Fantasy Football Fixture Analysis Gameweek 11

Welcome to Fantasy Football Fixture Analysis Gameweek 11.

It goes without saying that there are things that are more important than football and FPL. I’ll begin my article by saying the whole site is thinking of Leicester City Football Club, its fans and the friends and relatives of those involved after the horrific events that took place outside the King Power Stadium on Saturday evening. Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, unlike a lot of other football owners in the Premier League and beyond, was very much a fan and player favourite, having guided the club to a land many others could only dream of in such a short time. In these dark times, the Foxes’ fans have paid tribute to the generosity of the Thai businessman, expressing their gratitude for the kindness he has shown to the players, staff and fans.

In an open letter, goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel also said: “It is difficult to put into words how much you have meant to this football club and to the city of Leicester. We all know about the investment in the football club you and your family have made. But this is about so much more.

You cared so deeply for not just the club but for the entire community. Your endless contribution to Leicester’s hospitals and charities will never be forgotten. You went above and beyond in every aspect.”

This tragedy came on the same day as Glenn Hoddle collapsed at the BT Sport studios as they prepared for the transmission of the channel’s coverage of the 3pm kick offs. At the time of writing, it has transpired the former England manager had suffered a heart attack and the sound engineer in the studio performed CPR. He is currently in hospital and is described as ‘responding well’, though in a serious condition.

So, looking ahead to the future gameweeks, as we do in the fixtures article, of course, business will return to normal and we can continue to follow the highs and lows of the sport we love but, like other tragedies in football, fans can come together from a host of different clubs in solidarity to pay tribute.

Your best bets

Man City – Southampton (H), Man United (H), West Ham (A)
Even before Monday night’s fixture against Spurs, Man City were enjoying the most shots with 198, along with the highest amount of goals scored and least conceded, with 26 and three respectively. To average finding the back of the net almost three times a game and only conceding one in three is certainly not something to turn your nose up at. Little wonder, then, that the Cityzens make it to my first fixture selection, especially when you look at the clubs they have on the horizon.

Before a ball is kicked in the next round of Premier League fixtures, Pep’s men face Fulham at home on Thursday 1 November, less than 72 hours before Southampton come to town in the 3pm kick off on Sunday. With that in mind, I would say to hold fire on any transfers before this game has been played, just in case anything should happen to your chosen player. Anyway, let’s just say the Saints – a team their manager Mark Hughes has said now has a “solid defence” after drawing 0-0 with fellow strugglers Newcastle – will need to have their wits about them when they face a team that has beaten them three times in a row, with 21 goals conceded in the last nine meetings.

After that, it’s the first Manchester derby of the season which they would love to win – they’d “love it”, as Keegan once said – the past few meetings have been a rather mixed bag however. Though the lads in blue won four consecutive times over 2013 to 2014, it has been four losses, two draws and two wins since. Lest we forget, however, the Red Devils have the worst defence in the top 14 clubs of the Premier League, having only kept a clean sheet once so far, the joint worst in the league with West Ham and Huddersfield.

The Hammers are in fact next on the list for Man City, as Manuel Pellegrini shares a reunion with an old adversary. This has been quite a goal fest of recent times, as the Cityzens have scored a whopping 20 goals over just six meetings across all competitions, with 4-1 being the score on the board when the two sides last met in London back in April.

Leicester City – Cardiff (A), Burnley (H), Brighton (A)
On the back of such a terrible night for the club on Saturday, it’s unknown what effect such a tragedy will have on the players and staff at the club. Indeed, Kasper Schmeichel was allegedly one of the first people on the scene after the helicopter crash and will no doubt have witnessed a scene that no person should ever have to. The next three matches could help to show the players’ strength and resilience on the pitch as they face teams who, on paper at least, should be a weaker opposition.

First up is the match against Cardiff City, a game that may follow in the footsteps of Leicester’s Carabao Cup tie with Southampton on Tuesday night in being postponed as everyone connected to The Foxes comes to terms with what has happened. We should find out tomorrow what the Premier League’s decision is. On the basis the fixture does go ahead this weekend, it’s worth noting The Bluebirds have found the back of the net five times in the past two games, with the most recent time serving as a wake up call to Liverpool to go and try and score themselves. This therefore could prove problematic to a team that itself is not unfamiliar with the opposition scoring, having shipped in 16 in 10 games. However, the Leicester attack – which has scored the same amount of goals over the same period – will surely be looking to make the most of playing against a side that has let in 23, with only Fulham faring worse.

