Fantasy Football Fixture Analysis Gameweek 36
Welcome to Fantasy Football 247 Fixtures Gameweek 36.
Back to a sense of normality we go, with all 20 teams playing (just) once and this article is the last one that will contain all three fixtures for each team before the season is finished. No pressure, then, especially when you look back to the fantastic articles that were written by AT, Pele and Guy in the lead up to the last gameweek!
With much to play for, from the perspective of us FPL managers and the actual teams in the league, there is also the classic form and fixtures to take into account when we are planning our next moves, too. Hopefully the following, which also includes a dip into the history books, gives such an insight!
Good
Liverpool (HUD H, NEW A, WOL H)
First up in the trio of teams to get the Rosco brown thumb treatment (no, don’t ask) is Liverpool – one of the few squads who won’t be playing again before the gameweek has even started. On the back of a 2-0 win, thanks in part to a dubious penalty (but, hey, it got Salah owners an assist), the Reds are still hoping for a Man City slip up when they play Man United later this week.
Looking at their own affairs, they can take heart that there are winnable games on the horizon. First up is Huddersfield, a team I grimace when writing the name of, thanks to that goal scored in the dying minutes of the match against Watford which cost a good few FPL managers, myself included, a good few points. That was only the second time they had found the back of the net in the past four and it doesn’t get much better for the Terriers when you glance at their record against Klopp’s men – six straight losses, with the last win back in 1959!
Interestingly this season, the Merseysiders are second when it comes to home form, but top when they’re away. That’ll be of comfort when they travel to St James’ Park, where there has, admittedly, been quite a mixture of results in the last eight. Of those, the home side has conquered four, with two draws to boot, however, of the duo of results the away side has won, they have come out 5-1 and 6-0 victors. The final game of the campaign sees Wolves visit, who look to be losing the momentum they had gained over the season, surprising many. You also have to look back to 1984 for the last time the lads in black and gold beat Liverpool in a league fixture and so a home win, close as it will no doubt be, could be on the cards.
Man City (BUR A, LEI H, BHA A)
It makes sense the next team with favourable fixtures is the very squad hoping to clinch their fourth Premier League title – and are being pushed all the way. First up before the gameweek even begins will be the small matter of a trip to Old Trafford as Pep and co look to make it 11 wins in a row. Something even better than what a certain Midlands team that has claret and blue as its colours achieved on Monday. But, as a Villa fan, I digress. Assuming that is achieved – and, let’s face it, it does look pretty likely with how Ole’s men have been playing recently – there are then three fixtures which should work out favourably.
Firstly there’s a trip to a location that has fond memories for the Cityzens as, in all competitions, they have scored a total of 13 goals in just five matches. Fast forward to now and, whilst Sean Dyche’s men have pulled away to safety with a second half of the season more reminiscent of last year’s antics, the form and determination to win will surely power Man City through. After that, it’s the last league game at home as Leicester visit, a squad that has kept just two clean sheets so far in 2019 and, most likely, won’t in this fixture.
The last hurrah, league wise, will be an away day to Brighton who, of course, had a brilliant Gameweek 34 (ahem). They will hope to get something out of their tie against Newcastle as their chances against the Sky Blues don’t look particularly great.
Southampton (BOU H, WHU A, HUD H)
With four games to go at the time of writing, thanks to an away trip to Watford in addition to the above matches, Ralph Halsenhuttl’s men are still in danger of the drop, lying just five points above the dreaded 18th spot in the league. After a dour performance against Newcastle and an almost inevitable loss against Liverpool, the Saints will look to replicate the performances against Spurs, Wolves and Brighton and the remaining three of the campaign look favourable to do just that and rebuild in time for the next season.
The first team, Bournemouth, can be just the ticket as it does, after all, look like they have actually finished the season early and popped to the seaside to make the most of the lovely weather the UK has been enjoying over Easter. The 1-0 loss against Fulham very much portrays that theory, as the 5-0 victory just shows how bad Brighton are playing at the moment. Head to head against Southampton, Eddie Howe’s men have only won once in the last 10 years.
Whilst the mixture of recent results for both West Ham and the boys in red and white stripes are also representative of their head to head fortunes – in other words, unpredictable – the last roll of the dice as Huddersfield come to town does look more encouraging. They have not lost against the relegated side at home since 1971.
Worth a mention
Man United (CHE H, HUD A, CAR H)
As previously mentioned, the Red Devils’ fortunes haven’t been particularly inspiring recently – I’m sure there’s some phrase involving the manager being in control of a vehicle here. Ahead of the tie against Man City, fans won’t need reminding of the 4-0 loss against Everton which followed a 3-0 humbling at the Camp Nou.
