Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 5 – The Weak

After analysing those sides that face the most testing schedules over the next six Gameweeks on Tuesday, we now turn our attention to the teams whose Fantasy assets might struggle to deliver the goods over the upcoming month or so.

Chelsea and Swansea are the two clubs who stand out in that regard, with both sides only facing one favourable match-up apiece.

Chelsea

(LIV, ars, hul, LEI, MUN, sot)

With Liverpool, Leicester and Man United all visiting Stamford Bridge over the next six Gameweeks, along with trips to Arsenal and Southampton, Antonio Conte’s men face a real test of their Fantasy potential.

Clean sheets could certainly prove hard to come by, with Liverpool and Man United both in the top five for total goal attempts so far this season, while Leicester are ranked joint-first for big chances created with 11. Arsenal also look to be coming into form, having scored five goals in their last two league matches, so only the Hull and Southampton clashes look reasonable bets for defensive returns.

Liverpool, Leicester, Man United and Southampton all feature among the six sides conceding the fewest numbers of shots from inside the box over the opening four Gameweeks, although the Foxes and Saints have let in seven and six goals respectively.

All four match-ups look pretty tough, though, while Hull have only conceded three goals thus far, and a trip to the Emirates is also unlikely to yield many goals.

The fixtures perhaps warrant only a maximum of one Chelsea attacker in our 15-man squads then, with that choice likely to come between Eden Hazard and Diego Costa.

Given the premium price tags of Chelsea defenders, and the fact there is also added competition for places following the signings of David Luiz and Marcos Alonso, they are probably best ignored for the time being.

Swansea

(sot, MCI, LIV, ars, WAT, sto)

The short-term outlook for the Swans remains pretty gloomy, with testing encounters against Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal around the corner.

City are the top scorers in the league so far with 11 goals, and have to be fancied to cause the Swansea defence significant problems, while as already touched upon, the Liverpool and Arsenal attacks are also among the most dangerous in the top flight.

Popular budget options Jordi Amat and Stephen Kingsley should remain on our benches, then, with the other three matches on the current slate (sou, WAT, sto) also pretty tricky, with the Potters expected to have found some form by the time the two teams meet in Gameweek 10.

At the other end of the pitch, goals could be in short supply against City and Liverpool, in particular, with those two teams allowing the third and second fewest shots from inside the box respectively so far. The Welsh side have traditionally fared well at the Emirates, but that is also a tough match-up, although the other three matches perhaps offer some hope, with Stoke and Watford struggling to keep things tight at the back.

With so many in-form options for our front eight positions, there appears little chance that Fantasy favourite Gylfi Sigurdsson will appear on our radars until the schedule begins to ease from Gameweek 9 onwards.

Middlesbrough

(eve, TOT, whm, WAT, ars, BOU)

‘Boro’s favourable start to the campaign now appears over, with Aitor Karanka’s side facing four tricky fixtures over the next six Gameweeks.

A trip to in-form Everton on Saturday may see ‘Boro find the going tough at both ends of the pitch, while clashes against Tottenham, West Ham and Arsenal also appear unlikely to yield any defensive points.

Watford and Bournemouth are ranked in the bottom three for total goal attempts, though, so those owning the likes of George Friend may be happy to hold should more pressing issues need to be addressed in the meantime.

With just two goals conceded, and three big chances allowed, a match-up against Tottenham currently appears one of the toughest assignments from an attacking point of view. A trip to the Emirates may also see ‘Boro struggle to score, although West Ham’s collapse against Watford last weekend suggests the Teessiders may be able to net at the London Stadium.

Alvaro Negredo certainly looks surplus to requirements, then, as the competition for places in our three-man frontlines heats up, while ‘Boro midfielders also look set to struggle over the next few weeks.

Also be wary of…

Burnley
It’s difficult to see Sean Dyche’s side picking up too many points over the next six matches (lei, WAT, ARS, sot, EVE, mun).

Even the most favourable – the home clash to Watford in Gameweek 6 – appears pretty tricky from a defensive point of view coming up against Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney, while it’s hard to see where the clean sheets are going to come in the other five clashes.

Tom Heaton owners will primarily continue to rely on save points, then, with little upside in owning any other members of the Clarets rearguard.

The Leicester, Watford and Southampton encounters may see Burnley manage to score a couple of goals, but Andre Gray is another mid-priced forward who now doesn’t appear worthy of a place in our 15-man squads.

Leicester
The next trio of away matches (mun, che, tot) mean we have to be slightly wary in regards to the prospects of Leicester’s key Fantasy assets.

All three teams are particularly strong defensively, so while Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez may be able to shine in the upcoming home fixtures (BUR, SOT, CPL), they could struggle to attract much investment due to the mixed schedule and the plethora of in-form midfielders and forwards in Fantasy Premier League (FPL). Regardless, Mahrez’ owners will be hoping a two-goal haul in the Champions League last night can kick start his campaign.

When assessing the potential of Foxes defenders over the next month or so, returns appear a reasonable possibility at the King Power Stadium, but hard to come by on the road, particularly following the 4-1 defeat at Liverpool last time out.

Leicester defenders remain on the periphery of our thoughts, then, although Wes Morgan and Robert Huth’s goal threat from set-pieces has to be respected.

Southampton
In the short to medium term, home matches against Swansea and Burnley could persuade Fantasy owners to hold for the moment, with both match-ups looking favourable for both defensive and attacking returns.

Beyond those two fixtures, it’s difficult to see Southampton players enjoying much success in away trips to Leicester and, in particular, Man City, while the Dimitri Payet and Michail Antonio combination will be tricky to keep quiet.

Saints defenders, bar perhaps Cedric Soares, generally look unlikely to deliver great value given their premium price tags, then, while Dusan Tadic, Nathan Redmond and Shane Long owners may be looking for an exit route.

Man United
It’s in the longer term where United assets may struggle to deliver, with unfavourable away trips to Liverpool and Chelsea in Gameweeks 8 and 9 on the horizon.

Those two teams have both scored nine goals apiece, and lead the way for total goal attempts among all 20 clubs, so clean sheets would appear unlikely in those matches.

United attackers may also find the going tough in those two clashes, so although in the short-term the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic should be able to maintain form against Watford, Leicester and Stoke, there is a potential road block further down the line.

The attacking potential of Antonio Valencia and Luke Shaw means they could still deliver points in those two tricky away matches. That pair continue to look strong options for the three home matches (LEI, STO, BUR) over the next month or so.