| Name | Badges | This Week | PTS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (New) |   Michael Sheehy |   1 | +100 | 100 | |
| 2 (New) |   Karl-Yngve Lund | | +80 | 80 | |
| 3 (New) | sensisoccerworld | | +75 | 75 | |
| 4 (New) |  Wayne Hubbard | | +65 | 65 | |
| 5 (New) |  @ iWelloo | | +60 | 60 | |
| |
Friday August 19
Manchester United v Southampton
8pm BST, Old Trafford, Manchester
United got off to the ideal start last week when they won 3-1 away to Bournemouth. Their home form was very good last season and you would imagine it will be too this season under Jose Mourinho. They're playing before all of the other contenders and putting three points on the board would put pressure on all of them.
Anthony Martial looks like he could be the United player to have for fantasy managers while Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan look pretty good too.
Southampton came from behind to get a point at home to Watford last week in a game they really should have won. They don't look as strong as they did last season and they struggled to score goals on the road last season. They will have to be at their very best to have any hope of getting something from this game.
I still think Dusan Tadic looks like the Southampton player most likely to succeed for fantasy managers while Nathan Redmond has started quite well too.
I think Southampton will give United a tough test, but the home team should take the three points.
Prediction: 2-1
Saturday August 20
Stoke City v Manchester City
12.30pm BST, Bet 365 Stadium, Stoke
Stoke came from behind to get a point away to Middlesbrough last week and could have taken all three. Their home form wasn't up to their usual high standards last season and they will want to improve on that this season. A home game against the title favourites is no easy task, but Stoke seem to enjoy the role of underdogs at home.
Marco Arnautovic is still the Stoke player most likely to perform for fantasy managers and Glenn Johnson might be worth a punt too if he's fit.
City left it late to get the three points at home to Sunderland last week, but they easily won their midweek Champions League qualifier. Their away form just wasn't good enough last season and they will need to improve it if they're going to live up their favourites tag. They have suffered on this ground in the past and they won't find it easy to get all three points in this game.
Sergio Aguero has to be the main man in the City team for fantasy managers with David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne worth considering too.
Stoke are never an easy team to beat at home and I wouldn't be surprised to see them get a point in this game.
Prediction: 1-1
Burnley v Liverpool
3pm BST, Turf Moor, Burnley
Burnley lost at home to Swansea last week and it looks like it could be a long hard season for them. They look like they will struggle to score goals and their sole aim must be to avoid the drop. A home game against free scoring Liverpool will test their defence to the limit.
I can't see any Burnley players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.
Liverpool came from behind to win 4-3 away to Arsenal last week and got their season off to a flying start. They lost a lot of away games last season and will need to improve on the road if they are to challenge at the top. After last week's result they will fancy their chances away to a newly promoted side.
Phillippe Coutinho was the star turn for fantasy managers last week and he is a very good prospect along with Roberto Friminio, Sadio Mane, Georginio Wijnaldum and Daniel Sturridge (if he's fit).
I think Liverpool should have too much in attack and win this game by a couple of goals at least.
Prediction: 1-3
Swansea City v Hull City
3pm BST, Liberty Stadium, Swansea
Swansea won away to Burnley on the opening day and they face another newly promoted team in this game. Their home form will be their key to maintaining their Premier League status. A win in this game would give them a perfect start to their season, but they still need to add to their squad to keep them clear of the relegation fight.
Fernando Llorente did well on his debut for Swansea and he could be worth considering for fantasy managers along with Gylfi Sigurdsson.
Hull got a great win at home to champions Leicester last week despite all of their ongoing problems. I still think they have to be one of the favourites to be relegated, but more performances like last week could prove me wrong. Anything they can get from this game would be a huge boost to them and their confidence has to be high after last week's win.
Despite their win over Leicester last week I still don't see any Hull players setting the fantasy world alight although Robert Snodgrass has done well in the past.
I think Swansea will keep up their winning start to the season with a narrow victory.
Prediction: 2-1
Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace
3pm BST, White Hart Lane, London
Spurs came from behind to get a point at Everton last week and came close to winning the game too. They are a hard team to beat, but they will do very well to match their third place finish of last season. A home game against a team struggling to score goals gives them the ideal opportunity to get their first win of the season.
Eric Lamela finished last season very well for Spurs and he has started this season well too while Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli are all worth considering too.
Palace lost at home to West Brom last week and they are struggling in front of goal again just like they did in the second half of last season. Maybe the impending arrival of Christian Benteke will be what they need to rediscover their scoring touch. They won't find the trip to Spurs easy and the chances are they will have no points after their first two games.
When Benteke arrives he might be worth considering for fantasy managers and maybe Andros Townsend could be worth a gamble too.
I can't see anything other than a comfortable Spurs win in this game.
Prediction: 2-0
Watford v Chelsea
3pm BST, Vicarage Road, Watford
Watford got a good point away to Southampton last week, but Chelsea will be a tougher proposition. They struggled badly in the second half of last season and need to strengthen to make sure they avoid the fight for survival. They will do well to get anything from a Chelsea team looking to challenge for the title, but it's certainly not beyond them.
