Fantasy Football Fixture Analysis Gameweek 27

Welcome to Fantasy Football Fixture Analysis Gameweek 27.

As 16 of the possible 20 teams have fixtures this gameweek, there could be some contrasts in fortune between FPL players, as the split between those who have and haven’t prepared for this situation becomes apparent.

That’s what I – and a good few others – will hope for, anyway, as this brutal season gets into the last third. Yes, you read that right, there is only 33 per cent of this campaign to go – and what a crucial time it will be too, as we try and weigh up when to use our remaining chips and wildcard to make the most of the double and blank gameweeks that are on the horizon.

Whilst Man City, Brighton, Chelsea and Everton are not in action this weekend, the next round of gaps, Gameweek 31, will at least see fixtures for:

> West Ham
> Huddersfield
> Bournemouth
> Newcastle
> Burnley
> Leicester
> Fulham
> Liverpool
> Everton
> Chelsea

It then looks like there’ll be a double for many teams in Gameweek 32, but that hasn’t yet been confrimed. Rest assured, you can rely on the articles and board discussions here to find out the latest movements on rearranged fixtures to make double gameweeks, along with the further postponements that will come in Gameweek 33 (one already has been; see our new Fixture Tracker below). Stay tuned.

The all important FPL FIXTURE TRACKER itself…
We have updated this with the new blanks, the possible DGW32 scenarios, CL and Europa fixtures and that new blank in GW33. It will be updated daily if and when anything new is announced. We have checked it a few times but if you spot any glaring errors please don’t hesitate to shout! We also appreciate that is is maybe a bit too ‘busy’ so will look to update it accordingly in the coming days.

Anyway, without further ado, let’s have a look at how a selection of clubs could fare in the coming weeks.

Good Fixtures

Arsenal (SOU H, BOU H, TOT A)
Whilst they have a distinct lack of ability to keep clean sheets, Arsenal are first on my list of teams with promising games ahead. After losing 1-0 to BATE in the Europa League on 14th February, one good thing we’ve seen is that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is back from illness before these favourable league ties. That’s a run that includes the return of a North London derby, which you’ll remember the Gabonese forward didn’t do too badly in when the two bitter rivals last met.

Back to the team who are now fourth on goals scored, anyway. In the last six games across all competitions, they have scored eight and conceded the same amount, whilst their next Premier League opponents, Southampton, have had a very similar run, having also been knocked out of the FA Cup along the way. A quick glance at the league table, however, shows a gulf between them as the Gunners face a battle for fourth place and Southampton are desperate to avoid relegation. Head to head in the league, the Londoners have been victorious in three of the previous five meetings and you would fancy them to inflict another defeat on Ralph Hasenhüttl’s men. After that it’s Bournemouth who have the third greatest number of goals conceded so far, followed by the aforementioned North London derby.

Looking further ahead, they will have a blank in Gameweek 31 as their originally scheduled opposition, Wolves, overcame Bristol City to progress in the FA Cup.

Wolves (BOU A, HUD A, CAR H)
Talking of Wolves, it’s fair to say they have exceeded the expectations of many, myself included, as the victory at Ashton Gate is on the back of a run of four league games without defeat. They’re now top of a mini league between 12th and seventh, at least, as Chelsea are 11 points away and the relegation scrap can be left to others to worry about.

The next three games are a great opportunity for Nuno Espírito Santo’s men to further cement that position in the league, commencing with a trip to Bournemouth who are licking their wounds from a 3-0 defeat at Anfield and 2-0 loss at Cardiff that have been the hangover of the 4-0 win against Chelsea. Following on from the trip to the south coast, it’s then a case of heading the opposite direction to Huddersfield who are firmly bottom both in the league, goals scored and the number of wins. Wolves will then be hoping to avenge their defeat earlier in the season against Cardiff, as life gets a bit more difficult afterwards with a trip to Chelsea and a home tie against Arsenal on the cards and that blank in Gameweek 31. And now of course in 33 also.

Leicester (CRY H, BRI H, WAT A)
Whilst Leicester have not exactly been an FPL essential side so far this season, as Jamie Vardy’s game time and penalty taking exploits are in jeopardy thanks to his strained relationship with Claude Puel. In fact, their top points scorer is actually a defender, Ricardo Pereira, who now has 102, which is still 39 short of the heights of Liverpool’s Andy Robertson. Bear with me, however, as we look ahead to a great run of fixtures that actually extend as far as April 27th, when Arsenal come to town in Gameweek 36.

