| POSITION | PLAYER NAME | THIS WEEK | POINTS | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (1) |  |  |  | whitgooner frank merrick | 2725 | ||||||
| 2 (1) | | | | David96 | 2715 | ||||||
| 3 (3) | |  | | mbbeth Malcolm Beth | 2685 | ||||||
| 4 (4) | | | | stevew3ok | 2670 | ||||||
| 5 (5) | |  |  | JediKnut | 2660 |
Saturday April 20
Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur
12.30pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City won 3-1 away to Palace last week to stay two points behind Liverpool with a game in hand. They have won their last seven home games and they taken more points and scored more goals at home than any other team. They have won their last nine games and they kept clean sheets in six of those games with no other team scoring more goals and only Liverpool conceding less.
With two huge games this week surely rotation will be at a minimum for City which could see Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling doing quite well for fantasy managers.
Spurs cruised to a 4-0 win at home to Huddersfield last week to stay on top of the four teams chasing the final two top four places. They have lost their last four away games, but only the top two have taken more away points and no other team has scored more away goals. They won their last two games after failing to win in the previous five and their remaining fixtures would suggest they are favourites to finish third.
With Harry Kane injured the Spurs players to have this week are Heung-Min Son and Christian Eriksen while Lucas Moura has to be considered too after his hat trick last week.
I think this will be a very close game with City just about getting the three points they desperately need, but who can be sure what will happen after the Champions League thriller between these two teams on Wednesday night.
Prediction: 2-1
Bournemouth v Fulham
3pm BST, Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth
Bournemouth crushed Brighton 5-0 away from home last week and their Premier League status has to be secure for another season. They haven’t won in four home games, but only the top six have scored more home goals. They have only won two of their last 10 games and only the bottom three teams have conceded more goals, but they’re still more than likely to win this game.
Ryan Fraser, Callum Wilson and David Brooks all did very well for fantasy managers last week and there’s no reason to believe they won’t do so again this week.
Fulham won 2-0 at home to Everton last week and those three points should be enough to make sure they at least don’t finish last in the league. They have lost their last seven away games and they’re the only team without an away win as well as being the team who have conceded the most goals on the road. The win against Everton last week ended a run of nine consecutive defeats, but no other team has conceded more goals.
Ryan Babel has been the only Fulham player for fantasy managers to consider in recent weeks.
I think Bournemouth should be too strong at home for an already relegated Fulham and should win with a few goals to spare.
Prediction: 3-1
Huddersfield Town v Watford
3pm BST, John Smith Stadium, Huddersfield
Huddersfield lost 4-0 away to Spurs last week and it’s very hard to see what they have to play for with relegation already confirmed. They have lost nine of their last 10 home games and no other team has taken less points or scored less goals at home. They have lost 11 of their last 12 games and they have failed to score in nine of their last 13 games with no other team scoring less goals and only Fulham conceding more.
I can’t see any Huddersfield players to recommend to fantasy managers.
Watford lost 1-0 at home to Arsenal last week after playing most of the game with 10 men thanks to Troy Deeney’s red card. They have lost their last three away games and they conceded 10 goals in those games, but they were all against top six sides. They have lost four of their last six games, but again they were all against top six sides which is a category Huddersfield certainly don’t fall into.
With Deeney suspended and Gerard Deulofeu possibly injured it’s not easy to see which Watford players to suggest to fantasy managers.
I think Watford should win this game by at least a couple of goals.
Prediction: 0-2
West Ham United v Leicester City
3pm BST, London Stadium, London
West Ham lost 2-1 away to United last week and they’re going to find it hard to finish in the top half of the table. They lost their last home game after going unbeaten in the previous six and only seven other teams have scored more home goals so far. They lost their last three games and they have some tough games to finish the season too.
I can’t see any West Ham players for fantasy managers to consider.
Leicester lost 1-0 at home to Newcastle last week, but they held on to seventh place as the four teams directly below them all lost too. They won their last two away games, but they have taken more points on their travels than at home and only five other teams have taken more away points. They had won four games in a row before losing last week, but they have some very hard games to go and will struggle to hold on to seventh place.
Jamie Vardy is the form Leicester player at the moment with Youri Tielemans and James Maddison doing quite well too.
I think this will be a close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end in a draw.
Prediction: 1-1
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Brighton And Hove Albion
3pm BST, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton
Wolves lost 3-1 away to Southampton last week, but they’re still only off seventh place on goal difference. They have taken 13 points and scored 12 goals in their last five home games. They have only won two of their last eight games and they have only kept two clean sheets in their last 16 games.
