BPL FANTASY – Week 29 Is it Aguero time again?

We’re into the last 10 matches of the season! Can you feel the heat?

As most of you know, they’ve had a mishap with the points. Fortunately it looks like it’s been fixed.

I don’t really have the time to recap the midweek results in detail. In short, Chelsea continued their unbeaten run, Liverpool got their revenge, while Leicester managed to increase their lead thanks to both Spurs and Arsenal both messing up.

The second London derby (Spurs vs Arsenal) for the week kicks off the weekend, and, admittedly, although the first London derby (West Ham vs Spurs) was exciting, the final 1-0 scoreline disappointed fantasy-wise. Hopefully the second one does not disappoint, you should have your players ready for this one.  By the way, two key parts of Arsenal’s defense, Cech and Koscielny, will both be out due to injury. We saw what happened against Swansea without Koscielny. Just saying.

There’s a dilemma here though: If you have Arsenal players, what do you do with them once they’re done with this match? Currently, Arsenal are scheduled to play West Brom next weekend. However, if Arsenal win against Hull in midweek in the FA Cup replay, that would rule them out of the weekend match as they’ll be playing the FA Cup. You have to decide whether or not Arsenal will go through. The safe way would be to transfer them out if you can.

Whatever the case, do remember when conducting your live transfers that aside from the question on Arsenal and West Brom, there are other teams who are definitely not involved forGameweek 30. 

These are:

Liverpool, Manchester United, West Ham, Watford, Everton, Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Chelsea.

Anyway, the next batch of matches are:

Chelsea v Stoke

Everton v West Ham

Man City v Aston Villa

Newcastle v Bournemouth

Southampton v Sunderland

Swansea v Norwich

Obviously, Manchester City vs Aston Villa is the match you’ll be looking to exploit. City also have a great matchup the following week (Norwich away). Of course, you’d assume they’ve recovered from the beating Liverpool gave them.Aguero as usual, and their defenders are fair game as well. YayaToure should be back. Sterling or Silva are fair game too, but check their starting status.

Chelsea is another good match, but if you don’t have their players already, do remember that they have no match next week. Otherwise, Costa and Willian are your regulars.

Bournemouth continue their up and down season, and with Newcastle almost non-existent in attack against Stoke in midweek, you’d think this would be one of those ups. Matt Ritchie or Afobe are both viable picks this week. If you really want to gamble, then Townsend or Wijnaldum would be ideal. Remember, Newcastle are always better at home, especially where Wij is concerned.

I have to admit I really thought that Sunderland would have started to pull away from the relegation zone by now. As it is, they’re still hovering there (separated only by goal difference). I’m still keen on Khazri, but doubts have started to creep in. I’m not sure about their strikers though, as they seem to be taking turns to score. Nevertheless, their match against Crystal Palace showed they’ve found the heart to fight back after a setback. Southampton have lost their last two matches, after a very good run of form, but now, with both Austin and Long out, it’s hard to recommend anyone from them.  Mane should start but he’s in very poor form.

Swansea will be buoyed from their Arsenal victory. Sigurdsson should return to the starting lineup, and work the attacking midfield very well. I think there might be a fightback from Norwich though (with them getting increasingly desperate) so Swansea defenders are probably not the best this week.

Here’s the rest of the matches for the week:

Watford v Leicester

Crystal Palace v Liverpool

West Brom v Man Utd

The glaring thing to take with these matches is that out of these 6 teams, only Leicester have a match the following week. In the interests of optimizing your team’s playing time, I just can’t see a case for buying players from any of these teams. And you know what, even Leicester’s key assets aren’t that attractive as Leicester has been given a hard time by their opponents of late. For the rest, the lack of consistency from any player specifically in these teams  makes it hard for me to recommend purchasing anyone knowing they won’t get a stab next week.

Another month, another Euro code.For March, Napoli probably have the better fixtures, but Napoli have the slight advantage of not being involved in European competitions anymore, making Higuain a relatively more attractive pick.

Captaincy should be from either Ronaldo, Higuain, Messi or Aguero . Just so you know,Neymar will miss the next match as he’s suspended.

Here’s my team:

This week Neymar is suspended, while I can only play one keeper as they both play at the same time.

I can’t stop making mistakes. I transferred Depay on a whim (and he’s been useless), and have no way of transferring him out without wasting a playing slot. He plays the last match of the weekend, at a time where ALL teams available for selection including those in Europe would have all played. I also have two Arsenal players who may or may not play next week. With Nyom and Adrian also not playing next weekend, I’m looking at wasting 5 playing slots in total. I keep telling people to plan properly, yet here I am. I have yet to decide what to do with my two transfers.

