FAVOURABLE FIXTURES
MANCHESTER CITY – Fulham (A), Liverpool (H), Crystal Palace (H), Swansea (A)
City certainly put down a marker on Saturday then! As a statement of intent you do not get much more emphatic than scoring six against the league leaders. The potential loss of Sergio Aguero for anything up to two months, depending on which report you read, may on the face of it be a blow but judging by Saturday alone, they may well be ok – they scored three with him and still notched another three once he had departed.
Liverpool looked in rude health at the weekend, dispatching Spurs for five away from home on Sunday and so this sets up the potential fixture of the Christmas period as City host them on Boxing Day in what is sure to be a classic. That fixture aside City go away to Fulham this week and then host Palace and visit Swansea in what should be a very profitable little run of fixtures for them and do not be surprised if they are top of the league once we enter the New Year.
With Aguero potentially out for a couple of months, goal scoring duties may switch more so to Alvaro Negredo who has been viewed largely as a differential by many so far but may become a mainstay for some over the Christmas period. At only 9.4m he may also offer the chance to beef up your midfield as well, especially with the January wildcard looming, which will then in turn allow the opportunity to reassess where Aguero can fit back in once he is fit.
Yaya Toure seems to have replaced his little run of free-kicks with a little run of penalties to delight his owners and with David Silva now back to full fitness and Samir Nasri showing signs of his old self there seems to be no end of choice in their midfield too.
Owners of Man City defenders always seem to run a gauntlet and have to anxiously check the team sheet every week and one who was catching the eye again as of late was Pablo Zabaleta. Sadly for his owners he limped out of Tuesday night’s League Cup game. With Micah Richards already side lined it will be interesting to see what Pellegrini decides to do. Their only remaining recognised right-back is Dedryck Boyata who would be a short term bargain at 4.2m, but having not played a single minute in the FPL this season it might be wise to see what happens first. Costel Pantilimon owners will be hoping that Joe Hart remains on the bench for a good while longer as well as there is very good potential for clean-sheet points in at least three of the next four for City.
EVERTON – Swansea (A), Sunderland (H), Southampton (H), Stoke (A)
Having dispatched Fulham for four at the weekend Everton will be looking to build on their current momentum and the next four fixtures should hold no fear for Martinez’s men. Two home games against lowly Sunderland and a newly inconsistent Saints are sandwiched between away trips to Swansea and Stoke who are both struggling to find their feet. Everton remain unbeaten at home in 2013 and we expect this record will be fiercely defended in the next two at Goodison.
Romelu Lukaku owners will have been disappointed to see him walk away with just a lucky assist from the Fulham game and that is three games now that he has failed to score in but he has kept the points ticking over with three assists in those games. Eight goals in the previous nine games to those three however would suggest that patience may well be rewarded over the Christmas period.
We spoke last week about the emergence of Gerard Deulofeu but Everton will be without their Spanish starlet for a few weeks due to a hamstring injury but that should allow for more certainty of game time for both Kevin Mirallas and Ross Barkley. Mirallas came off the bench to grab a late goal last weekend, he is Everton’s top scoring midfielder in fantasy terms and with an ownership of only 5% could be a nice differential with the fixtures being fairly kind.
Many expected a clean-sheet last week for Everton but they were to be disappointed. Those who picked up Seamus Coleman were rewarded with another goal from the increasingly consistent full-back. Coleman is the highest scoring defender in the game currently with ninety points and with team-mate Phil Jagielka second, along with Tim Howard leading the goalkeeper rankings then maybe Everton investment at the back might not be such a bad idea!
MANCHESTER UNITED – West Ham (H), Hull (A), Norwich (A), Tottenham (H)
We spoke last week about this being both a crucial period for United and also a great opportunity for them to play catch up and they started off nicely with a solid victory at Villa Park. Those shoots of recovery should still be flourishing this weekend, certainly with West Ham next up at Old Trafford. United then play two games on the road over Christmas visiting Hull and Norwich before returning to Old Trafford on New Year’s Day to face Spurs once more. Not a bad run by any stretch.
