Fantasy Football Fixture Analysis Gameweek 18

Welcome to Fantasy Football Fixture Analysis Gameweek 18.

Whether you had a good gameweek, a mediocre one or just, plain simply, had a terrible time, do not fear because Christmas is fast approaching! I’ll be honest, with me sitting at around 850,000 as a rank, any distraction is welcome – though there is the hope many will be so engrossed in the festivities they will forget about it and I can take advantage by taking my mediocre-at-best team up in the rankings! Not that anyone on here would overlook the deadlines, I’m sure.

So excited am I, in fact, I’ve taken a look at the final verse of the 12 days of Christmas and given it an FPL refurbishment as we look ahead to the favourable and not so decent fixtures for teams. So, without further ado, I present this to you…

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me – 12 scored in five…
Man City: GOOD SANTA (CRY H, LEI A, SOU A)

Whilst they had a forgettable trip to Stamford Bridge, Pep’s men found their winning credentials back at home with a 2-1 win against Hoffenheim and then a 3-1 victory against Everton, contributing to 12 goals scored in five league fixtures. We all know about Pep’s love of rotation and Sterling owners were livid and then relieved as he came on and scored to reach a respectable six points. Managers with Sane in their team, meanwhile, were happy to sit back and relax as the points rolled in from the German once again.

Facing a Tuesday night trip away to Leicester in the League Cup first, The Cityzens then welcome Crystal Palace to the Etihad, a team they have beaten 5-0 at home two times on the trot, with a 4-0 triumph the time before those. Fun fact – a fixture between the two sides in 1926 ended up as 11-4 in the Mancunians’ favour! After that, it’s another trip to Leicester, followed by the last game of 2018 in Southampton, which may not be so good for their recently leaky defence but there is more potential for their strike force at least.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me – 11th in the table…
Bournemouth: BAD SANTA (BRI H, TOT A, MUN A)

The first of my teams to avoid is Bournemouth, who have now only picked up three points in their last seven games, thanks to the win against Huddersfield two weeks ago. They may have scored six in that time, however the last two have seen the opposition benefit from clean sheets as the likes of Wilson and Fraser – the players, not the Dad’s Army characters – have blanked.

It’s a trip to Stamford Bridge first, as Eddie Howe’s men face Chelsea in the League Cup on Tuesday night. Whilst Brighton at home may be a bit more straightforward as the Cherries haven’t lost to the Seagulls since 2008, the tricky task of trying to continue regaining any kind of form then continues with trips to Tottenham and Man United which could see them eyeing Watford at home on 2 January as the next real chance to get three points.

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me – 10 losses so far…
Crystal Palace: BAD SANTA (MNC A, CAR H, CHE H)

The ten losses Roy Hodgson’s men have picked up so far this season are only two less than Fulham, which doesn’t bode well for two of the next three fixtures they face. As previously mentioned, it has been very much a goal fest in Man City’s favour the last three times the Eagles have travelled there and so they will be hoping to replicate what was achieved against Leicester and create something positive against Cardiff.

After that, Chelsea come to town with a resurgent Hazard in tow, presuming he’s fit, for a fixture that has produced mixed results in the past. Of the last 10 times the two sides have met, the Eagles have won four and lost six.

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me – Nine points accrued…
Fulham: GOOD SANTA (NEW A, WOL H, HUD H)

Many were probably surprised they failed to find the back of the net in the home tie against West Ham, though Fulham had scored in the two beforehand with £4.4m Kamara the only source, of all people.

Whilst they sit at the very bottom of the Premier League, now three points from safety following Southampton’s victory against Arsenal, Claudio Raneiri and his latest team do have some potential for points in their next three fixtures. For a start, you just can’t predict how Newcastle will play – they may have kept a clean sheet in their win over Huddersfield; however that was the first since their 1-0 victory when the Hornets came to St James’ Park back on 3 November. Fulham, on the other hand, have beaten the Magpies three times on the trot, with the last two being when the two teams were in the Championship. After that, The Cottagers will be hoping to pick up crucial points against Wolves and Huddersfield and start looking up the table.

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me – Eighth on the shots chart…
Spurs: GOOD SANTA (EVE A, BOU H, WOL H)

Eighth on the table of shots made, at the time of writing, is not somewhere Spurs would like to be, even if they are third in the actual table. That said, this season has told us to have patience as certain players have waited for you to sell them before they then hit real form. A certain player in this case, could be Harry Kane.

Anyway, back to looking at the whole team. Hoping to redeem themselves from the 4-2 loss in the North London Derby earlier this month, Mauricio Pochettino and his men face the Gunners on Tuesday night in the League Cup. That, combined with their Champions League campaign, has created rotation almost on a par with what Pep manages. Travelling to Goodison Park afterwards could, on paper, be tricky, however the lads from North London haven’t lost there in 11 meetings, having come away with three points on six occasions in that time. Whilst the Burnley game was pretty dire, you can appreciate the Bournemouth and Wolves fixtures won’t come only a few days after a European game against Barcelona and so could have different outcomes.

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me – Seven wins all season…
West Ham: GOOD SANTA (WAT H, SOU A, BUR A)

And of those seven Hammers wins, four have been the last foursome of games – I’m sure 12 points out of a possible 12 was not on the horizon for even the most optimistic West Ham fan. Fulham, Crystal Palace, Cardiff and Newcastle have now been put to one side with 11 goals scored and two clean sheets recorded in that same time.