Okay, enough ranting. All the best folks!

WEEK 28 London Derby Alert!

Very fast turnaround this week, we have matches on Tuesday and Wednesday evening followed by the weekend. All teams play in midweek and the weekend. Take note you’ll only have three transfers to use during this period (the third only during the weekend) so plan carefully.

I have already dealt with the first batch of matches in my last article, but here’s a quick summary for your thoughts, again, in case you have injuries:

Aston Villa v Everton – 0-2 Lukaku, Barkley

Bournemouth v Southampton  - 0-0

Leicester v West Brom – 3-2  (Vardy, Mahrez, Berahino)

Norwich v Chelsea – 0-3 (Costa, Willian)

Sunderland v Crystal Palace – 3-2 (Khazri (he’s now available at 8.5m), Defoe, Bolasie)

Note: With Saido Berahino back and firing, it’s no longer a straightforward win for Leicester, but a helter-skelter type of match. Leicester have the quality and discipline to still win though.

Let’s take a look at the matches on Wednesday:

Arsenal v Swansea. For Arsenal, it’s yet another game where they need to bounce back from previous disappointment. Seriously, how did Arsenal lose against a team patched up with youngsters and a makeshift defence? Lack of mental strength, that’s what. I can’t see Giroud not starting this one, after Walcott bombed, and boy will he need to set the example. Ozil did well last week, he’s still the best pick of the bunch. Arsenal have their London derby with Spurs this weekend, which could rain points. That derby is ALSO the first match of the weekend, take note.

Stoke v Newcastle. Haven’t got Arnautovic in? Here’s another chance. I went for the wrong midfielder (Shaqiri) because I wasn’t sure of Arnie’s fitness. Newcastle are well rested though, so it could be the difference. Stoke play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next though, so not sure if you’d want to keep your Stoke players.

Liverpool v Man City. It’s a Wembley rematch, and Liverpool will be looking to exact some revenge on home soil. It’s a dangerous one to invest in, but Sturridge, Aguero, Coutinho are possible options. Do note that City play Aston Villa this weekend, so it’s not a bad idea to invest early (Liverpool will play Palace).

Manchester United v Watford. No doubt Manchester United have found a spring in their step, which could very well be thanks to the injuries they’ve sustained. Having thirsty youngsters can certainly be a plus. Mata was brilliant in the middle, I think he likes having speedy youngsters in front of him, instead of a plodding balding billionaire, unfortunately it’s not translating into fantasy points. This will still a tough match though. Martial might be back for this one. Sorry folks, Rashford is not in the database yet. Feel free to remind Silent Manager to get him in, like we did for Khazri. (Man U play West Brom this weekend, another potential points banker). On Watford’s side, they’ve been blunt in recent weeks, so it’s hard to recommend their strikers.

West Ham v Spurs. I left this match for last because it’s a potentially explosive London derby encounter. Spurs are now in second, with visions of grandeur ahead. Payet, Antonio, Kane, Alli are your regular suspects in what could be a high goal-scoring match. West Ham play Everton during the weekend. Spurs as mentioned earlier, play Arsenal at White Hart Lane. That’s TWO London derbies in a row, if ever there was a period for Spurs to prove their title credentials, this is it!

My team:

Surprisingly, I went up 4 spots to 71. My free transfers Daniels and Shaqiri did ok while Defoe bombed. For my live transfers, Vardy gave me points but Sanchez and Depay did zilch. Nothing spectacular (Oh, Arnautovic!) With the Depay transfer, I’ve taken two huge risks and sold off Ronaldo and Payet. We’ll see how that pans out later this week. If I have an injury before Tuesday, I’m definitely bringing in Khazri.

This Friday, you’ll get a new Euro code, so it’s another challenge on the cards. We’ll deal with that in my next article.

Good luck everyone!

MyEGL BPL Fantasy – Intermission - The Ola Bola Edition

I finally watched Ola Bola and boy was I impressed. Relegation zone teams should definitely give it a watch, as well as teams like Liverpool, Manchester United, Everton and Stoke, teams that should really be doing better than they are currently. Back home, FAM should watch it, again and again, and remember the importance of serving your country.

There’s naturally some controversy on how some of the story did not reflect history. Let’s be clear though, even though this movie was based on actual events, it’s still a fictionalised account! Hollywood does it all the time, but because we don’t take the trouble to learn the true story, we tend to take the Hollywood edition as gospel. Here we scream bloody murder when the filmmakers change a few things around. Of course we hold local stories dearer to our heart, but people need to relax and remember the overall message.

