Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 25 – The Strong

Our attentions turn to the upcoming schedule now and, with the expected blanks in Gameweek 28 also taken into account, we’ve picked out the teams best placed to flourish over the next four-to-six rounds of matches.

Chelsea look primed to continue their march towards a fifth Premier League title, while guaranteed fixtures in Gameweek 28 promote players from Hull City, Swansea City and Everton.

Chelsea

(bur, SWA, whm, WAT, sto, CPL)

Having taken four points from encounters against Liverpool and Arsenal, Chelsea are poised for a very kind looking schedule over the next six rounds of matches.

A Gameweek 28 clash against Watford will be rescheduled if the Blues progress past Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup fifth round, but in any case, the other two home fixtures look promising for Eden Hazard and Diego Costa.

Swansea City and Crystal Palace both feature among the four sides conceding the most goals over the last four Gameweeks, with nine and eight respectively.

The three away matches also add to the prospects of the Chelsea attack, although Burnley have kept clean sheets in three of their last four at Turf Moor.

From a defensive perspective, all of the fixtures on the current slate should provide Antonio Conte’s side with the possibility of clean sheets.

The Palace and Burnley match-ups arguably appear the most favourable, given that they’ve scored just two and four goals respectively over the last four Gameweeks.

Marcos Alonso could be on track for further double-digit returns, then, and remains a very strong option for the upcoming period, though the likes of Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta merit consideration as double-up options alongside the raiding wing-back.

Hull City

(ars, BUR, lei, SWA, eve, WHM)

It’s Hull City’s home fixtures over the coming months that should bring their players onto our radar, with matches against Middlesbrough, Watford and Sunderland following this current block.

From a defensive point of view, the clashes against Burnley and Swansea City appear pretty promising, considering that the Clarets have only scored five goals away from home this season, while the Swans rank 20th for shots inside the box over the last four Gameweeks with just 18.

The goal threat offered by Harry Maguire has seen him soar up our Watchlist, while the value offered by goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic will prove hard to ignore, particularly bearing in mind that Hull are one of only six teams currently guaranteed a fixture in Gameweek 28.

At the other end of the pitch, the fixtures against Burnley, Leicester City and Swansea stand out as very favourable.

Burnley have conceded exactly twice in each of their last four encounters on the road, while Leicester have shipped 10 goals over the last four Gameweeks.

Swansea, as already touched upon, are still leaking goals, while the West Ham United match-up also looks reasonable, given that the Hammers have let in six goals in their last three matches.

Marco Silva’s first-choice starting XI hasn’t quite emerged yet, given the number of new faces that arrived at the KCOM Stadium last month, and while their attackers currently look less appealing, the output of players such as Kamil Grosicki, Oumar Niasse and Abel Hernandez could ultimately prove crucial to the Tigers’ bid to avoid the drop.

Swansea City

(LEI, che, BUR, hul, bou, MID)

With a Gameweek 26 trip to Stamford Bridge the only negative, and given that they have a guaranteed fixture against Hull in Gameweek 28, there’s a lot to like in the Swans’ schedule.

With form and fixtures aligning, Gylfi Sigurdsson has to be a key target; he could even be classed as fixture proof after netting against Liverpool and Manchester City.

As previously mentioned, home clashes against Leicester and Burnley are among some of the best fixtures you could ask for with regards to attacking potential. A match-up against Bournemouth is also high on the list, considering that the Cherries have conceded more goals (13) than any other side over the last four Gameweeks.

Fernando Llorente could also be an option for our 15-man squads, then, although owing Sigurdsson is surely the priority. At 4.2, Tom Carroll could also emerge as a budget midfield enabler, while Luciano Narsingh is one to monitor is he can cement a starting role on the back of successive assists as a substitute.

While Swansea have yet to keep a clean sheet under Paul Clement, they may be able to pick up one or two over the coming weeks.

The three home matches all look very favourable, given that Leicester have failed to score in their last four, while Middlesbrough have netted just twice over the same period.

As mentioned, Burnley struggle for goals on the road, while the Hull and Bournemouth match-ups are also fairly reasonable.

