Fantasy Football Fixtures Game-week 3

Fantasy Football Fixtures Game-week 3

This just isn’t going to plan is it? With most of the favoured picks not showing up after two gameWeeks, many fantasy managers have been left wondering where it all went wrong. The high priced picks such as Eden Hazard, Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney – among others – have all started off sluggishly, resulting in mass wildcarding and doubt casting over our initial squads. Last gameweek threw up some surprise results such as Sunderland once again disintegrating at the hands of the mighty Norwich, Everton showing the previously rock solid Southampton how it’s done with a dazzling display of counter attacking and Manchester United scraping over the line once again. The 2014/15 Champions have also stuttered in reverse and were well and truly battered by a rampant City team who look well up for this campaign.
So, where does this all leave us? Well, there are two camps now emerging in the FPL Manager world. Those who are sticking by their hard thought out preseason picks and those who have had enough and wildcarded. Whichever camp you fall into it is essential to stay on top of the fixtures for all teams as we look to rectify this silly start to the season with some well needed scoring. Even half decent will do. 40 points? Please? Pretty please?…

Lets take a look at some teams from whom we may expect to start seeing well needed returns from over the next few weeks, and also a few teams who may be worth turning a blind eye to…

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The Tracker…
As best as we can 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

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And so onto the teams themselves for GW2 and beyond…

FAVOURABLE FIXTURES
SPURS – Leicester (a), Everton (h), Sunderland (a)

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Mauricio Pochettino’s team have gotten off to what can only be described as an indifferent start to this campaign, with a narrow defeat to Manchester United in their opener and then throwing away a two goal lead against Stoke last time out. A lot of this has to do with their talisman, Harry Kane, not quite being up to speed just yet but we feel it is only a matter of time before he, and they, get back to winning ways.

First up is a potential banana-skin with an away trip to Leicester City. Leicester have been through the wars this past year or so but have seemingly come out smelling of roses with free-flowing attacking football that is at times a joy to watch. It’s safe to say that these two sides are going to have a go at each other and it wouldn’t be surprising to see a high scoring affair, should young HurriKane get his shooting boots back from the local cobblers. Despite Leicester being in good form, we expect a team like Spurs to overcome them – even if they need to score a few to do it – more often than not. Attack is the order of the day in this one.
Next up it’s the arrival of Everton to White Hart Lane for what looks set to be another all action, feisty encounter. Despite Everton starting better than most of us expected, Tottenham are the favorites for this one, and they have a pretty good record against the Toffees with no defeats in the last five meetings, which includes a league double last season. Kane & co will be looking to put things right on their own patch after the Stoke episode so we expect them to do enough to send Roberto Martinez and his rapidly receding hairline back to Liverpool with nothing to show for their efforts.
Lastly, the pick of the bunch, an away trip to Sunderland. A lot can happen in a few weeks in football but, lets face it, Sunderland have been woeful so far and should really be easy pickings for all the top teams in the league, and some of the lesser ones too. Kaboul and Coates? Seriously? Say goodnight to Premier League survival if this is as good as it gets. There’s not much else to say here really. Easy Spurs win, incoming.

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WEST HAM – Bournemouth (h), Liverpool (a), Newcastle (h)
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West Ham have played some good stuff so far, to the surprise of many. Okay, to the surprise of a few, but still. (Ed – to the surprise of you NIN!!) An opening day win at the Emirates was a bit of a shocker, but they were good for it. Last time out they were just undone by Tinkerman but they have a great opportunity to get back to winning ways against Bournemouth at Upton Park. Much was expected of the newly promoted side but they have failed to deliver so far and should really pose little to no threat against the Hammers.
Things then get a little tasty with a trip to Anfield in a game that could well be a cracker for the neutral to watch. History favours Liverpool in this one as they have fallen just three times to West Ham in their last 14 meetings but, with some uncertainties with their own team, and the good football being played by the likes of Payet, Cresswell and Kouyate, this one leans toward being an entertaining game, with a score draw being a possibility. So, while defensive cover may not be ideal, Hammers attack does have potential. It is also worth noting that this game is sandwiched in between two incredibly tough away games for Liverpool as they make the trip to both United and Arsenal. Could there be rotation in the Liverpool ranks for the West Ham game, or just general tiredness? Who knows, but it might be something to keep in mind.

