| Badges | This Week | PTS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (1) |   Karl-Yngve Lund |   3 | +170 | 1170 | |
| 2 (3) |   Michael Sheehy |  5 | +145 | 1110 | |
| 3 (2) |  Wayne Hubbard | 1 | +100 | 1085 | |
| 4 (4) | Rutland Gooner | 3 | +100 | 1020 | |
| 5 (5) |  @ iWelloo | 2 | +95 | 775 | |
| |
Friday December 30
Hull City v Everton
8pm GMT, KCOM Stadium, Hull
Hull battled hard at home to City last week, but ended up losing 3-0 and they're still at the foot of the table. They have lost five of their nine home games and Swansea are the only team to have conceded more goals at home. They have only taken two points in their last seven games and failed to score in five of those games with no other team scoring less goals so far.
Robert Snodgrass has been the only Hull player to consider for fantasy managers, but he has gone off the boil in recent weeks.
Everton got a very good 2-0 win at Leicester last time out and it might be just what they needed to rejuvenate their season. They have only taken 10 points from their nine away games, but only the top five have more points on the road. They have won two of their last three games after only winning one of the previous 10.
Romelu Lukaku is still the best fantasy option in the Everton team.
I think Everton will be too strong for Hull and should win by a couple of goals.
Prediction: 0-2
Saturday December 31
Burnley v Sunderland
3pm GMT, Turf Moor, Burnley
Burnley got a very important win at home to Boro last week and they have another opportunity to beat one of the teams below them in the table in this game. Only two other teams have won more home games than Burnley, but they have played more home games than any other team too. The win against Boro was a huge win for them after losing five of their previous six games and it kept them six points above the relegation zone.
Burnley's goalkeeper and defenders can do well for fantasy managers, but only when they play at home.
Sunderland lost away to United last week to stay in the bottom three, but they will feel they can and maybe should get something from this game. They have lost seven of their nine away games with only Burnley scoring less goals away from home. They have won four of their last eight games, but only Hull have scored less goals so far.
Jermain Defoe is still by far the best Sunderland player for fantasy managers.
This is a game both teams would love to win, but I have a feeling it might just end in a draw.
Prediction: 1-1
Chelsea v Stoke City
3pm GMT, Stamford Bridge, London
Chelsea won 3-0 at home to Bournemouth to maintain their six point lead at the top of the table. They have won more home games than any other team and have the best defensive record at home too. They have won their last 12 games with clean sheets in 10 of those games and are only two wins off equalling the record of 14 consecutive wins.
With Diego Costa back from suspension he's a must for fantasy managers with Chelsea defenders and Eden Hazard at a premium too.
Stoke led away to Liverpool last time out, but they ended up losing 4-1. They have only won two of their nine away games and have conceded seven goals in their last two on the road. They haven't won in their last four games and only five other teams have conceded more goals than Stoke.
Stoke's defenders had being doing well recently, but that has changed in the last couple of games.
Chelsea can't keep winning and someone will stop them at some stage, but surely it won't be Stoke in this game.
Prediction: 2-0
Leicester City v West Ham United
3pm GMT, King Power Stadium, Leicester
Leicester lost at home to Everton last week and their inability to move well away from the bottom three has become a real concern for them. Their only home win in their last four games was against City and their home form needs to improve quickly considering how bad their away form is. They have only taken six points from their last nine games and only four other teams have conceded more goals.
I just can't see any Leicester players who might do well for fantasy managers at the moment.
West Ham won 4-1 away to Swansea last week and they finally seem to have found some consistency. They have only won two of their nine away games, but they are unbeaten in their last three on the road. They are unbeaten in their last four games and have won the last three in a row, but only three other teams have conceded more goals.
Last week I recommended Dimitri Payet, Michail Antonio and Winston Reid as possibly fantasy purchases and all three showed exactly what they have to offer again.
Leicester really need to take the three points in this game, but I think West Ham might just manage to hold them to a draw.
Prediction: 2-2
Manchester United v Middlesbrough
3pm GMT, Old Trafford, Manchester
United put four goals past Sunderland in their last game to maintain their chase of the top four and will hope for more of the same against another struggling North Eastern team.They have only lost one of their nine home games and only three other teams have conceded less goals at home, but they need to turn more of their home draws into wins. They are unbeaten in nine league games and have won the last four with clean sheets in two of them.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in very good form at the moment and has to be seriously considered by fantasy managers.
Boro lost away to Burnley last week and another defeat in this game could move them dangerously close to the bottom three. Only the top six have lost less away games than Boro and only four other teams have a better defensive record away from home. Only Hull have scored less than Boro, but they have the best defensive record in the bottom half of the table.
Boro defenders have done reasonably well for fantasy managers recently, but I can't see them getting much from this game.
United should be more than good enough to take the three points and continue their chase for a top four place.
