Beat the Fixture List – Gameweek 23 Beat the fixture list with ATFPL as we take a look at the next six Gameweeks, casting our opinion on the strength of the schedules so Fantasy managers can prioritise their plan of attack. Read on as we look at favourable fixtures, undesirable undertakings, and potential picks involving nine clubs with different outlooks. The Favourables Arsenal AVL / tot / LEI / cpl / EVE / qpr It feels strange highlighting Arsenal’s fixture list after their fantastic performance at the Etihad, the toughest of fixtures. Especially intriguing was Arsène Wenger’s willingness to set up Arsenal in a low defensive block, negating space to David Silva and preventing Sergio Agüero from running at Per Mertesacker. The upcoming games look tasty for Arsenal’s defence—the three home matches against Aston Villa, Leicester, and Everton should give at least two clean sheets and away games at Tottenham, Crystal Palace, and QPR could prove fruitful (although offering tougher opposition). A fit Laurent Koscielny alongside Per Mertesacker is fairly priced at 5.9 million but Fantasy Managers looking for bargains could look to Arsenal’s full-backs; Kieran Gibbs is cheaper at 5.3 million and Héctor Bellerín, priced at 4.4 million, could be set for a run of games at right back. On the attacking side Alexis Sánchez, Santi Cazorla, and Olivier Giroud are the best options in a run that looks likely to include several goals. Only the Tottenham game in Gameweek 24 looks tough on paper but it is followed by a home game against Leicester that will entice many a Fantasy Manager to hand one of The Gunners the captain’s armband. Manchester United LEI / whm / BUR / swa / SUN / new Speaking of Leicester, Manchester United welcome The Foxes to Old Trafford on Saturday in what should be target for both a clean sheet and home goals for Louis van Gaal’s team. In fact, all the games in the next six look tempting, apart from West Ham away. Defensively, it’s the home games that stand out for a United team that hasn’t conceded twice in a game since Gameweek 8. Away from home clean sheets are less likely, with West Ham a big threat and Swansea always dangerous—though Bony leaving could blunt the Welsh team somewhat. The potential for goals is where United look like a shrewd investment—if not for United’s lack of attacking thrust in Van Gaal’s 3-2-3-2 system a United player would be mandatory. Even so, it’s hard to ignore a run of games like this so a bet on Ángel Di María could return profit. For the risk-takers, an expensive punt on Radamel Falcao could be a huge differential. Hull City NEW / mcy / AVL / QPR / stk / SUN Hull plays four home games in the next six, in what must be a welcome boost for a struggling Steve Bruce. With the away games being Manchester City and Stoke, Hull players are for the home rotation only. Hull’s defence is where Hull offers investment opportunities, with struggling Newcastle visiting next Gameweek. Ignoring the away games, a run of home games against blunt attacks follows, with Aston Villa, QPR, and Sunderland abject away from home. Alas, here we run into injuries, with the latest ones being James Chester with a shoulder dislocation and Steve Bruce out with a thigh injury. This offers cut-price options in Paul McShane and Maynor Figueroa but surely also means clean sheets are less likely. In short, pick Hull defenders mainly as cheap fillers that could offer value in the next six. From an attacking standpoint there is little to promote with Hull’s main threats injured. Stick to the defence. The Undesirables Leicester City mun / CPL / ars / eve / CHE / mcy Leicester City are mired to the bottom of the Premier League and will need a miracle to get out of the bottom three in the next six Gameweeks. A home game against a resurgent Crystal Palace team is sandwiched between an away game against Manchester United and games against Arsenal, Everton, Chelsea, and Manchester City. Even if Leicester manage to snatch some points from these monstrous set of fixtures, it will most likely not come with many clean sheets or a glut of goals. Stay away! West Ham liv / MUN / sot / tot / CPL / CHE According to ATFPL’s Season Ticker, West Ham have the toughest defensive task in the next six fixtures and the second toughest attacking job. An away game against a Liverpool side playing much better of late is followed by home games against Manchester United, Crystal Palace, and Chelsea with away matches against Southampton and Tottenham in between. Only in the Palace game could West Ham be considered favourites, despite impressive displays this season. This could be the time to dump Fantasy favourite Stewart Downing and look at other similar priced options, although his low price could mean there are few valid replacements. Swansea sot / SUN / wba / MUN / bur / tot Similar to West Ham, Swansea’s fixtures look hard to chew, any way you slice them. After the drubbing against Chelsea, the defence looks tough to invest in and from an attacking standpoint, losing Wilfried Bony to Manchester City not only robs Fantasy Managers of their best target but could also impact Gylfi Sigurðsson assist potential. You could hold on to Swansea players for two more games, away at Southampton and home against Sunderland, but would be wise to look elsewhere from Gameweek 25 onwards. The Potentials Stoke City QPR / new / MCY / avl / HUL / EVE Stoke’s attacking potential in the next six is boosted by four home games and an away game at Newcastle. With clean sheets unlikely your targets will be up front, with Bojan Krkić a differential option and Jonathan Walters or Victor Moses offering a solid midfield choice at 5.2 million. A home game against QPR next Gameweek is the best incentive to invest right away, but you could also hold off and target consecutive fixtures at the Britannia in Gameweeks 27 and 28. West Brom TOT / bur / SWA /sun / SOT / avl Oh how we Fantasy Managers love ourselves a Tony Pulis now and then. Take eleven players, plug in a former Stoke City manager, and stir. You now have a genuine contender for an elite defence at a cut price value. The goalless draw against Everton was West Brom’s second clean sheet in a row—Pulis had his team defending deep into their own box and executing the game plan to perfection. Ben Foster and Andre Wisdom are the obvious targets as their respective ownerships of 13.1% and 20.5% shows. However, Chris Baird offers a cut-price way into the West Brom defence at 3.9 million—he has started the last four Premier League games. Southampton SWA / qpr / WHM / LIV / wba / CPL It’s getting harder and harder to ignore Southampton’s run for a Champions League spot after recent wins against Everton, Arsenal, and Manchester United, as well as a creditable draw against Chelsea. Four home games in the next six for a team of now proven quality should be of interest to Fantasy Managers, especially those on the hunt for value midfielders. Southampton offers three valid picks in the talented Dušan Tadić, new boy Eljero Elia, and budget pick James Ward-Prowse. Tadić could replace someone like Downing while Elia and Ward-Prowse are fantastic picks as fourth or fifth midfielders for those wanting to pick both Agüero and Costa, stack up on expensive midfielders, or look to invest in elite defenders.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 08:44:20 +0000
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