Fixture Analysis – Game-week 23, FPL Fantasy Premier League

FAVOURABLE FIXTURES

Fixture Analysis – Gameweek 23, FPL Fantasy Premier League

MANCHESTER UNITED – Cardiff (H), Stoke (A), Fulham (H), Arsenal (A)
Oh dear, where to begin?! Well, their next three fixtures might be a start as they are quite tasty. On paper. Surely, surely Moyes’ boys will be able to pick up a few welcome points from this lot? Cardiff are rock bottom and without a win in their last eight away games, losing the last four so this really should be a home banker despite the recent rocky form for United. Similarly the visit to Stoke sees them face a side who are without a win in their last five and are looking a little limp since Mark Hughes set about loosening them up a bit in order to play more football. Careful what you wish for there eh Stoke? After that United are back at Old Trafford to face a Fulham side who are also in free fall and have lost five of their last six away games. So that’s nine points for them then you would think and should give them some confidence which they will need for the fourth game as they then head to the league leaders to play out what is usually a fascinating battle with Arsenal.

Given the form of their first three opponents it might not be a bad bet that United could actually see some clean sheets on the horizon. While the suspension of Nemanja Vidic for the next two doesn’t help this cause it does point to the fact that Jonny Evans will be an even more nailed on starter. At £5.0m he is your cheapest route into the United defence, of those certain to start. He is without a league goal yet this term but has annoyingly been saving those for cup games! Rafael perhaps offers a little more in terms attacking potential but comes in at a more premium £5.9m

The BIG talking point of course is the addition of Juan Mata to the United ranks. Having arguably been the league’s best player for the last two seasons it seems odd that Jose could not find a place for him in his team but United fans will not care a jot as they and the team have been given the shot in the arm that they have so very much needed. Whether he will take time take to pick up the pace again having played so little recently remains to be seen but given the fixtures and the dire need for creativity he will be straight in the team regardless we feel. The desire to prove Chelsea wrong will burn bright and should probably be enough to mask any lack of sharpness for the time being anyway. At £9.4m he is still at the top end and you would have to decide carefully how to accommodate him in your midfield should you choose to jump straight in there. Assuming Moyes deploys him in a central role we expect he will soon be returning some good numbers although this may also depend on how quick Rooney and RVP are able to return to action. Mata feeding that pair has a much better ring to it than Mata getting frustrated with Danny Welbeck! Given Moyes’ inability to integrate Kagawa into his team though by insisting on playing him on the wing, don’t be surprised if Mata has similar issues. Kagawa clearly isn’t a winger and Mata is far better centrally but is Moyes astute enough to realise that? We shall see.

SWANSEA – Fulham (H), West Ham (A), Cardiff (H), Stoke (A)
By Laudrup’s own admission things are starting to look a little bleak for Swansea as they have dropped to 15^th in the league and are only three points above all of the teams in the relegation zone. In fact they have only managed to pick up three points from their last eight league games which is relegation form in anybody’s book. Their upcoming fixture schedule may just make or break their season then. As enticing as it looks on paper make no mistake that there will be no push-over’s amongst them especially given the form or rather lack of that Swansea are showing at the moment. That said they really ought to be able to beat Fulham and Cardiff at home and West Ham are having their own problems at the moment to say the least. Stoke away is the other one and they themselves are only a point above the Swans.You have to go all the way back to the beginning of December for Swansea’s last clean sheet so perhaps investing in their defence could be a lottery. In fact they have only had five all season but the last three of those have all come at home and one of those was against West Ham. If you are tempted then perhaps the imminent return from injury of one of last season’s fantasy heroes Michel Vorm in goal may whet your appetite if you need a cheap goalkeeper to rotate. He comes in at £4.9m as do his two defensive counterparts Chico and Ben Davies. Two goals in the first six games for Davies indicated he would continue his great form from last season but since then he has failed to register either a goal or an assist. Due?

It’s fair to say that Swansea have a few problems in midfield and most of their players are either yellow or red flagged for one reason or another so it is up top that we jump our attentions to. Wilfried Bony has scored three goals in the last three games now. He’s had a very inconsistent start to his Swansea career mainly due to injuries but he has still managed to score seven league goals and we feel that with their run of fixtures and him seemingly finding both his feet and his fitness, that he should add quite a few more to that tally before the end of the season.

CHELSEA – West Ham (H), Man City (A), Newcastle (H), West Brom (A)
Chelsea are slowly building momentum this season and some are starting to see them as serious title contenders. The truth is that they will be there or thereabouts but it will take a massive collapse from City and Arsenal surely to see Chelsea emerge as champions as they have not exactly set the league alight so far but sometimes the tortoise does beat the hare so you never know. West Ham up next should be a routine victory for them ahead of a vital trip to the Etihad. After that they host a Newcastle side who have lost three of their last four league games before visiting West Brom who may still be finding their feet under the new management. City aside we would expect Chelsea should have too much for the other three.