Following on from the potential goal fest at the Cardiff City Stadium, it’s Burnley back at the King Power Stadium in what will no doubt be a very emotional occasion that will also mark Remembrance Day the very next day. The fixture has been very favourable for the Foxes – since the days of when the two teams were in the Championship in 2011, the East Midlanders have won eight, drawn three and lost two. A trip to the seaside to play Brighton is then on the cards once the international break has been seen out. Chris Hughton’s Seagulls have so far had the fewest amount of shots so far this campaign, with just 81 in ten games.

Spurs – Wolves (A), Crystal Palace (A), Chelsea (H)
Whilst they are fifth in the table after only nine games, having won seven and lost two, Spurs have been quite the enigma when it comes to FPL. With Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli out injured and Kane not really firing, it has been the defence that has shone through, as only eight goals have been conceded – equal with Chelsea in being the third best. Looking at more recent times, the last three fixtures have ended up with clean sheets for the North London club.

Even with the prospect of Chelsea being rather tricky in Gameweek 13, the next two games could prove to have goal scoring potential, along with further defensive stability, as the north London side faces two squads who have suddenly found life in the Premier League rather difficult. Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli also began the Man City fixture on the bench and so their return to being in the starting 11 is very much imminent.

Tottenham are unbeaten in the last four ties against Wolves, with the most recent time they played against each other being back in January 2012. You don’t have to look so far back when it comes to the last meeting between them and Crystal Palace, however the team from the north of the Thames has been triumphant eight times in the last 11 across all competitions, having scored 12 in that time and kept eight clean sheets.

Though the Chelsea game begins a run that also includes Inter Milan in the Champions League and then Arsenal back in the Premier League – which Kane loves to score in, of course – the next two games could be the ideal preparatory confidence boost with the big hitters back.

Clubs to avoid – or at least be cautious of…

Crystal Palace – Chelsea (A), Spurs (H), Man United (A)
Whilst they showed great gumption to record a 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday, thanks to two penalties slotted away by Luka Milivojevic, Crystal Palace do not have particularly rosy fixtures on the horizon. This is something that fellow owners of FPL favourite Aaron Wan-Bissaka will look at and think “Right, I got him at £4m and so he’s staying on the bench for a while, then” – and with good reason. Roy Hodgson’s men have failed to keep a clean sheet in the last four games, as Bournemouth, Wolves and Everton have joined the Gunners in scoring against them. The other end of the pitch hasn’t been too much of a joyous occasion for the Eagles, either, having forced the opposing goalkeeper to pick up the ball from the net only seven times so far. That’s the third lowest, with only Southampton, Newcastle and Huddersfield having performed worse.

Now in 14th position, with only three points separating them from a relegation spot, Crystal Palace face a tough task as they travel to Maurizio Sarri’s resurgent Chelsea who have scored nine in the last three Premier League games. Whilst 2017 was a good year for the Eagles as they beat the Blues 2-1 on two occasions, the rest of the historical picture looks rather bleak with 10 losses in 14 meetings, of which 13 were scored and 29 were shipped in over that time. As previously mentioned, Spurs are then waiting in the wings and a trip to Old Trafford is never an easy affair, even if it’s an unreliable third season Mourinho team.

Being an optimist – I have to be when I look at my FPL team and its rank – I do feel compelled to say there is light on the horizon, however, as the start of December will see the Eagles meet Burnley, Brighton and West Ham.

Bournemouth – Man United (H), Newcastle (A), Arsenal (H)
Bournemouth have shown themselves to be a more than a formidable team so far this season, sitting in a very impressive sixth place, having won six of their first ten games and scored 19 goals. They’re only two points off a Champions League spot, in fact.

That said, though, two of the next three games could be a real challenge for the Cherries, with Man United the first team to come to town. The two sides have only played each other 14 times, with the six in the last three years being the ones I will focus on – as you can’t really bring much from a game in 1949 into relevant statistics! Well, Bournemouth may have won the first modern-day encounter between the teams back in 2015, however the Red Devils have been victorious in four since, with a 1-1 draw nestled in the middle.