The next three weeks are a great opportunity to extend this running streak, as Watford visit the London Stadium, before two festive visits to Burnley and Southampton. The club seems a happier place as Pellegrini’s reign has brought results and it could be even happier if the likes of Snodgrass, Chicharito, Anderson and even Antonio continue to make the goal net bulge.

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me – Sixth on the goals table…
Man United: GOOD SANTA (CAR A, HUD H, BOU H)

Matching their sixth place on the table, Man United are also sixth when it comes to the amount of goals scored. Sitting behind fifth-placed Arsenal by eight points and being a whopping 18 points behind their noisy neighbours, Jose Myrrh-inho (sorry, I couldn’t resist the Christmas pun) may provide a festive miracle by firstly raising a smile and secondly managing to keep his job for a bit longer – especially after that 3-1 loss at Anfield which restored Liverpool back to the top of the table. On the back of the nine goals scored in the last four league matches, there is potential to bring back victories to make the fans smile too and maybe keep the Portuguese at the helm for a little longer.

Looking at how the Red Devils have fared against the next three sides in the league, you have to look back to 1960 for the last time they lost against Cardiff, though they have admittedly only played seven times since then. There has been only one more fixture in the same time period between them and Huddersfield, with the 2-1 loss in October last year the kind of result Terriers fans will be hoping for – though that really would be a festive miracle. As previously mentioned, it won’t be an easy task for Eddie Howe and his men when they travel to Manchester on 30 December.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me – FIVE CLEAN SHEETS!
Leicester City: BAD SANTA (CHE A, MNC H, CAR H)

The Foxes are the team who have the coveted part of the song that everyone belts out, as they just so happen to have five clean sheets all season. They also, however, have the worst two next league fixtures. Mind you, playing Man City in the League Cup this Tuesday additionally won’t be easy either as FPL Managers wait with bated breath what squad Pep will put out – and still be none the wiser on who’ll play in the following league game.

Anyway, back to the East Midlanders. Claus Puel (sorry, another festive pun) and his men now haven’t kept a clean sheet in three games, with the single goal away at Fulham all they have had to cheer in that time. Not exactly the best precursor to facing two of the top four, even if Cardiff at home does come at the end of it. Probably not the best time to bring a Leicester player into your team, if that thought had crossed your mind.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me – Four goals in three…
Brighton: BAD SANTA (BOU A, ARS H, EVE H)

Four goals in three games is what Brighton have conceded, of which half came at the fixture against Chelsea on Sunday. Those who picked Ryan over Fabianski as their £4.5m goalkeeper will be all too aware of the fact the Seagulls now haven’t kept a clean sheet since the 1-0 win over Wolves back on 27 October.

The chances of Ryan not picking the ball out of the back of the net over the next three games is also pretty low, you have to say. As previously mentioned, they don’t exactly have the best record against Bournemouth and Arsenal will be hoping to improve on their latest trip to the south coast, when Charlie Austin scored the late winner for Southampton. Whilst Chris Hughton and his men were victorious the last time they played the Gunners, it did end a run of five straight defeats in all competitions versus the same team. Everton, meanwhile, have won two and drawn one in the three times the two sides have met this century.

On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me – Three straight wins…
Wolves: BAD SANTA (LIV H, FUL A, TOT A)

They may have nine points out of a possible nine, however Wolves go into three potentially tricky games, beginning with Liverpool this weekend who will no doubt still be on a high after the result on Sunday. That said, the Midlanders have not exactly been a walk over for top six opposition, claiming a 2-1 victory against Chelsea, a narrow 3-2 loss against Spurs and 1-1 draws against Arsenal, Man City and Man United.

Nuno Espirito Santo will be hoping the likes of Doherty, Jimenez and Jota – presuming the latter is fit – keep up their excellent form and continue to surprise many with their antics this season. It’s certainly not a time to be getting rid of your Wolves assets, with Jimenez in particular a fan of scoring against big teams, however points may not be so plentiful compared to other squads.

On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me – Two league losses…
Chelsea: GOOD SANTA (LEI H, WAT A, CPL A)

Whilst Liverpool are still unbeaten in the league, Chelsea only have two defeats to their name following encounters with the aforementioned Wolves, along with the 3-1 loss against Spurs back in November. With a League Cup game at home to Bournemouth first, the Blues then face Leicester City who aren’t exactly solid at the back with those five clean sheets from 17 games. Indeed, the last time the Foxes won at Stamford Bridge was back in 2001.

Once they’ve played their last home game of 2018, Maurizio Sarri’s men then go on the road to Watford and Crystal Palace, which may not be as straightforward, though Chelsea will need to overcome them to keep up with the other teams in the top four. I’m sure Eden Hazard, for example, will want to add to his record of a goal and three assists against the Eagles and scoring and setting up one against the Hornets.

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me – A Merry Christmas from me.
Finally, let me take this chance to wish you all a very Merry Christmas as this is my last article before the big day. I hope Santa Claus brings you plenty of green arrows over the festive period that allow you to have the bragging rights as you see in 2019 sitting pretty on top of your mini leagues!

All together, now:
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
12 scored in five,
11th in the table,
10 losses so far,
Nine points accrued,
Eighth on the shots chart,
Seven wins all season,
Sixth on goals table,
FIVE CLEAN SHEETS!
Four goals in three,
Three straight wins,
Two league losses and
A Merry Christmas from me!

The all important FPL FIXTURE TRACKER itself…

Thanks for reading Fantasy Football Fixture Analysis Gameweek 18. This article was written by Swirly

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