It’s that time of the week again when I attempt to predict the outcomes of the upcoming Premier League games. I did fairly well last week with two perfect predictions, three correct outcomes and five incorrect outcomes which saw me move up to sixth place 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. Gooners 44 122.5 102 15 273.5
2. Murray1886 41 118.5 96 18 273.5
3. Sam 34 121.5 99 18 272.5
4. SeniorBurger 37 124.5 90 17 268.5
5. robbieg 40 124.5 78 18 268.5
I did reasonably well with my fantasy team too as my decision to use my wildcard saw my new team do better than my old team would have done. Bruno Fernandes did the job as my captain yet again and he’s my only player who won’t have two games this week. The teams who play twice this week don’t play at all next week though which is why I’ll be using my free hit chip next week.
The big question this week is who I give the captaincy to and I’m edging towards Erling Haaland despite his lack of returns in the Premier League recently. My other issue is the possibility of Nico O’Reilly missing out through injury and I might just have to swap him out to be sure I get the maximum return from my chip.
Saturday April 18
Brentford v Fulham
12.30pm BST, Gtech Community Stadium, London
Brentford led twice at home to Everton last week, but they had to settle for a 2-2 draw to leave them just one point off sixth place. They haven’t won in their last five home games, but they drew three of them with only two other teams drawing more games on their own ground. They have only won once in their last seven games, but they drew five of them with only one other team in the top half of the table conceding more goals.
Igor Thiago is the Brentford player who can make a real difference for fantasy managers.
Fulham lost 2-0 away to Liverpool last week and that defeat saw them drop into the bottom half of the table. They have only won once in their last seven away games with only the bottom two losing more games on the road. They have only won once in their last four games and their next three games are all against teams in the top seven.
Harry Wilson is by far the best of the Fulham players for fantasy managers at the moment.
I think this will be a close game with Brentford winning narrowly.
Prediction: 2-1
Leeds United v Wolverhampton Wanderers
3pm BST, Elland Road, Leeds
Leeds won 2-1 away to United last week and that victory moved them six points clear of the relegation zone. They have only taken one point from their last three home games and they failed to score in each of those games, but their next two games on their own patch are against the two teams who are certain to be relegated. They have only lost four of their last 19 games, but they drew 10 of them with only Bournemouth drawing more games.
With two games this week Leeds players are looking good for fantasy managers, but I’m still not sure which ones to recommend.
Wolves lost 4-0 away to West Ham last week to leave them rooted to the foot of the table with relegation a certainty. They’re the only team without an away win with no other team scoring less goals on their travels. They had taken seven points from three games before losing to West Ham with no other team scoring less goals and only Burnley conceding more.
I can’t see any Wolves players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.
I think Leeds will get the three points they need to almost certainly guarantee their survival in this game.
Prediction: 2-0
Newcastle United v Bournemouth
3pm BST, St. James’s Park, Newcastle
Newcastle lost 2-1 away to Palace last week after leading 1-0 and that defeat saw them drop to 14th in the table. They have lost four of their last five home games, but only the top three have scored more goals on their own ground. They have lost seven of their last 10 games and they conceded 20 goals in those games.
Anthony Gordon is the Newcastle player most likely to impress for fantasy managers.
Bournemouth won 2-1 away to league leaders Arsenal last week and that victory left them one place off the top half of the table and within one point of the top six. They are unbeaten in their last seven away games, but they drew four of them with no other team drawing more games on the road and only Burnley conceding more goals. They are unbeaten in 12 games, but they drew seven of them with no other team drawing more games.
Marcos Senesi, Adrien Truffet, James Hill and Junior Kroupi are the Bournemouth players to watch for fantasy managers.
I don’t think there will be too much between these two teams with a draw being the most likely outcome.
Prediction: 1-1
Tottenham Hotspur v Brighton And Hove Albion
5.30pm BST, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Spurs lost 1-0 away to Sunderland last week and that defeat saw them drop into the relegation zone for the first time this season. They have only taken two points from their last eight home games with no other team taking less points on their own patch and only Wolves conceding more goals. They haven’t won in their last 14 games and they are running out of time in their bid to avoid the drop.
I can’t see any Spurs players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.
