FPL Fixtures Analysis Gameweek 27

FPL Fixtures Analysis Gameweek 27

Welcome to FPL Fixtures Analysis Gameweek 27. If I may: this schedule is a complete mess, and I feel 100% inadequate in trying to dole out any meaningful advice in how to deal with it. But then it struck me, I should just write how I would normally write, tell you that it’s all probably rubbish, and then hope that you are able to do the opposite of what I’m thinking and nab yourself some points. But what if I’m a double agent? What if I’m really good at navigating byes and DGW’s from my extensive MLS coverage? Maybe I’m just trying to trick you into doing the opposite of what’s in this article in hopes of coveting all of the points for myself.

But… nah. I’m a really good dude, and I want you all to succeed. I am feeling just a bit overwhelmed about how to navigate this schedule and find a way to win my money league. And that stress is real. In reality, the only thing that the MLS ever taught me is that DGW’s and byes are absolute garbage. So let’s just get into it and we’ll see if we can make sense of this thing before we drive off the edge of the cliff here. Hold my hand, let’s do this Thelma and Louise style.

The Tracker in full…

Top 3 Best Bets
Before people go off criticising me for making the picks as I’m about to here, let me tell you my personal methodology for ranking these teams. First off, we’ll cover Man City later on below, so they won’t be listed in either the Best Bets or Teams to Avoid. Secondly, I’m giving preferential treatment to teams that have no byes. If a team does have a bye in GW28, their other two games would have to be remarkably easy for me to consider them as a Best Bet. And that’s it, that’s about as smart as I can possibly be when deciding who to add in here.

#1) Manchester United – BOU (H), BLANK, MID (A)
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Why would I begin this list with a team that has a bye week? Well, for starters, I couldn’t put Everton in at the Number 1 spot again – after a certain point, even if it’s based on merit, it starts to feel a little homer-ish (but they’ll still feature, don’t you worry). And the second thing is, Man U have to be a team that you’d consider holding onto if you haven’t already sold them off. United had a bit of suspect form there for a while where they really didn’t look like they were getting any traction with so many consecutive draws. But after their last two league games, combined with their result over Southampton in the EFL Cup, Man U have won their last three contests by a combined score of 8-2 with a pair of clean sheets. And that’s some form you can get behind when they’re playing a couple of teams like Bournemouth and Middlesbrough.

Bournemouth are in disastrous form at the moment. They now find themselves only 5 points clear of the relegation line, and they have a losing streak that stretches back four games. Also, they’ve lost those four games by a combined score of 4-12; and when you’re conceding 3.0 goals per match, you know you’re in a rough state. United shouldn’t have any problems capitalizing on that.

And Middlesbrough aren’t doing a whole lot better. They’re only one point clear of relegation and they haven’t scored a goal now in three games. Honestly, it’s hard to not consider Man U one of the top picks for this stretch – they shouldn’t have any problems with either of these games given their current form.

#2) Everton – TOT (A), WBA (H), HUL (H)
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I’m going to be the first to admit, playing away to Tottenham after Spurs’ most recent display is a bit worrying. But Everton seem to have shored things back up defensively since that 6-3 win over Bournemouth a few weeks back, and they haven’t allowed a goal since. Do I expect them to keep a clean sheet against an in-form Harry Kane? Not really. But I also don’t expect them to fold up and allow Spurs to just run rampant either. I think we’ll have a low scoring, close game.

Really though, Everton not having a bye is a major deal for this round. But add to that the fact that they also get to play a pair of home matches back to back after going away to Spurs. Now West Brom are no slouches, but they haven’t done well on the road this year. Their last road win was in December against Southampton (and that was before Southampton got good again). And as for Hull? They’re a scrappy bunch, and they’ve not embarrassed themselves recently. Still, you have to give the nod to the home team for that match.

#3) Chelsea – WHU (A), BLANK, STK (A)
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I know right? I’m recommending a second team with a blank? There are several teams that don’t have blanks that I could’ve picked, and some of those will be in the section down below. But honestly, given that this is a fixtures article and not a tips article, it’s hard to look past another good schedule. And that’s what Chelsea have. I will say, it is a bit worrying that Chelsea have played their last two road matches to both 1-1 draws. But if any team can figure out how to rectify that situation, it’s Chelsea.

West Ham are playing better, but losing out on Antonio this week (their leading fantasy player by a mile) is going to be a huge loss. Something tells me that Snodgrass isn’t going to beat a full-strength Chelsea team on his own. And as for Stoke, they haven’t been able to score more than a single goal against any opponent in five straight matches. The last time they scored more than a single goal was on January 14 when they scored 3 against… Sunderland. So that doesn’t really count. I don’t think that Chelsea are going to be too troubled by either of these teams.

Man City / Stoke – Possible DGW
Now this isn’t even for sure yet – but there’s a chance that City and Stoke will play twice this week. I know right? All City have to do is beat Huddersfield this week in the FA Cup replay. If that happens, Stoke v City will be rescheduled to next Wednesday, March 8 – making this a potential DGW for both teams.

Now, before we get carried away, if this happens (and if I’m reading this right), a DGW would result in a bye for both teams in GW28. So burning your wildcard to get 6 DGW players this week wouldn’t be the best idea going into next week. So just dismiss that thought from your head straight away.

Now the question that you have to ask yourself is whether you want any Stoke players on your team. The answer to that question is ‘no’, by the way. Stoke will play Middlesbrough at home this week, and that looks inviting – but playing City away looks like a whole lot of trouble. Remember what I just got done saying above? Stoke aren’t exactly on the goals right now. And chances are they keep with their trend and only slot one in against Middlesbrough anyway. So even if Stoke are on a double, both games aren’t real great prospects for them.

Now to the point of City having a double, that might be interesting. After all, they would be playing Sunderland away and then Stoke at home. Both of those games are absolute gems. The problem is that City would be playing 3 games in the course of a week, and they still have other big games on the horizon. So if you think there might be some heavy rotation, you’d probably be right. I’m not going to go into who is/isn’t rotation-proof, because I’m not the Tips guy. But I would expect to see some inventive lineups from City that will add exactly zero to your fantasy score.

Teams to Avoid
#1) Liverpool – ARS (H), BUR (H), MCI (A)
Now most people would probably think that Liverpool should’ve been included in the list above since they at least play 3 straight matches. But honestly, if you’re a team that plays both Arsenal and City in the same stretch, I’m not putting you up in the Best Bets. Above all, Liverpool are still suspect in the back, and their attack is sporadic. They could dominate this schedule, but they could also fall flat on their faces as they did tonight. Buyer beware.

#2) Burnley – SWA (A), LIV (A), SUN (A)
Again, you probably see Swansea and Sunderland on the same list and wonder why on earth I would put this team down here and leave a couple of teams with blanks above. But look at this, three straight road matches? I even went to the fpl site to verify this, because I couldn’t believe that any team would go three straight games on the road in the Premiership. What is this, the MLS? And just for reference, the last three road games that Burnley have played resulted in two losses and a draw, so I’m not betting on them being good replacements for covering bye week players.

Thanks for reading FPL Fixtures Analysis Gameweek 27. This article was written by Guy Sanchez

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