Ultimately, the objective was to inspire and I’d be lying if I said I was unmoved. Some scenes were a bit corny admittedly but overall it was a great movie, with some excellent cinematography. The scenes that brought tears to my eyes was not actually about the footballers themselves, but the radio announcer’s story. How his family helped him along the way, never giving up their belief that he would make it, and when her daughters heard his voice on radio. “Ayah?” That last one released the floodgates for me.

Anyway, here’s some quick thoughts ahead of Tuesday morning’s Stadium Astro free transfer deadline:

Here’s the next three fixtures for the first two batches of teams that are playing:

West Ham – Sunderland, Spurs, Everton

-----

Watford – Bournemouth, Man Utd, Leicester

Leicester – Norwich, West Brom, Watford

Stoke – Aston Villa, Newcastle, Chelsea

Southampton – Chelsea, Bournemouth, Sunderland

These are the teams you should be giving priority for your free transfers. Leicester and Stoke have the best next two matches. You can bank on your usual suspects for Leicester (Vardy, Mahrez) but it’s not so certain for Stoke, who have gone off the boil of late ( Check Arnautovic’s status, Shaqiri is a safe pick though.

Spurs, Manchester United have their Europa match on Thursday, but Manchester United also have their FA Cup match up tonight! Not that you should be seriously considering Manchester United players anyway….

Chelsea only play their CL match next midweek, so they’ll be ready for Southampton which should be a tough match. Chelsea just whacked Spurs in their FA Cup tie though, so they’re in the mood.

Speaking off the FA Cup, Spurs out, Manchester City out, West Brom out. If nothing else, it makes players from these teams a bit more safer to pick long-term. Everton, Watford, Chelsea, West Ham and Crystal Palace all made it through so their

Arsenal will have an FA Cup replay, which is very annoying and I’m not sure how Week 30 will work out with them. We’ll have to wait and see. Manchester United play later today.

Remember, after this weekend, the next batch of matches starts the following Tuesday, followed by another round on Saturday. Plan your free transfers carefully.

On another note, if you want to get involved in fantasy football based on local games, Stadium Astro has launched their Fantasi Liga Malaysia. I’ve never played it before, and from the community I’m aware of the many issues it has, but I’m sure the organisers are doing what they can to improve it.

Take care folks. And remember,

“GOOOOOOLLLLLL!!!! GOL GOL GOL GOL GOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MyEG BPL Fantasy - Week 26 The Barcelona Challenge

Note: This article has been reproduced from the Stadium Astro website.

Welcome back for Week 26!

I know my title mentions Barcelona but you’ll forgive me if I deal with Europe players at the end. I’ll talk about the Premier League matches first. Here we go (again grouped by timing):

Sunderland v Manchester United

The early match. You should be set up for this already. However, if you have an injured player, then midfield = Lingard. Striker = Rooney/Martial. Patrick Van Aanholt’s penchant for attacking will burn the home side.

Bournemouth v Stoke

Crystal Palace v Watford

Everton v West Brom

Norwich v West Ham

Swansea v Southampton

Judging from the first match, chances are you’ve only got one change to make for this batch, or none. I was all set to swap Martial with Afobe after the Old Trafford match, until I read that Shawcross might be back this weekend. Stoke have a good run of matches but their form is poor. Ighalo’s always a useful pick, especially with a Palace side that hasn’t kept a clean sheet in the League yet for 2016, but check for starting lineups after Flores rotated key members of the squad (e.g. Deeney) against Spurs last weekend.

Everton play West Brom, which is a good matchup, but it’s hard for me to consider bringing in an Everton attacker knowing he won’t be around next week, even though there’s a free transfer break. I’d rather use those free transfers on fixing up my defense or injuries (or in this case my manager, see image below, who will be absent in Gameweek 27!)  Nevertheless, Lukaku finally broke his drought last week, and faces his former side again, having scored a brace the last time they met.

West Ham have the best fixture against Norwich (and they play Sunderland in the first match the following week!) but their players might be a bit tired from the 120 minute FA Cup victory against Liverpool midweek. The Swansea v Southampton match is a really tough one, both sides have done reasonably well in recent weeks. Nevertheless, Sigurdsson is a strong option, or Austin if he starts.

Chelsea v Newcastle

Forget about Newcastle, and they don’t play the week after either. For Chelsea, it’ll be interesting to see if Hazard continues to be benched, although, to be fair, he has yet to have any significant impact off the bench. Fabregas played in the No. 10 position, but I would say that’s not really his best spot, and Oscar should be there instead of being shunted to the side. Note, Cahill will start from now on (with Zouma’s heart-breaking injury) and he is also a strong threat at set-pieces. If you don’t have a Chelsea player, consider Oscar, or Costa, if you can live with the card risk.