Brighton won 2-0 away to Burnley last week to move within two points of sixth place. They have won their last three away games and they kept clean sheets in each of those games with all of their remaining games on their travels against teams in the bottom half of the table. They have won five of their last six games and they will move up to sixth place if they win both of their games this week.
Bart Verbruggen, Jan Paul van Hecke, Diego Gomez and Danny Welbeck are the Brighton players who can bring home points for fantasy managers in their two games this week.
I think Brighton will enhance their chances of European football next season with a narrow win in this game.
Prediction: 1-2
Chelsea v Manchester United
8pm BST, Stamford Bridge, London
Chelsea lost 3-0 at home to City last week to hold on to sixth place, but there are five teams within three points of them. They have only taken two points from their last four home games and they conceded seven goals in those games. They have only won once in their last seven games and the outcome of their two games this week could define their season.
With two games this week Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro are the the Chelsea players to have for fantasy managers.
United lost 2-1 at home to struggling Leeds last week, but they managed to hold on to third place on goal difference. They have only won twice in their last eight away games, but no other team has drawn more games on the road. They have only won once in their last four games after winning six of the previous seven
Bruno Fernandes is the United player fantasy managers just cannot ignore.
I think United will pile more pressure on Chelsea by taking all the points in a tight game.
Prediction: 1-2
Sunday April 19
Aston Villa v Sunderland
2pm BST, Villa Park, Birmingham
Villa drew 1-1 away to Forest last week and they’re now only behind third placed United on goal difference. They have only won two of their last six home games with only the top three taking more points on their own patch. They have taken four points from their last two games after losing the previous three and they have a good run of games coming up.
Morgan Rogers is still the best of the bunch in the Villa team for fantasy managers.
Sunderland won 1-0 at home to Spurs last week to move back into the top half of the table and they’re only two points off sixth place. They have taken seven points from their last three away games after failing to win the previous eight with only Wolves scoring less goals on their travels. They have won three of their last four games after only winning twice in the previous 12 with only two other teams scoring less goals.
Granit Xhaka looks like a good choice for fantasy managers with the Sunderland defenders and keeper worth considering for home games too.
I think this will be a very tight game with a draw being the most likely outcome.
Prediction: 1-1
Everton v Liverpool
2pm BST, Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool
Everton twice came from behind to draw 2-2 away to Brentford last week and they’re now only one point off sixth place. They have won their last two home games without conceding a goal after failing to win the previous six and they have taken more points away from home than on their own ground. They have taken 10 points from their last five games with only four other teams conceding less goals.
Everton’s defenders and keeper are good options for fantasy managers along with Iliman Ndiaye, Kiernon Dewsbury-Hall, James Garner and maybe even Beto too.
Liverpool won 2-0 at home to Fulham last week to move within three points of third place. They have lost their last two away games after winning the previous two and they have lost more games on the road than they have won. They had only taken one point from three games before beating Fulham and five of their last six games are against other teams chasing European football.
Virgil van Dijk is probably the best of the Liverpool players for fantasy managers at the moment.
This looks like being a very close game and I think Everton might just get the upper hand.
Prediction: 2-1
Nottingham Forest v Burnley
2pm BST, City Ground, Nottingham
Forest drew 1-1 at home to Villa last week and that victory moved them three points clear of the bottom three. They haven’t won in their last eight home games, but they drew five of them with no other team scoring less goals on their own patch. They have taken six points from their last three games and another three points in this game could be just what they need to stay up.
Morgan Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson and Neco Williams are the Forest players who can perform for fantasy managers.
Burnley lost 2-0 at home to Brighton last week to leave them 12 points from safety and their relegation should be confirmed very soon. No other team has lost more games or conceded more goals away from home, but their next two games on their travels are against teams just above them in the table starting with this one. They have only won once in their last 23 games with no other team conceding more goals and only two other teams scoring less.
I can’t see any Burnley players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.
I think Forest will be good enough to take three very important points for them in this game.
Prediction: 2-0
Manchester City v Arsenal
4.30pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City won 3-0 away to Chelsea last week to move within six points of Arsenal at the top of the table and they have a game in hand too. They are unbeaten in their last 14 home games with no other team scoring more or conceding less goals on their own ground. They have taken 21 points and scored 18 goals in their last nine games with no other team scoring more goals and only Arsenal conceding less.
