Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 13 – The Strong

The forthcoming fixture list continue to promote Liverpool assets as the leading premium options, but it’s Swansea City’s kind upcoming schedule that has us on the look out for value picks over the next four-to-six Gameweeks.

Liverpool

(SUN, bou, WHM, mid, eve, STO)

The schedule remains hugely positive for the Reds, with Jurgen Klopp’s side avoiding all of the current top six over the coming period.

From an attacking point of view, in particular, the fixtures are very favourable, with Sunderland having conceded more shots from inside the box (56) than any other side over the last four Gameweeks, while Middlesbrough and West Ham United are joint-first for big chances against over the same period.

Everton, meanwhile, have conceded the second highest number of goals (eight) over the last four Gameweeks, with the matches against Bournemouth and Stoke City also falling favourably.

Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane should all remain strong options for our five-man midfields, then, with all three among the leading captaincy options for Gameweek 13.

Liverpool have kept two clean sheets in their last five matches, and look to have a few solid opportunities to improve upon that record.

Bournemouth have only scored twice in their last four encounters, while Sunderland and Middlesbrough feature in the bottom four for shots inside the box over the last four Gameweeks.

West Ham’s attacking threat has also been limited of late, while a home clash against Stoke also appears a reasonably favourable match-up.

It’s only the Gameweek 17 trip to Goodison Park that stands out as being a particularly testing fixture in the next six, then, so Loris Karius and Dejan Lovren should continue to offer excellent value, with Nathaniel Clyne an option should your budget stretch that far.

Swansea City

(CPL, tot, SUN, wba, mid, WHM)

The Welsh outfit have endured a difficult start to the campaign, but their schedule really opens up over the next month or so, with only the Gameweek 14 trip to White Hart Lane providing any downside.

Their three home fixtures, in particular, look really strong from an attacking perspective, given no side has conceded more goals than Crystal Palace (12) over the last four Gameweeks.

As already touched upon, Sunderland also offer a favourable match-up even though the Black Cats will arrive in south Wales in more confident mood following two recent victories.

West Ham, meanwhile, have conceded 14 goals in their six away matches, although the trips to West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough could prove tricky given that both sides have been impressive at the back of late.

There’s only one genuine attacking option for us to consider, though, with Gylfi Sigurdsson set to attract significant investment given that he dominates all of the Swans’ set-pieces, including penalties.

At the other end of the pitch, there may also be some opportunities to register a clean sheet or two over the coming period.

Sunderland have failed to score in two of their last three on the road, while ‘Boro have blanked in three of their last five matches.

West Ham, as already alluded to, are finding goals hard to come by at the moment given the lack of form among their forwards, while although Crystal Palace and West Brom boast decent attacks, they’re also reasonably favourable match-ups.

Jordi Amat’s 13% ownership in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) will hope the Spaniard can keep his starting spot, then, with a 4.1 price tag making him the standout option in defence.

Leicester City

(MID, sun, MCI, bou, sto, EVE)

The champions are another side who could yet provide us with some interesting Fantasy options over the next six Gameweeks, with only the home clash against Manchester City in Gameweek 15 looking unfavourable.

In defence, clean sheets appear possible in the fixtures against Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Bournemouth and Stoke, given that the Cherries have only scored twice in their last four matches, while ‘Boro, and – until recently – Sunderland, have been among the weakest attacks.

Everton have only scored four goals in as many matches, but the Foxes will have to keep Romelu Lukaku quiet, which may prove to be a big ask.

There is concern regarding Leicester’s backline, though, in the absence of the injured Kasper Schmeichel: Claudio Ranieri’s men have shipped four goals in their last two matches in the Dane’s absence.

Investment in the likes of Christian Fuchs and Wes Morgan may be put on hold until Schmeichel returns to full fitness.

Leicester’s next few fixtures could offer attacking profit, although the match-up with Boro in Gameweek 13 will provide a test given their recent defensive form.

But Sunderland should surrender opportunities, while Everton have shipped eight goals in their last four matches, and City have only managed one clean sheet in seven.

But with Bournemouth and Stoke fairly strong at the back during recent weeks, and with no real plum home fixture in the next six, it remains unlikely the likes of Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy will see increased investment, particularly given the form of other midfielders and forwards in the same price brackets.

Also Consider

Tottenham Hotspur
With three plum home fixtures (SWA, HUL, BUR) in the next five, Spurs attackers and defenders look ripe for investment.

Those three teams are among the four lowest scoring sides this season, so defensive returns appear very likely, although the trio of away fixtures on the current slate (che, mun, sot) do slightly limit the appeal of the Spurs rearguard.

Danny Rose is suspended for Saturday’s trip to Stamford Bridge, but beyond that currently looks to offer the best value in the Spurs rearguard. If fit, Toby Alderweireld’s threat in the box could also be worth considering as a slightly pricier pick.

In attack, Harry Kane looks a great option for those three kind home fixtures, and surely a leading captaincy contender.

Son Heung-min, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli may also come onto our radars in midfield, although it’s hard to look beyond Kane for Spurs attacking coverage given he has penalty duties and prolific form.

Southampton
Saints look to have four reasonably favourable matches (cpl, MID, sto, bou) in the next six, with the home clashes against Everton and Tottenham slightly trickier.

After keeping a clean sheet against Liverpool last weekend, there look to be further opportunities for defensive returns over the coming stretch, so the fit-again Cedric Soares, priced at 4.9 in FPL, looks an interesting option.

While there’s no plum home fixture in the next six, Saints attackers should have the ability to flourish in all of the coming matches bar possibly against Spurs, so Charlie Austin and, to a lesser extent Nathan Redmond, remain viable options.

Chelsea
Although the league leaders do face tough match-ups against Tottenham and Man City over the next two Gameweeks, their blistering form could see them continue to thrive, while their schedule thereafter (WBA, sun, cpl, BOU) really opens up.

It looks almost essential to invest in a Chelsea defender, then, given that they’ve kept six consecutive clean sheets, with Marcos Alonso the standout option due to his attacking threat from left wing-back.

Antonio Conte’s men have also scored 17 goals in their last six matches, and with both Spurs and Man City both conceding goals of late, even those match-ups look kind ahead of some hugely attractive fixtures.

Eden Hazard and Diego Costa look irresistible at this point in time, then, although the Spain international is continuing to walk the suspension tightrope.

The cheaper Pedro offers another viable option, while Victor Moses’ numbers also suggest he could be worth considering in the budget bracket.

Man United
Jose Mourinho’s men face four favourable fixtures (WHM, cpl, wba, SUN) in the next six, so we may see United assets start to come back onto our radars.

Goals certainly appear on the cards in those matches, so the 7.4-rated Juan Mata may hold some appeal as a mid-priced differential, with his ownership in FPL currently at just 2.9%.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is also back from suspension, though, and may force his way into contention for our three-man forward lines.

With the United defence in a state of flux due to injuries, investing in the rearguard looks a less appealing option despite the reasonable fixture list.

As the most nailed on defender, the fit-again Antonio Valencia offers the greatest appeal, but there currently appear to be better options elsewhere in his bracket.