| POSITION | PLAYER NAME | THIS WEEK | POINTS | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (2) |  |  |  | GoonerLaw | 1220 | ||||||
| 2 (1) | | |  | AFCDAVE | 1070 | ||||||
| 3 (4) | |  |  | Feel | 1050 | ||||||
| 4 (6) | | |  | Mystical | 1010 | ||||||
| 5 (5) | | |  | Invader 67 | 1005 |
Wednesday January 1
Brighton And Hove Albion v Chelsea
12.30pm GMT, AMEX Stadium, Brighton
Brighton won 2-0 at home to Bournemouth on Saturday to move five points clear of the relegation zone. That was their first home win in four games, but they have three fairly good home fixtures in a row after this game. They have only won twice in their last nine games and they play four of the teams below them in their next six games.
Both Matt Ryan and Lewis Dunk did well for fantasy managers last week and they have a good run of games coming up after this one.
Chelsea won 2-1 away to Arsenal on Sunday thanks to two late goals and they stayed fourth in the table with four points to spare over fifth place. Only Liverpool have taken more points away from home and only City have scored more goals on their travels. They have lost five of their last eight games and still managed to keep their place in the top four, but they have a really tough run of games coming up in a few weeks.
Tammy Abraham got his first return in a while for fantasy managers against Arsenal while both Willian and Mason Mount are good options too.
I think Brighton will make things tough for Chelsea, but Chelsea will probably take the three points.
Prediction: 1-2
Burnley v Aston Villa
12.30pm GMT, Turf Moor, Burnley
Burnley lost 2-0 at home to United on Saturday, but they’re still only one point off the top half of the table. They have won half and lost half of their 10 home games and they kept a clean sheet in each of those home wins. They have lost five of their last seven games and they failed to score in four of those games.
Nick Pope still looks like the Burnley player most likely to make a difference for fantasy managers.
Villa lost 3-0 away to Watford on Saturday and they’re still in the bottom three, but they’re only one point from safety. They have only taken one point in their last six away games and no other team has taken less points away from home. They have lost five of their last six games with only Norwich and Southampton conceding more goals.
Jack Grealish is probably the only Villa player for fantasy managers to consider.
I think Villa’s woes will continue with Burnley winning by a couple of goals.
Prediction: 2-0
Newcastle United v Leicester City
3pm GMT, St. James’s Park, Newcastle
Newcastle lost 2-1 at home to Everton on Saturday and they’re only in the bottom half of the table on goal difference. They have only lost two of their 10 home games and no other team has conceded less goals at home. They have lost three of their last four games with only Watford and Palace scoring less goals.
Martin Dubravka and Jonjo Shelvey are the Newcastle players most likely to return some points for fantasy managers.
Leicester won 2-1 away to West Ham on Saturday to stay second in the table, but they’re 13 points behind Liverpool and they have played a game more. Only Liverpool and Chelsea have taken more points away from home with only City scoring more goals on their travels. The win against West Ham was their first win in four games, but they only play two of the “big six” in their next 13 games.
With Jamie Vardy back he’s the obvious choice in the Leicester team for fantasy managers while James Maddison, Casper Schmeichel and all of their defenders are good options too.
I think Leicester should be too strong for Newcastle and should win by a couple of goals.
Prediction: 1-3
Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur
3pm GMT, St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton
Southampton drew 1-1 at home to Palace on Saturday and that point was enough to move them four points clear of the bottom three. Only West Ham have taken less points at home and no other team has conceded more goals at home. They have taken 13 points from their last seven games, but only Norwich have conceded more goals.
Danny Ings is the Southampton player to have for fantasy managers while James Ward-Prowse isn’t the worst option either.
Spurs drew 2-2 away to Norwich on Saturday after twice coming from behind and they’re only one point off fifth place. They have only won two of their 10 away games and only three other teams have conceded more goals on the road. They have taken 16 points from their last eight games, but they have only kept two clean sheets in their 20 games so far.
With Heung-Min Son suspended Dele Alli, Lucas Moura and Harry Kane are the Spurs players to consider for fantasy managers.
I think this will be a very close game with Spurs more than likely winning by a single goal.
Prediction: 1-2
Watford v Wolverhampton Wanderers
3pm GMT, Vicarage Road, Watford
Watford won 3-0 at home to Villa on Saturday and they’re now only three points from safety. They have taken seven points from their last three home games and they didn’t concede any goals in those three games. They have only lost one of their last five games, but no other team has scored less goals.
Troy Deeney has done well since returning from injury and he could be worth considering for fantasy managers.
