I’ll post my best choice for captain for fantasy managers weekly and some other players who might look like good choices or good value too. Having a look at this week’s games it’s difficult to look past Mohamed Salah as the best choice for captain. As always it’s a tough task trying to find a 4 million defender, but both Daniel Amartey of Leicester and Konstantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool might just fit the bill as they get game time early in the season due to injuries to others.
Friday August 13
Brentford v Arsenal
8pm BST, Brentford Community Stadium, London
Brentford gained the right to play in the top flight for the first time since 1947 when they won the Championship play off final. They only lost two home games in the Championship last season, but the Premier League is a much tougher proposition. The were the top scorers in the Championship last season too and they won’t be a pushover for any team this season.
Ivan Toney is a very popular choice among fantasy managers after finishing last season as the top scorer in the Championship and he’s certainly worth considering.
Arsenal finished eighth in the Premier League for the second season in a row last season and they’re under huge pressure to improve on those finishes. Only four teams won more away games and only two teams conceded less goals on their travels. Only City and Chelsea conceded less goals, but Everton were the only team in the top half of the table to score less goals.
It’s not too easy to see much value in Arsenal’s higher priced players for fantasy managers, but Emile Smith-Rowe and Ben White are available at good prices and could do well while Nicolas Pepe finished last season in very good form.
I think this will be a close game with Arsenal probably winning by a single goal.
Prediction: 1-2
Saturday August 14
Manchester United v Leeds United
12.30pm BST, Old Trafford, Manchester
United finished second to City last season, but they were a long way back and the big question is whether they can really challenge this season. They lost six home games, but only City scored more goals on their own patch. Only City scored more goals, but they will have to sort out their home form if they’re going to challenge City.
Bruno Fernandes was the top scorer for fantasy managers last season and it’s tough to look past him again while Luke Shaw and Edinson Cavani are well fancied too with Mason Greenwood an outside bet.
Leeds had a very good first season back in the top flight last season and they will do well to match that performance this season. They only lost six away games, but they were well beaten at United and they will want to erase that memory in this game. They did so well to finish within three points of a European place and only five other teams scored more goals.
Raphina could be the Leeds player to have for fantasy managers while Jack Harrison and Patrick Bamford are good options too.
I think this will be another close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end in a draw.
Prediction: 2-2
Burnley v Brighton And Hove Albion
3pm BST, Turf Moor, Burnley
Burnley managed to avoid relegation with relative ease last season and that’s got to be their first objective again this season. They only won four home games and only two other teams scored less goals at home, but it was their home form which kept them in the flight in previous seasons. They might have only finished one place above the relegation zone, but they had 11 points to spare even if only two other teams scored less goals.
Chris Wood looked very good for fantasy managers for a while last season and he could certainly be considered again.
Brighton did well to avoid the drop with as much ease as Burnley last season despite their inability to put teams away when they were on top in games. They took almost as many points away from hone as they did at home, but only two other teams scored less goals on the road. They only finished two points above Burnley and no other team drew more games while no other team in the bottom half of the table conceded less goals.
Robert Sanchez is very popular among fantasy managers so far and he might well be the cut price goalkeeper they are looking for.
This is a tough game to call so early in the season, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the spoils shared.
Prediction: 1-1
Chelsea v Crystal Palace
3pm BST, Stamford Bridge, London
Chelsea had a turbulent season at times last season, but it ended brilliantly for them with glory in the Champions League final and they will want to put in a real challenge for the title this season. No other team lost less games at home with only City conceding less goals on their own ground. Only City conceded less goals, but seven other teams scored more goals and they need to find the net more often if they’re going to challenge for the title.
Chelsea’s defenders and keeper look like very good choices for fantasy managers while Mason Mount, Kai Havertz and the returning Romelu Lukaku could all do well too.
Palace parted ways with Roy Hogson after last season and they will hope Patrick Vieira can bring them closer to a top ten finish this season. Only three other teams lost more games and conceded more goals away from home and they start the season with a very tough away fixture. Only West Brom and Southampton conceded more goals and they will need to improve on that record if they’re going to stay clear of the wrong end of the table.
Wilfried Zaha is yet again the Palace player most likely to make an impression for fantasy managers while Vicente Guaita could do well as a reasonably priced goalkeeper.
I think Chelsea should be too strong for Palace and should win by at least a couple of goals.
Prediction: 2-0
Everton v Southampton
3pm BST, Goodison Park, Liverpool
Everton could only finish 10th last season despite promising so much and they need to improve on that position this season. They usually do very well at home, but they lost almost half of their home games and only four other teams conceded more goals at home. Their biggest problem was scoring goals and they have done nothing so far to suggest that has changed.
Both Lucas Digne and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are genuine possibilities for fantasy managers as long as Calvert-Lewin is fit to play.
Southampton dropped quickly down the table after a good start last season and they conceded an awful lot of goals in the process. Only Sheffield United and West Brom lost more away games and no other team conceded more goals on their travels. The loss of Danny Ings could make life difficult for them if they continue to ship as many goals as they did last season.
