634x258 Dugout Discussion
26 December 2014 2089 comments
Paul Paul
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Brace yourselves. Sift your way past the turkey stuffing leftovers and half-eaten tins of Quality Street and cast aside the regret brought on by that one mince pie too many – as Fantasy managers, we’ve got work to do.

Boxing Day begins a feast of football that allows us to gorge on a trio of Gameweeks over the next seven days, leading us into the New Year. For starters, our lunchtime encounter at the Bridge sees Chelsea square up to the Hammers as Sam Allardyce’s side look to breach a backline that has served up five clean sheets in their last six league outings.

Jose Mourinho’s best attempts to play Scrooge with a pre-deadline refusal to face the press and update us on Eden Hazard’s dodgy ankle meant many Fantasy owners went into the Gameweek sweating over the Belgian’s fitness. Fortunately, Hazard has been passed fit and starts once again as he looks to net for a sixth successive appearance at the Bridge.

Like Hazard, Diego Costa has preferred home comforts and has netted in all but one of his seven home appearances in front of the Chelsea faithful. Cesc Fabregas, with returns in 11 of 16 league matches, is joined by Oscar in the XI – the Brazilian returns to the role in “the hole” as Fabregas drops into the double-pivot once again.

Yet to earn a clean sheet on their travels, West Ham look unlikely to arrest that record today. Given the recent form of players such as Stewart Downing and Andy Carroll, though, Allardyce has the attacking potency capable of spoiling the hosts’ hopes of a home clean sheet – only Chelsea and Man City have scored more times on the road than the in-form Upton Park side. Big Sam makes a trio of changes for this one – Alex Song, Diafra Sakho and James Tomkins are replaced by Mark Noble, Enner Valencia and James Collins in the XI.

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  1. FPL Daniel
    • 16 Years
    10 years, 11 months ago

    Penalty new

  2. Perthite
    • 15 Years
    10 years, 11 months ago

    8 pts from Baines last 6 games. (All full games too)

    Seriously thinking of shifting to use funds elsewhere.

    1. Tim Canterbury
      • 14 Years
      10 years, 11 months ago

      He will score 10 ppg for the next 3 as soon as you sell him 😉

  3. Holmes
    • 12 Years
    10 years, 11 months ago

    Will do Baines to Skrtel...

  4. icywrists23
    • 11 Years
    10 years, 11 months ago

    hmmm is rooney likely to start next game right? and what about austin?

  5. team77
    • 11 Years
    10 years, 11 months ago

    Best option to replace Forster with?

    - Courtois
    - Hart
    - De Gea

  6. BigBlackBony
    • 11 Years
    10 years, 11 months ago

    Hi guys! Need some help for the next game week I have no defenders with favourable fixtures (Apart from Jagielka who probably won't play) and my strikers dont look like they be getting over 2 points with Giroud suspended Bony not playing too well and Sakho may not start and is also playing Arsenal 

    Team: 

    Guzan 
    Janmaat (Eve) Cresswell (Ars) Williams (Liv) Jagielka (New) Clyne (Che)
    Midfield is alrightish: Downing Mata Nasri Fabregas Sterling 
    Giroud (Suspended) Sakho (Ars) Bony (Liv)

    So I need some defenders and I'm desperate not to have another bad week as I did this week so I dint fall further down my league 
    I have one FT and 0.9 ITB but dint want to drop a lot if points with the WC coming up 

    All help would be much appreciated and thank you very much! 

    1. True Blue
      • 11 Years
      10 years, 11 months ago

      Do creswell and giroud to zaba and austin

  7. HellasLEAF
    • 16 Years
    10 years, 11 months ago

    wtf, did not know about this Bertrand rule.

    ugh, hopefully I can field 11 now.

    please no rotations!!

    1. Tim Canterbury
      • 14 Years
      10 years, 11 months ago

      Caught me by surprise too. Forced into getting Hutton. Could be worse