Prediction: 2-0
Southampton v West Bromwich Albion
3pm GMT, St. Mary's Stadium, Southampton
Southampton led at home to Spurs on Wednesday night, but ended up with 10 men and on the wrong side of a 4-1 result. That was only Southampton's second home defeat, but no other team has scored less home goals and only five other teams have conceded less. The defeat on Wednesday was only their second in seven games and they kept clean sheets in four of those games, but only four other teams have scored less goals.
Southampton's defenders had being doing very well before Wednesday night and there's no reason to think they won't do well again.
West Brom almost held on until the end at Arsenal last week, but ended up losing to the only goal of the game. They have only won two of their nine away games and only three teams have scored less away goals, but only Chelsea and Spurs have conceded less on the road. They have lost three of their last four games and failed to score in those three defeats, but they were against Chelsea, United and Arsenal.
Gareth McAuley, Ben Foster and Matt Phillips are all reasonably good choices for fantasy managers.
I think this will be a very close game and a draw is the most likely outcome.
Prediction: 1-1
Swansea City v Bournemouth
3pm GMT, Liberty Stadium, Swansea
Swansea lost 4-1 at home to West Ham last week and that result meant Bob Bradley was the third Swansea manager to lose his job this year. They have only won two of their nine home games and no other team has conceded more goals at home. They have lost four of their last five games and conceded 15 goals in the process with no other team conceding more goals than Swansea.
Gylfi Sigurdsson is still by far the best fantasy option in the Swansea team and Fernando Llorente doesn't seem to do too badly either when he plays.
Bournemouth put up a good fight at Chelsea last time out, but ended up losing 3-0. They have only won once in their nine away games with only three teams scoring less away goals and only four teams conceding more on the road. Since beating Liverpool they have lost three of their last four games and only four other teams have conceded more goals.
Bournemouth defenders have done well for fantasy managers thanks to their efforts at the other end.
Swansea need to win this game and I have a feeling they might just make their home advantage count.
Prediction: 2-1
Liverpool v Manchester City
5.30pm GMT, Anfield, Liverpool
Liverpool came from behind to win 4-1 at home to Stoke on Tuesday and they're still the closet team to keeping pace with Chelsea. They are one of two teams still unbeaten at home and they're the top scorers at home with only Chelsea and Spurs conceding less on their own ground. They have won their last three games to move up to second and have four clean sheets in their last seven games too.
Sadio Mane, Roberto Frimino, Adam Lallana and Divock Origi are all very good fantasy choices and Phillippe Coutinho should be back soon too.
City struggled for a long time at Hull, but they finished strongly and ended up winning 3-0. They have won seven of their nine away games and they're the top scorers away from home. They have won their last three games after losing the previous two and they kept a clean in two of those three wins.
With Sergio Aguero back from suspension he's an obvious choice for fantasy managers while Kevin de Bruyne is their most consistent performer and Raheem Sterling has come good again in the last couple of games.
This is a real six pointer in the battle to catch Chelsea and I think Liverpool might just get the better of a close affair.
Prediction: 2-1
Sunday January 1
Watford v Tottenham Hotspur
1.30pm GMT, Vicarage Road, Watford
Watford came from behind to get a draw at home to Palace last week and just about stayed in the top half of the table. Their home record is pretty good, but they started slowly at home and have only lost one of the last seven on their own patch. They have lost four of their last six games and they failed to score in three of those games too.
I just can't see any Watford players doing it on a consistent basis for fantasy managers.
Spurs came from behind to win 4-1 at Southampton on Wednesday night and that result keeps them right on the shoulders of the top four. They have only won three of their nine away games, but only Chelsea have conceded less goals away from home. They have won five of their last seven games and scored 18 goals in those games while only Chelsea have conceded less goals so far.
Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane and Dele Alli are all good fantasy choices along with any of the Spurs defenders.
I think Spurs will continue their pursuit of the top four with a narrow victory in this game.
Prediction: 1-2
Arsenal v Crystal Palace
4pm GMT, Emirates Stadium, London
Arsenal left it late against West Brom, but their 1-0 win was very important for them after losing their previous two games. They haven't lost in their last eight games at home and only the top two have more goals on their own patch. Only Liverpool have scored more goals than Arsenal and they need to win this game to keep the pressure on the three teams above them.
Alexis Sanchez is still the must have Arsenal player for fantasy managers with Mesut Ozil a pretty good bet too.
Palace started off life under Sam Allardyce with a 1-1 draw at Watford, but they really should have won. They have taken more points away from home than at home and only City, Liverpool and Arsenal have scored more on the road. They have only won once in their last 11 games with only the bottom two conceding more goals even if they are the top scorers outside the top five.
Ever since I extolled the virtues of Wilfried Zaha he has done very little for fantasy managers, but I still think he will come good again.
I think Arsenal should be too good for a Palace team who have found defending to be a pretty difficult task this season.
Prediction: 3-1
That's it for this week.
See you next week.
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