We’ll round this one off with a fixture that should really be viewed as a handy one by most teams in the league this year, it is a home tie against Newcastle. The self-proclaimed “best coach in the country” has been told to kindly jog on – and rightfully so – and, to be fair, Newcastle do look a lot better already as McClaren is someone who has at least some iota of what he is doing. Still, they should pose little to no threat so expect this one to go fairly swimmingly for the home team.

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SWANSEA – Sunderland (a), Man Utd (h), Watford (a)
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What a job Gary Monk is doing with Swansea. Thrown in at the deep end, it seemed a bit of a crazy move at the time but fair play to him and his players, Swansea have been excellent form the get-go. They deserved a win at the home of the Champions in gameweek 1 and then easily swept Newcastle aside last week. The writing is on the wall for Toon’s city rivals, Sunderland, as they entertain the Swans this weekend. We expect Ayew & Gomis to be enough, on their own, to beat the Black Cats, and Swansea have much more than that. This is as close to a banker as we dare to predict.
The second game we look at is, on paper, a tough game, but lets not get blinded by fancy names and huge wage bills. United haven’t woken up yet and have been pretty awful so far for a team aspiring to win the title. There really is nothing to suggest that this game will worry Monk’s team as they have actually beaten United in three of the last four meetings, which is a more than respectable record. Is it a fixture worth throwing the kitchen sink at? Probably not, but it most certainly isn’t one to looked at with anything other than quiet confidence that FPL returns are more than possible.
The nice schedule continues as the next featured game is an away trip to newly promoted Watford. Whilst the Hornets have gotten off to a respectable start with a couple of draws against established top-flight teams in Everton and West Brom, their first defeat is only around the corner and with a pair of difficult games to get through before they take on Swansea, we could well be looking at a team who is winless in four, coming up against Siggy & co. Bodes well for the Swans.

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MANCHESTER CITY – Everton (a), Watford (h), Crystal Palace (a)
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The Blue machine is running smoothly once again. Attack, attack, and attack some more. That is the City way and boy do they have the personnel. Argentine sensation Sergio Aguero is backed up by a wealth of speed and skill with the likes of Raheem Sterling, the resurgent and sensational David Silva and the cake loving Yaya Toure providing the ammunition in the most potent forward line of recent times. A blitzing of the usually rock solid West Brom and the humbling of Champions Chelsea says it all. City are back, and they mean business. Everton put in an excellent performance against Southampton last time out but can they stop City’s attacking madness? It’s doubtful. With three wins and one draw since City’s last defeat to Everton, history suggests that this game is only going one way. A goal ridden affair with the champions elect coming out on top.
Watford are next in the firing line as they make the daunting trip to the Etihad in what should be a standard walkover for City. This fixture is also the beginning of what is surely a run of games that fantasy managers the world over will be eyeing up as the time to flood their teams with Man City cover, and we are no different. Watford really don’t have the players to handle this level of competition so we see this as a fixture – and future schedule – to be attacking with full gusto. Get your Aguero’s and your Silva’s at the ready, fireworks are expected in this one.

So, who can put it up to City? Well, it’s unlikely to be Crystal Palace, that’s for sure, and they are next in line. Although it is an away game against a team that is quite capable on their day, this should still be a relative walk in the park. Funnily enough, Palace actually scooped all three points in this fixture last time out but looking back, it was off the back of seven straight defeats stretching back to 2002. It’s worth noting that Ivorian monster Yaya Toure has an excellent goal-scoring record against Palace, akin to his favoring of Newcastle defenders down the years. Loading up on City and, if fancy tickles, a captain shout for Yaya could be a shrewd move for FPL managers. That’s if you can brave yourself to look past the new SAS: Silva, Aguero, Sterling. Full steam ahead, Manchester City.

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LEICESTER CITY – Spurs (h), Bournemoth (a), Aston Villa (h)
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Claudio Ranieri’s reign at the Foxes couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. A pasting of Sunderland in gameweek 1 was followed up by a well deserved win away at West Ham. The preseason worries about how Claudio would do have all but passed as it is quite clear Leicester still have the verve that saw them spectacularly save themselves last season.

