Predictions: Gameweek 22

These massive breaks are embarrassing! Don’t reckon these will help kick-start a potential career in sports at all!!

But i – like always – hope against hope that i achieve discipline and can devote a few hours weekly to my blog… If i had a nickel for every time i said that, i could’ve bought a new Lamborghi- never mind…

So – Gameweek 22!!! Where has the time flown by i ask?!! Whhoooooooooosh!!!!

The EPL League paints a pretty picture… cause Arsenal are Top Of The Table 🙂

But with Manchester “99 problems but scoring goals ain’t one” City and Chelsea ” Jose Mourinho still thinks Manchester United are in the title race” FC a couple of points away – this is quite visibly the hottest EPL title race in ages… (Football Cliche #5 already)!!

This week sees the current Top 4 play home matches with all four expected to take 3 points and keep the title race alive for yet another round….

On the other end of the table, relegation battling teams have relatively easier fixtures – except for Cardiff City, they might as well sit at home on Saturday than play at The Etihad with a hope to score points – or even goals….

Biggest match this weekend is ***OBVIOUSLY*** Crystal Palace vs Stoke City… Tony Pulis goes back to – naaaah! 😀

It’s Chelsea vs Manchester United!!!

Jose “mind games” Mourinho with David “never mind” Moyes! (agreed, that was lame… still – its worth it!)

Arsenal *have to* win but trust Fulham to find their inner Barcelona when playing at the Emirates (rolling eyes…)

Anyways – might as well save us a lotta time and jump into my picks!

• Goalkeepers:

1. Joe Hart (High) – With his start of the season wobble fully behind hi,. Hart is now finally reinstated as the No 1 City goalkeeper, having started the last 5 EPL games with the two out of the last three being clean sheets. Pellegrini would be averse to take Cardiff lightly,  but with their juggernaut showing no signs of stopping – at home, in the least – expecting City to keep a clean sheet today wouldn’t be asking for too much.
2. Simon Mignolet (Medium) – The Belgian’s early season heroics had the world clamoring to get him in their FPL squad. Halfway into the season and his popularity has only slightly diminished, and with Brendan Rodgers looking to challenge for the title picking up clean sheets against teams like Aston Villa at home while Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge scare the living bejeezus out of Bras Guzan.
3. Julian Speroni (Low) – Tony Pulis hosts his old team Stoke, with his team at the wrong end of the BPL table.  He still knows the Potters’ inside out – and would love to take points off Mark Hughes. Expect an ultra defensive “watching paint dry is more fun than this” EPL slugfest. Wouldn’t be surprised in the least if this ends 0-0.

• Defenders:

1. Seamus Coleman (High) – Everton travel to play the Baggies – who play under new coach Pepe Mel for the first time. Having recently lost Shane Long and understandably taking some time to settle under the new boss’ tactics, Roberto Martinez would love to perform a quick smash and grab for 3 points. He shall duly afford all the freedom to his marauding Irishman. Any result other than an Everton win will be considered nothing short of an upset for the European football chasing Toffees.
2. Aleksandar Kolarov (Medium) – The Serbian has been a proper wild card at his almost 4 year spell at City. Capable of lung bursting runs, shocking defensive lapses and trademark, long range goals, erratic could well be his middle name. But having hit a marginal form of consistency over the past few weeks he now represents an interesting prospect to FPL managers. Could turn out to be a good buy.
3. Joel Ward (Low) – This could be the under the radar buy that could pay dividends in the short run. Ward was deployed in midfield in the last match with Mariappa covering the RB slot. His versatility is a massive assest – having been deployed across multiple roles in midfield – he could chip in with a goal or an assist.

• Midfielders:

1. Eden Hazard (High) – Eden Hazard is a sure bet to score against United *BUT* there is a distinct fear of him being marked out by the defense – especially if Phil Jones is deployed. However,  Mourinho’s new project of turning Hazard into a Ronaldo-esque player is visibly paying rewards. Long may it continue!
2. Adam Lallana (Medium) – With Southampton in administrative turmoil, Mauricchio Pocchetino will look to steady the ship against Sunderland to prove all is well on the football field. But the inevitable “club in trouble, player exodus” rumours starting already, stories have emerged of the So’ton captain being linked to Manchester United – who could well do with his presence in the centre of the park.
3.  Mark Noble (Low) – With Kevin Nolan having a melt down too many, it falls to oldboy Noble to lead the Hammers out of the relegation they find themselves engaged in. With a goal in the last match and facing Newcastle at home, he ought to come handy again if Big Sam Allardyce wants to take points off the beloved Alain Pardeux.

