Period 3 is from 17th Oct - 20th Nov, which is four gameweeks in total and the prize for the best performing team during that period is a Samsung S6! My S3 is getting fairly banged up, so I'll be putting a lot more effort in the next few weeks myself!
So here's the three teams whom I feel have the best match-ups:
1. NEWCASTLE - Norwich(h), Sunderland(a), Stoke(h), Bournemouth(a)
You'd be forgiven if you thought that I'm insane for trying to recommend Newcastle, but all the teams they will face in Period 3 are ALL in the bottom half of the table. If Newcastle are going to try to climb out of the hole they're currently in, this is it. The partnership of Ayoze and Mitrovic may be something worth looking at, although with Mitrovic's tendency for getting carded, the pacey Ayoze may be a safer bet. However, if his 9m price tag seems a bit restrictive, then Wijnaldum in midfield, who scored for Holland during the weekend, at 7.9m is a worthy alternative.
It's a different story at the back though, as it's very hard to justify an outlay for its defense. Newcastle have only kept one clean sheet so far (funnily enough, it was against Manchester United). The only one worthy of consideration is Daryl Janmaat (4.1m) for his attacking potential. The loss of Tim Krul for the season raises even more questions, can Rob Elliot (3.1m!) step up and be counted?
 |
| Dark horse? |
And, regardless of fixtures, you'll need some serious guts if you decide to have Steve McClaren (8m) as your manager during this period.
2. MANCHESTER CITY - Bournemouth(h), Manchester United(a), Norwich(h). Aston Villa(a)
Manchester United is the tricky matchup in this list (and Arsenal has shown the way for that one) but other than that, the opponents are pretty vanilla. However, their attack is having an injury crisis with both Aguero AND Silva out, and possibly Kolarov as well, thanks to the Internationals, so you should wait on Match Day to see how Pellegrini (10m) sets up the team. There are pretty talented replacements available for your fantasy team, but will they be able to play as well with a significantly changed lineup?
Kevin De Bruyne (12.1m) is the man in form right now, at the moment he could score against just about anyone. Bony (10.7m) is Aguero's direct replacement, but let's face it, he hasn't grabbed the opportunities convincingly whenever he's had the chance ever since he moved from Swansea. Sterling (12.2m) might be an interesting option. After he was subbed at half time against Newcastle, after which Manchester City produced their most fluid attack of the season so far, we pretty much assumed Sterling would no longer be in the starting line up until further notice. With the double injuries though, Sterling could find his way back to the starting lineup, maybe even as a false No. 9, and he will be determined to prove the doubters wrong. It's hard to consider him though when proven performer De Bruyne is around at roughly the same price.
 |
| KDB in his Chelsea days... |
On the other side of the pitch, Vincent Kompany (6.1m) should be back from injury, which will enhance their chances of clean sheets, but the potential loss of Kolarov (5.7m) leaves them with no recognised left-back. It's very likely that one of the right-backs, Sagna (5.5m) or Zabaleta (6.3m) will fill in on the left, but just like the attack, it remains to be seen whether the team can gel as smoothly.
Hart (6.5m) is just too expensive for me.
3. SWANSEA - Stoke(h), Aston Villa(a), Arsenal(h), Norwich(a)
Like Manchester City, Swansea only have one tricky matchup (Arsenal), but unlike Manchester City, Swansea are at home for that one. The latest news is Andre Ayew (9m) will have shaken off his knock sustained during the internationals, and Jefferson Montero (8.8m) is back as well, which means they do not have the same lineup issues Manchester City are having either and could very well return to the form that saw them do very well at the start of the season. The game against Spurs saw much better play from Swansea, and they could have won if not for the killer free kicks taken by Christian Erikssen. Bafetembi Gomis (9.5m) is relatively cheap to have throughout this period and with penalty taking duties, merits serious consideration while you rotate the pricier players. Him and Ayew are the key attacking options here, and while I'm keen on Montero, he has yet to add goal-scoring to his talents, making him hard to pick.
At the back, former Arsenal keeper Lukasz Fabianski (5.3m) is an affordable strong keeper to have with solid potential for a few clean sheets. Unfortunately none of the Swansea defenders have shown any serious potential for attacking points, but if you're comfortable with just clean sheet points, then Federico Fernandes (4.1m) is the cheapest option.
Gary Monk (7.5m) is a safe, cheap manager to have during this period and could possibly give you 15-20pts, certainly someone that's in my thoughts for my weekend transfers, despite the low upside.
Wrap-up
So, despite the strong fixture advantage, Manchester City have injury issues, Swansea have form issues, while Newcastle have issues everywhere. There are certainly points to be harvested from these teams, good luck on deciding which players are the most likely to provide them.
No comments:
Post a Comment