As previously alluded to, the Tottenham game is one that bodes well for attack on both sides and, although Spurs are favorites for this one, Leicester will put up a fight and again look to players like James Vardy, Shinji Okazaki and Riyah Mahrez to deliver the goals needed to put points on the board. Would we be surprised to see the Tinkermen put it up again and get a result? Absolutely not, but even if it goes the other way we expect the aforementioned players to again be in with a shout of good returns.
Now, this is where it gets really juicy. A trip to Bournemouth looked a tough one only a few short weeks ago but, having seen what we have seen, you’d have to strongly fancy Leicester in this one. The Cherries are laying goose-eggs so far and it’s hard to see that changing too much with Foxes Algerian talisman, Mahrez, on the prowl once again.
If that fixture isn’t enough to whet your appetite then how about ahome game against Aston Villa? Tim-Tim-nice-but-dim has, to be fair to him, done pretty well with Villa in spite of losing the two players who made them something, namely Fabian Delph and Christian Benteke. Still, it would come as a surprise if anything other than a home win was the outcome and with the Villans being decidedly light up top, it will make it all the harder to keep the ball out of their own half, and that does not bode well considering the form Leicester have shown.
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BE WARY OF…
LIVERPOOL – Arsenal (a), West Ham (h), Man Utd (a)
Ok, so their schedule is a complete mixed bag. Some of the most favourable games of the whole season are mixed in with some of the toughest so, while it might not be necessary to offload your Liverpool cover, it is probably wise to stick with what you have and not bring in anyone else. The next three are all tests in their own right but it is without a doubt the away games that look the most daunting. Starting with Arsenal away this weekend and finishing with a short trip to Old Trafford with West Ham sandwiched in between, it is surely optimal to base our FT’s elsewhere for now.

EVERTON – Man City (h), Spurs (a), Chelsea (h)
Crikey, these are some seriously tough games games for Everton and we fully expect them to struggle. Starting with a loaded City attack at Goodison in a game we have already covered, Everton then make the trip to White Hart Lane to battle Eriksen, Chadli and Kane before returning to home comforts. However, it still doesn’t get any easier, in fact, it gets harder again as Champions Chelsea are the visitors. If you’ve been lucky enough to have Everton players so far then it might be the time to cash out now and be thankful for the points acquired as it could be the end of decent returns from them for a while yet.

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NEWCASTLE – Man Utd (a), Arsenal (h), West Ham (a)
In typical Newcastle fashion, it’s all change this season as Carver departs and the forever confused looking Steve McClaren comes in, as well as some interesting signings. However, all is not fixed just yet and a look at the next three for Toon does not promise much from an FPL perspective. Not one bit, in fact. A trip to Old Trafford, where Newcastle usually get trounced is not a good start and it is made all the more iffy as they next host Arsenal in the early kick off in GameWeek 4. Both opponents have a habit of pasting Newcastle and that is expected to continue. Rounding off a horrid three games is a trip to Upton Park. No more needs to be said here. Avoid.

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CRYSTAL PALACE – Aston Villa (h), Chelsea (a), Man City (h)
Not the worst of starts, as they host Aston Villa, a game which they are more than capable of winning, but it is what follows that reads as dodgy as a FIFA officials bank statements. Pardew takes his troops on the short trip across the Thames to visit Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea before returning to face Manchester City at home. Not much is expected from them against these sides, although, they might well get the odd goal. It gets slightly easier after the City game but not by too much as it’s then Spurs away, to complete a qaurtet of extremely tough games. Yohan Cabaye can do it against anyone but, aside from the Frenchman, proceed with the utmost caution.

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WATFORD – Southampton (h), Man City (a), Swansea (h)
We finish off this weeks Fixtures Article with Watford. Having been mentioned in the favourable section, although on the wrong side of it, it goes without saying that the Watty house could well be about to come crumbling down. The visit of an out-of-form Southampton leads up to what can only be described as a nightmare game, away at an Aguero led Manchester City side who are oozing goals just now. Swansea then complete a tough trio of games as they arrive at Vicarage Road for what looks like being a standard three points for them. The Southampton game is really the only possible glimmer of hope as they have stuttered so far, which leads us to believe that a drab 0-0 is a possibility, but it’s certainly not a game to be gunning for.

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Thanks for reading Fantasy Football Fixtures Game-week 3 – Fantasy Premier League 2015-16. This article was written by NIN

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