With many contemplating where to spend their Sergio Aguero money it is worth noting that whilst he has not been quite as prolific as Aguero or Suarez, Wayne Rooney is still third in the forwards list this season. Despite playing for a mid-table team (!) he has still managed eight goals and eight assists this season and with Robin van Persie now out he should be on nearly all of United’s set plays. He will be the go to man for many and with West Ham at home this week who can blame them?
Unless you hold the cheap Adnan Januzaj then it is probably still wise to look elsewhere for midfield options. Anywhere else. There are fifty five other midfielder’s who have scored more points than United’s highest one and in fact if you add together the three scores of United’s top three in this department they are still six points shy of Aaron Ramsey!
Perhaps at the back there are better options for United investment. Jonny Evans has now started five of the last six and could offer great value at just 5m, should he look like making one of the centre-back spots his own.
THE BEST OF THE REST
Aston Villa host Crystal Palace and Swansea in the next four as well as having trips to Stoke and lowly Sunderland. This should be a good opportunity for them to get some valuable points on the board.
Man Utd at home aside, Norwich do not have a bad few weeks ahead on paper. They travel to Sunderland and Palace and also host Fulham on Boxing Day.
LESS FAVOURABLE FIXTURES
SWANSEA – Everton (H), Chelsea (A), Aston Villa (A), Man City (H)
Swansea are the epitome of a mid-table team this season which befits their position in 10th place. Whether they remain in obscurity come the New Year or get dragged down remains to be seen but their fixtures over Christmas are tough to say the least. They are currently seven points off 6th and seven points off the relegation spots. Three of the next four are Everton, Chelsea and Man City. Their only reprieve if it is one, is a trip to Villa Park.
They certainly haven’t enjoyed the best of luck with strikers this season due to injury after injury, which saw Jonjo Shelvey having to play as their main forward at one point. Michu seems to be suffering from a little bit of second season syndrome but if he was to get two or three goals in a short spell then he could well pique our interest once more but at 8.5m he isn’t the bargain he once was and would have to displace a marquee player in our squads.
WEST HAM – Man Utd (A), Arsenal (H), West Brom (H), Fulham (A)
A bit of a mixed bag for the Hammers this lot, but to start with a trip to Old Trafford and then to have Arsenal on Boxing Day is a tough intro to the Christmas period for anyone but especially when a couple of defeats could well plummet you into the relegation zone. They will hope for better against West Brom at home but then even the trip to Fulham may well prove to be a very tricky local derby on New Year’s Day.
Don’t hope for too much from their defenders this Christmas if you have any. The midfield is shorn of Kevin Nolan this weekend but he will be back on Boxing Day which might be as well as they haven’t got any strikers to speak of really! Much will rest on the shoulders of Andy Carroll should he make a comeback soon which is on the cards, but realistically, stay away from West Ham for a bit.
SOUTHAMPTON – Tottenham (H), Cardiff (A), Everton (A), Chelsea (H)
We can only speculate what sort of Spurs side will show up at the weekend, so that one could go either way but beyond that, Southampton really do not have the kindest festive period. The trips to Cardiff and Everton will be tough and Chelsea is never an easy game for anyone, anywhere. Usually.
Jay Rodriguez is starting to hit some great form and at just 5.9m, could he go on to be this seasons Ricky Lambert? Three goals in the last four games sees him pull level on points with his team-mate and at 1.1m less could be a cunning sideways shift if anyone has Lambert and needs some spare change. In midfield Adam Lallana is continuing to hold his own on 68 points at 7m, whilst at the back Dejan Lovren is outshining the usually more fancied Shaw and Clyne options.
BE WARY OF….
Jose Mourinho has been taking every opportunity recently to remind everyone what a tough run Chelsea have coming up so we thought we had better have a look for ourselves! It’s not horrendous to be fair. They do go to Arsenal and have Liverpool at home which is not ideal but Swansea at home on Boxing Day and a trip to Southampton on New Year’s Day are equally not the worst.