With two games this week Raul Jiminez and Diogo Jota are probably the best bets in the Wolves team for fantasy managers.
Brighton lost 5-0 at home to Bournemouth and then 2-0 at home to Cardiff last week and they’re now only two points above the bottom three. They lost four of their last five away games and only the bottom two teams have taken less points away from home. They have lost their last four games and their remaining fixtures don’t make pretty reading for a team struggling to avoid relegation.
I can’t see any Brighton players to recommend to fantasy managers.
I think Wolves should be too strong for Brighton and should win by a couple of goals.
Prediction: 2-0
Newcastle United v Southampton
5.30pm BST, St. James’s Park, Newcastle
Newcastle won 1-0 away to Leicester last week, but they might need one more win to be certain of avoiding the drop. They have won five of their last six home games, but only Huddersfield have lost more games on their own patch. Only six other teams have conceded less goals than Newcastle, but only Huddersfield and Cardiff have scored less.
I can’t see any Newcastle players to recommend to fantasy managers with the possible exception of Solomon Rondon.
Southampton won 3-1 at home to Wolves last week, but they’re still a few points short of maintaining their Premier League place. They have only lost two of their last seven away games and they were to United and Arsenal. They have won three of their last four games, but no other team has drawn more games.
With two games this week Nathan Redmond and James Ward-Prowse might not be the worst choices for fantasy managers.
I think this will be another very close game with the spoils more than likely shared.
Prediction: 1-1
Sunday April 21
Everton v Manchester United
1.30pm BST, Goodison Park, Liverpool
Everton lost 2-0 away to already relegated Fulham last week, but it didn’t affect their position in the table as the teams around them all lost. They have taken seven points and conceded no goals in their last three home games with only the top six getting more points at home. They had won three games in a row before losing last week and they have kept clean sheets in five of their last seven games.
Everton’s defenders have done well recently for fantasy managers with Lucas Digne probably the pick of them.
United just about managed a 2-1 win at home to West Ham last week, but they have two points to make up on the top four and some tough games left to play. They have lost their last two away games, but only three other teams have taken more away points and only Spurs have scored more away goals. They have won 12 of their last 16 games, but they will probably have to win four of their last five to finish in the top four.
With two games this week Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba are probably the best choices in the United team for fantasy managers with Romelu Lukaku and Anthony Martial worth considering too.
I think this will be yet another very close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end in a draw.
Prediction: 1-1
Arsenal v Crystal Palace
4pm BST, Emirates Stadium, London
Arsenal just about managed a 1-0 win away to 10 man Watford last week to stay on Spurs’s heels in fourth spot. They have won their last 10 home games and they kept clean sheets in five of those games with only the top two taking more points and scoring more goals at home. They have taken 25 points from their last 11 games to make themselves favourites to finish fourth.
Arsenal are another team with two games this week which could make Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang pretty popular with fantasy managers.
Palace lost 3-1 at home to City last week, but the eight points they have to spare over the relegation zone should be more than enough to keep them up. They have taken 16 points from their last eight away games which included a win at City and only six other teams have taken more points on the road. It’s their away form which has kept them out of the bottom three and they will look to use their counter attacking skills to get something from this game.
Luka Milivojevic and Wilfried Zaha continue to impress for fantasy managers and they’re certainly both worth considering.
I think Arsenal will just about manage to take the three points, but Palace will make it very hard for them.
Prediction: 2-1
Cardiff City v Liverpool
4pm BST, Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff
Cardiff lost 2-0 away to Burnley last week, but they bounced back in midweek with a very important 2-0 win away to Palace. They have lost three of their last four home games and no other team has conceded more goals at home. The win at Brighton was only their second win in eight games, but it moved them within two points of Brighton and gave them some real hope in their fight to beat the drop.
I can’t see any Cardiff players who might make a difference for fantasy managers.
Liverpool won 2-0 at home to Chelsea last week to stay two points clear of City at the top of the table, but they have played a game more than them. They have won their last two away games after only winning one of the previous five and no other team has taken more points or conceded less goals on their travels. They have won their last five games, but they only kept one clean sheet in those games while only City have scored more goals and no other team has conceded less.
Liverpool might only have one game this week, but Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and all of their defenders could do very well in this game.
I can’t see anything other than a comprehensive Liverpool victory in this game.
Prediction: 0-3
Monday April 22
Chelsea v Burnley
8pm BST, Stamford Bridge, London
Chelsea lost 2-0 away to Liverpool last week and that defeat meant they dropped out of the top four. They have taken 17 points from their last seven home games and they kept clean sheets in five of those games with no other team conceding less goals at home. They have taken 16 points from their last eight games, but they have played a game more than the three other teams chasing a top four place.
