Man United’s schedule continues to offer reason for optimism around Old Trafford. West Brom’s tough run of fixtures come to an end after this weekend’s trip to Anfield, while Crystal Palace are also set for a potentially profitable run of festive fixtures.

MAN UNITED

With a league-high nine clean sheets to their name, it’s clearly at the back where we have to focus when it comes to Louis van Gaal’s side. Swansea, Newcastle and Norwich all feature among the bottom five teams for shots from inside the box over the last four Gameweeks, while Chelsea have only scored one goal in their last four matches.

Although David de Gea (5.7) and Chris Smalling (6.9) remain the only secure starters, the latter, along with Matteo Darmian, is a doubt for the weekend trip to Bournemouth, placing major question marks over their acquisition. Given that Van Gaal has a raft of injuries in defence, the likes of Paddy McNair (4.7), Guillermo Varela (4.2) and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson (4.0) could suddenly be elevated into Van Gaal’s plans if Smalling and Darmian are ruled out for any period if time.

Further up the field, though, it’s difficult to push the claims of any United attacker with a degree of confidence. Newcastle, Stoke, Norwich and Swansea do all rank among the top eight sides for shots conceded inside the box over the last four Gameweeks, though, while Bournemouth have conceded nine goals in their last three home matches. Juan Mata (8.7) looks the pick of the attacking options, but with just one goal in his last eight matches, the Spaniard is unlikely to attract much investment. Anthony Martial is now down to 7.8 and will be hoping to push on from last night’s strike against Wolfsburg.

WEST BROM

The Baggies’ lack of solidity at home, in comparison to their away showings, has been problematic for Tony Pulis. Over the next six Gameweeks, Bournemouth, Newcastle and Stoke all visit the Hawthorns, and while the Cherries do surprisingly lead all teams for total goal attempts over the last four Gameweeks, that match-up, along with the other two against sides who aren’t overly prolific on their travels, should provide a truer reflection on West Brom’s Hawthorns resilience. With the trip to Swansea in Gameweek 18 also looking pretty favourable, Craig Dawson (5.1) and Jonny Evans (4.8) should be back on our radars then, with Boaz Myhill (4.8) less of a target given Ben Foster could return to the fold over the next few weeks.

Looking further forward, there are few attacking options that look worthwhile investments at this point. The fixtures against Newcastle, Swansea and Bournemouth in particular look decent match-ups, but with tough trips to Liverpool and, to a lesser extent, Chelsea also on the agenda, few are likely to be putting the likes of Salomon Rondon (6.6) on their watchlists. James Morrison (4.8) and James McClean (4.7) could be options as a cheap fifth option in the centre of the park, though Bournemouth’s Josh King and Dan Gosling currently look far superior options in the budget price bracket.

CRYSTAL PALACE

Only Newcastle have conceded as many goals as Aston Villa (eight) over the last four Gameweeks, so that fixture, along with those against Bournemouth and Swansea in particular, offers encouragement for those holding Palace’s attacking assets. Southampton have also shown a slight vulnerability of late, so Yannick Bolasie (6.1) is likely to be a name on the lips of many Fantasy managers over the new few weeks as we continue to search for differentials – the DR Congo international currently has an ownership of 5.3% in FPL. He will need to find some consistency for a bandwagon to truly emerge, though, with two double-digit scores this season accompanied by 11 blanks. Yohan Cabaye’s 14% ownership may also be happy to stick given the fixtures, though the Frenchman has now blanked in his last six matches.

With exactly one goal conceded in each of their last four matches, owners of Palace defenders can certainly count themselves unlucky not to pick up any defensive returns. The matches against Swansea and Villa should provide strong opportunities for clean sheets, though, while none of the other four fixtures look overly difficult. With his set-piece threat, as illustrated once again against Everton, Scott Dann (5.3) looks a great option, with the centre-back unlikely to be rotated over the busy festive period, while Wayne Hennessey (4.0) is worth consideration given his bargain price tag.

ALSO CONSIDER…

Tottenham
Spurs’ attack may have stuttered over the last two weeks, scoring just one goal, but with two plum home fixtures (NEW, NOR) over the next three Gameweeks, Harry Kane (9.7) and, to a lesser extent Christian Eriksen (8.5), will be firmly in the minds of all FPL bosses. The other four matches on the upcoming schedule (sot, wat, eve, LEI) are also not particularly unfavourable, so Dele Alli (5.0) also appears likely to be under consideration, with the England international perhaps having the stamina to avoid being rested over the hectic festive period.

Defensive returns in those two favourable home matches look very plausible, although keeping out Odion Ighalo, Romelu Lukaku and Jamie Vardy in the other matches could prove difficult. Toby Alderweireld (5.6) looks the pick of the options available, given he is nailed on and has amassed an impressive two goals and a pair of assists already this season.

West Ham
Given the injuries picked suffered by Dimitri Payet, Diafra Sakho and Manuel Lanzini in recent weeks, it’s hard to be particularly enthused by any of the remaining Hammers attacking assets, despite a fairly reasonable fixture list (STO, swa, avl, SOT, LIV, bou). Slaven Bilic’s side have only scored three goals in their last five matches, and with so many key players on the sidelines, the Croatian may look to grind out results as he did at Old Trafford last time out.

That brings the likes of Aaron Cresswell (5.5) and Winston Reid (5.0) onto our radars, although Cresswell’s price tag looks a tad high given assists could be harder to come by with the paucity of goals for the Hammers. As already mentioned, matches against Swansea and Villa represent reasonable opportunities for shut-outs at the moment, while this weekend’s clash against Stoke also looks a decent match-up.

Stoke
Since the return to fitness of Ryan Shawcross, the Potters have, along with United, been the stand-out defence, keeping six clean sheets in their last eight matches. Jack Butland’s 15.1% ownership will be more than happy to keep their faith in the England international, while the likes of Philipp Wollscheid (4.4) and Erik Pieters (4.9) look viable differential candidates with ownerships of less than 3% in FPL. Of the Potters next six (whm, CPL, MUN, eve, wba, NOR), only the trip to Goodison Park in Gameweek 19 looks particularly unfavourable.

While Mark Hughes’ men have struggled for goals this season, Marko Arnautovic (6.1) and Xherdan Shaqiri (6.6) certainly showcased their potential in the 2-0 win against Man City on Saturday. Bojan (5.1) also looks one to consider for Fantasy managers after being fielded as the lone striker last week – as with the defenders, none of the attacking trio have an ownership of more than 2% in FPL.

Aston Villa
Once this weekend’s tough home fixture against Arsenal is out of the way, Remi Garde will be glad to see Villa’s schedule (new, WHM, nor, sun, CPL) easing considerably. From an attacking point of view, those five matches look pretty appealing, but with only Jordan Ayew (5.5) showing any kind of form in recent weeks, and with rotation likely given that Garde has yet to settle on his favoured personnel in attack, there don’t appear to any worthy targets to Fantasy bosses to ponder at this point.

Those five fixtures should also provide decent opportunities for defensive returns, but having conceded eight goals in their last three matches, faith in the Villa rearguard isn’t high. As a budget option, and having started all four matches under Garde, Alan Hutton (4.2) perhaps looks one to monitor.