Fixture Fun…
Always plenty of that at Christmas! It’s all FPL for a few weeks now as of this Saturday, and as such there are no League Cup or European games to be considered until the New Year.
The main things to be aware of are the deadlines for each game-week which are as follows – (GMT)
GW17 21 Dec 11:30
GW18 26 Dec 11:30
GW19 28 Dec 11:30
GW20 1 Jan 11:30
Have a great Christmas everyone and as always – good luck!
This article was written by inittowinit
Taking a 4 point hit to do Lallana–> Wally is it worth it? Team is the following:
Mignolet (Harper)
Evra, Jagielka, Terry (B.Turner, Koscielny)
Ramsey, Cabaye, Hazard, Lallana (El Ahmadi)
Rooney, Lukaku, Suarez (c)
Considering I have Terry in the team would it be wise to have Walcot for the hit?
Already did my FT and got 4 mil in the bank.
I reckon chelsea will concede goals whether you buy Wally or not so don’t let that stop you. I would probably not take hit though and keep fingers crossed that Wally saves it up for Boxing Day.
Yeah exactly and considering I am only 4 point ahead in my classic league that hit would really sting! Since I got Terry I hope Mourinho will wanna play a dull 0-0 game or something like that. But I am really sensing Wally to come good…so he would need at least a goal and bonus to make it worth while. I really do not see Lallana giving good points in the near future therefore the dilemma.
+1
Afternoon chaps…
Up & coming transfer thoughts..?
My midfield are / Hazard / Yaya / Wally / Ramsey/
I’ve just bought in Wally so gonna keep, but Hazard ain’t looking to convincing in a lackluster Chelsea side..but not sure who would be a better replacement..?
I luv Yaya, & had him from the start ,,, he’s been very consistant…but im wandering when will it end.. Poss bring in Silva for him..?
Ramsey seems to good vfm to swap with Anyone,, but he’s bound to hit a wall soon,,,?
Attack. Is / Rooney / Lukaku / Suarez / …. Don’t think there’s any 3 better at the mo, but goona monitor Negrado closely…!
I’ve noticed Hazard is not so consistent as others but tends to have spasm and outburst of big hauls which in the long run does pay off,not a player for shipping out and bringing in due to fixtures..I mean he is 3rd in Midfield total score and second in form.
So i guess its a waiting game with him …if the waiting game is not suited to you then I guess Silva is your best option for now or Oscar to replace to keep CHE coverage..
Michu is back lets see if he can pick up his game to replicate his form last season..
What do you mean ‘form’?
How you have him second is intriguing, I’d put numerous players ahead of Hazard, specifically from Chelsea I’d put Hazard as second, behind Lampard. Why you’d replace Hazard with Oscar is beyond me.
for you Untouchables, reply seems not to work every now and then for me ..
Ozil is1st, Hazard is 2nd FPL form list…
That is meaningless. Because that also has Lampard, Oviedo and Navas in the top 10. Fernandinho sits 11th, one big game and all of a sudden you are in form. Now if you look at true form not fpl, you could easily dismiss half the players in the top 15.
Thanks for heads up…
I wouldn’t look at that, mate. That’s worse than the ‘points per last 4 games’ stats you see.
Without going in to much detail I’ll give you my watch list for the coming weeks up until the Jan WC, with a few possibilities for the coming weeks before that to be proactive as opposed to reactive.
Coutinho (already have him, but watch him explode points), Shelvey, Ramsey, Cabaye (also have), Fer, Walcott (have), Deulofeu, Mirallas.
Hazard is on there, but he’s not ahead of all the others I just mentioned.
Just for Chelsea coverage……I am aware other Midfielders are better if its across the board.
Also I suggested Oscar for a differential of Hazard for Bigpopz…
Personally I have Hazard and will stick with him for Chelsea coverage
Cheers init,solid write up.
Cheers Innit, great stuff as always.
Mind’s made up to take the -4 hit and go Brady > Silva today. Anybody talk me out of it?