Arsenal v Leicester

One of two big matches of the week. Arsenal head into this match on a winning note, breaking a 4 match sequence of no wins. Leicester on the other hand, are bouncing off the walls at the top. This could turn out to be a high-scoring match. Mahrez, Ozil, Sanchez, Vardy and Giroud are all useful picks, although Giroud has not scored ever since his brace against Liverpool one month ago. I can see Sanchez exploding, but I’m struggling with the funding.

Aston Villa v Liverpool

Obviously Firmino’s the in-form choice, and he was rested in the midweek loss to West Ham. Do note that Coutinho, Origi and even Sturridge returned in the FA Cup game midweek so Klopp will have options. However you decide, do bear in mind that Liverpool are in the Capital One Cup Final the week after, so they will not be involved in Gameweek 27.

Manchester City v Tottenham

The second big match of the week. Unlike the first one though, I don’t see a goal-fest here. Aguero’s supply line is damaged from injuries, and with such issues, not to mention an eye on the upcoming Capital One Cup final, I expect Pellegrini to set up his team to play more of a defensive game. This also means players like Clichy instead of Kolarov. And even though Spurs are the stronger team at the moment, the expected return of Kompany should help ensure that Manchester City should hold firm. Not a game to invest players in (I actually sold my Aguero last week, and only have Alli and Pellegrini for this one).

Here’s my team as it stands:

I haven’t really thought my transfers through yet. I still have my Euro transfer for February which I was originally going to use on Mr Lewandowski, except for something I only just realised on Wednesday, which brings me (finally!) to the title of my article:

Barcelona have a double week! This weekend they play Celta Vigo, then on Thursday they play Sporting Gijon. Since I don’t have Neymar, it just makes more sense for me to transfer in Neymar instead of Lewandowski due to the extra match. Lewandowski does have some good matchups coming up though so it’s a dilemma.

This does make it hard not to put the captaincy on Messi or Neymar though (assuming you have either of them).

Speaking of Messi, he had a minor kidney stones operation on Tuesday. I’m tracking the developments with caution, and even though Barcelona have claimed it should not impact on Messi’s playing time. I’m a bit reluctant to captain a double gamer who plays the first game, only to get ruled out from the second game, due to injury as a result of insufficient rest. It’s definitely a conundrum, one that I hope to make the right decision on. Hopefully you do too.

Good luck!

Week 25 Recap - It could have been worse

I started off Week 25 on a wrong note. I was helping out at a nikah on Saturday afternoon and totally lost track of time. Right around the captaincy deadline I was busy helping to pack wedding favours when I remembered that I might not have set up my captain. By the time I was able to log in it had gone past 7 and my captain was set at Aguero (This after having recommended everyone that Captaincy on the Euro players (except Lewandowski) was a sure thing as they were all facing relegation zone teams.

Turns out I had nothing to worry about. All the European teams involved had difficulties dispatching their opponents and as a result there were no goalfests anywhere. In fact, the only Euro player to score was Higuain and he only had one goal anyway, so accidentally leaving my captaincy on Aguero (who scored a consolation goal despite Manchester City losing to Leicester) worked out after all.

Speaking of which, that was one entertaining match and if there's one conclusion from it, it's that Leicester are serious title contenders. As mentioned last week, if you don't have Mahrez or Vardy, pick one up now (I didn't have either but I actually had Huth) and hold. Also, unlike the other title contenders, Leicester do not have ANY OTHER competition that they're involved in.

Other things to note for fantasy footballers:

- Without Shawcross and Cameron, Stoke's defense is falling apart. Pick their opponents until they fix it.
- Despite their resilience against Manchester City midweek, Sunderland's defense is still fragile, especially away.
- Manchester United' s offensive line is clicking at the moment
- Villa WON against Norwich.
- Everton have finally won back to back matches.
- Costa is doing well (I still hate him)
- Wimmer is an able deputy for Vertonghen in the Spurs defensive line.
- None of the deadline day transfers have made any immediate impact fantasy-wise as yet.
- Sanchez is not quite there yet, but he will be.

On a personal note, I still dropped a few more spots down to 88 (CNY lucky number?). My three transfers were Firmino (who did well), Ighalo (who didn't) and Martial (who also didn't but the move for him was really in preparation for next week's early match against Sunderland).  Yes, this also means I still have my Euro transfer as I decided I still wanted two striker slots to play with for now.