Eden Hazard is the Chelsea player of choice for fantasy managers while their defenders and keeper tend to do well in home games.
Burnley won 2-0 at home to Cardiff last week and they’re looking pretty safe as they’re eight points above Cardiff. They have only lost two of their last seven away games, but only three other teams have conceded more away goals. They have won their last three games which was probably just as well for them considering the four very tough games they have left.
Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes have being doing well for fantasy managers, but they might struggle in this game.
I think Chelsea’s home form should be enough to see them take the three points in this game.
Prediction: 3-1
Tuesday April 23
Tottenham Hotspur v Brighton And Hove Albion
7.45pm BST, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Spurs play their second game of the week and a home game against struggling Brighton isn’t quite as difficult as their trip to City on Saturday. They have taken 16 points from their last six home games, but they did lose four home games at Wembley before moving to their new stadium a few weeks ago. This should be a routine win at home to struggling Brighton, but you can never be sure against a team fighting for their Premier League survival.
With Harry Kane still injured fantasy managers will be very interested in Son Hueng-Min, Christian Eriksen and maybe even Dele Alli too.
Brighton lost twice at home last week and they play twice again this week, but both games are away from home. They need to find something from somewhere or they could find themselves relegated despite reaching the FA Cup semi finals and looking almost safe only a few weeks ago. Their home game against Newcastle next week could be the crucial game for them and three points in that game could be enough to keep them up even if they lose all of their other games.
Despite having two games this week I can’t see any Brighton players to recommend to fantasy managers after their performances in their two games last week.
I think this game should be a fairly comfortable win for Spurs.
Prediction: 3-0
Watford v Southampton
7.45pm BST, Vicarage Road, Watford
Watford play their second game of the week and they will be expected to win both games against teams in the bottom five. Their defeat against Arsenal last week was their first home defeat in six games, but they haven’t scored too many goals at home. If they can keep their minds off their upcoming FA Cup Final they have every chance of finishing as high as seventh.
With Deeney suspended and Deulofeu possibly injured I can’t see too many Watford players excelling for fantasy managers, but they do play twice this week so it’s hard to ignore them too.
Southampton play their second game of the week too, but they are both away from home. They probably only need one more point to avoid relegation and I would be very surprised if they didn’t get at least that from their two away games this week.
As I said already Redmond and Ward-Prowse might be worth a punt for fantasy managers.
I think this will be a very close game and the chances are it will end in a draw.
Prediction: 1-1
Wednesday April 24
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal
7.45pm BST, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton
Wolves play their second home game of the week and you would expect Arsenal to be a tougher challenge than Brighton. They have a very good record against the top six sides this season and they will be more than happy to put a spanner in Arsenal’s works. They looked like they might have been suffering after their FA Cup semi final defeat when they lost at Southampton last week, but surely they will be over that now.
As I said already Jiminez and Jota are worth considering for fantasy managers this week while Matt Doherty might do well in their two games.
Arsenal play their second game of the week and with those two games they have the chance to strengthen their top four place. They have taken seven points from their last four away games, but they failed to win in the previous six even though only four teams have scored more goals away from home. If they can win both of their games this week they will be in a very strong position for the race for a top four place.
Again it’s the Arsenal strikers who are most likely to make a difference for fantasy managers this week.
I think this is a game which could go either way, but I think Arsenal will just about get the better of proceedings.
Prediction: 1-2
Manchester United v Manchester City
8pm BST, Old Trafford, Manchester
United play their second game of the week and a home game against City will be harder than their trip to Everton. They have won seven of their last nine home games and have only lost one home game so far, but they have conceded considerably more goals at home than the rest of the top six. It’s a game they really need to win, but even a point could possibly give them the satisfaction of stopping City from retaining the title.
With two games in a week United players should be at a premium for fantasy managers, but neither game is easy and they may not fare too well.
City have their second game of the week against one of the top six and nothing other than six points in those two games will do if they want to keep their title ambitions alive. They have won their last four away games and they only conceded one goal in those games with only Liverpool taking more points on the road and no other team conceding less goals. After their midweek Champions League heartache they will have to show real resolve to overtake Liverpool by winning their two games.
The two players I mentioned already are definitely very good choices, but more or less any City player could have an influence for fantasy managers and the trick is knowing who and when.
This is a game which is very hard to predict, but I think City’s class will give them a narrow victory.
Prediction: 1-2
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
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