After looking at the sides with the most favourable schedules earlier in the week, our attention now turns to those with tougher fixtures to follow over the busy upcoming festive period.

It’s Stoke City and Everton for whom we have the greatest concern, while Sunderland could also be in for a testing month, particularly from a defensive perspective.

Stoke City

(ars, SOT, LEI, liv, che, WAT)

The Potters face all of the current top three on the road over the next six Gameweeks, while the home fixture against Southampton also looks pretty tricky on paper.

Liverpool and Chelsea lead the way for goals scored (11) over the last four Gameweeks, while Arsenal (10) aren’t far behind, so it’s unlikely Mark Hughes’ side will be able to register many clean sheets over those matches.

Southampton also offer a strong attacking threat, given that they rank third for shots from inside the box (38) over the last four Gameweeks, although they have been wasteful in front of goal, only scoring twice over the same period.

The home fixtures against Leicester City and Watford could yield a shut-out, but that looks about the ceiling for members of the Stoke backline over the coming period.

Goals also look set to be hard to come by. Chelsea have conceded just two in their last eight matches, while Liverpool have allowed the fewest number of shots from inside the box over the last four Gameweeks.

Arsenal have conceded exactly one goal in each of their last five matches, while Southampton are generally pretty resolute at the back, so Potters attackers look set to struggle in those four fixtures.

Again, the Leicester and Watford clashes do appear pretty favourable, but there certainly look to be other teams that could provide us with stronger mid-price options over the next month.

Everton

(wat, ARS, LIV, lei, hul, SOT)

It’s in the short-term particularly where Everton assets could be surplus to requirement, with the Toffees coming up against two strong defences in the form of Arsenal and Liverpool.

Saturday’s trip to Vicarage Road could also be a bit of a struggle in front of goal, given that Watford have conceded just two goals in their last three home matches, while as already mentioned, Southampton are generally a tough team to break down.

With the two kinder match-ups against Leicester and Hull City both coming on the road, it appears that Romelu Lukaku may continue to find the going tough over the coming period, particularly following the news that Yannick Bolasie will miss the rest of the season.

From a defensive standpoint, it’s perhaps even more negative, given that Leicester have scored in each of their last six matches, while Hull have registered three goals in their previous two home encounters.

Clean sheets certainly seem unlikely against the free-scoring Arsenal and Liverpool, whilst Southampton and, to a lesser extent, Watford, will fancy their chances of breaking down an Everton rearguard with one clean sheet in 10.

The likes of Ashley Williams, who sits in 7.7% of Fantasy Premier League squads, appear unlikely to garner many returns over the coming period, then, with all Toffees defenders expected to attract sales over the next week or two.

Sunderland

(swa, CHE, WAT, mun, bur, LIV)

David Moyes’ side face three of the current top six over the coming period, while Burnley’s home form this season also makes the trip to Turf Moor a potentially tricky fixture.

Man United rank second for the fewest number of shots conceded inside the box over the last four Gameweeks, while, as previously touched upon, it’s hard to see the Black Cats getting too much joy against tough defences such as Chelsea and Liverpool.

That being said, Swansea, Watford and Burnley have conceded 13, 11 and 10 goals respectively over the last four Gameweeks, so those who currently own Jermain Defoe or Victor Anichebe could be happy to hold.

In defence, the prospects look gloomier. Burnley have scored six goals in their last three home matches, while Watford have found the back of the net in three of their last four away trips.

Swansea have registered fewer shots from inside the box (18) than any other side over the last four Gameweeks, but they have scored six goals in their last two home matches.

Chelsea, United and Liverpool will all be expected to score against Moyes’ side, so there doesn’t appear to be much chance of the Black Cats registering more than one clean sheet over the coming period.

Members of the Sunderland backline look set to continue being ignored by the majority of FPL managers, then.

Also be wary of…

West Bromwich Albion
Tony Pulis’ men have three difficult match-ups (che, MUN, ars) over the next six Gameweeks and also face a trip to St Mary’s.

It looks a tall order for the Baggies to register a clean sheet in any of those matches, then, although the other two fixtures on the current slate (SWA, HUL) are very kind, so it’s unlikely those who currently own a West Brom defender will part company at this point.

It’s much the same story from an attacking perspective, with those four unfavourable matches unlikely to yield many goals.

But plum home match-ups against Swansea and Hull may be enough for those who’ve recently invested in Matt Phillips or Salomon Rondon to keep faith.

Crystal Palace
The Eagles also face three of the current top six (MUN, CHE, ars) over the next five Gameweeks, so we should be a little wary regarding the potential for Palace assets to shine over the next month.

The upside of Christian Benteke, for example, may be slightly limited, although with the other three fixtures (hul, wat, SWA) very favourable, his 7.7% ownership face a slightly tricky decision whether to stick or twist.

Although Palace did register their first clean sheet of the season last weekend, it looks a more straightforward call to continue ignoring the claims of Eagles defenders.

Only the Hull, Watford and Swansea clashes appear to offer a realistic chance of defensive points, so it looks best to search for budget and mid-priced gems elsewhere.

Bournemouth
The Cherries attack may struggle over the next six Gameweeks, with Eddie Howe’s side facing four matches (bur, SOT, che, ARS) where goals could be in short supply.

On the other hand, their other two fixtures (LEI, swa) are reasonably favourable, so Bournemouth attackers may be able to keep ticking over.

The outlook is less positive from a defensive point of view, though, given that Leicester and Swansea could well be able to breach the Cherries backline.

Chelsea and Arsenal certainly have to be backed to do just that, while Burnley and Southampton both offer reasonable goal threats, meaning Bournemouth defenders may have to rely on attacking returns to keep providing solid value.