However, I feel they are worth a mention as the tests of the Cityzens and Blues then come with the reward of an away day to Huddersfield and home tie against Cardiff, the latter of which being a former club of the gaffer. With the third spot still up for grabs as Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United insist on losing or drawing to leave just three points between them, there is still a great opportunity for a respectable end of the campaign and, more importantly, the opportunity for Champions League qualification. Looking at the head to head statistics, Man United have won three of the last six against Sarri’s men, six of the last seven against the Terriers and have been unbeaten against the Bluebirds since 1960 (of which 13 goals have been netted in the four matches). Defensively they have not been great, but midfielders and forwards may be the ticket.
Crystal Palace (EVE H, CAR A, BOU H)
Perhaps I’ve been sat in the sun for a bit too long, as they have two games at Selhurst Park remaining and would be 19th in the league if it was all based on home ties. They would, however, be sixth if it was down to playing away though. The reason I’ve picked Crystal Palace here is because they have the ability to look upwards to midtable comfort instead of having the worry of relegation – and not overexcitement by the fact they beat Arsenal 3-2 in the last gameweek! The win at the Emirates now makes it three wins in the last five, with the only losses against Man City and Spurs.
Their first opposition in the last trio of games in this campaign, Everton, is 12th when it comes to away form. Whilst they have made the headlines with the 4-0 triumph over Man United, 1-0 win against Arsenal and 2-0 victory in the Chelsea game – all at home – they have also made silly mistakes like the 2-0 defeat at Craven Cottage and 3-2 loss at St James’ Park, so things aren’t guaranteed to go their way. After the Toffees come to Selhurst Park, Roy and his team will be hoping for repeat of the 3-0 triumph the last time they travelled to Cardiff which is the latest instalment in a series of three consecutive games without loss against the Bluebirds. Bournemouth then complete the fixture list for Crystal Palace who, as previously mentioned, have now seemingly switched off.
Spurs (WHU H, BOU A, EVE H)
On the back of two matches at the Etihad, with the league tie admittedly containing fewer goals, Spurs now have the matters of keeping hold of third place in the table and getting past Ajax in the Champions League. The dilemma of managing both could mean an interesting end to the campaign when it comes to rotation; however the last three games are all winnable to enter the top European competition next season.
Though there is a disparity between Spurs’ home and away form, the new stadium has only seen victories – and Brighton haven’t even played there yet. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. A win against West Ham when playing on their own turf would be the first since 2016 which, itself, was the last of a run of three without defeat. Having conceded 13 in the past six, the Hammers’ defence is certainly open to shots from the likes of Son and co.
After that, it’s Bournemouth, who have not beaten the North Londoners in the last seven, with 22 conceded in that time. Everton than make the trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as they will be hoping to end a run of 12 without a win against Pochettino’s men, having picked the ball out of the back of the net a whopping 16 times in the last four. I know I won’t be selling my Spurs midfielders just yet, if history is anything to go by, as much as it looks unlikely Kane will return from injury in time.
Bad
Burnley (MCI H, EVE A, ARS H)
On the back of their 2-2 draw at Chelsea, Burnley have reached the magic 40-point mark and are pretty much safe in the Premier League for another season. It’s definitely a good thing for Sean Dyche’s men to have managed that now, as the last three games present quite the headache.
As previously mentioned, there’s the record against Man City – something that is highly unlikely to change this weekend as Pep’s men chase the title. Then, having conceded five the last time they played Everton, bringing the total to nine in the last four, the Clarets can then be reminded they have a run of nine losses across all competitions against Arsenal, too.
Leicester (ARS H, MCI A, CHE H)
Fearing an allergic reaction by keeping a clean sheet, Leicester have managed to avoid anaphylaxis in all but two games since the start of 2019 and they will be relieved to see the last three games carry with them the opportunity to concede a fair few goals as well.
Whilst the last time the Gunners came to the Kingpower Stadium finished 3-1 in the hosts’ favour, that was the only occasion the Foxes had won in 15 attempts, both home and away. Additionally, the last four trips to the Etihad have seen 10 goals conceded and you have to look back to the season the East Midlanders won the Premier League title for the last time they triumphed over Chelsea at home.
Brighton (NEW H, ARS A, MCI H)
Though it may be too early, it’s fair to assume that Brighton won’t profit from much away at Spurs in their second fixture of Gameweek 35. That makes the match against Newcastle absolutely massive, as there also isn’t much hope in the ties against Arsenal or Man City either.