Wolves lost 1-0 away to Liverpool on Sunday, but they’re still only one point off fifth place. They have only lost two of their 10 away games, but only Sheffield United have drawn more games on the road. The defeat at Liverpool was the first game in which they failed to score in 19 games.
Raul Jiminez, Matt Doherty and Adama Traore are all very good choices for fantasy managers.
I think Wolves will put an end to Watford’s revival by taking the three points in this game.
Prediction: 1-2
Manchester City v Everton
5.30pm GMT, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City won 2-0 at home to Sheffield United on Sunday, but they just can’t do anything to close the gap to Liverpool at the top of the table. They have won five of their last six home games and no other team has scored more goals at home. No other team has scored more goals than City, but their chances of retaining their title seem to be gone already.
With Sergio Aguero back from injury he’s a very good choice for fantasy managers while Kevin de Bruyne is a must have and Raheem Sterling should be considered too.
Everton won 2-1 away to Newcastle on Saturday to move into the top half of the table. Only three other teams have taken less points and conceded more goals away from home. They have taken 11 points from their last five games and they only conceded three goals in those games.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin might just be the Everton player to interest fantasy managers while Richarlison hasn’t done too badly either.
I think City will be too strong for Everton and will win by at least a couple of goals.
Prediction: 3-1
Norwich City v Crystal Palace
5.30pm GMT, Carrow Road, Norwich
Norwich led twice at home to Spurs on Saturday, but they had to settle for a 2-2 draw which leaves them three points adrift at the foot of the table. They haven’t won in seven home games with only West Ham taking less points at home. They have only won once in their last 15 games and no other team has conceded more goals.
Todd Cantwell is the Norwich player of most interest to fantasy managers while Teemu Pukki could still be considered too.
Palace drew 1-1 away to Southampton on Saturday and they’re only four points off fifth place. They have only lost two of their last seven away games with only Norwich and Watford scoring less goals away from home. They have only lost once in their last seven games and they only conceded four goals in those games, but only Watford have scored less goals.
Palace’s keeper and defenders are all worth considering for fantasy managers.
I think this will be another very close game and the chances are Palace might just sneak a win.
Prediction: 1-2
West Ham United v Bournemouth
5.30pm GMT, London Stadium, London
West Ham lost 2-1 at home to Leicester on Saturday and that defeat cost Manuel Pellegrini his job as well as leaving them only one point above the relegation zone. They have lost their last four home games and they conceded 11 goals in those games with no other team taking less points at home. They have lost seven of their last nine games and they conceded 18 goals in those games.
I can’t see any West Ham players to recommend to fantasy managers although the return of Lukasz Fabianski might change that.
Bournemouth lost 2-0 away to Brighton on Saturday and they’re now only two points above the bottom three. They have lost four of their last five away games, but they have taken as many points away from home as at home. They have only taken four points from their last nine games with only Watford and Palace scoring less goals.
I can’t see any Bournemouth players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment either.
I think West Ham might just get David Moyes’s second spell in charge of them off to a good start with a narrow victory in this game.
Prediction: 2-1
Arsenal v Manchester United
8pm GMT, Emirates Stadium, London
Arsenal conceded two late goals to lose 2-1 at home to Chelsea on Sunday and they’re still in the bottom half of the table. They haven’t won in their last six home games and they conceded 12 goals in those games. They have only won once in their last 12 games, but they are the highest scorers in the bottom half of the table.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the only Arsenal player for fantasy managers to consider.
United won 2-0 away to Burnley on Saturday and those three points were enough to move them up to fifth place. They have won two of their last three away games, but they only won once in the previous seven on the road. They have taken 18 points from their last nine games, but five of their next 10 games are pretty tough.
Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial are the United players making waves for fantasy managers at the moment.
I think Arsenal might just get the better of United in a very close game.
Prediction: 2-1
Thursday January 2
Liverpool v Sheffield United
8pm GMT, Anfield, Liverpool
Liverpool won 1-0 at home to Wolves on Sunday to stay 13 points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand. They have won all of their home games and no other team has scored more or conceded less goals on their own patch. They have won 18 of their 19 games and they could be set to break all sorts of Premier League records if they continue in their current vein.
Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah remain the best options for fantasy managers in the Liverpool team while all of their defenders and keeper are very good choices too.
United lost 2-0 away to City on Sunday, but they’re still only two points off fifth place. They have only lost one of their 10 away games, but no other team has drawn more games away from home with only Liverpool conceding less goals on the road. The defeat at City was only their second defeat in 13 games and only Liverpool have conceded less goals.
United’s defenders and keeper are all good options for fantasy managers, but maybe not in this game.
I can’t see anything other than a comfortable Liverpool win in this game.
Prediction: 2-0
That’s it for this week.
See you tomorrow.
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