Troy Deeney and Huerelho Gomes look like the best fantasy options in the Watford team and Odion Ighalo could be worth a shot too if he can regain his early form from last season.
Chelsea left it late against West Ham on Monday night, but they got the all important three points. They have a relatively easy start to their season and should be looking to win their first four games. They didn't make a good job of defending their title last season, but they must surely do better this season.
Eden Hazard looks like he could be the Chelsea player to have again for fantasy managers while their defenders might not be a bad choice either.
I think Chelsea will have too much firepower for Watford and take the three points.
Prediction: 1-3
West Bromwich Albion v Everton
3pm BST, The Hawthorns, Birmingham
West Brom got a good 1-0 win away to Palace last week to get their season off to the perfect start. Like so many other teams they don't seem to have strengthened much over the summer and there could be a few arrivals before deadline day. They are a tough team to beat and will fancy their chances against an Everton team who are rebuilding under a new manager.
West Brom's defenders look like the players most likely to succeed in their team for fantasy managers with Ben Foster maybe the pick of the bunch.
Everton led at home to Spurs last week, but they had to settle for a 1-1 draw in the end. They did very badly by their standards last season and Ronald Koeman will be looking for them to finish a lot higher. A trip to West Brom is never easy, but Everton have the players to get the win.
Ross Barkley has started well for Everton and could be in for a good season under the tutelage of Koeman while Romelu Lukaku has to be a good choice if he's fit to play.
I think this will be a close game and it might just end in a draw.
Prediction: 1-1
Leicester City v Arsenal
5.30pm BST, King Power Stadium, Leicester
Leicester didn't get their title defence off to a good start when they lost 2-1 away to newly promoted Hull. They only lost three league games last season and two of them were against Arsenal and they will be anxious to make amends for that. It could be the ideal time for them to play an Arsenal team who looked far from ready for the start of the season last week.
Riyad Mahrez again looks like the Leicester player most likely to make a difference for fantasy managers while Jamie Vardy might get a few chances against this makeshift Arsenal defence.
Arsenal led at home to Liverpool on Sunday, but they shipped four goals in 20 minutes and lost 4-3 in the end. They conceded a lot of goals away from home last season and their defence looks far from perfect at the moment. They have the players to beat any team though and they need to take the three points in this game.
Alexis Sanchez is probably the Arsenal player most likely to perform for fantasy managers with Mesut Ozil worth a shout too once he returns to the team.
Both teams need to get a result from this game and I think Arsenal will get the better of a close affair.
Prediction: 1-2
Sunday August 21
Sunderland v Middlesbrough
1.30pm BST, Stadium of Light, Sunderland
Sunderland nearly grabbed a point away to City last week, but they just couldn't hold out until the final whistle. David Moyes has come in to try to make sure they don't have to take part in the annual race to avoid the drop. If they're going to finish in a safe mid-table position they will need to do well at home and there would be no better way to start than by beating their near neighbours.
Jermain Defoe showed why he's still a good choice for fantasy managers with Sunderland's goal at City last week.
Middlesbrough led at home to Stoke last week, but they had to settle for a point in the end. They look like the most likely of the newly promoted teams to avoid the drop. They won't find a trip to Sunderland easy, but they will definitely feel they have a chance of getting something from this game.
Alvaro Negredo looks like he could be a good choice for fantasy managers and his value is already increasing.
It's never easy to call a local derby, but I'm going to plump for a draw in this game.
Prediction: 1-1
West Ham United v Bournemouth
4pm BST, Olympic Stadium, London
West Ham almost got a point away to Chelsea on Monday night, but were beaten late on by a player who should have seen a red card before he scored. They had a very good season last season and will do very well to match that performance. This will be their first league game at their new stadium and they will want to put on a performance for their fans.
Dimitri Payet is still the West Ham player to have for fantasy managers.
Bournemouth lost at home to United last week and it won't get much easier for them in this game. They did very well to steer clear of the relegation zone last season and that has to be their aim again this season. They were a hard team to beat quite often last season and will give West Ham a run for their money in this game.
He might not have scored last week, but I still think Callum Wilson offers good value for fantasy managers.
I think Bournemouth will make a game of it, but West Ham will take the three points.
Prediction: 2-1
Finally for today there's still time to join my Fantasy League and my Predictions League for the new season. There's a €50 prize for the fantasy league and it's open to anyone to join.
To join my fantasy league go to the official site and set up your team after entering your details. Once you've set up your team go to the league's option and join a private league. The code for my league (Ever Arsenal league) is 64693-22498 and there's already well over 1,000 teams in it.
For my predictions league go to the official site and make your forecasts and then go to the mini leagues option. Go to the join a mini league option (invitation code) and use the code for my league 64693-215432 to sign up. After that you can join in the fun of predicting every single game in the upcoming season.
That's it for this week.
See you next week.
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