With two games this week Erling Haaland, Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki, Marc Guehi and Nico o’Reilly (if he’s fit) can all do very well for fantasy managers.
Arsenal lost 2-1 at home to Bournemouth last week to see City close their lead at the top of the table which makes this a huge game for both teams. They have have taken 18 points from their last eight away games with no other team conceding less goals on the road. They had taken 20 points from eight games before losing to Bournemouth with only City scoring more goals and no other team conceding less.
I’m not sure which Arsenal players to recommend to fantasy managers for this week at least.
I think this will be a very close game and I have a feeling it will end with the spoils shared.
Prediction: 2-2
Monday April 20
Crystal Palace v West Ham United
8pm BST, Selhurst Park, London
Palace scored two late goals to win 2-1 at home to Newcastle last week and that win more or less dispelled any relegation fears. They have taken seven points and only conceded one goal in their last three home games, but only two other teams have scored less goals on their own patch. They have taken 13 points from their last seven games after failing to win the previous nine with only the top two conceding less goals.
With their minds on their Conference League campaign I’m not sure there are any Palace players to interest fantasy managers.
West Ham won 4-0 at home to Wolves last week and that victory was enough to move them out of the relegation zone. They have won three of their last six away games, but only two other teams have conceded more goals on their travels. They have taken 18 points and scored 18 goals in their last 11 games, but only the bottom two have conceded more goals.
Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville are the West Ham players who could make a difference for fantasy managers.
This isn’t an easy game to predict, but the chances are it will end all square.
Prediction: 1-1
Tuesday April 21
Brighton And Hove Albion v Chelsea
8pm BST, AMEX Stadium, Brighton
Brighton play their second game of the week and it’s against one of the teams they will be hoping to make ground on. They have won two of their last three home games and they have to play two of the current top six in their last two games on their own ground. This is a big test for their European credentials and it could have a huge impact on how they finish the season.
The Brighton players I mentioned already are all in good form for fantasy managers and could have a good week.
Chelsea play their second game of the week and they’re both against teams in and around them in the table. They have lost two of their last three away games and they conceded six goals in those games with only the top two taking more points on the road and no other team scoring more goals. They have lost four of their last five games and they conceded 10 goals in those games, but two wins this week would put them right back in the fight for Champions League football.
If Chelsea can find some form this week the players I suggested might do very well for fantasy managers.
I think Brighton will make their home advantage pay to take the three points in this game.
Prediction: 2-1
Wednesday April 22
Bournemouth v Leeds United
8pm BST, Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth
Bournemouth play their second game of the week and they’re both against teams below them in the table. They are unbeaten in six home games, but they drew four of them with no other team drawing more games on their own patch. They are unbeaten in 12 games, but they drew seven of them with no other team drawing more games.
There are so many Bournemouth players to choose from for fantasy managers at the moment with the ones I mentioned already probably the best of them.
Leeds play their second game of the week and Bournemouth will be a tougher challenge for them than Wolves. They are unbeaten in their last five away games, but they drew four of them with no other team drawing more games on their travels and only two other teams conceding more goals. If they have already beaten Wolves then Leeds will be almost safe from relegation fears going into this game.
At a push Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Pascal Struijk are the Leeds players to own for fantasy managers this week.
I think Bournemouth will be just too strong for Leeds and should take all the points in this game.
Prediction: 2-1
Burnley v Manchester City
8pm BST, Turf Moor, Burnley
Burnley face one of their toughest home games of the season in this game and if other results go against them it could be the game to relegate them too. They haven’t won in their last 12 home games with only Forest scoring less goals on their own ground. If they lose both of their games this week the chances are their relegation will be confirmed.
I can’t see any Burnley players who can do enough to interest fantasy managers.
City play their second game of the week and a win should put them on top of the table if they have already beaten Arsenal. They have taken 10 points from their last four away games with only Chelsea scoring more goals on the road and only Arsenal conceding less. They still have a very good chance of a domestic treble and I can’t see Burnley getting in their way.
There are so many City players to choose from for fantasy managers and getting them right this week is not easy.
I can’t see anything other than a comfortable City victory in this game.
Prediction: 0-4
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
No comments:
Post a Comment