The first opposition will be Crystal Palace, a team who would actually be 16th if it was based on goals scored but fifth when it comes to clean sheets. It’s clear to see where their weakest element is. The Foxes haven’t had the best time against the Eagles in recent times, having lost all three of the last meetings 3-0, 5-0 and then 1-0 – and they have only picked up a point in their last five Premier League games this season. Stick with me, though, as the East Midlanders can then call upon their unbeaten record against Brighton in the Premier League, with the Seagulls also reeling from conceding nine in their last four league fixtures.

In addition, you don’t need to worry about the Foxes having any blank gameweeks on the horizon. Their clear run of fixtures are a result of Burnley, Huddersfield and themselves not progressing in the FA Cup.

Bad Fixtures

Southampton (ARS A, FUL H, MUN A)
Managers like myself willingly brought in the £3.9m Jan Bednarek as he was getting game time and had a good run of fixtures. Unfortunately, the seven points away at Burnley were the highlight of an otherwise unimpressive recent run, with one point against Cardiff at home a particular inconvenience.

It now gets quite a bit more difficult for the Saints, with away trips to Arsenal and Man United surrounding a semi-decent tie against Fulham, as the return to decent fixtures won’t come until Gameweek 34. Hardly welcome news to their fans, as the club lies in the danger zone.

Ralph Hasenhüttl’s men join the many other teams to not play in Gameweek 31, but will be one of the few to play in Gameweek 33, at least.

Fulham (WHU A, SOU A, CHE H)
With the least clean sheets, lying second from bottom in the table, the most goals conceded and only 25 scored in 26, it’s probably a fair presumption you don’t have any Fulham assets in your squad – apart from bad boy Kamara sat there in third position on your bench, of course.

If Claudio Ranieri’s men are to stand any possible chance of being a Premier League team next season, they will need to pull together a kind of performance they pulled out of the bag against Brighton, as that has been the only victory so far in 2019. Of the last six times the Cottagers have faced West Ham they have won twice and lost all four of the others, whilst the last seven meetings with Southampton have consisted of one win, three losses and three draws. Chelsea may be going through rather choppy waters at the moment, but even they should be able to come away triumphant from the trip to their neighbours in Gameweek 29.

One good thing for Fulham is that they’ll have a fixture in Gameweek 31, though that is, admittedly, at home to Liverpool.

Bournemouth (WOL H, ARS A, MCI H)
Inconsistency is the theme for Bournemouth at the moment as they’ll flit from losing 2-0 to Everton to then beating West Ham with the same scoreline, before then thrashing Chelsea 4-0, losing to Cardiff and then losing to Liverpool. What can you make of that?!

Well, looking at probability – as we often do in FPL when it comes to decision making – you wouldn’t deem it impossible to see the Cherries manage a decent result against the visiting Wolves, as the loss the last time they met the Midlanders did end a run of five unbeaten. Unfortunately that’s as good as it gets, as trips to Arsenal and Man City lie in wait – Eddie Howe’s men have never beaten the Gunners away or ever overcome the Cityzens anywhere.

A positive for Bournemouth, however, is that one thing to separate them from a lot of other squads is that they do play both Gameweeks 31 and 33, against Newcastle and Burnley respectively.

Keep An Eye On…
Man City (BLANK, WHU H, BOU A)
It’s a busy old time for Man City at the moment, thanks to the competitions they are still a part of. Following the win at Newport County at Rodney Parade, there is a return to slightly grander surroundings as they play against Schalke 04 in the Champions League on February 20th and have the little matter of the League Cup final on February 24th.

After all that, Pep and co return to the Premier League with Manuel Pellegrini facing the unenviable task of bringing his squad to the Etihad with an aim of getting a decent result. In fact, the Hammers haven’t been victorious at that ground since 2015. After a trip to Bournemouth, Watford then come to town – a team who have lost in the last nine consecutive meetings across all competitions, conceding a whopping 29 goals in the process.

With certain players on great form at the moment, perhaps think twice about getting rid of them – even if they don’t play this weekend, in Gameweek 31 or, most likely, in Gameweek 33 either. As we’ve seen with the double dose of games in Gameweek 26, you can reap the rewards in the double gameweeks.

West Ham (FUL H, MCI A, NEW H)
Like Bournemouth, the Hammers have had a mixture of fortunes in recent weeks, with a victory against Arsenal and a draw with Liverpool compounded by defeats to Wolves and Bournemouth. Well, there’s also a blend of games on the horizon with favourable matches against Fulham and Newcastle – sorry, Rosco – forming a tasty bread surrounding, as a less delectable Man City filling sits in the middle.

These are the start of some otherwise good fixtures for the Londoners as it’s then a trip to Cardiff and London Stadium welcomes for Huddersfield and Everton. In the case of the game against The Terriers, that’s one of the few that will exist for Gameweek 31.

Thanks for reading Fantasy Football Fixture Analysis Gameweek 27. This article was written by theswirly

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