Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 2 – The Weak

After breaking down those sides with the most favourable fixtures over the next six Gameweeks yesterday, our focus now shifts to those teams who could find the going tough over the coming period.

Southampton

(mun, SUN, ars, SWA, whm, lei)

Saints got off to an unconvincing start against Watford under new boss Claude Puel and could struggle over the next month or so, with four testing away trips at Man United, Arsenal, West Ham and Leicester.

Having failed to keep out the Hornets, Southampton will come up against the two clubs that created the most big chances (four) among all 20 teams on the opening weekend – United and Leicester. Arsenal will be able to call upon Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud for the Gameweek 4 clash, while although West Ham only managed four shots inside the box against Chelsea, the second lowest total last weekend, they should be far more dangerous on home soil, with Dimitri Payet back in the starting XI.

It’s hard to be hopeful of any clean sheets in those matches, then, although in the short-term, the home clashes against Sunderland and Swansea are pretty favourable, and may persuade some to stick with the likes of Virgil van Dijk for a little while longer.

From an attacking point of view, Leicester and United may again provide the toughest opposition, given they were among seven clubs who didn’t allow any big chances against them in Gameweek 1. Arsenal’s backline should also boast a fully fit Laurent Koscielny by the time the two teams meet, so while Nathan Redmond, Dusan Tadic and Shane Long should be able to tick over with those two kind home fixtures, the pair may deliver their fair share of two-pointers, too.

Swansea

(HUL, lei, CHE, sot, MCI, LIV)

The Welsh side got off to a solid start, beating Burnley 1-0, but have a horrid run of fixtures following Saturday’s favourable home fixture against Hull.

They do face a further three home matches over the next six Gameweeks, but the quality of opposition – Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool – visiting the Liberty Stadium could hardly be stronger. All three got off to winning starts, and while the Swans may fancy their chances of scoring in front of their own fans, the potential for goals looks to be very limited. Fernando Llorente and Borja Baston could share playing time up front, further lessening their appeal.

Keeping things tight at the opposite end will also be a huge task, with all six of their next opponents ranked in the top eight for total goal attempts on the opening weekend. The match against Hull appears the main hope in terms of adding to their opening day shut-out.

Jordi Amat’s owners may be happy to hold given his 4.0 price tag in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), but now may not be the time to invest in the Swansea rearguard, while there should be plenty of mid-price midfield options that offer greater potential than the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson over the coming period.

Burnley

(LIV, che, HUL, lei, WAT, ARS)

Sean Dyche’s men do have four home matches over the next six Gameweeks, but with Liverpool and Arsenal two of the sides heading to Turf Moor, and with trips to Chelsea and Leicester to also bear in mind, the upside for Burnley Fantasy assets may be limited over the coming weeks.

The Clarets failed to get on the scoresheet against Swansea, and while Liverpool and Arsenal showed defensive fragilities on Sunday, it’s hard to see Andre Gray getting too much joy in those matches, as well as in those two tricky away fixtures.

The match-ups against Hull and Watford may see some keep faith in the former Brentford striker, though. The Tigers conceded four big chances in their season opener, more than any other side, while the Hornets allowed the joint-second highest number of shots inside the box (11) against Southampton.

Defensively, the outlook is probably even gloomier, given Swansea managed 17 goal attempts on Saturday, the third highest number in Gameweek 1. With far tougher match-ups to come, barring the clash against Hull, popular pre-season budget options such as Tom Heaton may offer little clean sheet potential, although the former Man United stopper can be relied upon for saves, making seven against the Welsh outfit.

Also be wary of…

Man City
Pep Guardiola’s men only offer two home fixtures (WHM, BOU) in the next six, while they also face tough trips to neighbours United and Tottenham during that period, along with matches at Stoke and Swansea.

The early signs under the Spaniard are encouraging, but his side still look a work in progress, particularly at the back, where United and Spurs in particular may be able to find some joy. With only the matches against Bournemouth and Swansea appearing reasonably favourable from a defensive standpoint, expectations for John Stones and the City backline perhaps shouldn’t be too high over the coming period.

It’s hard to suggest any fixture is particularly difficult for Sergio Aguero and the Argentine should flourish regardless. Nonetheless, it may prove sensible to limit our City attacking coverage to the former Atletico Madrid striker, with other premium midfield options having far more favourable schedules.

Leicester City
The champions got off to a rough start at newly promoted Hull, and while they face four home matches in the next six (ARS, SWA, liv, BUR, mun, SOT), their key Fantasy assets may struggle to deliver great value with testing fixtures against Arsenal, Liverpool and United to contend with.

As already touched upon though, there are weaknesses in the Arsenal and Liverpool rearguards, so Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy may still be able to produce attacking points. The pair also have to be backed to thrive against lesser sides such as Swansea and Burnley, making the decision to stick or twist at this juncture a tricky one.

At the back, the Foxes will face the three highest scoring teams of the opening weekend in the shape of Arsenal, Liverpool and United. Swansea and Southampton also posted some decent attacking statistics, and while the return of Robert Huth from suspension should help shore up the defence, it’s hard to foresee a great return for Leicester’s backline over the next month or so.

Hull City
In the short-term, trips to Swansea and Burnley could present the Tigers with a chance to build on their 2-1 win over Leicester. Points could be possible at either end of the pitch, although neither clash can really be classed as favourable coming on the road.

Hull’s other four fixtures on the current slate (MUN, ARS, liv, CHE) could not be much tougher, with clean sheets in particular appearing unlikely in those matches, meaning budget attacking options such as Robert Snodgrass, Abel Hernandez and Adama Diomande will more than likely struggle to repeat their opening day heroics.