Fantasy Football Fixtures Game-week 23

Fantasy Football Fixtures Game-week 23

Given the unpredictable nature of the season we have had so far we were beginning to wonder whether the fixtures themselves were actually even a viable consideration in transfer decisions and as such we paid particular interest to the comments this week to see how many times an answer referred to the fixture itself in terms of whether to pick, play, or transfer in or out a given player. Our extensive research on this matter concluded that at least 72% of such comments alluded to the strength of the fixture ahead or indeed to future fixtures. So it is with much relief that we can safely say that even if ‘anyone can beat anyone’ this season then the strength or otherwise of the opposition does still carry a fair bit of weight. This weeks results bore that out also with the likes of Spurs and Man City playing to expectations with fairly comprehensive home victories and we paid particular notice and interest to those two results as we wanted to know if the stats, form and trends would be backed up by the reality. And they were. Why did we go to such lengths though? Well, because we try and leave no stone unturned and that even extends to checking ourselves at times to see if we are missing anything that would help us to help you. We won’t get it right every time of course but here is how we feel things will pan out for the next few weeks as we look at those teams with favourable fixtures, those to be wary of and those to perhaps punt on this week alone…

The Tracker…
We have rated each teams fixtures on a sliding scale. Remember that this is just our opinion and you may feel differently but if nothing else it gives you a nice easy visual aid as to each teams upcoming games…

We do have a comprehensive library of other useful trackers including the all singing, all dancing interactive one from Calvin Clyne and you can find them all here – Fixture Trackers

[divider_1px]

FAVOURABLE FIXTURES
Everton – Swansea (H), Newcastle (H), Stoke (A)
[three_fourth padding=”0 20px 0 0″]

[/three_fourth]The exodus has begun! A run of one win in six for the Toffees and a handful of blanks for season stalwarts Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley is all it takes for both to be sold in their droves. However, the masses are overlooking two things. First, the run of games Everton have had recently. Leicester, Stoke, Spurs, City and Chelsea is a harsh run for anyone in the league and although Everton haven’t picked up the desired results, they have maintained the attacking threat and scored ten goals during the last six – something that bodes well for the near future. Second, the near future! Our featured games this week are all very favorable and after those it still looks bright for us fantasy folk. Those who punted on dropping Everton cover recently may have got away with it to a certain degree but going forward it would, on the face of it at least, be a Seppuku type manoeuvre for our Fantasy teams to be Toffee-less. Lets have a peek at what lies ahead…

Back-to-back home games is always a treat for FPL prospects and that’s what we have, and the opposition couldn’t be much tastier either. The first to visit Merseyside is the nose-diving Swansea. Gone are the days of being a tough team to beat who could play some lovely stuff, it’s all come apart for them (apart from tonight!) and whoever takes the job is in for a hard task to pull them together. Udinese boss Francesco Guidolin is the current favorite to take the post, make of that what you will. Battling the drop and changing manager, they should be no match for Everton. Once the Swans have been dealt with, fellow relegation fighters Newcastle are the next to arrive at Goodison and attempt to upset the party, but we all know how this one should go! A much needed victory last week against West Ham came as surprise to everyone but travelling to Everton and repeating the process is another matter – we just cant see it happening. Comfortable home win. A slightly trickier fixture to finish off with, one that could go either way. The Brittania has been the downfall of many a team down the years and the newer, more attacking version of Stoke have been doing very well for themselves and sit four points above Everton. It promises to be an entertaining game and one that could produce plenty of FPL points to feast on, from both teams.

