it’s that time of the week again when I attempt to predict the outcomes of the upcoming Premier League games. I did reasonably well last week with one perfect prediction, four correct outcomes and five incorrect outcomes which saw me stay in mid-table in my predictions league. Here’s a look at how the top five in that league stands.
Pos Player Res Cls Exa Slm Pts
1. SeniorBurger 20 75 57 12 164
2. andy 23 73.5 54 11 161.5
3. Gooners 23 61.5 66 9 159.5
4. Murray1886 27 61.5 57 12 157.5
5. Derek 29 66 45 13 153
I had a reasonable week with my fantasy team last week, but the injury to Bruno Fernandes was probably the main reason I dropped slightly in the overall standings to remain just outside the top 1% of players. Erling Haaland was my star player yet again as my captain while Declan Rice and Hugo Ekitike did well too, but I made serious errors in leaving Piero Hincapie on the bench and selling Nick Woltemade.
The chances are the armband will go to Ekitike this week with a home against Wolves, but it’s always a risk to take it from Haaland. I will have to find a replacement for the injured Fernandes too with Matheus Cunha a possibility given United’s upcoming fixtures.
Friday December 26
Manchester United v Newcastle United
8pm GMT, Old Trafford, Manchester
United lost 2-1 away to Villa last week and that defeat saw them drop to seventh place. They have only taken two points from their last three home games after winning the previous four with only three other teams scoring more goals on their own ground, but only three other teams conceding more too. They have only won two of their last eight games, but they drew four of them with only City scoring more goals.
With Bruno Fernandes most likely injured Matheus Cunha is the United player of most interest to fantasy managers.
Newcastle led 2-0 at home to Chelsea last week, but they had to settle for a 2-2 draw which meant they stayed in the bottom half of the table. They have only won once in their eight away games with only three other teams scoring less goals on the road. They have only won once in their last four games with no other team in the bottom half of the table conceding less goals.
Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon and Nick Woltemade are the Newcastle players who can make a real impression for fantasy managers.
I think United will just about get the better of a very close game.
Prediction: 2-1
Saturday December 27
Nottingham Forest v Manchester City
12.30pm GMT, City Ground, Nottingham
Forest lost 1-0 away to Fulham last week which saw them drop to one place above the relegation zone, but they have five points to spare. They have only lost once in their last four home games, but they have some very tough home games coming up starting with this one. They have won four of their last seven games after failing to win the previous nine with only Wolves scoring less goals.
I’m still not sure there are any Forest players doing enough to recommend them to fantasy managers.
City won 3-0 at home to West Ham last week to stay in second place just two points behind Arsenal. They have won their last two away games after losing the previous two with no other team scoring more goals on their travels. They have won their last five games and they scored 17 goals in those games with no other team scoring more goals and only Arsenal conceding less.
Erling Haaland is an absolute must have for fantasy managers while City’s defenders, Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki are very good choices too.
Forest will make life difficult for City, but I think the away team will take the three points in this game.
Prediction: 0-2
Arsenal v Brighton And Hove Albion
3pm GMT, Emirates Stadium, London
Arsenal won 1-0 away to Everton last week to stay two points clear at the top of the table. They’re one of two teams still unbeaten at home with no other team conceding less goals on their own ground and only City scoring more. They have only lost once in their last 14 games with only City scoring more goals and no other team conceding less.
Arsenal’s defenders and keeper are very good choices for fantasy managers along with Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka.
Brighton drew 0-0 at home to Sunderland last week and that point was enough to keep them in the top half of the table. They have only won once in their last five away games and they play the top two in two of their next three games on the road starting with this one. They have only taken two points from their last four games and their next two opponents after this game are both in the bottom three.
I can’t see any Brighton players doing enough at the moment to interest fantasy managers.
I think Arsenal will remain on top of the table with a narrow victory in this game.
Prediction: 2-1
Brentford v Bournemouth
3pm GMT, Gtech Community Stadium, London
Brentford won 2-0 away to Wolves last week and they’re now only one point off the top half of the table. They have only lost one of their eight home games with only three other teams scoring more goals on their own patch. The win against Wolves was their first win in four games and their next two games are against teams below them in the table starting with this one.
Igor Thiago has been the Brentford player to have for fantasy managers, but the goals have dried up in recent weeks.
Bournemouth drew 1-1 at home to Burnley last week and they’re only one point behind Brentford going into this game. They have only taken three points from their last six away games with only Burnley conceding more goals on their travels, but only two other teams scoring more. They haven’t won in eight games, but they drew four of them with no other team drawing more games.
Antoine Semenyo and Marcus Tavernier are the Bournemouth players who can make a difference for fantasy managers.
I think this is a difficult game to call and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the spoils shared.
Prediction: 1-1
Burnley v Everton
3pm GMT, Turf Moor, Burnley
Burnley scored a very late goal to draw 1-1 away to Bournemouth last week, but they’re still one place off the foot of the table and seven points from safety. They have lost their last four home games with no other team scoring less goals on their own patch. They had lost seven games in a row before drawing with Bournemouth with only two other teams scoring less and conceding more goals.