Finally, an early warning remember that after the mid-month Premier League break, Manchester City, Liverpool, Everton and Newcastle all have no games due to the Capital One Cup final. Plan accordingly if you don't want to be stuck with players that aren't playing.

MyEG BPL Fantasy (in Malay!) – Terluka Lukaku dan Minggu 25

Perlawanan datang bertubi-tubi, saya akan melihat sepintas lalu Minggu 24 dan memantau Minggu 25

Ringkasan perlawanan tengah minggu

Ronaldo rupanya menjadi pilihan terbaik kapten dengan jaringan hat-trick. Aguero tidak memenuhi harapan. Walaupun dia mendapat satu gol, sememangnya pengurus pasukan fantasi yang memilihnya menjangkakan yang  Manchester City akan membelasah Sunderland.  Sebaliknya, kemenangan City hanya 1-0 dan kad kuning Aguero menambahkan sakit hati para pengurus.

MyEG BPL Fantasy – Is Week 22 time for Aguero?

Matches are coming hard and fast!

I need to cover both the midweek matches from Week 21 and preview the weekend (Week 22). There’s a lot to cover so I’ll try to be brief and focus on the fantasy aspects.

Tuesday teams:

Carroll got injured early but it had no negative impact as West Ham fought from a goal down to end up 3-1 winners against Bournemouth. Payet celebrated his return from injury by helping himself to a goal and assist, unfortunately getting carded in the process. Enner Valencia ended up with 2 goals as West Ham kicked off their favourable fixtures for Period 6 with a win. West Ham face Newcastle next with even more points potential abound. As for Bournemouth, avoid for now until we see some more consistency.

Wayne Rooney continued his return to form (in the Premiership at least) as he scored a brace against Newcastle in a 3-3 thriller. While interest in Manchester United attacking assets is being revived, it looks alarming for their defense, with Smalling the best pick ending up with -3 points. Wijnaldum did well to make a claim for inclusion in our teams, but I’d avoid the other two goalscorers (Mitrovic for his card tendencies, Dummet because the chances of him scoring again are miniscule).

Remember in my last article that I said I wasn’t convinced by Crystal Palace’s chances against Villa. Surprise surprise, Villa ended up winning as Crystal Palace’s attack failed to pay off without Wickham and Bolasie. While I wouldn’t load up on Villa players just yet, but the fighting spirit shown could be an important factor in their relegation dogfight. Crystal Palace face Manchester City next at the Etihad, better to avoid for now as well.

Wednesday teams

Defensive calamities prevailed in the high profile Liverpool-Arsenal clash which finished 3-3 (Glad I sold Cech!) Firmino finally showed the raw talent he last displayed against Manchester City back in October with 2 goals but the jury is still out as to whether he can reproduce the same performance against Manchester United this weekend. Giroud also scored 2 goals, while Ramsey did score to make up for his wrongly-disallowed goal the last time the teams met, and assisted too, while Ozil had a blank. Stick with your Arsenal players this weekend, it’s not Tony Pulis’ Stoke they’re up against, it’s Mark Hughes’ Stoke, whose play style should suit Arsenal’s. I would still exercise caution with Liverpool players though.

The other high profile match between Spurs and Leicester ended up with a 1-0 win for Leicester, allowing them to level points with Arsenal thanks to.Huth’s goal (yay!). The glaring observation is that Mahrez and Vardy (who did manage to start) both blanked for the fourth match running, raising serious questions as to whether they still deserve a spot in our teams.

The match between Manchester City and Everton turned out poorly fantasy wise unless you had defenders. Aguero had his chances but Howard was in excellent form. Still, the signs are there that an  Aguero explosive masterclass against Palace this weekend may well be on the cards. I’d also still keep KDB if you have him. Everton however face Chelsea next, if you don’t already have an Everton player, you might want to use your transfers elsewhere.

Chelsea found West Brom in a very stubborn mood as they secured a 2-2 draw. Fantasy points were not to be had as they did not come from your usual suspects, unless you brought in Azpi. As mentioned earlier, their next opponent is Everton, whose defense has clearly strengthened with the return of Jagielka. West Brom play Southampton next, but there’s no one consistent enough for me from the Birmingham side apart from Morrison, who’s now injured.

Despite the absence of Shaqiri, Stoke downed Norwich 3-1, although Norwich kick-started their own downfall when their midfielder O’Neill got sent off on the 31^st minute. None of the scorers were those you would look to in general for fantasy points (unless you consider Howson as one), although Arnautovic did grab an assist. Stoke City next play Arsenal, and while it looks difficult on paper, some Shaqiri magic could unlock the Cech defense (news says he should be back). Norwich face Bournemouth next, so if you brought Mbokani in it might be worth keeping him till then, given Bournemouth’s poor track record at defending corners.

