On paper, the two most likely safe bets for your defenses include Manchester United vs Cardiff, and Chelsea vs West Ham.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will get his standing reception from the crowd. He’s new the prodigal son, who returns to the parents home to take away their unused furniture for his new flat. He has lifted Zaha off their hands, although only temporarily, and he managed to take the incredibly disciplined Fabio. Zaha is an amazing addition. Fabio may be better able able to showcase his talent at Cardiff. But overall, this game is all about payback for the earlier meeting.
Expect a strong defensive showing. If ever a time to enlist the help of Smalling or Evans as stop gaps, this could be it. And with Mata playing, I expect him to take the freekicks. As a gambler, I would put money on Fellaini heading in a goal. But even if he does not, fantasy owners will enjoy bonus points for the clean sheet.
In London, Chelsea hosts West Ham. West Ham have a lot of talent, but defensively, Chelsea are one of the strongest teams. Azpilicueta will probably play, and he’s reasonably priced. I put a lot of stock in the defense because Chelsea lacks a formidable strike force. Eto’o scored a hat trick last week, and could score at any point with his scent for the back of the net. He has the hot foot, and that’s the foot Mourinho plays. He’s also old, and Chelsea seem to have scored most from behind their advanced players. Oscar, Hazard, and Lampard are more threatening as goal scorers. But if a rebound goal is to be scored, Eto’o is reliable.
Southampton host Arsenal. Artur Boruc should be playing, but the team is without defensive anchor, Dejan Lovren.How much does Lovren mean to Southampton? Before December brought Lovren injuries, Southampton had only conceded 5 goals, and never more than 1 in a single game. Since being injured over the past six weeks, Southampton has been abysmal in defence. Maybe that is melodramatic. Southampton have not played as well. They have also been missing Boruc, who is an excellent keeper, despite conceding a long range strike against Stoke from Asmir Begovic earlier this season.
On the other side of the pitch come an Arsenal unlike any we have seen in the past few years. Arsenal has many goal scoring threats. Ramsey is returning from a long injury, and it will be interesting to see if he can still score every time he looks at the net.
Aston Villa host West Brom, and Benteke has quietly been producing results. Consider him as a sleeper candidate to score.
Crystal Palace vs Hull looks to be the battle of the cattle for the gameweek. Palace defender Gabbidon looks the popular bargain pickup on the week. Hull had a great game at home against Fulham weeks ago. They have been Hull since against decent competition.
In the Norwich vs. Newcastle match, there are three major players being transferred into teams. Cabaye, Remy, and Ryan Bennett. This is because Cabaye and Remy are likely to be part of the score card, if any goals are scored. Ryan Bennett is a bargain pickup for a home team and could translate to an easy 6 points with a clean sheet.
Tottenham host Man City, which obviously means that Man City are playing outside their comfort zone. Adebayor has been resurgent, and is still a bargain to be had. Ade opened the season valued at about £8M, but is now undervalued at £7.8. With Soldado’s dip in form, Ade can bring his stock value up. He just needs to score past a very deep defensive unit.
Tottenham defenders Chiriches and Dawson are also reasonably priced. Being mindful of the away team’s road record, this could be a nil-nil draw. Another solid purchase to consider, moving forward for the rest of the season, is Eriksen, although most people already picked up on that.
The final game I will touch on is Liverpool vs. Everton. It’s insanity for anyone to pick a fantasy captain not named Luis Suarez. This is a derby that matters, and both teams will play to that degree. Consider insanity here, and give the captain’s armband to someone else, like Oscar or Hazard.
Everton have a lot of talent. They concede less than a goal per game. Their defenders, Coleman and Baines, score on oppositions. Romelu Lukaku draws double teams. Everton cannot be taken lightly. And while many defensive players are doubtful for the match tomorrow, if they show up, expect a low point haul from Suarez. On average, Liverpool only score one goal against top table teams. Moreover, Liverpool has a bit of an injury crisis at the back.
Considerations.
SUPER FANTASY FOOTY 