| POSITION | PLAYER NAME | THIS WEEK | POINTS | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (1) |  |  |  | Feel | 280 | ||||||
| 2 (10) | |  |  | sidcupgooner | 160 | ||||||
| 2 (2) | | | | Mystical | 160 | ||||||
| 4 (4) | |  |  | Anglo Saxon | 150 | ||||||
| 5 (6) | | |  | GoonerLaw | 145 |
Saturday August 31
Southampton v Manchester United
12.30pm BST, St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton
Southampton won 2-0 away to 10 man Brighton last week to get their first points of the season. They drew more home games than any other team last season and they have a very tough run of games to start their home campaign this season with three of last season’s top six in their first four games. Only two teams won less games last season and they drew more games than any other team.
Nathan Redmond lived up to my prediction of him doing well last week and he’s still looking like pretty good value for money for fantasy managers.
United lost 2-1 at home to Palace last week and they missed a penalty for the second game in a row. Only three teams won more games and scored more goals away from home last season, but they did concede a lot of goals on their travels too. They lost almost as many games as they won last season and they conceded more goals than the rest of the top six too.
Despite missing a penalty last week Marcus Rashford is still a good bet for fantasy managers and Anthony Martial is a good option too if he’s passed fit to play while Daniel James is hard to ignore.
I think this will be a close game with United probably taking the three points by the closest of margins.
Prediction: 1-2
Chelsea v Sheffield United
3pm BST, Stamford Bridge, London
Chelsea just about came away from Norwich with a 3-2 win last week to register their first win of the season. Only three teams took more points and scored more goals at home last season and they only lost one game on their own patch. They just about managed to claim a top four place last season despite scoring less goals than the rest of the top six and their transfer embargo could make a top four finish a tough task this season.
Mason Mount has been pretty impressive so far for fantasy managers while Tammy Abraham looked quite good last week too.
United lost 2-1 at home to Leicester last week, but four points from their first three games is still a pretty good return. Only Norwich took more points and scored more goals away from home in the Championship last season. They might be thankful for their good start to the season with some very tough games to come in the next few weeks.
John Lundstram looks like the cheap defender all fantasy managers like to have in their squads and he’s certainly worth considering.
I think Chelsea should be too strong at home for a newly promoted team despite their defensive issues so far.
Prediction: 2-0
Crystal Palace v Aston Villa
3pm BST, Selhurst Park, London
Palace won 2-1 away to United last week to register their first win and first goals of the season. Only Huddersfield took less points and scored less goals at home last season and that home record needs to improve if they’re going to finish in the top half of the table. They were so much better away from home last season, but this game gives them a great chance to get their first home win of the season.
Patrick van Aanholt is again proving to be the Palace player to have for fantasy managers with Martin Kelly another one of those cheap defenders who is playing every week.
Villa had a very welcome 2-0 win at home to Everton last week after losing their first two games. They only won nine of their 23 away games last season, but they will feel they have a chance in this game considering Palace’s home form last season. After taking their first points last week they have some mostly good fixtures for the next six weeks before things get decidedly difficult for them.
John McGinn still looks like the best bet in the Villa team for fantasy managers while Wesley Moraes showed last week that he could be worth considering too.
I think this will be a very close game, but I think Palace should probably get the better of proceedings.
Prediction: 1-0
Leicester City v Bournemouth
3pm BST, King Power Stadium, Leicester
Leicester won 2-1 away to Sheffield United last week for their first win of the season, but they are still unbeaten. They lost as many games as they won at home last season and only five teams conceded less home goals. They have a tough run of fixtures coming up and will want the three points from this game going into those games.
James Madison is the Leicester player most likely to succeed for fantasy managers at the moment while Jamie Vardy could be worth a shout too after he got his first goal last week.
Bournemouth lost 3-1 at home to City last week, but they were far from humiliated. Only two other teams lost more away games last season and no other team conceded more away goals. Only the bottom two teams conceded more goals last season, but they were the top scorers in the bottom half of the table.
Callum Wilson is again proving to be the best of the Bournemouth players for fantasy managers with Harry Wilson and Josh King not doing too badly either.
I think Leicester should get the better of a Bournemouth team who let in quite a few goals.
Prediction: 2-1
Manchester City v Brighton And Hove Albion
3pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City won 3-1 away to Bournemouth last week to move up to second with only Liverpool ahead of them. They won 18 of their 19 home games last season and they scored more goals at home than any other team too. They were the top scorers last season and they won 32 of their 38 games which won them the league despite losing three games more than Liverpool.
Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne seem to be the best City players for fantasy managers whike Aymeric Laporte and Ederson are good options too.
