Last week’s Mondogoal player picks may just have helped you get amongst the prize money. In the midst of some more wayward selections, we singled out the Burnley defence, Steven Caulker’s goal threat, plus Danny Welbeck and Stewart Downing as mid-price options – we even put Leonardo Ulloa forward as a consideration against the shaky United defence.
We’ve a lot to live up to with this week’s picks, then, as we look ahead to Saturday, Sunday and Monday contests in Mondogoal.
Mondogoal is a brand new daily and weekly Fantasy Football game which, in addition to the Premier League, covers all the major top-flight leagues – Serie A, La Liga, the Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Major League Soccer (MLS). You can play games for each one, or even global contests that span across all the leagues. Mondogoal also supports contests for Champions League and Europa League in midweek.
Check out our strategy guide for some tips on getting started and read on for our selection guide for the weekend contests.
Saturday’s Picks
A hectic programme of eight Premier League fixtures is headed up by the Merseyside derby in the early kick-off, with the north London derby to follow in the evening. A lip-smacking prospect, although both encounters are notoriously difficult to call, with the form book so often cast aside.
From a Mondogoal perspective, the usual suspects apply, with Raheem Sterling (12.3m), Romelu Lukaku (10.4m) and Leighton Baines (12.8m) all offering appeal at a sizeable price on Merseyside. Similarly, Alexis Sanchez (12.3m) is the man in form for Arsenal, with Mesut Ozil (11.5m) a worthy punt as a midfield selection given his new “number 10” role.
We don’t advise investing in any of the defences on show and, for me, funds are best utilised elsewhere across Saturday’s schedule.
There are three stand-out fixtures that present home bankers, ripe for Mondogoal points. Chelsea’s meeting with Villa at the Bridge is certainly the first, with Diego Costa (13.5m) inevitably drawing our attention as the key option up front. Once again, Andre Schurrle (9.3m) offers value as a candidate for our midfields, whilst the 8.4 million for Branislav Ivanovic looks money well spent – he’s produced 7.45 points per game (ppg) thus far.
The second fixture is undoubtedly United’s Old Trafford meeting with West Ham. While I’d hesitate to show any faith in Louis van Gaal’s backline, United offer plenty going forward and will likely be stretched by a Hammers’ side who boast plenty of goal threat themselves. I can only see goals in this one, then, with Radamel Falcao (8.5m) and Robin van Persie (8.7m), both priced at very affordable levels. Certainly their value is put in perspective by the 15.8 million you’ll pay to bring in Angel Di Maria – even so, given the Argentine’s impact to this point (14.75 ppg), he remains a temptation again. Don’t ignore Sam Allardyce’s unit for this one, either – Diafra Sakho is priced at just 6.3 million and his pace up front is set to be a factor.
Southampton’s St Mary’s clash with QPR is the final fixture to focus on. The two sides are poles apart in confidence right now and Ronald Koeman’s Saints will be strongly backed to earn the points by a decent margin. Graziano Pelle looks irresistible as an option for our forward lines at 8.9 million with a points per game tally of 9.76 so far. Dusan Tadic can also be acquired for just 7.6 million to provide a threat of goals and assists from midfield; both look essential for this week’s contests. Equally, the Southampton backline remains robust and should have no issues repelling a faltering QPR attack – Ryan Bertrand, at just 7.0m, looks the pick here, although there could be some merit in filling out our defences with Southampton assets.
Saturday’s remaining fixtures look far tougher to call. I still want to find time and room in my squads for Wilfried Zaha (5.4m) but it’s far from certain that he’ll get pitch time for Palace when Leicester visit. Leonardo Ulloa (8.4m) and Jamie Vardy (7.6m) are clear options for the visitors who will be buoyant after their stunning victory over United – Ulloa, in particular, looks a bargain given his 10.84 ppg to this point.
If you’re looking for cut-price differentials, you could do worse than to consider Sunderland’s Will Buckley. Apparently guaranteed a start by Gus Poyet against Swansea, he’s available for 5.8 in midfield, while Connor Wickham is priced at 6.7 up front. Similarly, Jefferson Montero sparkled in Swansea’s midweek Capital One Cup tie and could retain his start at Sunderland – he can be acquired in midfield for just 5.1 million.
Sunday’s Picks
The Hawthorns encounter between West Brom and Burnley hardly screams for Fantasy investment, although Mondogoal managers playing weekend and Sunday contests can still find worthy assets amongst the teamsheets. Burnley have notched just a single goal all season, drawing us to the Baggies rearguard. Joleon Lescott looks a temptation at 7.1 million, although team-mate Craig Dawson can be acquired for less at 6.6 million. Up front, Saido Berahino is always a viable budget option at 7.2 million. As for Burnley, their goal threat, such as it is, will likely come from midfield: Scott Arfield is a consideration with his 6.74 ppg; he can be acquired for 7.9 million.
Monday’s Picks
Monday’s encounter under the lights at the Britannia is another fixture that looks fairly bereft of Mondogoal talent. Despite their spirited revival against Hull, few will be backing Newcastle for points against Stoke, ensuring we’re leaning towards Mark Hughes’ squad for this one. Dare I say, Victor Moses, with his 7.48 ppg, looks an option here – he can be acquired for 7.0 million in midfield. Meanwhile, at the back, Phil Bardsley remains a value option at just 5.5 million.
