Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 12 – The Strong

While Liverpool assets look set to continue delivering, the fixture list suggests mid-price and budget options from West Bromwich Albion, Hull City and Stoke City could provide us with fantastic value over the next four-to-six Gameweeks.

West Bromwich Albion

(BUR, hul, WAT, che, SWA, MUN)

The Baggies face two of the bottom three, and in total four home matches in the next six, enhancing the prospects of their Fantasy assets over the upcoming period.

Tony Pulis’ side have only delivered two clean sheets this season, but will be expected to add to that total over the next few matches, given that Hull City and Watford have only scored three goals apiece over the last four Gameweeks.

Burnley, meanwhile, rank fourth from bottom for shots inside the box, and Swansea City have failed to earn a point on the road since their opening day victory at Burnley.

Gareth McAuley and Ben Foster should remain popular choices, then, while Chris Brunt has emerged as another option at the back providing he can keep hold of his starting berth, preferably in midfield to offer some “out of position” potential.

From an attacking perspective, West Brom’s prospects, for once, also appear bright; Burnley and Swansea are tied for the most big chances conceded over the last four Gameweeks.

In addition, Hull have conceded the second highest number of goals (10) over the same period, while Watford shipped six goals in their last away match against Liverpool.

Nacer Chadli and Salomon Rondon could emerge as options if they can shrug off the injury concerns that place question marks over both ahead of Monday’s clash with the Clarets.

Hull City

(sun, WBA, mid, CPL, tot, whm)

Of Hull’s next six fixtures, it’s only the Gameweek 16 trip to White Hart Lane that looks unfavourable.

The Tigers got back amongst the goals at Southampton last time out and could find further joy against Sunderland this weekend, given the Black Cats rank second for shots conceded inside the box over the last four Gameweeks.

The West Brom match-up also looks reasonably favourable, considering they have conceded eight goals and allowed eight big chances over the last four Gameweeks, while no team has conceded more goals (11) than Crystal Palace across the same spell.

Middlesbrough and West Ham have been fairly tight at the back of late, but both rank in the top 10 for big chances conceded, offering some hope that Hull will be able to find the net.

Robert Snodgrass has now slipped back to his starting price of 5.5 and certainly looks worthy of consideration for our five-man midfields.

At the other end of the pitch, defensive returns also appear a possibility given that Mike Phelan’s men face off against a number of the lowest scoring sides this season.

Sunderland have only netted nine goals, the fewest among all 20 clubs, while Middlesbrough and West Ham United have managed 10 and 11 respectively.

Although West Brom and Palace have fared slightly better, they’re still not the most potent of sides, so Hull’s cheap defensive assets are in our thoughts.

Michael Dawson looks the obvious target given his kind price tag and the fact he offers a decent threat, as illustrated by his goal against Southampton.

Stoke City

(BOU, wat, BUR, ars, SOT, LEI)

Stoke are another side who face four home fixtures over the next six Gameweeks, and with none of those against a side in the top eight, their players should continue to offer great value.

In terms of the attacking prospects, the Burnley match looks the most favourable match-up given the Clarets have conceded three goals in all but one of their four away matches.

Leicester City also rank in the top four for both shots conceded inside the box and big chances against over the last four Gameweeks, making that appear a pretty promising clash, while Bournemouth and Southampton both conceded two goals in their most recent away matches, at Middlesbrough and Hull respectively.

With Watford also offering a decent match-up, Joe Allen should continue to offer fantastic value in midfield, providing he isn’t shifted into a deeper central berth to accommodate Bojan or cover for injuries to Glenn Whelan and Geoff Cameron. Up top, Wilfried Bony could emerge as a viable third forward option.

The defensive prospects for Stoke may not be quite so bright, with all four visitors to the bet365 Stadium offering a decent attacking threat.

Again, the Burnley match-up appears the most likely to yield a clean sheet, with the trip to Vicarage Road perhaps the next most favourable fixture given the Hornets have only scored three goals in their last four matches, and have created just two big chances over that period.