Also, seen Cahill’s red flag removed – any news on his status?
Colriles – Sounds good to me,i’d go for it! Haven’t read anything on Cahill yet,if his flag has been removed then he must be good to go,or at least good enough for a spot on the bench..
Colriles + NIN
Cahill played yesterday against Sunderland, therefore he’s not flagged anymore.
Albertini – Correct,i forgot about the games last night,silly me.
Cheers NIN & A-tini ; glad I’m down from 3 to 1 red flag now! He’ll prob stay on the bench this week regardless, vs ARS.
Nice article!.
Just asking for thoughts on my team chaps
1FT left. 2.6m in bank
Marshall (Boruc)
Gabbidon Coleman Chester (Mertesacker Clyne)
Ramsey Hazard YaYa Ravel (Amilfitano)
Suarez(C) Rooney(V) Negredo
Cant decide if to sort GK out,
get Kompany for Clyne
get Cabbaye for Amilfitano
get Wally for Hazard (based on what i read above)
any other options?
Thoughts appreciated fellas
Hey B-Bash – imo, Marshall is serviceable for now, Cabaye’s playing time still is in some question, Haz > Wally seems a bit sideways for at least this week, so I’d say Clyne > ManCity def coverage if you’re itching to make a move.
I’m also looking at Kolarov – pretty unpredictable def lineup so it’s gonna be a gamble no matter who you go with.
Colriles
Cheers for reply.
I looked at Kolorov but he didn’t feature at all v Arsenal. Demichelis gets the nod regularly, but I feel that now he’s fit Kompany will start each gw. And he’s pretty good for bonus points!
I do want Walcott soon, but think your right about sideways move
B-Bash – Hmm,Marshall vs Suarez sounds horrible haha.Considering Suarez’s form,there’s a decent chance that Marshall finishes on minus points so i think i’d lose Boruc because Cardiff have some decent games ahead,you could save a little by getting someone like Speroni or McGregor..or if you fancy spending a little then Pantilimon could be a good shout,there’s risk involved there though because we don’y know when Hart will be brought back into the team.
*don’t
+1 Speroni wrote reply below somehow my Speroni comment was missed out…SUAREZ
I actually can’t stress how much people should be bringing in Palace cover for defensive cover. Speroni is a good option.
Nin
Cheers fella. My 1st thought of week was Suarez v Marshall! Would have done it by now, but just getting greedy to strengthen elsewhere when something pretty obvious needs sorting!
Was thinking Boruc to Gazzaniga till Jan WC comes thru
possibly Boruc to Speroni has good rotation of fixtures with Marshall…………
Speroni V Newcastle (H)
Marshall V Southampton(H)
Marshall V Sunderland (H)
Speroni V Norwich (H)
+1 to this, let the Speroni movement commence!
Team looks solid I possibly hold on for this week
Not keen oh bringing in City player’s with form in away games…
Cabbaye is a good shout but again timing is bad and gametime, I feel next game CRY are starting show the Pulis effect resilience,Stoke and Arsenal next fixtures.. So a no for me
I feel Wally win run riot this weekend…..Although I feel Hazard may do the same too
use this week to decide to keep Hazard or If Wally is a must….Ravel has tough fixtures so maybe someone like Oviedo in as he has better fixtures.
Untouchable
Thanks mate. Would really like to keep Hazard Ramsey and Yaya and still buy Walcott as oppose to anyone.Bit of a cash issue tho.
Good call on Oviedo, but maybe for gw 18
No worries these are just my thoughts the Speroni comment I would class as advice and is also on my agenda to do..
B-Bash – Leighton Baines is reportedly close to making a return so Oviedo would then instantly lose his spot so be careful there,also Oviedo is classed as a midfielder in FPL,well…he IS a midfielder but he’s playing in defence so he wont pick up 4 points for a clean sheet,just one,and wont be forward as much as he’d like to be..i think his two big scores have hidden the facts,he is reverse out-of-position which is far from ideal.
Cheers Nin and untouchable
Think I’ll sort GK situation out and see how I get on