Fans will be hoping Callum Wilson stays fit and keeps his scoring boots on as Josh King is currently sidelined, especially when the squad makes the very long trip to Newcastle. That’s then the brief respite before Arsenal come to the Vitality Stadium. Unlike The Magpies, The Gunners aren’t exactly scared to move forwards and score, matching Chelsea on 24 goals scored which is only two behind the 26 put away by Man City.

An attacking Bournemouth player could still do well for you over this time, however I’d shy away from any of their defenders or fellow FPL fan Asmir Begovic.

Wolves – Spurs (H), Arsenal (A), Huddersfield (H)
After making such a great start to the season, Wolves have now hit a bit of a stumbling block. Nuno Espírito Santo’s men have failed to find the back of the net in the last two games and have conceded three over that time. Sure, it’s not panic stations just yet and there is plenty of time to turn things around back to winning ways, however the next two games certainly won’t be an easy way to do that, with returning players in Spurs’ case and a positive atmosphere instilled when you look at Arsenal.

Looking into the history books, as you know I like to do when it comes to statistics, the last time Wolves were triumphant over Spurs at Molineux was on 10 February 2010, whilst you have to look back a bit further for the last time they beat Arsenal. The day was 29 September 1979 and it finished 3-2 in what was then a Division 1 fixture – it’s been 16 losses in the 39 years since. Fast forward to now and fans will no doubt be hoping both matches resemble a repeat of the Man City match earlier this season that finished 1-1 after a spirited performance, which would then tie them up nicely for when the league’s lowest goalscorers, Huddersfield, visit after the international break in Gameweek 13. Therefore, like Crystal Palace’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka, I’d also say to keep hold of players like Matt Doherty and Ryan Bennett, placing them on your bench in this storm, as the calmer waters of The Terriers and then Cardiff City will provide a safer sailing until the next time the boat gets rocky.

Plan ahead
I’ve created this section to basically give the heads up on Liverpool and Arsenal. These are two teams who play each other this week but then have two favourable fixtures afterwards, allowing you some time to plan your moves and see to having the big hitters in time for the games they could run riot.

Liverpool – Arsenal (A), Fulham (H), Watford (A)
Liverpool go into Gameweek 11 on the back of two straight wins in the league, which now means their tally is eight victories and two draws. You no doubt don’t need to be told that it is only the top three who haven’t been defeated in the league at the time of writing.

Little surprise, then, that I feel compelled to mention The Reds’ fixtures once they have the difficult game at the Emirates Stadium out the way this weekend. After the four goals put away against Cardiff, the stars are in the eyes of FPL managers who have Salah or Mane – or, better still, both – in their team as they then see that Fulham, who have conceded the most goals of any Premier League team so far with an eye-watering 28, then make the trip to Anfield. The West London club has lost four on the trot to the men from Merseyside, conceding 13 in the process, so you have to favour the home side here.

After that, Liverpool make the trip to Watford, a team that has had a mixed run of results of late, having lost a duo of games and won two since the draw against Fulham.

Arsenal – Liverpool (H), Wolves (H), Bournemouth (A)
Arsenal’s defence is still not exactly water tight, having conceded four in the last three games – though, admittedly, two of those were Milivojevic penalties. Where they have been fantastic, however, has been going forward, netting 10 in the same timeframe. After the Liverpool tie, Wolves come to North London which, as previously mentioned, could see the lads in gold and black fired up like their fixture against Man City, causing the home side problems. But then, there’s that horrendous record of no victories over the Gunners in 39 years hanging over them like a Halloween decoration you forgot to put away. The bookies will certainly favour the home side in this game.

Following on from the international break, a trip to the Vitality Stadium then beckons. Bournemouth have played even fewer games against Arsenal than they have against Man United, having met the Cherries only seven times. The majority of these have seen a win for the Gunners and, as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – who is top of the goal-scoring leaderboard with Eden Hazard – and Alexandre Lacazette are firing at all cylinders for their manager Unai Emery, there could be some great potential for another triumph, even with Bournemouth playing as well as they currently are.

The all important FPL FIXTURE TRACKER itself…

Thanks for reading Fantasy Football Fixture Analysis Gameweek 11. This article was written by theswirly

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