I can say that with confidence, as Brighton have never beaten Arsenal away in their entire history, whilst the last victory against Man City in the league was back in 1989. Perhaps the Newcastle match will be the ‘fond’ farewell to the Seagulls’ assets you no doubt brought in just before Gameweek 34.
FPL FIXTURE TRACKER
FIXTURE TRACKER LINK
Thanks for reading Fantasy Football Fixture Analysis Gameweek 36. This article was written by Swirly.
Vote on our Captain Poll Now
Welcome to our Fantasy Football leagues section.
The League Codes for FF247 for the 2018/19 season are as follows –
The main public FF247 League is sponsored by Starting 11, which anyone is welcome to join, can be accessed using the following code 1581-751 (auto-link below).
The prize pool for this is £250.
Join Our League – Quick Link
League Code: 1581-751
View league standings
Our Regulars League* for 2018/19 is now open and has a cash prize pool of £300 paid directly to the winners from the FF247 management team. The first 5 places are paid out in a tiered system.
To enter this one you need to be an active and recognised site member and you need to e-mail us for the league code – elleffcee@gmail.com
*terms and conditions apply and are available upon request. Management reserve the right to review membership of this league on an ongoing basis. If you enter and win a prize you have to have commented on the site at least 5 times for 8 consecutive months between August 2018 and March 2019 or you will not be considered for a prize. That’s basically 1 comment a week all season, we think that’s a reasonable ask to be considered a ‘regular’.
In your e-mail could you please supply:-
Your name.
Your site user name.
Your team name from last season and your new team name if it has changed,
Gonna be an exciting Friday this week…. TC Mane or Salah, that is the question….
Let’s get tomorrow out the way first.
(But Salah).
Call me crazy but I’m tempted stick it on taa. Own all 3
Was just about to say that (with a bit of tongue in cheek) but then faster than Long’s goal tonight I realized it’s better to shut me mouth :woot:
Indeed, still have this week’s captain to play tomorrow, hope he explodes! Jimenez that is…. Brighton did well to keep him at bay last time out…
I was questioning my judgement earlier, wondering why on earth I hadn’t captained Son this week (I am on Jiminez as well). Even though Son didn’t do that well I’m still questioning my judgement.
It’s easy to question now given you (I) captained him at least partly because he had Brighton at home and the damned seagulls had just conceded 7 goals in DGW34, so the logic was he would get a haul there and everything that he got against Arsenal would have been a bonus… So now it’s just hindsight really…. Although, in consolation, Arsenal are pretty crap
One of the more alert posters here had pointed out how hapless Wolves are v weaker sides, so I made a tongue-in-cheek comment about how I was expecting Jiminez to do better v Arsenal than Brighton. Let’s hope he gets at least one goal. Tomorrow night will be the climax of a very interesting DGW.
That’s very true and a great point/call, I’m slowly starting to realize why I’m so bad at this this season….The only worry then would be that Arsenal were pretty hapless against Palace on the weekend…
Currently on Mane – who isn’t even in the side yet – but will need to think it through.
Ten four old buddy, Mane is not yet in my side either
I’m not even sure I can get Mane. It is a bit of a problem
You have Salah though (I haven’t), so less of a worry I’d say. I have to choose between the one I’m going to TC as I can’t have the other without wrecking my side. I appreciate I am taking a huge risk but I knew this would happen when I left Salah out of the wildcard side.
For some reason I like the idea of Mane(c) with Vardy/Jiminez/Kun in support rather than Salah(c) with the latter two plus Mitrovic in support.
I like either Salah(C) with Mane in support or the other way round… Perhaps Mane(C) with Salah in support is even better actually, after all, Salah doesn’t get any bonus points…. :woot:
I’m looking at ownership in my neck of the OR woods. That’s telling me Mane is far more highly owned. And his form isn’t bad, either.
It’s interesting how academic this would be had Mane scored a couple v Cardiff. Anyhow, I’m fairly relaxed about it all.
Yeah I’m pretty scared of going without Mane. I have Salah as a small differential and I’ll triple captain him. I might just sacrifice Sterling for this week and might even swap them back next week
Having a rubbish DGW using BB! I’m on 69 with Laporte, Sterling (C), Agüero, Jimenez and Lacazette to go!
That sounds good to me Igy4 you will hit over a ton
Given the firepower you have left you’ll be fine. It’s the score at the end of the GW that counts.
