Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 31 – The Weak

After assessing those sides with some favourable fixtures to follow over the upcoming four-to-six Gameweeks, we now turn our attention to those with trickier schedules. Arsenal and United’s bids are set to be put to the test, whilst QPR and Villa’s post-double Gameweek 31 prospects look bleak.

Arsenal

Arsene Wenger’s outfit are going strong with six league wins on the bounce and appear to be sitting pretty for a Champions League spot. Emirates encounters with fifth-placed Liverpool and leaders Chelsea in their next four are set to put those credentials to the test, however, while a Gameweek 33 blank is also a real deterrent for Fantasy interest over the next few weeks. We already have one eye on the Gunners’ double in the penultimate Gameweek of the season, but many may hold off until the fixture list improves from Gameweek 35 onwards.

The north Londoners’ rearguard have impressed of late, conceding just twice in their last four league outings, though they now face two of the league’s most prolific attacks in Chelsea and Liverpool. Owners of David Ospina will need a rotation option in their ranks to cover the blank and may even look to resign the Colombian to the bench for those two tough home fixtures.

Further forward, Alexis Sanchez’ recent shortcomings have seen over 28,000 FPL managers already part company since last weekend, and the Chilean is unlikely to see a revival in interest until nearer that double Gameweek. The output from both Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil has also slowed of late, though their more reasonable price tags may persuade some from showing them the exit just yet. Meanwhile, Olivier Giroud seems unlikely to be threatened by any such slump: the Frenchman has now registered returns in each of his previous eight starts, averaging an impressive 8.25 points per appearance across those displays. We can expect to see plenty of investment heading his way over the course of the next week even in spite of the gloomy schedule: over 50,000 FPL managers have already welcomed his charms to their virtual dressing rooms since last weekend’s deadline.

Stoke

Back-to-back defeats against West Brom and Crystal Palace have seen the Potters lose significant momentum after what had been a decent start to 2015. One look at their remaining fixtures indicates that they face a battle to further their current mid-table standing. Mark Hughes’ men travel to Chelsea and West Ham in their next two, before welcoming Southampton to the Britannia, whilst clashes with Spurs and Liverpool also loom to form a testing season run-in.

Stoke have not enjoyed their usual success at the back this season, claiming an unremarkable seven clean sheets to this point. To compound matters, Hughes sprung a few surprises with his defence last weekend, dropping Phil Bardsley in favour of Geoff Cameron and maintaining Marc Wilson in the centre, despite Phillip Wollscheid’s availability; owners of those assets will now be assessing their alternatives.

In attack, Victor Moses will sit out the clash with parent club Chelsea next weekend and will now struggle to come back into serious consideration for our midfields. Meanwhile, Mame Biram Diouf’s two strikes in his last three outings took his tally to eight for the season but he continues to be put in the shade by stronger options in and around the 6.0 FPL price bracket.

Hull

Failure to pick up vital victories over Sunderland and Leicester in recent weeks has left the Tigers firmly rooted in the relegation mire. Their remaining fixtures suggest that they could be unlikely to claw their way to safety. Steve Bruce’s unit face three away days in their next five (swa, sou, cpl), coupled with tough encounters against Arsenal and Liverpool at the KC Stadium. The final two Gameweeks of the season see them meet Spurs and Man United, leaving just a single solid blue square remaining on the Fantasy Football Scout ticker: a vital Gameweek 36 clash with Burnley.

With neither short-term nor long-term prospects boding well for the Tigers, Fantasy interest looks set to be all but nullified. That said, the 3-2 defeat to table toppers Chelsea did at least highlight the merit of going on the attack and pressing the big teams, and we could well see Bruce emphasising a bid for goals over the next few weeks. With Nikica Jelavic ruled out until the end of April with a knee problem, Abel Hernandez and Dame N’Doye will be relied upon to produce the goods, but with three of the most on-song defences in the league ahead of them (sou, ARS, LIV), the pair will have to prove their fixture-proof credentials to deliver returns.

Be wary Of…

QPR
The impending double Gameweek, which features trips to West Brom and Aston Villa, is set to encourage plenty of Fantasy attention around the Hoops’ chief protagonists. However, a quick glance at the schedule beyond next weekend’s deadline offers little promise. Chelsea make their way to Loftus Road in Gameweek 32, which is proceeded by a blank and trips to Liverpool and Man City in the following four. It seems unwise to be lured into investing too heavily for the double header, with Charlie Austin owners likely to be devising a rapid exit strategy, whilst Matty Phillips’ recent popularity as a fifth midfield option grinds to an abrupt halt post-Gameweek 31.

Aston Villa
Just like QPR, Tim Sherwood’s side boast the luxury of a double Gameweek 31 but appear to offer little potential beyond that. Once the double header has past, the Villians face trips to Spurs and Man City and a blank over the course of three consecutive rounds of fixtures. The Midlanders’ injury-plagued rearguard look set for a busy period, whilst the attacking prospects of Christian Benteke and Gabby Agbonlahor look bleak beyond the current deadline. Those willing to punt on the 5.2-rated Scott Sinclair for the double should perhaps have an immediate replacement in mind.

Man United
United have done everything to prove themselves worthy of a top four spot in the last two Gameweeks, with convincing displays against Spurs and Liverpool sending them five points clear of fifth place. Nonetheless, the real hard work is arguably still to come. After their meeting with Villa, Louis van Gaal’s outfit battle Man City and Chelsea in back-to-back fixtures in what could prove to be a decisive week for the Reds.

Much of their success this season has come courtesy of their defensive efforts, and with just a single goal conceded in their last four outings, it’s safe to say that owners of the likes of David De Gea and Chris Smalling will be reluctant to part company; rotation could, however, be a wise strategy when the crunch encounters hit.

Further forward, Juan Mata is leading the way for “transfers in” amongst United’s ranks with over 25,000 FPL managers having snapped up his services after his brace at Anfield. His pitch time is perhaps still in question, however, with Angel Di Maria competing for inclusion. Similarly, Sergio Aguero’s recent tribulations have seen plenty of attention shift the way of Wayne Rooney, but with Robin van Persie closing in on a return, it remains to be seen whether Rooney can retain his role as a central striker.