Our decision to load up on a quartet of Liverpool players last time out failed to pay off after the Reds blew a two-goal lead to draw at home to Leicester on New Year’s Day. There are plenty of prizes to aim for this weekend, though, as we assess the Player Price List and roll out our team for the Gameweek 21 matches.
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 21, 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 Saturday afternoon.
There’s also a special competition on offer this week, courtesy of Manchester City – one of Mondogoal’s official partners. As revealed on the champions’ website, it costs £1 to enter and is open to the first 500 UK-based entrants – finish top and you win two tickets to see City against Arsenal at the Etihad next weekend.
If you’re yet to dabble in Mondogoal, why not have a gander at our 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
Chelsea will be smarting from the 5-3 reverse at White Hart Lane and, while their defence was exposed by Harry Kane in that encounter, at Stamford Bridge, Jose Mourinho’s men have kept four consecutive clean sheets. That tells me that I have to find room for a member of the Blues back line at home to Newcastle – particularly with the Magpies rolling up without goal scoring talisman, Papiss Cisse. John Terry’s flurry of three goals in four has seen him rocket to 12.2 in price ahead of Gameweek 21; that drives me to Branislav Ivanovic once again – the Serb is installed for a reasonable 8.8.
With Tony Pulis settling under the desk at the Hawthorns, it’s widely expected that we’ll see the Baggies shore up and embark on a run of clean sheets. Regardless of whether you’re backing the “Pulis effect” to kick-in so quickly, a home clash with struggling Hull City remains a fixture to back. Pulis’ back four is, at this stage, still uncertain but, fortunately, Mondogoal have priced keeper Ben Foster at just 5.0 – that makes him a shoo-in.
Elsewhere, we’re rather scratching around for clean sheets. The Burnley back four have shown resilience at Turf Moor, however, and offer enough promise at home to QPR for me to back them. Harry Redknapp’s side have lost all nine of their away trips this season, notching just four goals in the process. A Burnley defender looks advisable then, with the forward-thinking Kieran Trippier (6.6) the obvious source.
The final slot in my back three goes to an Arsenal defender. While the Gunners looked woeful at St Mary’s last time out, the Emirates clash with Stoke who will arrive in north London without Mame Biram Diouf, is a very different prospect. I’m backing Arsene Wenger’s men to dominate possession and sneak this one against one of their bogey sides. Having recently returned from injury, Mathieu Debuchy is available for a cut-down 6.9 and claims that final spot in my rearguard.
The Midfield
While Eden Hazard is the obvious midfield target, given his recent run of form (particularly at Stamford Bridge), an intimidating 19.2 price tag is a major obstacle which I’ve ultimately decided to avoid. Instead, I’ll look to cover Chelsea’s attacking promise elsewhere and split my midfield funds more evenly.
Crystal Palaces’ Jason Puncheon is my “enabler”. His price of 6.0 looks kind going into the Selhurst Park meeting with Spurs: Alan Pardew will be keen to make an impact and with Yannick Bolasie away at the African Cup of Nations, Puncheon and Wilfried Zaha (5.6) look assured of their starts on the flank. I’ve opted for the former with the possibility that Puncheon will take on spot-kick duties with skipper Mile Jedinak away at the Asian Cup.
With funds saved there, I’ve cash to splash elsewhere. The spend starts with Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen in the same match. Tottenham’s Dane has been imperious on his travels this season – with five goals on the road, no other midfielder can match Eriksen’s output away from home. With Palace lacking Jedinak’s cover in front of the back four, I can see them struggling to keep Eriksen and Harry Kane at bay, with returns on offer for both. Eriksen, at just 10.9, looks good value again.
I was tempted to back Raheem Sterling’s prospects in the early kick-off but, in the end, I opted instead for Philippe Coutinho. The Brazilian has sparkled in recent weeks, returning a goal and three assists in his last four league outings. That bodes well going into the trip to Sunderland, an encounter that looks tailor-made for Coutinho’s invention to come to the fore as Liverpool scrap to find a way around the stubborn Black Cats rearguard.
The final slot in midfield goes to David Silva. With Yaya Toure away on African Cup of Nations duty, the onus will likely fall on Silva to provide the creative spark in City’s trip to Goodison. Everton will be buoyed by their late equaliser in the FA Cup on Tuesday but have struggled to stem the tide of goals – particularly in front of their own fans – shipping 15 goals in their nine home matches. That record is unlikely to improve with the visit of title chasing City and, even at 14.6, Silva is worth the outlay. Frank Lampard, at just 8.6, is also worth consideration here – he’s always scored goals at Goodison for Chelsea and may earn a rare start in Toure’s absence.
The Forwards
With Hazard omitted in midfield, I have to opt for Diego Costa up top. Again, Mondogoal have tempered the price rise on the Chelsea striker, keeping him simmering at 10.3. I can’t ignore the Spaniard’s prospects against a Newcastle side smarting from injuries and absentees.
Danny Ings has returned goals or assists in six of his last ten league matches and will surely have opportunities to boost that tally further with the visit of QPR. The R’s back four is simply woeful on the road – conceding 22 in just nine trips. The Clarets have scored five in their last two league outings and that points to further profit this weekend. Ings is the key figure and should fetch me returns to warrant the 10.1 price tag.
I’ve opted for Olivier Giroud for my final shirt. The Frenchman was looking the part before his errant head-butt on QPR’s Nedum Onouha, scoring three goals in two matches before that red card. Arsenal will need goals against a plucky Stoke outfit and that points to further points for Giroud. At 10.4, he certainly seems the most efficient cover of Wenger’s attacking charges ahead of the weekend contests.
The FFS Weekend XI