The clashes against Bournemouth, Southampton and Leicester, are reasonable, so members of Stoke’s backline certainly look viable starters for much of the coming period, but clean sheets may continue to be hard to come by.

Liverpool

(sot, SUN, bou, WHM, mid, eve)
The Reds may only have two home fixtures in the next six but avoid all of the current top six during that run. Given their blistering form, Liverpool’s main performers look to have the schedule to continue to thrive.

Jurgen Klopp’s side avoid all of the top defences, with the Gameweek 16 trip to Middlesbrough perhaps the trickiest of their six fixtures.

The Sunderland and West Ham clashes should certainly see Klopp’s men continue their impressive goalscoring form at Anfield.

Everton have also conceded eight goals in their last four matches, while Bournemouth conspired to lose at home to Sunderland last time out, making the Gameweek 14 trip to the Vitality Stadium seem far more favourable.

The option to double up on Liverpool midfielders should remain popular, then, with Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino currently the preferred pairing over Sadio Mane and Adam Lallana.

The defensive prospects appear just as bright, with Sunderland, Watford, Middlesbrough and West Ham all managing just three goals over the last four Gameweeks.

Sunderland, Watford and ‘Boro also feature in the bottom six for shots inside the area over the same period, so it’s those matches where clean sheets appear strong possibilities.

Everton’s attacking statistics are also not particularly impressive, while Southampton have only scored more than a single goal in one of their five home matches this season.

So while Liverpool have only managed one shut-out this term, the kind fixture list should mean they have a number of opportunities to improve upon that record over the coming weeks.

Dejan Lovren could provide solid value, then, particularly given his goal threat: he’s already scored two goals in this campaign.

Also Consider

Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs face four very kind looking home fixtures (WHM, SWA, HUL, BUR) over the next six Gameweeks, although trips to Chelsea and Man United somewhat temper their prospects.

As already touched upon, Swansea, Hull and, to a slightly lesser extent, Burnley are among the weakest defences this season, so Spurs attackers have to be backed in those plum home fixtures.

Should Harry Kane grab another goal against West Ham on Saturday, he will surely begin to earn transfer traffic, while Son Heung-min is another who could prosper. Christian Eriksen – if passed fit – could yet provide a prosperous differential, having notched twice for Denmark over the break.

It’s the same story from a defensive standpoint, with all four of those home clashes presenting great opportunities to register clean sheets.

With Danny Rose and Kyle Walker also capable of delivering attacking returns, even in those tough away fixtures, the two full-backs look very favourable options over the next month or so.

Leicester City
Claudio Ranieri’s men only have one difficult fixture, away to Man City, in the next six (wat, MID, sun, bou, sto), so Foxes players could soon come back into our thoughts.

Leicester have yet to register a clean sheet on the road this season, but having faced a number of top sides on their travels, they may be able to amass a shut-out or two against lesser opposition.

Christian Fuchs and Wes Morgan may attract some interest, then, although the absence of the injured Kasper Schmeichel is a concern which could threaten defensive returns.

While the fixtures are pretty kind from an attacking standpoint, a lack of form and rotation concerns mean Leicester attackers will likely continue to struggle for investment given the number of in-form options that can be found elsewhere.

Sunderland
It’s the Sunderland attack that could thrive over the coming period, with the Black Cats facing four of their next six (HUL, liv, LEI, swa, CHE, WAT) at the Stadium of Light.

Clashes against Hull and Watford, along with the trip to Swansea, look promising for the prospects of Jermain Defoe, who remains one of the most consistent scorers in his price bracket.

Those matches also appear the most favourable in terms of possible defensive returns, although, with ties against Liverpool and Chelsea on the agenda, it’s unlikely many FPL bosses will be looking to use a transfer on acquiring a Sunderland defender.

Patrick van Aanholt, with is attacking promise, could be the exception.