With just five gameweeks remaining, this is almost the end of our regular “Frisk” of the forthcoming fixtures. From here on in we’ll be diluting the offering, streamlining matters as the Fantasy season draws to a close.
For now however, there’s still meat left on the bones – plenty to pick and chew over. Read on then as we sidle up to our Season Tickers and assess the teams with best and worst runs to come over these last five gameweeks. We’re not even going to mention Aston Villa this week…
The Highs…
Wolves
Having missed out in gameweek 33, Wolves’ ascent to the top of our “Frisking” reckoning arrives as a result of their forthcoming double fixture.
Even if you disregard the lure of the double gameweek, their upcoming slate of games has them pitched entirely against sides in the bottom half of the table – putting their Premier League fate firmly in their own hands.
Molineux meetings with Fulham, West Brom and a vital final day of the season clash with Blackburn, provide plenty of beatable opponents for Mick McCarthy’s men. Away trips to Stoke (arguably the hardest of the six games), Birmingham and a Sunderland side in steep decline, also appear to provide Wolves with opportunities to pick up points and fetch Fantasy returns.
Midfielders Matt Jarvis and Jamie O’Hara stand out as the select choices while, if he can recover from his hamstring knock, Sylvain Ebanks-Blake will join an array of cheap striking options currently being eyed by Fantasy Managers.
Sunderland
Their form is nothing short of shambolic but their next five fixtures present them with the most attractive run-in of any side. Exploiting the assistance of the fixture computer may still be a task too much for an out-of-sorts Sunderland, but if they can revive themselves, the rewards in terms of Premier League survival and Fantasy returns could be very rich indeed.
Home ties with Wigan, Fulham and Wolves (as well as trips to Bolton and West Ham) will offer the Wearsiders every opportunity to lift themselves out of the mire and edge towards a top ten finish.
Strikers Asamoah Gyan and Danny Welbeck remain the key candidates but an injury scare for the latter, plus a statistic which shows just 2 goals in their last six matches, is a concern. Goals and assists from midfield remain at a premium, although if Welbeck is sidelined and Kieran Richardson can recover from his own niggles, the former United man could be a temptation in the support striker role. At the back meanwhile, injuries have ravaged Steve Bruce’s options and, while there is budget potential in the likes of Phil Bardsley, he may have to sustain attacking form to present profit.
Man City
High on life having seen off United to progress to the FA Cup final, Man City now have some fixtures which could see them end their league campaign with a flourish.
City have a gameweek 36 double approaching and, around that, their opponents look to provide a very decent platform for improved Fantasy returns. City’s run-in is bookended by trips to Blackburn and Bolton, which won’t be the easiest of the encounters, but it’s the gameweek 35-37 run (WHM, eve/TOT, STK) that surely warrants maximum interest in Roberto Mancini’s squad.
The likes of Joe Hart, Joleon Lescott and Aleksander Kolarov should all have good potential for clean sheets, while a whole gamut of midfielders ranging from the cheap Adam Johnson (5.6) and Yaya Toure (5.8), to the mid-price option presented by David Silva (8.3), are all worthy of consideration. Up front meanwhile, depending on the recovery tine for Carlos Tevez, a gamble on Mario Balotelli (7.9) could present the ultimate differential for those brave enough to take a punt.
Also to consider: Bolton – a double fixture followed by games against three obliging defences (Blackburn, Sunderland, Blackpool) should see them garner returns. Wigan – finally out of the relegation zone and now with fixtures ahead of them that should keep them safe. West Brom – get the Spurs trip out of the way this weekend and the Baggies should coast to safety with strong Fantasy returns looking a possibility.
The Lows…
Everton
Unbeaten in over two months, David Moyes’ men are going through their seemingly annual second half of the season rise. Not long ago we were witnessing the Toffees down in the doldrums but, after a superb run of form, they can now be found safe and clear on the edge of the European qualification spots.
Given their last five fixtures, their run of form couldn’t have been better timed because sustaining their unbeaten run looks set to be an almighty task. Everton have three games against top of the table sides (United, City and Chelsea), plus two away days against resurgent teams from the bottom half (Wigan and West Brom). Leighton Baines, Leon Osman and Jermaine Beckford have all been relative bargains of late but their owners may be forced to look elsewhere if the Everton ship shows signs of rocking in these choppy waters.
Arsenal
With the White Hart Lane trip approaching on Wednesday evening, Arsenal’s double-gameweek is now out of the way and we can begin to consider their assets on a level playing field.
An examination of their remaining fixtures reveals that the Gunners now face stern tests from here on in, with defensive returns in particular, looking in real danger. That could draw the sting from Arsenal and force strong attacking returns, but, given Sunday’s evidence, confidence is far from flowing through Arsene Wenger’s squad right now – for once, attacking ideas seem lacking.
Some big Fantasy fees will have been spent on the likes of Robin Van Persie, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri in recent weeks but, with a crunch home tie against United and three sticky away days at Bolton, Stoke and Fulham to come, it might be time to consider banking those Arsenal riches and redistributing the attacking funds.
Man United
United’s easiest remaining fixture appears to be the Blackpool clash at Old Trafford on the final day. At this point however, United could very have the title already wrapped up and end up playing a skeleton squad ahead of a potential Champions League final. Aside from this game, Alex Ferguson’s side have opposition that will make them work for their title.
Home games against Everton and Chelsea will certainly provide two of the sterner challenges faced at Old Trafford this season, while trips to rivals Arsenal and a Blackburn side who can put up resistance at Ewood, offer little encouragement for investment. With Champions League involvement still a factor – we can surely expect rotation across the side – add that to their testing scheduled and suddenly United’s assets begin to lose their shine.
Be wary of: Chelsea – games against Spurs, United and Everton means that Chelsea’s run-in isn’t the brightest. Spurs – they’ve got three very good fixtures in the next five weeks, but three very hard away days (Chelsea, City and Liverpool) in consecutive gameweeks that slip us a note of caution.