Having sold Juan Mata this should point to less risk of rotation at the very least for the likes of Eden Hazard, Oscar and Willian. It’s an intriguing trio this and in and of itself offers a microcosm of the game we play with the choice that each represents. Hazard is the most expensive by some way at £10.6m but seems to offer surety of returns and is the 3^rd top scoring player in the game. Oscar is only £8.9m by comparison but has been consistent enough to see himself placed 7^th in the overall midfield rankings so far. Willian is by the cheapest at £7.5m and so would be competition for your attention against the likes of Cabaye and Lallana but he is starting to establish himself in a team that is competing at the sharp end having only completed 90 minutes on three occasions but still seeing himself to two goals and two assists. So go for the tried and tested, take a slight risk and save some money or take a bigger risk that someone will explode but allow you to spend an extra £3m elsewhere. Pretty much sums up fantasy football that!

Samuel Eto’o should need little introduction but the truth is we all felt he was a busted flush didn’t we? That was until he popped up with a timely reminder of his abilities last week with a hat-trick against Man United. The fact is that he has been rotated to the point of only starting eight games but he has now managed six goals and two assists so maybe, just maybe he might be worth a roll of the dice? The issue so far has been rotation but with another injury to Torres and Ba just being pushed down the pecking order Eto’o should get plenty of opportunities in the coming weeks and we would not bet against him making his mark on the Premier League.

The Best of the Rest

Aston Villa – West Brom (H), Everton (A), West Ham (H), Cardiff (A)
Lambert’s Villa really are the epitome of inconsistency. They sit 10th currently which seems very respectable but in reality they are closer in terms of points to the relegation zone than they are to Southampton only one place above them in 9^th! Probably the latter two of their four fixtures are more enticing but even so the derby with West Brom should give them hope even if a trip to Goodison probably will not.

Southampton – Arsenal (H), Fulham (A), Stoke (H), Hull (A)
The Saints find themselves marooned in limbo at the moment, in 9^th place, but seven points clear of Villa below them and five points off Newcastle above them, they truly are the only mid-table team this season! Arsenal up next will be tough of course but beyond that they have a decent run of fixtures that should allow them to cement that unenviable position they hold!

LESS FAVOURABLE FIXTURES
FULHAM – Swansea (A), Southampton (H), Man United (A), Liverpool (H)
Fulham find themselves just above the relegation zone in 17^th place with a slender one point advantage but their upcoming fixtures may well finally plunge them into the mire, which let’s face it they have been heading towards for some time now. Defeats in their last two games only tell half the story as they have been on a slippery slope all season and even the change in management seems to have done little to halt their decline. They visit Swansea first which has ‘must-win’ written all over it for both teams, expect a draw there then! Southampton at home after that will be tricky but they had better try and get something out of that as the next two see them visit Old Trafford and then host Suarez, Gerrard et al. So yeah they best hope to get something from the first two!

There really isn’t much to get excited about from a fantasy point of view with Fulham. They have conceded 22 in the last 7 league games so that says stay away from the defence. Their top scoring midfielder is Steve Sidwell which may be indicative also but that said he does boast five goals this season and at just £5.2m he could be a good cheap 4^th or 5^th midfielder.

STOKE – Sunderland (A), Manchester United (H), Southampton (A), Swansea (H)
Stoke are a team in transition. They are moving from a team under Pulis that was strictly long ball, tough to beat and physical to say the least, to a team under Hughes that is much easier on the eye, much less physical and much easier to beat! Their away form is alarming, having lost the last three and they are without a win in their last nine away from the Britannia. Two trips to a vastly improving Sunderland and a consistent Southampton then will be be difficult for them. Their last win at home was prior to Christmas as well so hosting Man United in particular but then also fellow strugglers Swansea will not be easy.

As belies their current plight Stoke do not have anyone that stands out from a fantasy perspective and given the fixtures as highlighted you would be as well to stay away in the main we think. Charlie Adam has had a stop-start season with injuries and has been the only one to really show any signs of life so far for Stoke. Despite only managing to complete 90 minutes on five occasions this season he has notched five goals and an assist. Should he get an injury free run he could yet prove to be a great differential at just £5.6m.

NEWCASTLE – Norwich (A), Sunderland (H), Chelsea (A), Tottenham Hotspur (H)
Newcastle currently occupy 8^th spot in the league, just one point behind Man United and five ahead of Southampton in 9^th but to listen to their fans you would think they were rock bottom as it is all doom and gloom over there. We can see the frustration though as they seem to be establishing themselves as a mid table side, which in reality is where they should be, but their fans want and expect more. Keep wishing. Ashley seems content with stabilising their position in the league which is admirable but the fans want more. So whilst they are not in any immediate danger the next four fixtures are a mixed bag for them. They visit Norwich away in what is sure to be a classic(!), but then they have a potentially explosive home derby with Sunderland. The two after that are the concerning ones though as they visit Stamford Bridge to play Chelsea before hosting Spurs.

Fantasy wise there have been two outstanding candidates so far for Newcastle. Yohan Cabaye has managed seven goals and four assists thus far which has made him a firm favourite in many a team whilst Loic Remy has bettered even that with eleven strikes and two assists so far.

FIXTURE FUN
This week saw the conclusion of the Capital One Cup semi-finals with one inevitable victor being Man City and the other ending in a comedy penalty shoot-out which eventually saw Sunderland emerge as their opponents on the 2^nd of March. This will mean that Man City, Sunderland, Man United and West Brom will all have a blank game-week come GW28. You will need to plan accordingly and also bear in mind that this will lead to some double game-weeks at some point for the teams mentioned.

The deadline this week is 19.30am on Tuesday.

As ever good luck one and all for GW23.

This article was written by inittowinit