There are four teams playing an extra game this week which should make it even more interesting for fantasy managers as they attempt to come up with the perfect squad ahead of Wednesday evening. In their wisdom the organisers of the fantasy game have given everybody unlimited transfers ahead of the restart and any outstanding chips can still be used too.
The predictions game should be up and running too and with it my predictions league should be running again too. Here’s a reminder how the top five in that league stands with me back in 10th place after a poor run just before the season suddenly stopped.
| POSITION | PLAYER NAME | THIS WEEK | POINTS | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (1) |  |  |  | GoonerLaw | 1885 | ||||||
| 2 (2) | | |  | Invader 67 | 1535 | ||||||
| 3 (4) | | |  | Mystical | 1525 | ||||||
| 4 (5) | | |  | AFCDAVE | 1515 | ||||||
| 4 (3) | |  |  | Feel | 1515 |
Wednesday June 17
Aston Villa v Sheffield United
6pm BST, Villa Park, Birmingham
Villa lost their last game away to Leicester and their upcoming fixtures suggest they will have a tough task avoiding relegation. They lost two of their last three home games and they conceded 10 goals in those games with only three other teams taking less points at home. They have lost their last four games and they conceded 11 goals in the process with no other team conceding more goals.
Jack Grealish is the only Villa player worth considering for fantasy managers and he is a good option with two games this week.
United won 1-0 at home to Norwich in their last game to stay in seventh place and keep within touching distance of fifth place and maybe even fourth too. They have only lost two of their 13 away games with only Liverpool conceding less goals on the road. They have taken 10 points from their last four games with only Liverpool conceding less goals and their remaining fixtures suggest they could qualify for European football if they can find the form they had before the shutdown.
United’s defenders and keeper have done really well for fantasy managers up to now and there’s no reason that shouldn’t continue.
I don’t think United will have it all their own way, but I think they should win with possibly the only goal of the game.
Prediction: 0-1
Manchester City v Arsenal
8.15pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City lost their last game 2-0 away to United and they have no real chance of catching runaway leaders Liverpool. Only Liverpool and Leicester have taken more points at home and only Liverpool have scored more goals on their own patch. They have taken 19 points from their last 10 games which normally would be good enough to keep pace in the league, but not this season.
With two games this week Kevin de Bruyne and Sergio Aguero look like very good options for fantasy managers while City’s defenders might not be bad choices either.
Arsenal won their last match at home to West Ham and were due to play this game in March until Mikel Arteta contracted Covid 19. They are unbeaten in seven away games, but they drew six of those games and no other team has drawn more games on their travels. They’re unbeaten in eight games and they kept clean sheets in four of those games and no other team has drawn more games.
With two games this week Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looks like a good choice for fantasy managers.
I think this will be a fairly close game and my heart tells me Arsenal could win it, but the chances are they won’t.
Prediction: 1-2
Friday June 19
Norwich City v Southampton
6pm BST, Carrow Road, Norwich
Norwich lost their last game away to Sheffield United and they’re six points from safety with only nine games to go. They have won two of their last three home games and they only conceded one goal in those games, but only Southampton have conceded more goals at home. They have only taken four points from their last six games and they failed to score in four of those games with only Villa conceding more goals.
I’m not sure there are any Norwich players who might make an impression for fantasy managers for the rest of the season.
Southampton lost at home to Newcastle in their last game, but they’re still seven points clear of the relegation zone. They have won as many games as they have lost away from home and only five other teams have taken more points on the road. They have lost four of their last five games and only Villa have conceded more goals, but they should get enough points from their remaining games to comfortably avoid the drop.
Danny Ings is still the Southampton player most likely to perform for fantasy managers while Nathan Redmond and James Ward-Prowse should be considered too.
I think this will be a close game, but Southampton might just get the better of Norwich.
Prediction: 1-2
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United
8.15pm BST, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Spurs drew 1-1 away to Burnley in their last game, but they’re only four points off fifth place with a good run of fixtures after this game. They have lost three of their last six home games, but only four other teams have taken more points at home. They have only taken one point from their last three games, but they have the best run in of any of the teams looking to make the top four.
Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son are the Spurs players to have for fantasy managers with Dele Alli worth considering when his suspension is over.
United won 2-0 at home to City in their last game and they’re only three points behind fourth placed Chelsea. They have lost three of their last six away games and they have only won four of their 14 away games so far. They’re unbeaten in five games and they only conceded one goal in those games while their run in suggests a top four finish is well within their reach.
Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford are the United players I think will do well for fantasy managers with Anthony Martial a possibility too while their defenders and keeper were on a roll before the lockdown.
I think this will be a very close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end even.
Prediction: 2-2
Saturday June 20
Watford v Leicester City
12.30pm BST, Vicarage Road, Watford
Watford lost their last game away to Palace and they’re only above the bottom three on goal difference. They have taken 14 points from their last seven home games and they kept clean sheets in five of those games. Their only win in their last seven games was against Liverpool and only Newcastle and Norwich have scored less goals.
I’m not sure there are any Watford players to recommend to fantasy managers, but Abdoulaye Decoure and Ben Foster are reasonably good options and Ismailia Sarr showed against Liverpool what he can do too.
Leicester won 4-0 at home to Villa in their last game and they’re looking very good for a top four finish. They have only taken one point and scored one goal in their last three away games, but only three other teams have taken more points on their travels. Their win against Villa was only their second win in eight games, but only the top two have scored more goals and only Liverpool and Sheffield United have conceded less.
Jamie Vardy, James Maddison and Harvey Barnes are the Leicester players most likely to give fantasy managers an edge with their defenders and keeper worth considering too.
I think this will be another very close game with Leicester probably taking the three points.
Prediction: 1-2
Brighton And Hove Albion v Arsenal
3pm BST, AMEX Stadium, Brighton
Brighton drew 0-0 away to Wolves in their last game and they’re still only two points above the relegation zone. They haven’t won in their last four home games and their remaining home fixtures are very difficult. They haven’t won in nine games and they could struggle to stay up due to a very tough run in their next six games.
I can’t see any Brighton players who might interest fantasy managers for the rest of the season.
Arsenal will have already played away to City on Wednesday night before they play this game. As I said already they have drawn a lot of away games and they need to turn some of those draws into wins if they’re going to climb the table. A top four finish isn’t beyond them yet, but it’s a very big task at this stage.
With two games to play Arsenal players have to be of interest to fantasy managers, but they don’t exactly set the world alight away from home.
I think this will be a very close game with Arsenal probably narrowly taking the three points.
Prediction: 1-2
West Ham United v Wolverhampton Wanderers
5.30pm BST, London Stadium, London
West Ham lost their last game 1-0 away to Arsenal and they are only above the bottom three on goal difference. They have only won two of their last 11 home games with only Southampton taking less points on their own ground. They have only won once in their last nine games and could find themselves in the bottom three shortly with three tough games in a row.
I’m not sure there are any West Ham players who will perform well enough to turn the heads of fantasy managers.
Wolves drew 0-0 at home to Brighton and they’re only two points behind fifth placed United. They have only lost twice in their last 12 away games with only the top four taking more points on the road. Only Liverpool have lost less games, but no other team has drawn more and their upcoming fixtures give them a great chance of finishing in the top four or five.
Raul Jiminez and Matt Doherty are probably the best of the Wolves players for fantasy managers while Diogo Jota and Adama Traore should be considered too.
I think Wolves will have enough to get the better of West Ham by a couple of goals.
Prediction: 1-3
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace
7.45pm BST, Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth
Bournemouth lost their last game 2-1 away to Liverpool and they’re still in the bottom three, but only on goal difference. They have taken seven points from their last three home games after only taking 10 in the previous 11 with only three other teams taking less points at home. They have only taken one point from their last four games and their remaining fixtures suggest it will be a battle for them to avoid relegation right until the end of the season.
David Brooks hasn’t kicked a ball yet this season, but his return from injury could help to keep Bournemouth up and be of benefit to fantasy managers too.