With Ings now an Aston Villa player it looks like Che Adams could be the Southampton player to have for fantasy managers and James Ward-Prowse is always a good option too.
I think this will be another close game and a draw is more than likely on the cards.
Prediction: 1-1
Leicester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers
3pm BST, King Power Stadium, Leicester
Leicester just missed out on a top four finish on the last day last season, but they did manage to win the FA Cup. Like so many other teams they struggled at home and they lost as many games as they won. Only the top two scored more goals, but no other team in the top eight conceded more goals.
Kelechi Iheanacho was the Leicester player to have for fantasy managers in the second half of last season while Jamie Vardy, James Maddison and Harvey Barnes are good choices too and their defenders and keeper are worth considering.
Wolves had real difficulties scoring goals last season after the awful head injury Raul Jiminez suffered and I hope he can return to his previous form, but I’m not so sure. Only Sheffield United scored less goals on the road as they felt the absence of Jiminez. They have lost their manager since then and they will need to find goals from somewhere to improve on their finish in the bottom half of the table.
I’m not so sure there are any Wolves players to interest fantasy managers, but Pedro Neto and Ruben Neves could prove me wrong.
I think Leicester will get their season off to a good start by taking the three points in this game.
Prediction: 2-1
Watford v Aston Villa
3pm GMT, Vicarage Road, Watford
Watford bounced straight back from the Championship, but their sole aim for this season will be to make sure they don’t go straight back down again. They won 19 of their 23 home games in the Championship last season and no other team scored more or conceded less goals on their own patch. That home form could be crucial for them this season as they battle at the wrong end of the table.
If I had to pick a Watford player for fantasy managers then I suppose Ismaila Sarr is quite capable of doing well.
Villa promised a lot last season, but they ended up just outside the top half of the table and they have since lost their best player. They took more points away from home than they did at home and they had a pretty good defensive record away from home too. They have already invested a lot of the money they got for Grealish and they will hope the improvements in the rest of the team will make them a stronger unit.
With Grealish gone the Villa players to make an impression could be Emiliano Buendia, Danny Ings and of course Emiliano Martinez.
I think Watford will realise how hard their task will be this season when they lose this game.
Prediction: 1-2
Norwich City v Liverpool
5.30pm BST, Carrow Road, Norwich
Norwich managed to bounce straight back from the Championship too, but they have lost their best player to Villa despite that promotion. They only lost three home games in the Championship last season with only one other team conceding less goals at home and Liverpool won’t make life easy for them. The won the league with six points to spare, but like the other promoted teams their first aim has to be to stay up.
I’m not sure there are any Norwich players who might make a difference for fantasy managers, but Teemu Pukki is still one to watch.
Liverpool just about managed a late burst to finish in the top four last season and they haven’t strengthened their team yet so they could find it hard to compete for the title. They only lost three away games and only City scored more goals away from home. Only two other teams scored more goals and only three other teams conceded less, but the defence of their title certainly didn’t go to plan.
Mohamed Salah is still the outstanding Liverpool player for fantasy managers with both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson good choices too while Tsimikas might be an option as long as Robertson is injured.
I can’t see anything other than a comfortable Liverpool win in this game.
Prediction: 0-3
Sunday August 15
Newcastle United v West Ham United
2pm BST, St. James’s Park, Newcastle
Newcastle finished last season fairly well and they had 17 points to spare over the bottom three in the end. They only won six home games and only West Brom conceded more goals at home. They haven’t yet added to the squad that struggled for a lot of last season and only four other teams conceded more goals.
Callum Wilson is the Newcastle player who can make a difference for fantasy managers while Joe Willock is worth considering too if they can get him in from Arsenal.
West Ham did really well to finish sixth last season, but the exertions of European football could hinder their chances to repeat that feat this season. They did very well to take 31 points away from home last season, but they were one of the few teams who actually took more points at home. I would be surprised to see them finish ahead of both Spurs and Arsenal again this season.
I think Michail Antonio could do well for fantasy managers as long as he stays fit while Aaron Cresswell, Vladimir Coufal and Said Benrahma are good options too.
I think this will be a close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end all square.
Prediction: 1-1
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City
4.30pm BST, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Spurs could only finish seventh last season which meant they qualified for the newly created Europa Conference League, but they will be concentrating their efforts on trying to regain a top four place. Only two other teams took more points and conceded less goals at home last season. Only the top two scored more goals, but they could struggle for goals if they lose Harry Kane to City.
If they can keep Kane out of City’s grasp then he’s the Spurs player to have for fantasy managers and he’s closely followed by Heung-Min Son.
City won the league with 12 points to spare last season and they have already strengthened their team with more to come too. No other team took more points, scored more or conceded less goals on the road last season. They were the top scorers and they had the best defence too and it’s going to take a lot to stop them retaining their title.
If he hits the ground running Jack Grealish could do very well for fantasy managers with Kevin de Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and all of their defenders and keeper great options too, but as always you have to be aware of Pep Guardiola’s rotation policy.
I think City will be too strong for Spurs and will start the decfence of their title with a narrow victory.
Prediction: 1-2
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
No comments:
Post a Comment