Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 23 – The Strong

As we delve into our latest look at the schedules over the next four-to-six Gameweeks, there’s plenty of uncertainty in the air with blanks and double Gameweeks becoming the favoured topics of conversation around these parts.

Such eventualities have seen us favour Everton and West Bromwich Albion for the upcoming period, with both teams unaffected by any potential missing fixtures, while they also avoid the majority of the big guns over the next few weeks.

Everton

(sto, BOU, mid, SUN, tot, WBA)

The Toffees face four very enticing home fixtures in their next seven, with Ronald Koeman’s side hosting Hull City in Gameweek 29, following visits from Bournemouth, Sunderland and West Brom to Goodison Park.

Having registered four clean sheets in their last five, further defensive returns appear likely over the coming period, given that Middlesbrough have only scored twice in their last four, while Sunderland and Hull City tend to struggle for goals on the road.

Shut-outs look obtainable in all of the upcoming matches barring the Gameweek 27 trip to White Hart Lane, so investment in the Toffees rearguard should continue to bear fruit.

Fielded as wing-backs recently, Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines are the standout candidates, though the 4.1-priced Mason Holgate has started three of the last five and could emerge as the value pick.

The appeal is heightened by the fact Everton won’t be affected by Gameweek 26 or 28 blanks, given that they face the Baggies, who are also out of the FA Cup, in Gameweek 28.

The appeal of their leading Fantasy assets will no doubt drop when we can be certain of the teams that will face double Gameweeks, though.

From an attacking perspective, Romelu Lukaku should be capable of producing plenty of attacking points, particularly in the Bournemouth and Sunderland match-ups, considering that those teams have conceded 11 and eight goals respectively over the last four Gameweeks.

The Hull fixture in Gameweek 29 will be equally favourable, so despite not having spot-kick duties, the Belgian should be able to justify a place in many of our three-man attacks.

Ross Barkley and Kevin Mirallas could also be strong differential candidates given the kind upcoming schedule, while Tom Davies’ goal and two assists in three underlines his budget potential at 4.4.

However, we should be wary of Idrissa Gueye’s return from AFCON, which will hand Koeman a selection headache in midfield, with one of Mirallas or Davies likely to be under threat.

West Bromwich Albion

(mid, STO, whm, BOU, CPL, eve)

The Baggies are another team who won’t be affected by the possible Gameweek 26 and 28 blanks, while Tony Pulis’ men remain in the midst of a very soft part of their schedule.

West Brom have been particularly strong from an attacking point of view in home matches over the last few months, so the Bournemouth and Palace clashes look favourable for Matt Phillips and, to a slightly lesser extent, Salomon Rondon.

They also avoid all of the current top six in their away matches, though, so that pair could also produce attacking points on their travels.

Baggies defenders Chris Brunt and Gareth McAuley may provide the best value, though.

Brunt, in particular, has been explosive at the Hawthorns, be it at left-back or on the wing, and, after also collecting clean sheet points against Sunderland last time out, we may also see West Brom garner further shut-outs over the next five Gameweeks.

The clashes against ‘Boro and Palace look the most promising in that regard, given that the Eagles have managed just one goal in their last four matches.

As is the case with Everton assets, though, the appeal of Baggies players may fade once we get confirmation on which teams will face double Gameweeks.

Also Consider…

Crystal Palace
While Palace look in danger of having a blank in Gameweek 28 if Spurs progress to the FA Cup sixth round, their five fixtures up to that point (bou, SUN, sto, MID, wba) are very strong.

They’ll also be boosted by the return of Wilfried Zaha from the Africa Cup of Nations, following Ivory Coast’s surprise group-stage exit, so the winger could be back in demand at his original Fantasy Premier League (FPL) price of 5.5.

His return could also help Christian Benteke get back on track, although patience is clearly wearing thin following seven successive blanks.

There were some signs of improvement from a defensive standpoint against Everton, but while clean sheets appear possible in the two home matches, it’s unlikely many Fantasy managers will be looking to take a gamble on the likes of Jeffrey Schlupp quite yet.

Tottenham Hotspur
Their Gameweek 25 trip to Anfield is the only really difficult fixture all the way up to Gameweek 35, although as already touched upon, Spurs may well face a blank in Gameweek 28.

The key may be to plan for such an eventuality, then, particularly given the high proportion of FPL bosses that are currently sitting on at least two Spurs players.

The short-term outlook looks particularly bright, with a trip to Sunderland followed by a home encounter with ‘Boro, so Danny Rose and Kyle Walker both remain strong picks in defence, while further forward, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane should be able to maintain their excellent form.

It’s worth bearing in mind, though, that Rose and Kane have been ruled out of the weekend cup clash with Wycombe, though Mauricio Pochettino remains hopeful that both will be available for Tuesday’s trip to Wearside.

Their next four home matches see them entertain ‘Boro, Stoke, Everton and Southampton, and while there is real plum fixture following the match-up against Aitor Karanka’s side, Spurs have to be backed to deliver – they boast a formidable record at the Lane and are the only side yet to taste defeat in front of their own fans.

Swansea City
It’s the Welsh side’s next four home matches (SOT, LEI, BUR, MID) that have caught our eye, while the Swans could also be unaffected by the Gameweek 28 blanks, given that Hull City need to progress past Fulham and a potential fifth round opponent to bring about a postponement.

All four of those teams visiting the Liberty Stadium have had their struggles away from home of late, so attackers such as Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente could offer solid value over the next month or so.

There is a downside, though, with away trips to Man City, and more so Chelsea, in the next four perhaps unlikely to yield goals.

Tom Carroll could also be seen as a midfield enabler priced at just 4.2 in FPL for those looking to switch back to a 3-4-3, but it’s unlikely we’ll be rushing to invest in the defence until we see some improvement in that area, after shipping six goals in their last two matches.

Manchester United
There is a major caveat for United’s inclusion here: they seem likely to face blanks in both Gameweeks 26 and 28.

Jose Mourinho’s side are firm favourites to progress to the EFL Cup final given their 2-0 lead over Hull City ahead of tomorrow night’s semi-final second leg, so their Gameweek 26 clash against Manchester City could be moved out of that Gameweek.

United face Wigan Athletic in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday, so should they also progress past the fifth round, the Gameweek 28 match away to Southampton will also need to be rescheduled.

But despite those factors, United still face hugely appealing home fixtures against Hull City , Watford and Bournemouth in the next five, with goals expected for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, while Paul Pogba or Henrikh Mkhitaryan could emerge as midfield supplements to the big Swede.

At the back, Phil Jones could be worth a look given the high probability of clean sheets in those matches, with Antonio Valencia’s raids down the right worth monitoring.

But bearing in mind that United will, in all likelihood, have to negotiate those blanks, many will be deterred from going all-in with Mourinho’s regulars in order to negotiate Gameweeks 26 and 28.