Our Gameweek 21 Scout Picks sees us double up on four teams that are set for home comforts this midweek. Man City, Stoke, Swansea and Chelsea all supply us with a couple of players apiece, whilst we also plunder Spurs, Palace and Arsenal to complete our starting line-up.
Jack Butland is selected between the sticks as Stoke welcome Norwich to the Britannia. Certainly, the omens look good for the 23%-owned stopper for Wednesday’s match – Mark Hughes’ men have kept a clean sheet in three of their last four home league fixtures, whilst the Canaries have failed to score in three of their previous four on the road.
Chelsea’s recent renaissance persuades us to call upon our old favourite Branislav Ivanovic for the visit of West Brom. The Blues prepared for their Baggies encounter with back-to-back clean sheets against United and Palace, whilst Ivanovic’s raids down the right served up a goal and assist at home to Sunderland as he belatedly rediscovers the form that made him a must-have in their title-winning season.
Swansea’s recent defensive improvement brings Ashley Williams into our thoughts. The Welsh club have served up three clean sheets in the last four under new boss Alan Curtis, with their skipper earning maximum bonus on each of those occasions ahead of a Liberty Stadium encounter with struggling Sunderland.
A trip to basement-dwellers Villa looks promising for Palace’s Scott Dann. The centre-half arrives on the back of three clean sheets in five and, having netted in two of his last four road trips, he looks a strong shout at both ends of the pitch against a side that’s picked up just three points in front of their own fans.
Kevin De Bruyne welcomes Everton to the Etihad as City look to avenge last week’s Capital One Cup loss to the Merseysiders. The Belgian has scored or assisted in six of his seven home starts and with four sets of double-figures, has made the top five in this week’s Captain Poll.
A goal against Man United last time out backed up Gylfi Sigurdsson’s recent improvement. Since Alan Curtis took the helm, the Icelandic international has produced more attempts on target (eight) than any other midfielder and he seems to be approaching top form ahead of a home clash with a Sunderland outfit that’s conceded more goals on their travels than any other team.
Stoke’s home encounter with Norwich also brings Marko Arnautovic into the Scout Picks. The Austrian has netted four times in as many appearances at the Britannia and, having notched against Chelsea and both Manchester clubs over that period, he will fancy his chances against a defence that’s yet to keep a clean sheet away from Carrow Road.
Mesut Ozil’s consistency keeps the Arsenal schemer a place in our four-man midfield for the trip to injury-hit Liverpool. With the Merseysiders hampered by injuries from back to front, the German could be set to extend a record that has seen him produce points in seven of his nine away appearances this term.
Passed fit by Guus Hiddink earlier today, we’re backing Diego Costa to pose problems for the Baggies at Stamford Bridge tomorrow. The Blues striker has produced three goals and an assist in his last two league outings and followed that up with an early strike against Scunthorpe in Sunday’s cup win, highlighting his return to form since the departure of Jose Mourinho.
A goal and assist in City’s FA Cup stroll against Norwich suggests Sergio Aguero is approaching his best once again. Having bagged the winner at Watford in the previous Gameweek, the Argentine now faces an Everton defence that’s mustered just two clean sheets in their last 14 league matches.
Afforded a brief sub appearance against Leicester in the cup, Harry Kane still had enough time to emerge from the bench to bag a spot-kick equaliser. The Spurs striker has served up a pair of 13-point hauls in his last four at the Lane and will be fully refreshed for Wednesday’s rematch with the Foxes.
On the bench, we call upon Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld for the home clash against Leicester after the goals dried up for Claudio Ranieri’s men. Two assists, a couple of clean sheets and four bonus points in the last six Gameweeks highlights the Belgian’s all-round Fantasy potential.
With two goals and a pair of assists over the last three Gameweeks, Michail Antonio has played a part in four of West Ham’s last five league strikes. Although the Hammers’ treatment room is starting to empty, the summer signing’s form will surely earn him a starting berth for this evening’s trip to Bournemouth.
Odion Ighalo has the chance to continue his outstanding season as Watford make their way to out-of-sorts Southampton. The Nigerian has scored or assisted in all but one of his last seven road trips and faces a Saints defence with just one clean sheet in the last eight Gameweeks.
The Community Champion
Having scrapped the weekly vote idea from last season, we now operate a lottery system to pick our weekly candidates. The community member who beats our picks by the biggest margin over the campaign will win a £100 Amazon voucher and a place in our Contributors and Moderators League for the following season.
In addition to a shot at the £100 Amazon prize, FantasyBet are offering a chance for further prizes to Community Champions that are eligible to play their games. More details can be found here.
Gameweek 17’s community champion Red Devil is the leader so far, having beaten the Scout Picks by 69 points to 44.
Gameweek 21’s Community Champion as selected by our lottery, is Lateriser12. His picks are as follows: De Gea; Terry, Ivanovic, Smalling; Ayew, Mahrez, Walcott, Sterling; Aguero, Costa, Rooney.