Palace won 1-0 at home to Watford in their last game and they’re only outside the top half of the table on goal difference. They have only lost once in their last five away games, but they did draw three of those games. They have won their last three games without conceding a goal, but only Newcastle and Norwich have scored less goals.
Jordan Ayew is available at a very good price for fantasy managers and he hasn’t done too badly for them either while Palace’s defenders and keeper were looking good before the lockdown.
I think this will be another very close game with Palace probably emerging with the three points.
Prediction: 1-2
Sunday June 21
Newcastle United v Sheffield United
2pm BST, St. James’s Park, Newcastle
Newcastle won 1-0 away to Southampton in their last game and that win moved them eight points clear of the relegation zone. They have taken five points from their last three home games and they didn’t concede any goals in those games with no other team conceding or scoring less goals at home. They have only lost two of their last eight games and they should be able to collect enough points to finish in mid-table despite no other team scoring less goals.
I’m not sure there are any Newcastle players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.
United play their second away game of the week and two wins would put them into the top five at the worst. As I said previously they have a pretty good record on the road and will expect to get something from this game. If they can play like they did before the lockdown then it could be a very good season for them.
As I said previously United’s defenders and keeper still look like pretty good bets for fantasy managers.
I think this will be another very close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end goalless.
Prediction: 0-0
Aston Villa v Chelsea
4.15pm BST, Villa Park, Birmingham
Villa play their second home game of the week and they need to get something from at least one of them. They haven’t taken too many points at home and they have some very tough home games coming up. Looking at their remaining fixtures it looks like relegation is a very real possibility for them.
If Jack Grealish is too expensive for fantasy managers they might be willing to consider John McGinn now that he’s recovered from the injury that kept him out of their last 10 games.
Chelsea won their last game 4-0 at home to Everton which kept them in fourth place, but United are still only three points behind them. They haven’t won in their last four away games, but only the top two have taken more points on the road and only City have scored more goals. They have only won two of their last seven games and it looks like they will have a real fight on their hands to stay in the top four.
Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham were probably the best of the Chelsea players for fantasy managers earlier this season and they might just be worth a look again.
I think Chelsea will have too much firepower for Villa and they will narrowly take all three points.
Prediction: 1-2
Everton v Liverpool
7pm BST, Goodson Park, Liverpool
Everton lost 4-0 away to Chelsea in their last game, but they’re still only two points off the top half of the table. They haven’t lost in their last seven home games with only six other teams taking more points at home. They have only taken one point from their last three games and they conceded eight goals in those games and only five other teams have conceded more goals.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was the Everton player to have for fantasy managers before the lockdown and there’s no reason for that to change while Richarlison is worth considering too.
Liverpool won their last game 2-1 at home to Bournemouth and they could be crowned champions if they win this game and City lose to Arsenal earlier in the week. They have won 12 of their 14 away games with no other team conceding less goals away from home and they will relish the chance to move even closer to the title against their local rivals. They have won all but two of their 29 games with no other team conceding less goals and only City scoring more and it’s just a matter of when they will win the league.
It’s impossible for fantasy managers to ignore Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and all of the Liverpool defenders and keeper.
I think Liverpool will get the win they want to take them within one win of the title at worst.
Prediction: 0-2
Monday June 22
Manchester City v Burnley
8pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City play their second home game of the week and they have the chance to at least prolong Liverpool’s wait for the title. They will hope to win their two home games this week and at least prolong the agony for another week.. If they can come back all guns blazing they could have a very good week.
As I said previously both de Bruyne and Aguero look like very good choices for fantasy managers this week.
Burnley drew 1-1 at home to Spurs last time out and that point was enough to keep them in the top half of the table on goal difference. They have taken seven points from their last three away games, but they have struggled to score goals on the road. They’re unbeaten in seven games with clean sheets in four of those games, but they will have to be at their very best to get anything from this game.
I’m not sure there are any Burnley players to recommend to fantasy managers, but Nick Pope has done very well up to now.
I can’t see anything other than a comfortable City win in this game.
Prediction: 3-0
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
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