• Forwards:

1. Luis Suarez (High) – To borrow a fan favourite quote “Was there ever a doubt?!”. The Uruguayan is making writers Thesaurus-es by the dozens in their quest to find new words of praise for the man who is sure to win the Golden Bite  Boot this season. With Daniel Sturridge back in action, this man is every FPL managers’ Captain from now till the end when he leaves for Real Madrid  of the season.
2. Romelu Lukaku (Medium) – To be honest, Lukaku is definitely one of the reasons Steve Clark got sacked as the West Brom manager. Given a MASSIVE gift in the form of a season long loan of the MASSIVE Belgian, the Baggies finished higher than anyone expected them to last season. And as my penchant for storly lines go, it’s kinda inevitable, ehh?! Lukaku scores, then refuses to celebrate…. Put down a bet on it, would ya?!
3. Marouane Chamakh (Low) – No! i am not high on sheesha smoke right now… i *have* picked the Moroccan in my FPL picks. To be fair he did go on a three match (*3*) goal scoring run and enjoys the confidence of Pulis like never before. Could nick a header off a set piece 😀

So there’s that!!

Hope you find that useful! i am shedding tears of joy i actually finished this article!

Cliche count – 44.

Belgian Count – 2 (new low record i think!!!)

Please do share – would love all the support and the feedback!

Until next time – and by that i mean next week – hopefully!

Cheers!

DesiEPLFantasyManager.

Gameweek 11: Predictions

It’s that time of the week again…. With Daylight Savings time kicking in, i’d like to think we now have MORE time to craft and sculpt our Fantasy Premier League teams 🙂 And look for further for quality advice, because DesiEPLFantasyManager is here with the weekly dose of suggestions!

Chelsea vs Liverpool is obviously the big match of the weekend. i’ve read in some reports that it should be a low scoring win for Chelsea.. i beg to differ – Liverpool tend to lift their games against the biggest opposition, and with big match players like Luis Suarez, Steven Gerrard in their ranks, they will surely fight tooth and nail for three points. The blues of course have the Juan Mata and Eden Hazard for the goals.. And Branislav Ivanovic, Gary Cahill might pop in a goal too…

Fernando Torres has claimed he will not celebrate if he scores against his old club… The Reds’ fans have promised they won’t laugh when he fails. Talk about mutual respect!

And of course there’s always Stewart Downing…

Newcastle vs West Ham could be the explosive surprise of the weekend… Everybody’s favourite midfielder Kevin Nolan  will return to the St. James’s Park along with a curiously dangerous looking Andy Carroll. Add to that the Demba Ba, still under-performing Papiss Cisse; the mercurial talents of Hatem Ben Arfa and the forever reliable yet highly underrated Kevin Noble and we might have a goal fest this Sunday.. Fingers crossed!

Manchester United travel to Aston Villa in what promises to be a near rout for Villans. Sir Alex has called upon United to score lots of goals this season to make sure the “losing title on goal difference” scenario will never come up again, and the Red Devils will be smacking their lips in glee at the prospect of banging many past Paul Lambert’s leaky back four… Waiiiit, that doesn’t read well, does it?

Manchester City host Tottenham Hotspurs and frankly i have no idea what the outcome will be.. Carlos Tevez is in great form but no other City players seems to be remotely aware of the massive responsibility that defending an EPL title warrants… Jermaine Defoe is in lethal form, coming into this match on the back of a Europa League hat trick..  And then there’s Gareth Bale and the always-in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time-Clint Dempsey.. Tough one..

In terms of Fantasy scoring, Wigan vs West Brom should be an interesting match… Wigan pulled off an upset last week – defeating Tottenham AND keeping a clean sheet.. WBA dispatched Southampton Saints in a 2-0 win… FPL under the radar safe-bets Gareth McAuley, Zoltan Gera, Shane Long, Ali Al Habsi , Shaun Maloney, Arouna Kone all on the pitch at the same time… Should be an interesting match i say.