With two goals in his last five matches, Alfie Mawson has demonstrated a strong set-piece threat, and looks an interesting option in the budget price bracket.

Everton

(mid, SUN, tot, WBA, HUL, liv)

The outlook for the Toffees remains very favourable in the short-term, particularly with Ronald Koeman’s men guaranteed to host West Bromwich Albion in Gameweek 28.

They do face difficult away fixtures against Liverpool and Manchester United in Gameweeks 30 and 31, though, which is something to bear in mind, but their next five at Goodison Park (SUN, WBA, HUL, LEI, BUR) all look very winnable.

The stage looks set for Romelu Lukaku to continue where he left off against Bournemouth, then, with attacking points looking a strong possibility in four of the next five.

Ross Barkley is also a viable option in midfield, although there may be a squeeze on Everton spots if you want to double-up on the defence.

The Toffees have kept clean sheets in four of their last six, and could add to that tally, particularly over the next two Gameweeks.

Leading options Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines also offer the promise of attacking returns, with the former in a particularly rich vein of form, having produced a goal and three assists in his last four appearances.

The testing away trips to Spurs and Liverpool do perhaps mean the option to double-up on the Everton defence doesn’t look that appealing once the next two matches are out of the way, though.

Also Consider

West Ham United
The major attraction regarding West Ham players is the fact they have a guaranteed fixture in Gameweek 28 – away to Bournemouth, while the fixtures around that match (WBA, wat, CHE, LEI, hul) are strong enough to warrant investment.

Providing he can keep playing despite a nagging groin injury, Andy Carroll looks a viable option for our three-man forward lines, while both Michail Antonio and Robert Snodgrass may also be strong options in midfield, with goals expected against Watford, Bournemouth and Leicester in particular.

Slaven Bilic’s side have been inconsistent at the back, but with defensive points looking a reasonable possibility in the majority of the next six matches, Hammers defenders could be worth a look.

Given his goal threat from set-pieces, Winston Reid appears to be the obvious target.

Middlesbrough
The Boro schedule list all the way up to Gameweek 32 (EVE, cpl, sto, SUN, MUN, swa, hul, BUR) appears pretty kind.

The downside is that their strongest fixture in the next six, at home to Sunderland in Gameweek 28, is at risk of being a blank if Aitor Karanka’s men beat Oxford United in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

But given ‘Boro’s strength is at the back, there looks to be a decent chance of claiming a shut-out or two over the next month or so, perhaps putting the fit-again Calum Chambers back onto our radars.

Goals remain a problem, though, so it’s unlikely any of their attacking options will attract investment.

Tottenham Hotspur
If Spurs’ Gameweek 28 fixture away to Crystal Palace is rescheduled due to Mauricio Pochettino’s side progressing in the FA Cup, his side will face five on their next seven (STO, EVE, SOT, WAT, BOU) at home, following this weekend’s trip to Anfield.

That would promote both Tottenham defenders and attackers in our thinking, then, although defensive returns look more likely in the later home matches against Watford and Bournemouth.

Kyle Walker should remain a good option in the short-term, though, given his attacking threat, while although the next couple of matches aren’t quite so favourable, Spurs attackers still promise points.

Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli should all remain popular picks, then, although for those who have doubled up, the next three fixtures, and the possibility of a blank mean it’s likely you’ll only be looking to own one of the trio.

That certainly chimes with the recent transfer trends, with Kane, Eriksen and Alli all among the top 12 transferred out so far ahead of Gameweek 25.

Leicester City
It’s the Foxes’ upcoming home fixtures (LIV, HUL, STO, SUN) in particular that have caught our eye, with the prospect of their Gameweek 28 trip to Arsenal being moved no real concern given the difficulty of the fixture.

But with the champions in dire form and with their assets burdened with high price tags, it will need a drastic turnaround for the majority of Fantasy managers to seriously consider the likes of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez.

The best scenario would be for the likes of Demarai Gray or Ahmed Musa to nail down a regular starting spot, but that looks unlikely at this point.

If there are signs of improvement at the back, Wes Morgan, now down to 4.7 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), may be one to monitor heading into March and beyond.