I can’t see any Burnley players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.
Everton lost 1-0 at home to Arsenal last week, but they managed to hold on to their spot in the top half of the table. They lost their last away game after winning the previous three and their next two games on their travels are against teams in the bottom four. They have lost their last two games after winning four of the previous five, but only two other teams have scored less goals.
Everton’s defenders and keeper are all good options for fantasy managers.
I think Everton will bounce back from the defeat against Arsenal to get a victory in this game.
Prediction: 0-1
Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers
3pm GMT, Anfield, Liverpool
Liverpool won 2-1 away to Spurs last week and those three points moved them up to fifth place. They won their last home game after failing to win the previous three and their next three games on their own patch are all against teams in the bottom five. They have taken 11 points from their last five games after losing six of the previous seven.
Hugo Ekitike is the Liverpool player most likely to do well for fantasy managers at the moment.
Wolves lost 2-0 at home to Brentford last week to to leave them rooted to the foot of the table. They’re the only team without an away win with no other team scoring less goals on their travels. They’re the only team without a win with no other team scoring less or conceding more goals and relegation seems a certainty despite the season not even being half way through.
I can’t see any Wolves players that can make a difference for fantasy managers.
I can’t see anything other than a comfortable Liverpool victory in this game.
Prediction: 3-0
West Ham United v Fulham
3pm GMT, London Stadium, London
West Ham lost 3-0 away to City last week which saw them stay in the bottom three and left them five points from safety. They have lost six of their eight home games with only Wolves taking less points and conceding more goals on their own ground. They have only taken three points from their last six games and they conceded 12 goals in those games with only Wolves conceding more goals.
Jarrod Bowen is the only West Ham player for fantasy managers to consider.
Fulham won 1-0 at home to Forest last week and they’re now only one point off the top half of the table. They have won their last two away games after only taking one point from the previous six with only three other teams conceding more goals on the road. They have won five of their last eight games and they scored 16 goals in those games.
Harry Wilson is the Fulham player most likely to return points for fantasy managers.
I think West Ham might just manage a badly needed victory in a close game.
Prediction: 2-1
Chelsea v Aston Villa
5.30pm GMT, Stamford Bridge, London
Chelsea came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 away to Newcastle last week and that point was enough to keep them in the top four. They have taken seven points from their last three home games with only three other teams conceding less goals on their own patch. They have only won once in their last five games, but they drew three of them with only the top two conceding less goals.
Trevoh Chalobah and Pedro Neto are the best of the Chelsea players for fantasy managers with Cole Palmer a possibility too.
Villa won 2-1 at home to United last week to remain in third place just three points behind the leaders Arsenal. They have won four of their last five away games, but this is the first of two very difficult games on their travels in four days. They have won 11 of their last 12 games, but they have only kept five clean sheets in their 17 games.
Morgan Rogers is in fantastic form for fantasy managers at the moment with Matty Cash worth considering too.
This is a huge game for two teams hoping to challenge for the title and I think a draw is the most likely outcome.
Prediction: 2-2
Sunday December 28
Sunderland v Leeds United
2pm GMT, Stadium of Light, Sunderland
Sunderland drew 0-0 away to Brighton last week and that point saw them move up to seventh place in the table. They’re one of two teams still unbeaten at home with only Bournemouth and Palace drawing more games on their own ground. They have only lost twice in their last 10 games with only the top two conceding less goals.
The Sunderland defenders and keeper are good choices for fantasy managers along with Granit Xhaka.
Leeds won 4-1 at home to Palace last week and that win moved them six points clear of the relegation zone. They drew their last away game after losing the previous four with only three other teams scoring less goals on the road. They have taken eight points and scored 11 goals in their last four games after losing the previous four with only the bottom three conceding more goals.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is in great form for fantasy managers at the moment with Anton Stach doing well too.
I think Sunderland will continue their impressive home form by taking the three points in this game.
Prediction:
Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur
4.30pm GMT, Selhurst Park, London
Palace lost 4-1 away to Leeds last week and that defeat saw them drop to eighth in the table. They have only won two of their eight home games with only two other teams scoring less goals on their own patch. They have lost their last two games and they conceded seven goals in those games as their very busy schedule looks to be taking a toll.
The Palace defenders and keeper had been good options for fantasy managers until last week and I think they will be again.
Spurs lost 2-1 at home to Liverpool last week and they had two men sent off in the process which saw them drop to 14th place, but they’re only two points off the top half of the table. They have taken one point from their last three away games after taking 13 in the previous five with only two other teams scoring more goals on their travels. They have only won once in their last eight games, but no other team in the bottom half of the table has scored more goals.
It’s difficult to recommend any Spurs players to fantasy managers at the moment, but Mohammed Kudus is probably the one most likely to impress.
I think Palace will prove to be strong enough at home to take all the points in this game.
Prediction: 2-1
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
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