lost back-to-back home games, dampening enthusiasm ahead of the visit of West Ham and Liverpool over Gameweek 13-14, while trips to Fulham and Everton are likely to pose problems for the north London outfit. Gareth Bale’s owners will be hoping he can maintain the form which has harvested double figure returns in each of his last three away appearances, but a backline that has managed a single clean sheet all season looks far from appealing, with the midfield industry of Moussa Dembele clearly a significant loss right now.
West Ham
Sam Allardyce will be buoyed by the clean sheet and home point against City but Saturday evening’s clash against the champions was the first in a long line of difficult fixtures. The Hammers face seven of the top 10 in their next nine, with three away fixtures in the next four (new, STK, tot, mun) indicative of their schedule. With a single clean sheet and three goals produced in their four away games so far, Allardyce’s side will need to up their game on the road – Kevin Nolan’s owners will be a little worried, bearing in mind he has provided just one assist over his quartet of road trips to this point.
Aston Villa
The midlands outfit will be newly confident after producing their first away win under Paul Lambert but Villa’s next three hands them the stiffest of tests. Home clashes against United and Arsenal, with a trip to City sandwiched in between, will stretch the faith of even the most optimistic Villa fan – bearing in mind that have scored more than a single goal on just one occasion this season, Fantasy managers will be giving them a wide berth, though the flourishing form of Christian Benteke could appeal when the schedule eases off by Gameweek 14.
Also Be Wary Of
Fulham – Martin Jol’s side face three tricky road trips in the next four Gameweeks, as the Cottagers make their way to Arsenal, Stoke and Chelsea. Fulham seemed to have addressed last season’s inability to find the net away from home, meaning owners of Dimitar Berbatov won’t be overly concerned, though with 12 goals conceded on the road, John Arne Riise and Chris Baird will likely need to produce attacking points in order to prosper in the short term – only Southampton have a worst away defence than Fulham.
West Brom – with just two points accrued and three goals scored on their travels so far, Steve Clarke’s side now hit the road three times in the next four Gameweeks. With trips to Wigan, Sunderland and Swansea on the agenda, in addition to a home showdown with Chelsea, the Baggies face a tough time of it. Having failed to register an away clean sheet, Ben Foster’s owners could be relying on save points to boost his tally, though James Morrison’s owners may be a little more optimistic; with a goal and assist on the road, he has played a part in two of his side’s three away strikes so far.