So here are my best picks for this GW!:

• Goalkeepers:

1. Joe Hart: With the unpredictable nature of the Chelsea vs Liverpool, a clean sheet for Petr Cech seems like a highly unlikely result. City on the other hand, are smarting for what could have been a probable Champions League exit at the hands to Ajax. A definitive performance in the EPL should be the order of the day then, and mighty Joe Hart will have to deliver to ensure Defor, Dempsey and Bale don’t breach the City defense. i’m guess 4 points for Hart could be the minimum result this week…
2. Ali Al Habsi: Wigan have been pulling off impressive results early on this season and their Omani goalkeeper is definitely one of the most important reasons they’re winning. With West Brom rather tame away from home, this could be yet another scalp for Roberto Martinez’s men, and a clean sheet to Habsi.
3. Paul Ruddy: Yet another team which has strung together a couple of wins to stave off early relegation fears, it’s the improvement in defense which is helping the Canaries cause, but surely their English goalkeepr would the last man to complain.

• Defenders:

1. Leighton Baines (High) –  The Englishman makes yet ANOTHER appearance as a DesiEPLFantasy team pick, and i can’t help but implore you to buy the left back if you haven’t already! My excuse this week is that the Toffees host Sunderland this week at Goodison Park, a team which has scored 6 goals in 9 matches! 5 of those from one man – Steve Fletcher – who looks like he’s lost the plot too soon and desperately needs to get it back ASAP! My standard disclaimer about Baines left foot, his assists, a potential goal, and a clean sheet? Check, check, maybe not and check!
2. Rafael Da Silva (Medium) – United will be looking to hammer in as many goals as they possibly can against the Villans. Their Red-devil-may-care attitude has allowed the Brazilian to score two goals and provide two assists already. i suspect this weekend, the right back will add to the tally.
3. Ryan Shawcross (Low) – Quick question -Which team has kept the most clean sheets and still hovers the relegation zone?! It’s the Jolly Green Giants from Stoke City!! Their problem isn’t conceding too many goals – they’ve only let in 10 after 10 matches. It’s that they’ve scored only 8.  So will they keep yet another clean sheets against early relegation favorites QPR? Probably yes. But wil they score against them?! Now that’s the bone of contention i do not want to pick…

• Midfielders:

1. Theo Walcott (High) – i admit, i’m taking a gamble by picking Walcott ahead of the likes of Juan Mata, Steven Gerrard, Antonio Valencia and his Arsenal team mate – Santi Cazorla. But a combination of injuries to Gervinho and Ramsey (:|), his earnestness at wanting to play as a striker coupled with his supposed exit in January for want of  better wages, and we have another player who will be itching for a chance to grab the spotlight.. Potent combination in my books…
2. Marouane Fellaini (Medium) – He’s scored 5 goals already, provided 2 assists, earned 7 bonus points this season in spite of missing a match against QPR and he still costs lower than the likes of Ashley Young, Nani, Ben Arfa, Oscar. The bright side is, at his current price he’s still buy-able.. And he’s against Sunderland this week. Do yourself a massive favour – buy him already!
3. Shaun Maloney (Low) – An interesting player to look out for, considering Wigan only depend upon their forwards for the goals. With the Latics seemingly hitting a purple patch, the attacking midfielder will be crucial to their sustained success. A good buy at the low price too…

• Forwards:

1. Wayne Rooney (High) – We are definitely experiencing a weird season… Ivanovic has scored 3; Gervinho has scored 3; Sidwell has scored 3; FERNANDO TORRES has scored 4 and Wayne Ronney’s at… 2. If any player is due a big break, Wazza is him. With Sir Alex Ferguson backing him to score over 20 goals this season, a match against Aston Villa is as good a chance to kick-start his goal quest as any…
2. Nikica Jelavic (Medium) – i just realized Jelavic would be the third Toffees player listed here today.. I actually wanted to add Tim Howard and almost took out Al Habsi. But that’s the level Everton is inspiring this season. Jelavic’s work rate is unquestionable.. There’s a high chance his chemistry with Kevin Mirallas comes in good against Sunderland.
3. Noel Hunt (Low) – yet another team with an odd dilemma..  Reading score a lot of goals. Their problem is that they concede too many – like Southampton. Hunt has just come back from a brief injury break, and he seems hungrier than before. He could add to his tally of  2 goals this weekend, and Brian McDermott will be praying he does!!

So, how many picks will deliver this Gameweek?! Only time will tell.. Till the next episode!

Cheers!

DesiEPLFantasyManager

Gameweek 9: Predictions

Welcome once again to the latest installment of DesiEPLFantasyManager’s Gameweek Predictions…

With midweek action, most players from the top teams face burnout, and with two blockbuster matches – Everton vs. Liverpool and Chelsea vs. Manchester United – most EPL fans face seletion dilemmas..