Swansea collapsed to a surprise 2-4 loss after they were reduced to 10 men with Naughton sent off as Big Sam continues to make an impact on Sunderland’s performances. Defoe was the only one to score a brace last week, this time he went one better and came off with a hat-trick. Nevertheless, Sunderland next face the best defense in the league in Tottenham and play first anyway, so investments should be put on hold until the week after where they face Bournemouth. If you had already bought Defoe for the Swansea match, well done you, because you have the usual ex-player scoring against his old club theory, which Carroll recently demonstrated against Liverpool. Patrick Van Aanholt might also be an option for his attacking points. Swansea face Watford next, which makes it also hard to consider their players.

Finally, Southampton surprisingly defeated an out of sorts Watford, 2-0, earning a rare clean sheet. Flores will have berated his team for their performance, but you can continue to bank on Ighalo and Deeney to recover from their mini-slump for the goals, not to mention the defense as next week they face Swansea. Southampton will play West Brom, but Mane’s the only one I’d consider for now, and he’s clearly struggling.

Here’s my team as it stands:

Yes, I went for Adrian instead of Courtois to save some funds!

I am at the cusp of making the Top 100 (if only I had bought Firmino!), currently sitting at 108.

I’m looking at using my two transfers this weekend as follows:

Kane – Aguero

Payet/Alli – Wijnaldum/Chelsea players

First one is almost a certainty, second one is questionable. I’m keen on being involved in Chelsea’s revival but their fixtures aren’t the best. I should have sufficient funds though. There’s also another break after the 23^rd which I’ll use to get rid of Francis and maybe change my keeper again.

That’s a lot to read, hope you got through it! All the best this weekend!

MyEG BPL Fantasy - WEEK 21 IS UPON US!

The FA Cup saw a lot of rotation which should be of interest to fantasy football teams. 

Players like Ozil were given the day off, while players like Ighalo, Mahrez and Kane were all benched as managers sought.to keep their players fresh ahead of a double header of Premier League matches. 

Some teams fielded very strong teams such as Manchester United and Chelsea. Teams like Liverpool had their teams stretched as they struggled win over their lower league opponents. Swansea failed totally, as Oxford United recorded a memorable 3-2 win. There were a few all Premier League ties as well, but there were no real upsets in that respect.

Manchester City was one of those who started key players, specifically Sergio Aguero as he continues to build up his fitness. Others took a different route, with West Ham choosing to introduce Payet from the bench instead.So how should MyEG Stadium Astro teams prepare for this week? It’s important to remember to use your three transfers before Tuesday to refresh your squad if necessary, otherwise those transfers will be burnt as a new set of transfers is issued on Tuesday morning. You could use those free transfers to include players from the first group of matches, which is as follows:

Aston Villa		v		Crystal Palace
Bournemouth		v		West Ham
Newcastle		v		Man Utd

They are all battles between the top half and the bottom half in the first group, but slightly complicated by the fact that the top half teams are all playing away. Nevertheless, players . Admittedly, I’m not convinced by Palace at the moment, I feel that Villa could steal a point here. Bournemouth have brought in Iturbe from Roma on loan. While he’s not yet in the database, he could put West Ham’s clean sheet hopes at risk. Otherwise, Payet, Martial, although Manchester United did have a tough time against Sheffield on Sunday which could be detrimental to their performance.

Here’s the second batch of matches:

Chelsea		v		West Brom
Man City		v		Everton
Southampton		v		Watford
Stoke		v		Norwich
Swansea		v		Sunderland

Chelsea, Manchester City and Watford are clearly the stronger teams. Chelsea are on the up (although Costa might not make it) while Manchester City are the highest scoring team at home, with an astonishing 29 goals and should continue, making any of their key personnel in De Bruyne, Silva (if fit) and Aguero fair game. Southampton seem to be on a downward spiral, making Watford players a strong pick. The remaining two are a bit more unpredictable. Stoke winning is no longer a given, with Norwich’s recent improvement while Swansea vs Sunderland is seriously anyone’s guess.

The last two are theoretically the tricky ones, at least on paper.

Liverpool		v		Arsenal
Spurs		v		Leicester

However, Arsenal should seriously not have problems against Liverpool, as the amount of injuries for Liverpool is for once worse than Arsenal’s. Ozil was rested so he’ll be prepped and ready. The last match is interesting. Spurs and Leicester faced each other on Sunday in the FA Cup, but neither fielded a full strength line-up. Vardy might not make it, but Mahrez can’t be underestimated. On the other hand, Kane should continue his useful form.

