A week of internationals has not only left our Fantasy Football glands twitching, those who fancy a regular flutter will also have been missing the usual domestic bliss. Have Paddy Power gone stir crazy with their odds for the coming Gameweek? Let’s take a look to see if their thinking can influence some last minute tinkering…
Who Will Keep a Clean Sheet?
- Man Utd 2.00 (WBA)
- Arsenal 2.00 (BIR)
- Newcastle 2.30 (WIG)
- Man City 2.40 (blp)
- Chelsea 2.50 (avl)
- Blackburn 2.50 (SUN)
- Bolton 2.62 (STK)
- Everton 2.80 (LIV)
- Wolves 2.70 (WHM)
Short and well fancied to hold their ground, Man Utd and Arsenal top the clean sheet odds table this week. Clearly Peter Odemwingie’s potential absence from the West Brom’s attacking threat and Rio Ferdinand’s return have added to Paddy’s confidence here. As for the Gunners, half of their defence are crock at the moment, but Paddy still fancies them highly against Birmingham and, as we’ve mentioned in the Picks this week, Johan Djourou looks set to start to offer value at 4.5 in the FPL.
Newcastle’s surprisingly resolute back four come next. Paddy seems confident about a home cleanie against Wigan which means the likes of Tim Krul and Mike Williamson continue to offer strong FPL value. Williamson is under threat from Sol Campbell but if he survives the cull from Hughton, he looks set to go on attracting Fantasy investment over the coming weeks. Jose Enrique is a more secure option – slightly more expensive but with a degree of attacking threat.
The two strongest defences in the league so far then follow – both with away fixtures this week against sides who possess a goal threat. Chelsea’s injuries perhaps cast some doubt over their shut-out potential at Villa, while City also have knocks and scrapes and will be up against the gung-ho tactics of Ian Holloway’s Blackpool. Their players are clearly Fantasy keepers for the Gameweek but new investment may well be tempered by this week’s plucky opposition.
Bolton and Blackburn are the outside bets for shut-outs but if you don’t back those odds then at least Gary Cahill and Chris Samba (in the Picks again this week) can chip in with some attacking threat from set-plays; they’ve got to be worth a look if you ponderig a late defensive change on a mid-price budget.
Anytime Goalscorer
- Berbatov 1.61
- Rooney 1.66
- Chamakh 1.72
- Tevez 1.72
- Arshavin 1.90
- Hernandez 2.00
- M Owen 2.00
- Adebayor 2.10
- Carroll 2.37
- Nasri 2.50
- Nani 2.50
- Anelka 2.62
- D Bent 2.80
- Torres 2.87
It’s not surprising to see United’s players leading the pack. West Brom have posted some decent results so far this season, but they seem very unlikely to come out of Old Trafford with their clean sheet untarnished. Rooney’s terrible form has seen his FPL price drop considerably but Paddy continues to back him to turn the corner. Berbatov is slightly more fancied and Nani’s odds look shorter than ever this week; that seems to back his placing at the top of our Captain Poll.
Carlos Tevez at Blackpool is well fancied although there are growing concerns that Roberto Mancini will rest the Argentinian after his international exploits. That may put off Fantasy new investment, but we still have him in our predicted lineup and Tevez owners will surely be fielding him for his potentially profitable trip to the Seaside.
Arsenal are also strongly backed for goals but still seem to lack an out-and-out goalscorer to dominate the betting odds. Chamakh is best placed, sharing the same odds as City’s Tevez, which is perhaps generous of Paddy given that goals can certainly come from other sources within Wenger’s squad. Samir Nasri and Andrei Arshavin are both up there with Nasri’s odds shorter than ever after his two-goal salvo in the defeat to West Brom.
The outside bet this week has to be Andy Carroll. Having made a great start to the season, he’s gone off the boil and was relegated to the bench at City but, should he start against Wigan, he looks a strong option at Paddy’s odds.
Paddy’s Scout Specials
This week’s Fantasy Football Scout Specials offers odds of 10/1 in the Clean Sheet Accumulator for Blackburn, Man United and Newcastle to all keep cleanies in the Gameweek. The Scout Picks special meanwhile offers you 15/1 on Charlie Adam, Dimitar Berbatov and Andy Carroll to all score this weekend.
Paddy’s Money Back Special
As always, Paddy are dead keen to give you money back and this week their focusing on the Merseyside derby for their special. If either Everton or Liverpool leads at half time, but fails to win the game, Paddy will refund all losing 1st /last goalscorer, correct score & scorecast singles on the match.
Bet £10 Get £20
If you’re new to this betting lark and new to Paddy Power then you can take up any of these odds and offers and get yourself a bonus. You can sign up via this site and get a free £20 when you register and bet a tenner.
Finally of course, we should state that all these offers are only available to those aged 18 and over and are subject to Paddy Power’s terms and conditions.