Brighton lost 2-0 at home to Southampton last week after they were reduced to 10 men. Only two teams took less points and scored less goals away from home last season and both of those teams were relegated. They only finished two points above the relegation zone last season and anything better than that this season will be considered a good return.
Lewis Dunk looks like he could be the best of the Brighton players for fantasy managers this season, but maybe not in this game.
I can’t see anything other than a comfortable City win in this game.
Prediction: 3-0
Newcastle United v Watford
3pm BST, St. James’s Park, Newcastle
Newcastle had a very good 1-0 win away to Spurs last week to get their first points of the season. Only two teams lost more home games last season, but they drew less games at home than any other team. Only four teams scored less goals last season and anything other than relegation has to be considered a good season for them with the problems they have had.
I thought Fabian Schar might do well for fantasy managers this season and he’s looking like he could be worth considering at the moment.
Watford lost 3-1 at home to West Ham last week and they’re the only team without a point so far. They only lost eight of their 19 away games last season with only seven teams scoring more goals on the road. This season has started badly for them as they’re the only team without a point and only Norwich have conceded more goals.
I can’t see any Watford players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Watford get their first point of the season in a low scoring draw.
Prediction: 1-1
West Ham United v Norwich City
3pm BST, London Stadium, London
West Ham won 3-1 away to Watford last week to get their first win of the season. They only lost six of their 19 home games last season and only the top six scored more goals at home. They only play one of the top six in their next nine games and that could give them the chance to get quite a few points.
Manuel Lanzini is looking fairly good for fantasy managers at the moment while Sebastien Haller showed what he’s capable of last week.
Norwich came from behind twice at home to Chelsea last week, but they still ended up losing 3-2. They took more points and scored more goals away from home than any other team in the Championship last season. Only the top two have scored more goals so far, but no other team has conceded more goals.
Teemu Pukki is impossible to ignore for fantasy managers while Todd Cantwell and Emiliano Buendia are doing pretty well too.
I think this will be a high scoring affair with West Ham probably taking the three points.
Prediction: 3-2
Burnley v Liverpool
5.30pm BST, Turf Moor, Liverpool
Burnley almost managed a win away to Wolves last week, but they were pegged back by a last minute penalty. Only two teams lost more games at home last season and only three teams conceded more goals on their own patch. Only the three relegated teams lost more games last season and only four teams conceded more goals.
Ashley Barnes has lived up to my predictions so far this season and he looks like a very good option for fantasy managers at the moment with Dwight McNeil and Nick Pope worth considering too.
Liverpool won 3-1 at home to Arsenal last week and they’re now the only team with a 100% record after three games. No other team took more away points last season and only City scored more and conceded less away goals. They came so close to beating City last season and winning the league must surely be their number one priority this season.
Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are impossible to ignore for fantasy managers with Roberto Firmino and any of their defenders very good choices too.
I think Burnley will make a game of it, but Liverpool will keep their 100% record intact.
Prediction: 1-3
Sunday September 1
Everton v Wolverhampton Wanderers
2pm BST, Goodison Park, Liverpool
Everton lost 2-0 away to newly promoted Villa last week as their good start to the season came to an abrupt end. Only the top six took more points at home last season and they haven’t conceded a goal at home in a long time. They could only finish eighth last season and they will hope to at least put some pressure on sixth place this season.
Lucas Digne and Yerry Mina are probably the Everton players most likely to perform for fantasy managers if they can defend any better than they did last week.
Wolves left it very late to get a point at home to Burnley last week and they have now drawn all of their three games. They only won six of their 19 away games last season and they struggled a little for goals on their travels too. They did manage to finish seventh last season and they have qualified for the group stages of the Europa League which brings an extra challenge to them this season.
I think this game isn’t easy to call, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end in a draw.
Prediction: 1-1
Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur
4.30pm BST, Emirates Stadium, London
Arsenal lost 3-1 away to Liverpool last week, but they’re still in third place thanks to winning their first two games. Only the top two took more points and scored more goals at home last season. Only the top two scored more goals last season and they have a chance to gain an advantage on one of the other teams chasing a top four place in this game.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the Arsenal player to have for fantasy managers with both Nicolas Pepe and Alexandre Lacazette possibly worth considering too.
Spurs lost 1-0 at home to Newcastle last week and they have a very tough game again this week. Only the top two took more points and scored more goals away from home last season and they didn’t draw any of their away games. They drew less games than any other team last season and it was that lack of drawn games that saw them finish in the top six despite losing 13 games.
Harry Kane is the best choice for fantasy managers in the Spurs team with Lucas Moura doing quite well too.
This has the makings of another very close game, but I think home advantage will give Arsenal the edge.
Prediction: 2-1
That’s it for today.
See you next time.
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