Important!

Teams must remember that for Tuesday and Saturday matches, you will only receive one set of transfers to use. Therefore, while it makes sense to optimise matchups on Tuesday and Wednesday, you should preferably save a transfer to deal with possible injuries before the weekend.

Here’s my team:

For my free transfers before Tuesday’s matches, I intend to go:

Cech à Courtois

Paredes à Nyom

Silva à Payet

Pellegrini said he is hopeful of Silva’s return, but I’m not convinced he’ll start. Picking Payet will also give me an opportunity to do a live transfer if necessary for the second round of matches, although to be honest I’m looking at saving them all until the weekend’s matches (assuming I resist Firmino!)

Good luck all!

MYEG BPL FANTASY: Period 6 Preview - Playstation 4 Up For Grabs!

Half the season gone, and 5 monthly prizes are left for the taking. Next up is a Sony Playstation 4. Now, I don’t know about you folks, but I have to go to my brother-in-law’s place anytime I want to have a FIFA kickabout on his PS4 (although my kid ends up playing Minecraft). Thus, owning one would be lovely. Winning it would bring about a beautiful day indeed!

Period 6 contains all fixtures from 12 January to 5 February 2016. Based on these dates, for the Premier League there’s four weeks, Serie A has four weeks, La Liga has three weeks and Bundesliga has two weeks. Here’s the top 3 Premier League teams with the best fixtures during this period.

1.   Watford – Southampton (a), Swansea (a), Newcastle (h), Chelsea (h)

Arguably they face the best fixtures as all the teams they face are in the bottom four. Chelsea will be a bit tricky given that the Blues have definitely been playing much better since Mourinho left, but with Watford don’t appear to be daunted by stronger opposition at all. Ighalo (5.5m) is of course the popular pick and you could keep him throughout the schedule at that price, but Deeney (8.2m) could be a nice differential given he also takes penalties, but he’s priced so much higher.

Flores’ well-drilled side is also more than capable of keeping clean sheets, especially against poorer opposition. Gomes (3.2m) is quality at a nice price, while Nyom (3.1) would be the most likely of the defensive line to contribute attacking points other than a clean sheet, and he’s the cheapest too!

2.    West Ham - Bournemouth (a), Newcastle (a), Manchester City (h), Aston Villa (h)

The return of Payet (9m) could not come at a better time as West Ham face 3 poor bottom half sides as well as Manchester City, whom they handily face at home. West Ham have also done well recently, stabilising their defence, conceding only twice in six matches.

Aside from Payet (9m), Andy Carroll (9.3m) appears to have cemented his spot for now, and also faces another old team (Newcastle) in the sequence. Antonio (8.2m) is also viable as a cheaper alternative, except that he always seems to run out of steam early into the second half. Valencia (9.1m) listed as a midfielder but he’s too inconsistent for me and at his price I might as well go Payet.

At the back, there are options as well should you feel the need to reinvigorate your backline. Kouyate (4.4m) and Cresswell (4.7m) are both strong options at affordable prices. If you have keeper schedule conflicts, then Adrian (4.7m) is the way to go.

3.                3.  Swansea – Sunderland (h), Watford (h), Everton (a), West Brom (a)

Similar to West Ham, they face three bottom half teams and one top half team (Watford), whom they luckily face at home.

Unfortunately, the similarities end there. They have yet to find their early season attacking verve, making most of the prospects questionable. Ayew (9.0m) will probably be your best bet (unfortunately listed as a striker), or Sigurdsson (10m) if you think he will rediscover his form from last year.

Aside from last week’s match against the Red Devils, they were able to muster three clean sheets in a row, so their defenders could be considered. Fabianski (5.3m) not a bad idea, Williams (5.1) for the goal-scoring threat, or Federico Fernandez (4.1m) if you’re running out of funds.

Wrap-up

That’s it for the fixtures. Of course form players and world class players will perform regardless of fixture, people like Aguero (15m), Ozil (12.1m), Kane (12.5m), it’s all about finding the right balance. 

Finally, just a reminder that for the Stadium Astro game, although Premier League only starts on the 12^th (next Tuesday), play still resumes this Saturday as the European Leagues (except the Bundesliga) all have matches. So make sure you field those Messis, Neymars, Higuains and Ronaldos in your first 11! Your captain also needs to be in place, so kindly take note.

Good luck!

Player Picks Week 15

Welcome to the first week of December, it’s going to get nasty from here on in, beware of rotation!

