Fresh from a low-scoring Gameweek, we delve right back into the thick of it as the Premier League serves up a full set of fixtures prior to the weekend. In the opening wave of five match-ups, Leicester City’s home tie against West Bromwich Albion could be the most impactful from a Fantasy perspective, with many managers tripling up on the league leaders.
Despite mustering seven goals over the previous four Gameweeks, the Foxes rank in the bottom half for attempts (47) and shots inside the box (26). Given that they chart in the top three for shot accuracy (40%) and shot-conversion rate (15%), it’s clear that they’re profiting from clinical finishing in the final third. As for the Baggies, they’ve displayed signs of improvement on the attacking front, placing in the top 10 with regards to shots inside the box (28).
Chelsea will attempt to extend their unbeaten streak to 12 matches when they pay a visit to Norwich City. The Blues were one of the league’s premier attacking units across the last four Gameweeks, ranking joint-top for goals (eight) and fourth for shots on target (20). In addition, they conceded just three goals during that period and surrendered the joint-fewest big chances (two). They’ll draw encouragement from the fact that the Canaries’ rearguard charted joint-second for goals conceded (eight) and has managed only three clean sheets at home.
Revitalised following their blank last Gameweek, Everton travel to face an Aston Villa outfit that shipped six goals in their last home match-up. The Toffees have impressed on their travels this term, losing just one head-to-head while tallying the third-most big chances (28). On the other hand, only three teams have conceded more goals on home turf than Villa (20), who also placed top for goals allowed across the previous four Gameweeks (10).
Training our focus on the south coast, Bournemouth and Southampton do battle at the Vitality Stadium. The Cherries tasted defeat in three of their last four home clashes, while Saints’ recent defeat to Chelsea marked the first time in seven outings that their back line was breached. In the North East, Sunderland entertain a Crystal Palace squad that’s without a win in 10 matches and allowed the joint-third-most big chances (nine) over the last four Gameweeks.