I guess so, hopeful of a Sterling brave at least tomorrow! Had Huddersfield not scored in the last minute and my Saints duo in JWP and Bednarek had done better it would have looked a little rosier!
Averages go to 72 and 49.
Above average is all man can hope for
Indeed. That and fine wine. The love of a good woman. Contented children. A few books. ECM. This forum.
Immediately thought of this guy when I read that!
And just like that a simple pleasure turns into this complex life with all it’s necessities and obligations…. It was worth a try! 😉
I’ll take me wine though….
I bet playing FPL is very much like making love to a beautiful woman, no? 😆
Not quite.
Great photo Swirly, whoever that is.
FPL is very much like making love to a beautiful woman – unpredictable, your wife wonders what you’re up to and it’s all over before you know it.
Nick, whilst I was worried that Amsterdam was a relatively tame trip before tonight, it’s good to know that you had fun over there last week…
😀
As the tour guide said, “those women may look nice but they’re definitely not ladies”! Didn’t know how to hear that, to be honest.
Haha, yep, that’s a just-keep-one-eye-open situation…
By the way, mate, cheers for a great Fixtures installment! Tonight’s action was initially a distraction from it — I’ve been learning from your ways — but it’s a really nice read.
Kralin- Its Swiss tony off the fast show who compared everything to making love to a beautiful woman. A few here http://www.jokefile.co.uk/rich/swisstony.html
It’s good to be believe in the possibilities of passion and romance.
Thank you, Kruzcampo. I think I must have been away when that was on the tele. I’ve heard much about it, but I never saw it.
Cheers James, much appreciated
Plenty on youtube if you want classic comedy!!
Does Sterling to Mane make sense?
Risky, I can see the appeal, but very risky imo!
Yeah I’m not really sure. Think I need Mane or Firmino as well. That’s the only way I can do it without a hit.
City out of the CL makes it even more risky I reckon, if they got to the semis then I’d probably do it, now it’s a 50/50 call… Only 3 games left so anything could happen, just gotta commit to your decision and see how it goes!
Maybe events tomorrow night will make that decision easier, Smash. You’d fancy Mane to match Sterling this (36) GW, and probably beyond. You know the risks and it’s too late to turn things round, but having Mane and Salah going into the final stages isn’t too bad at all.
Yeah exactly. Can’t really tell yet. Need to see how Sterling gets on first. Just seems the easy way to cover myself with Mane. Burnley is not an easy game all of a sudden either. Who knows I’d much prefer to swap Eriksen
I kept a few pence aside and need to choose between Eriksen and Pogba for Mane.
My thinking – probably insane – is to keep Pogba for their final games, then get Moura in next week for Eriksen. Both Eriksen and Pogba are fraught with risk this late on; at least the former is fully engaged.
Yeah I think I’d prefer Pogba because of the fixtures. My plan was a -4 Laporte downgrade to upgrade Eriksen which I may still do. Just don’t see an obvious 5.2 defender unfortunately. Also depends how solid City look tomorrow night. Basically I just have to see City play
Wan-Bissaka?
I fear Sadio more than any (except for Salah…) other GW36 player. Burnley aren’t pushovers (cf. Sterling) either.
That said, Man City can score buckets against anyone, and Sterling’s leading their charge. I might just swap Salah back to him straight afterwards.
Yeah that’s pretty much it. I mean if Sterling scores a couple tomorrow that all could change but guess it’s wait and see. Pretty scary going without a Mane though
Here are some stats for Liverpool players ahead of the Huddersfield game:
Salah v Huddersfield
Played 3
Scored 2 (both away)
Assisted 1 (at home)
FPL form 6.3
Mane v Huddersfield
Played 1 (injured in the other two possible games)
Scored 0
Assisted 1 (when away)
FPL form 3.8
Firmino v Huddersfield
Played 3
Scored 2 (1 home, 1 away)
Assisted 0
FPL form 4.8
TAA v Huddersfield
Played 0
Scored 0
Assisted 0
FPL form 6.3
Thanks.
I think I may have learnt a valuable lesson tonight. Rather than moan I’m going to use it as a valuable lesson to take into next season. Here is that lesson broken down (I find this both painful and cathartic!)
The move I made:
Lloris (6)+ Eriksen (9)+ Deeney (0) = 15
To
Gunn (4)+ Sterling (3) Llorente (3) 10 (-8) = 2
The move I should have made:
Deeney to Gray
Lloris ( 6 ) Eriksen (9) Gray (11) = 26
So by keeping Deeney I’d be 13pts better off, or by making the simple move to Gray I’d be 24pts better off. (Putting me on 101pts rather than 77…ouch)
Sterling needs 21 points tomorrow to break even (never gonna happen)
Lesson? Hits rarely work out when you remove good players (Erik and Lloris). Often the simple (obvious) move is the move you should make.