[divider_1px]

Tottenham – Crystal Palace (A), Norwich (A), Watford (H)
[three_fourth padding=”0 20px 0 0″]

[/three_fourth]Speaking of teams who are doing well for themselves, our next highlighted outfit are doing just that and currently sit fourth in the league, two points ahead of a crumbling United and top of the form table. Not bad, not bad at all. The Pochettino stamp is well and truly on the team now – they currently boast the toughest defence in the top four with eighteen conceded, and are just one goal behind Leicester City for goals scored, making the new and improved Spurs a much more difficult afternoons work compared to the one who on so many occasions rolled over against the better sides and was patchy against the rest. Toby Alderweireld ensures the back-line is made of sterner stuff these days and with young Bamidele Alli emerging as a key figure, along with Harry Kane, the team has youth and hunger in abundance. Sunderland felt the brunt last week and were duly pounded 4-1 in an easy run-out for Kane & co, a scoreline that may well be reproduced over the coming weeks as the schedule continues to shine on Spurs…

Everything about Spurs’ fixtures is positive. Having just battered Sunderland at home, they next make a very short trip to neighbouring-ish Crystal Palace for a game that would usually be a potential banana skin, and still might, but as things stand Palace are having a wobble to say the least. No wins from the last five and not a single goal scored in those games is a clear indication of what’s wrong. Everything! Unless the Eagles can get their finger out during the week then it could be a long afternoon for them and we feel like that’s how it will go with Spurs dominating for the most part. A hop a skip and a jump, and Pochettino and his men go on the road again, this time to Norwich. The Canaries have shown a bit of fight recently in fairness to them but to get a result in this game should be a stretch too far. Back-to-back three goal beatings from Stoke and Bournemouth just about sums it up, Spurs should have no worries here at all. Turn up and win. Much like the last section, we finish off with a slightly tougher game than the previous ones. An encounter with Watford isn’t exactly the toughest game of the season but as we have seen so far, they’re highly competitive and have a very busy strike-force. Ighalo and Deeney have been excellent to date and Spurs will need to be careful or the duo will flip the script and make life very tough for the home side. Still, with Toby keeping things tight at the back we’re backing Spurs in this one, especially during this cluster of games.

[divider_1px]

West Brom – Aston Villa (H), Swansea (H), Newcastle (A)
[three_fourth padding=”0 20px 0 0″]

[/three_fourth]Has it finally happened? Have opposing teams finally cracked the Pulis code? This season it certainly seems that way. The Baggies have kept just one clean sheet in the last twelve, yes, twelve, games in a complete role reversal of what we come to expect from a Tony Pulis team. Predictably tough to play against and a nightmare to break down, Tony’s brand has been a major thorn in the side to everyone down the years and at times even the more flamboyant and creative teams have failed to finish them off. Not so much this season though. Southampton were the latest to put a few past West Brom, running out 3-0 winners last week in a breeze of a game that means three defeats from the last six and just seven points earned in that time. It begs the question: why the hell are West Brom in the favorable section if they’re playing crap and not keeping things tight? It’s a good question, and one we decline to answer. Call it a punt. Now, lets have a look at some fixtures…

If they cant do a job on this lot then consider this West Brom team dead. Deader than dead, in fact. To start us off it’s everyone’s favorite whipping boys, Aston Villa. Rock bottom Villa actually won a game recently, a real game! They won! Shame it’s the only one in the last six and one that really isn’t fooling anybody. They’re bottom and nine points off safety for a reason after all and the Baggies should deal with them handily enough. Sticking to the bottom three, Swansea are, as previously mentioned, on the slippery slope themselves and might well be coming off the back of an utter pasting by Spurs by the time West Brom entertain them. Not that West Brom are going to batter anyone, or anything like it, but another nail in the Swans coffin can’t be a bad thing. A long-running struggle for goals is music to the ears of anyone who still has a Jonny Evans or Craig Dawson lingering about, and indeed any of us who take a punt on these games as a short term differential. Rounding out the dodgiest teams in the league, it is of course Newcastle. Their struggles are well documented at this stage. Every season it’s either a massive battle to stay up or the odd surprise season where things click for a few months and it results in a decent finish. The former looks like the protocol this season, a big struggle. The Baggies have to travel for this one but if they get the results we think they should get in the next two then a trip to Newcastle should be that much easier for them, if it needed to be at all.

