With 2015 now almost upon us, we approach Gameweek 20 with a renewed sense of optimism and plunder the Mondogoal player list to compete for another £1,000 prize pot.

Mondogoal is a daily and weekly Fantasy Football game – a brand new offering for this season. It not only allows you to plays contests based on the Premier League but also the major top-flight leagues – Serie A, La Liga, the Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Major League Soccer (MLS). You can even play global contests that span across all the leagues.

You can enter a free contest for Gameweek 20, with a £100 prize pot up for grabs. There’s also a £5 entry game with a £1,000 guaranteed pot on show. In both cases, you’ll need to compile and enter your starting XI by 12.35 on Thursday afternoon.

If you’re yet to get into Mondogoal and fancy a New Year’s dabble, we’ve previously published a full strategy guide to the game. Then, read on as we pick over the fixture and player list ahead of another round of Premier League matches.

The Defence

There are a string of out-of-sorts attacks facing tough away trips on New Year’s Day, offering obvious routes for defensive returns.

My first port of call has to be the Villa back line – due mainly to the struggles of opponents Crystal Palace. The Eagles have just two goals in their last six and I can’t see them getting too much joy from Paul Lambert’s defence. Alan Hutton is, believe it or not, the star attraction on offer with 6.88 points per game (ppg) – the Scot has won more tackles than any other Villa player and drawn 30 fouls.

West Brom are another side struggling for a foothold right now and that has me drawn to West Ham’s assets once again. At the back, James Collins looks a no-brainer. With James Tomkins suspended, “Ginge” will start and at just 4.3, there’s no arguing with the value he offers.

Elsewhere, Liverpool will have their tails up after the 4-1 demolition of Swansea and they face what appears to be a comfortable Anfield afternoon against Leicester. The Foxes are another side who have struggled for a cutting edge and, although Brendan Rodgers will be without Martin Skrtel through suspension, I’m backing a Liverpool shut-out to the tune of a 7.4 outlay on Alberto Moreno – I can see him retaining his start after the recall and goal against the Swans. Similarly, I’ll double on the Pool rearguard and opt for Simon Mignolet in goal – with Brad Jones sidelined by a thigh injury, he looks to be in line for another start and at 7.1, he’s reasonably priced given his fixture.

The Midfield

I’m also backing Liverpool’s form with a twin presence in the middle of the park and, having shone in the 4-1 win over Swansea, I have to snap up Adam Lallana at just 8.7. Similarly, Raheem Sterling will surely get a run-out as the central attacker against the Foxes and I just don’t see them coping with Lallana’s guile and Sterling’s searing pace – Mondogoal points for shots on target, goals and assists look on the cards from this pairing.

On the other side of Merseyside, Everton are struggling to get anywhere near last season’s form but, with Kevin Mirallas back fit and against a Hull side in dire straits, I’m confident enough to back them. The Belgian can be acquired for 11.6 for Thursday’s contests and, with Romelu Lukaku treading water, Mirallas looks assured of a start to provide the goal threat against the Tigers.

Stewart Downing has been a Mondogoal mainstay this term with 9.15 ppg and he’s hard to ignore against West Brom at the Boleyn Ground. West Ham cover looks a wise move and Downing, with four goals and six assists, is also second only to striker Diafra Sakho for shots on target in their ranks.

The Forwards

While David Silva is an obvious pick in midfield given his burst of four goals in his last three starts, there’s every chance that the return of Stevan Jovetic (11.6) offers Mondogoal managers an even more potent source of goals for the Etihad meeting with Sunderland. The Montenegrin saw action from the bench against Burnley and looks likely to earn a starting berth against the Black Cats.

Christian Benteke blanked for Villa against Sunderland last time out but was hindered by the dismissal of Fabian Delph – I see the Belgian making the difference against Palace at Villa Park. The visitors will be without their skipper and defensive shield, Mile Jedinak, and that may see them struggle with the physical presence of Benteke.

Our final spot goes to Newcastle’s Ayoze Perez – undoubtedly one of the finds of the season. With Papiss Cisse banned and in the stands, the young Spaniard is set to start as the Magpies central attacker against the Burnley defence. The New Year’s Day fixture may serve up an odd atmosphere given Alan Pardew’s departure but, despite that, I see Ayoze as a decent value option at just 7.6.

The FFS Weekend XI