Stoke City v Manchester City

Stoke recorded an unexpected loss against Sunderland last time out and believe me, Mark Hughes was not happy, but they bounced back midweek to reach the semi-finals. They face another Capital One Cup semi-finalist, Manchester City who steamrolled past Hull City.

Tough one to call, Mark Hughes always has a point to prove against Manchester City, but City should win with the quality available. Note: Aguero's not fit again. 0-3 Final Scoreline.

Player picks: Hard to look past De Bruyne for this one, but Kolarov could do nicely too for the clean sheet and free kick potential.

Arsenal v Sunderland

Boy is Big Sam relishing this one.  He actually made Lee Cattermole look good last week, so he’ll be looking to annoy Wenger once again. Sunderland actually held Arsenal to a goalless draw in this fixture last week, with Pantilimon pulling off some amazing saves.  Arsenal’s season is again being disrupted by injuries, and I can see that becoming a problem once again for the London club, especially in central midfield. Final Score: 1-1.

Player picks: Aaron Ramsey is back and Ozil will look for him after getting constantly frustrated by Giroud.  On the other side, Patrick Van Aanholt scored 10 points last week with a goal, and a defender in an attacking role is always good for us!

Manchester United v West Ham

Ugh. This could be a fantasy nightmare. Stay away unless you’re investing in the defense for Manchester United, cause I really don’t know who’s going to score. 1-1

Player Picks: Chris Smalling as the goal-scoring defender.  Mauro Zarate if you’re feeling brave.

Southampton v Aston Villa

Hard to call this one.  I’ve started to see some improvement for Villa against Watford last week, despite losing 2-3. For all of Southampton’s strengths, they struggle against teams that prioritise their defense, which is what Villa will do away from home. 1-1 draw (yes, call me chicken)

Player Picks: Tadic could come back into the goals with Amavi out of the picture, there could be plenty of space to exploit. My dark horse pick for this week is Steve Sidwell, there are issues in Southampton’s backline with Jose Fonte possibly out and no apparent clear starter for Southampton’s right back spot.

Swansea v Leicester

There were signs of life for Swansea against Liverpool last week as well, can they engage Leicester the same way? I just don’t see it. Will Gary Monk make it to 2016? I just don’t see it either.0-3 to Leicester.

Player Picks: Definitely Vardy.  I do have concern over Mahrez being rested by tinkerman Ranieri, but if he starts, then by all means pick him.

Watford v Norwich

Two promoted teams, but has anyone noticed that Watford are in the Top Ten right now? Watford are clearly ahead in terms of quality, and discipline. 2-0 as Flores’ men continue to do well, but there is uncertainty with regards to Gomes (Watford’s keeper). Check injury updates.

Player picks:  Paredes as a nice out of position defender pick, and Deeney for the penalty conversion as Norwich collapse.

West Brom v Spurs

It could’ve been Berahino against Spurs, but West Brom manager Tony Pulis does not seem to rate him. This could be a real slug fest, as West Brom will look to contain and frustrate Spurs. Harry Kane finally blanked last week, will he bounce back this week? I seriously don’t think so, but Spurs should still win. 1-2 to Spurs.

Player picks: Erikssen with a setpiece goal, and Aiderweireld to continue the Spurs trend of goal-scoring defenders.

Chelsea v Bournemouth

One team becoming defensively solid, one team discovering their attacking verve. Which shall prevail? Probably the Londoners, but they’ll concede. 2-1.

Player picks: Willian blanked last week, but that was Spurs, expect a great free kick this weekend. All eyes are on Hazard as a false nine, but I’m tipping Loic Remy to return and do well.

Newcastle v Liverpool

It’s hard not to look at this matchup and think: Massacre. But there you have it. 4 - 1

Player picks: Firmino, Benteke. Not sure if Coutinho will be ready, but we get to check.

Everton v Crystal Palace

Everton were undone last week by a Bournemouth fight back. This is arguably one of their harder matchups but I think they will do just enough to defeat the Londoners.

Player picks: Deulofeu with some magic, Seamus Coleman for the clean sheet and assist.

That’s it for the matches, here’s my team as it stands:

So obviously I need to replace Sanchez, but it does give me an opportunity to pick up an extra Manchester City midfielder for the early match. I also have to decide between playing Cech or Lloris (Cech has the edge for the home advantage, but….). I’m sorely tempted to use a transfer to bring in Coutinho, on Sunday, but that’s overloading  (Yup, it’s another week without Vardy!). There’s also the Euro option to consider, but I’m not sure about that.

That’s it! Good luck this weekend! Stay clear from injuries!