[divider_1px]

Manchester City – West Ham (A), Sunderland (A), Leicester (H)
[three_fourth padding=”0 20px 0 0″]

[/three_fourth]It’s hard to know where City are at each week. Are they going to turn up and destroy the opposition with attacking flair and incisive play, or are they going to struggle badly and limp over the line against lame opposition? It’s anyone’s guess but one thing is certain now at least: Sergio Aguero is looking sharp and is instantly breaking our hearts once again. Sold him recently out of frustration? Merked. Weren’t quite sure if he was fit enough for a capo shout? Merked. A brace, an assist, and a scoop of the bonus points brought a haul of sixteen points, or a colossal thirty-two if you chose him to lead the line. Lord Pardew could do nothing as City dismantled his team with ease and in truth could have been a lot meaner if they wished. Just a point behind Leicester and Arsenal now, City have a fantastic run ahead and will hope to pull away from the pack – something that wont be all that hard if a certain someone can stay out of the treatment room and top off a lethal attack with De Bruyne, Silva, Sterling and Yaya Toure to back him up. Right, on to this fantastic run we mentioned…

In great form until last weekend, when they shockingly lost to Newcastle, West Ham aren’t exactly the basement dwellers we would like to see here but they are a team that can be scored against, especially by a powerhouse like City. Recent meetings have actually gone the Hammers’ way with two wins from the last three meetings, with the other being a 2-0 defeat. However, with the aforementioned array of stars all now fit, or very close to being fit, West Ham have their work cut out for them for ninety minutes and despite their best efforts, we feel like they will fall short this time, but might get a goal or two for themselves. Next up is “one of those games”. The ones we Fantasy managers drool over. All we can see is huge hauls from forwards and defenders and stupidly high capo returns, resulting in a beast of a Game-week. City have let us down in these games before but is it likely to happen again this time? It better bloody not! Sunderland are ripe for a beating and of all the teams in the league, City, along with Arsenal, are the ones who usually dish out the mega-beatings and this game has all the marks of one of those. Stock up for this one, for sure. Back to home comforts, City then entertain Leicester. The Foxes have started to come down from their incredible high of late. Just two wins from six is a long way from where they were considering teams like Bournemouth and Villa have not been dealt with well in the last few weeks. For a team who showed so much defensive frailty earlier in the season, they’d really want to get it together before they face an Aguero-led City, or it could be a confidence-killing, season-ending battering they receive.

[divider_1px]

BE WARY OF…
Stoke – Leicester (A), Manchester United (A), Everton (H)
Now, before we begin, it’s worth stating that Stoke aren’t in a bad place just now. Much the opposite in fact. A solid seventh in the league and fourth in the form table is good going for Stoke. However, a number of tricky games lie in wait and it remains to be seen whether teams like Stoke can keep the pace and continue to pick up points. A trip to Leicester is one that no teams will look forward to and even if they are tailing off a bit, they’re no mugs and will happily kill off any team who isn’t on their game. This game could be a good watch, actually. Another away trip to United next. On paper it’s a tough game but we’ll see about that. United are on a major wobble but they should be beating Stoke at home. Shouldn’t they? The solitary home game might just be the hardest of the bunch – Everton are the visitors and they’ve shown some great stuff this season, as well as some bad, but mainly good. Have to fancy Everton in this one although it might be tight.

[divider_1px]

Southampton – Manchester United (A), Arsenal (A), West Ham (H)
Back to winning ways recently after two and three-nil wins over Watford and West Brom, Southampton look to have come out of their slumber and have played some nice stuff. Another victim of back-to-back away games, it might not be the time to invest in Saints cover unless it’s a punt on the incoming Charlie Austin, who served so many so well the last time he was available to us. Old Trafford first and a game that will again be determined by which United turn up. United will at least be favorites going in to the game and, again, should be winning these games. From Old Trafford to the Emirates and a clash with league leaders Arsenal. The Gunners’ form has slipped a little recently but we’d have to favor them against Southampton at home, especially if Mesut Ozil has returned to the starting eleven, accompanied by Alexis Sanchez. A Payet-led West Ham then travel to St. Mary’s for what looks to be a pretty even match-up to be fair, one that could go either way. Considering the two that precede it, leaving Southampton cover be for a few weeks looks the best route just now.