Next season I’ll never take a hit to remove a good player even if the player coming in seems better, it’s a trap I’ve fallen into before and yet I still did it!
This obviously doesn’t account for points over the final 3 game-weeks but I doubt Gunn and Llorente outscore Lloris and Gray. The jury is out on Sterling over Eriksen.
That’s a painful read and analysis, granted, but you haven’t considered your captaincy points.
Sterling (c) could make the difference. On the flip side, if you’d have made Agüero (c) without your hit and he performs better again tomorrow night, it reads even worse.
Juries aside, you’re right, hits like these rarely end well. It’s a game, though, and you played this in a fun way. I keep having to remind myself of that fact sometimes…
Aguero who is my VC would have indeed been my captain so yes I’ll factor that in tomorrow when I survey the final score!
As painful as this is I do find that it helps in future game-weeks / seasons. Better to analyze and learn than gripe (although I do that too from time to time!! Haha)
That’s a really good post, and it contains a lot of truth.
Often the best move is not to make a move at all. Chasing after points can unbalance a team completely. Happens all the time in my ML. I’ll see a decent side, worry a bit, then see it completely dismantled.
It’s dull, but slow and steady – plus a bit of luck on the captain side of things, players off the bench etc – tends to get the job done.
Having said all that: this GW isn’t over yet and Sterling is not a bad player to have up your sleeve.
So true on the slow and steady / boring! The best players are the ones who stay calm and trust in their players. It was foolish of me to take a -8 a week after playing a Wildcard! We live and learn. As you say though, it’s not over yet and The Sterling (C) vs Aguero will ultimately show if it was good, bad or indifferent.
I’m only 4 seasons in so I clearly have a lot to learn, these things hopefully make for a better manager if you can learn from your mistakes!
It took me years to get going.
I’m not a hit-man myself but many are and tied to long-term planning – even accepting a bad GW before the hits pay off – they can be ok.
This season has seen a bit of old fart logic fade away, however – ‘Alonso is a season keeper’ etc – and that’s for the good of the game I think.
Indeed, I have already taken almost double the hits I took last season and it shows. -8s do the most damage, I’ve only take one prior to this GW and that was to remove Salah the week of his hatrick…
In a same boat ->
Hayden (5) + McCarthy (0)+ WanB (1) + Etheridge (2) = 8
to KDB (1) + Foster (5) + Valery (1) + DeGea(1) = 8 -12 = -4
A 12 points difference. That’s hurtful.
DeGea might bring 1 more point tonight though. Hopefully
I tend to look at transfers over the long, rather than short, term. It’s one of the archly amusing elements of the game that whenever you wildcard, or make a couple of transfers, that the players you leave behind suddenly pick up form and start posting good scores. But looked at over a few gamesweeks then it’s usually ok. Things will settle for you, Constantine.
De Gea should be ok for you in 37 and 38, at the very least.
Similar story: I did Murray to Gray and then went on hitting to fit Sterling sacrificing Eriksen. My original plan was to take 1 hit and get Laporte for Dunk.
(1) Original (save FT): Eriksen(9)+Dunk(8)+Murray(3) = 20
(2) Without hit: Eriksen(9)+Dunk(8)+Gray(11) = 28
(3) Planned: Eriksen(9)+Laporte(6+x)+Gray(11) – Hit(4) = 22+x where for Laporte x=6 is quite likely or even more
(4) Actually did: Sterling(2+y)+Bednarek(2)+Gray(11) – Hit(8) = 7+y for Sterling…so Sterling has to score at least 13 to match my original squad saving the FT. He is not my (C) either.
Only positive thought is that, I got Sterling for last 4 Gws and hope he returns better than Eriksen to compensate.
And after you just picked Lloris and Eriksen on a WC? Yeah, a bit hasty to take a -8 just because of Deeney got a red, I took -4 to get rid of a Brighton def and even that didn’t work… The leader of my ML is a dull and steady player, rarely makes moves, almost never takes a hit (think he’s taken two hits all season)… Still, I don’t believe either taking or not taking hits is of any relevance, it depends on what kind of players you’re selling and buying, taking a hit to remove deadwood is obviously sensible, but taking hits to take out Lloris and Eriksen, that’s hasty indeed!