[divider_1px]

Chelsea – Arsenal (A), Watford (A), Manchester United (H)
Four draws and two wins from the last six games isn’t all that bad but, when looking at the opposition, Chelsea have failed to beat Watford, West Brom and Everton, all at home, and United away. One of the victories was against Sunderland so that doesn’t count – things don’t look all that good all of a sudden. Eight conceded in that time doesn’t bode well for some of the coming games and none more so than the first one, Arsenal away. Usually a cracker, this fixture looks more favorable for Arsenal as things stand but you never know in these big games. The potent Watford strike-force follows and another game that will test big Gus’ team. The Hornets have performed above expectation so far and sit a full ten points above the drop zone, and can score in the blink of an eye through their two dangerous strikers. A tough game ahead then. Lastly, the battle of the has-been’s! Not long ago, these two were battling it out for titles and these games were crucial six-pointers. How the times have changed, eh? It’s not easy to put a prediction on this one but some sort of sh*tty, boring to the point of depression draw sounds about right.

[divider_1px]

Sunderland – Bournemouth (H), Manchester City (H), Liverpool (A)
Is there even any point in going over this lot? Probably not, but we’ll persevere nonetheless. A few Sunderland players have been doing well recently, namely Jermain Defoe who has five goals to his name in recent weeks and Patrick Van Aanholt, who has somehow managed to score in three weeks running, and pick up an assist! This may tempt many of us to take a punt on the dirt cheap differentials and hope to gain ground, but one look ahead suggests turning our attentions elsewhere would be a wise move. Home to Bournemouth doesn’t sound too bad but with the Cherries having found a bit of form, this should be a tough game, with form suggesting Bournemouth are actually the more likely team. We covered this next game earlier so just a quick reminder. A laughable game against City. ‘Nuff said. The third, and final fixture is Liverpool at Anfield. The ‘Pool have built a hilarious habit of tripping up against weak teams at home but we cant see it happening this time. At least with Klopp in there there’s a team that will attack the bejaysus out of Sunderland and steamroll to a 1-0 victory.

[divider_1px]

One Week Wonders
All of the above is intended to give you an overview and an aid to planning ahead but we also appreciate that some managers take things week by week and so here are a couple of games that we feel may offer up some decent fantasy points for this week alone…

Watford v Newcastle
We feel there may be points on offer for Watford here, and at both ends of the pitch. The reason being is that Newcastle haven’t travelled very well this season and have scored just a paltry 5 on the road this season. That is, suffice to say, the worst in the league and in their 10 away games they’ve failed to score in 6 of those. They don’t mind conceding a few too and only 1 team outside of the bottom 3 has conceded more away from home. It’s possibly worth noting though that they did concede 11 of those 21 in just two games against Man City and Palace, although it’s hardly a recommendation is it?! Basically, if they capitulate they do do it in grand fashion. To further hammer the nail home though they also lost away to two teams in the bottom three (Swansea and Sunderland) by a net score of 0-5.

Everton v Swansea
Martinez loves a goal and doesn’t seem to mind which end it is at! Winning comfortably and just need to see the game out to it’s logical conclusion? Not a problem, send on some strikers and take off some defenders and midfielders, that should do the job… Everton should win this one, and it should be by a few goals to nil. Only Man City have scored more home goals and Swansea have only scored 8 away from home, the joint worst effort in the league (with West Brom). So again, attackers and defenders from Everton may be very popular and wise transfers this week. Just don’t forget to factor in the Martinez effect once they are 3-0 up and cruising!

[divider_1px]

Fixture Fun

The game-week 23 DEADLINE is 23rd Jan 11.45am GMT

There are a few teams involved in FA Cup replays this midweek –

Tuesday
West Brom
Aston Villa

Wednesday
Leicester
Spurs
Liverpool

Be sure to monitor those games for any injuries or suspensions that may arise as a result should you have players from any of the five teams.

[divider_1px]

Thanks for reading Fantasy Football Fixtures Game-week 23 – Fantasy Premier League 2015-16. This article was written a bit by NIN and Inittowinit