All four teams are fairly popular, especially members of the Chelsea defense and Man. United offense… Leighton Baines is one of the most widely selected defenders, but he is up against the mercurial Luiz Suarez.. Club loyalties apart, what would be more satisfying – Everton keeping a clean sheet, with Baines scoring a free kick as the winner or Suarez scoring a goal with an assist to Raheem Sterling?!! And after his midweek heroics, can – gulp! – Stewart Downing star once again?!!

All bets are off for the game at Stamford Bridge.. Juan Mata & Eden Hazard with goals and assists galore, and maybe Branislav Ivanovic scoring as well with a clean sheet to boot?

Or will Johnny Evans pop up again to score a header, while Wayne Rooney continues his excellent form and Robin Van Persie (ugh!) scores yet again…

Will Arsenal cap off a miserable week and re create the magic of the 6-1 hammering of Southampton? Or will perennial Gooner arch nemesis Ji-Sung Park score his bajillionth goal against Arsene Wenger’s boys?!!

That was a quick round up – if you reckon i should do more of those then leave your thoughts in the comments section, and i’ll make sure i summarize the fixtures before i announce my picks…

Without further delay…

• Goalkeepers:

1. Joe Hart (High) – Once again, sticking with the Englishman seems to be the best possible option. Against a Swansea side which is still faltering after a superb start, at home after a European nightmare, City will look to make a statement of their dominance in the EPL…. The Swans are gonna get pummeled, if all goes as per script…
2. Tim Krul (Medium) – The Dutchman has a decent game against Sunderland, and only Demba Ba’s own goal hampered his opportunity of keeping a well deserved clean sheet. Against an attacking West Brom, expect Krul to score massive points off multiple saves…
3. Asmir Begovic (Low) – Stoke City – the Jolly Green Giants of the Premier League – are always formidable foes when they host game at the Britannia stadium. Against Sunderland, they only have to snuff out Steve Fletcher to nullify the Black Cats’ best scoring option. And it seems like a job Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth will gladly execute – pun intended.

• Defenders:

1. Leighton Baines (High) – There are a lot of repeats since last week’s picks, but bear with me – i have a pretty good reason! The Merseyside side derby is massive, and tempers flare up frequently. No wonder it is the Derby with the most red cards flashed in the English top flight.. That said, Liverpool have a not so potent attack going into this Derby, and with players like Jojo Shelvey, Daniel Agger, Luis Suarez – expect the Toffees to get plenty of free kicks and maybe a penalty too. And their top man for the job is Baines. So while he might not get the clean sheet, he can surely come good via goals or assists.
2. Jan Vertonghen (Medium) – A member of Belgium’s “Golden Generation” Vertonghen has impressed since his move fro Ajax. Not only is he a solid central defender, he also provides assists and scored a memorable goal against Manchester United. Southampton have failed to score freely lately, so a win and bonus points are easily achievable for the Belgian.
3. Ryan Shawcross (Low) – The Stoke City captain is a great buy, for this weekend and with an eye on the future. With reports emerging that he maybe purchased by Manchester United in January, expect a solid, responsible performance. And Jolly Green Giant-ness.

• Midfielders:

1. Gareth Bale (High) – There’s something about footballers and private milestones.. Paul Scholes scoring in his 700th game for United – check! Frank Lampard scoring after his daughter’s birth – check! Tomas Rosicky scoring after a new contract extension – check!  Jermaine Defoe scoring on his birthday – check! In line with such tradition, and also that Tottenham play Southampton this week, expect new daddy Bale to run riot against the hapless Saints defense, score and then make that stupid heart shaped gesture… i can see it happening already…
2. Samir Nasri (Medium) – For some inexplicable reason, it seems half the Manchester City midfield line up is injured.. You’d think they’d have bought the Ajax team already after their last European outing… Nonetheless, now is the chance for Nasri to step up and cement his place in the starting line up… and i have a sinking feeling the Swans are not going to be able to contain the wily Frenchman…
3. Jobi McAnuff (Low) – Reading host Fulham at the Madjeski stadium this weekend and they are looking forward to break their “no-wins” record this season. Their chief attacking midfielder is versatile, but primarily operates on the right wing. With 4 assists under his belt already, expect the Jamaican to add to the tally…

• Forwards:

1. Carlos Tevez (High) – The Argentine has been the top forward across the league – bar none. 3 goals and 6 assists already, and he is a favourite of the FPL bosses too – 10 Bonus points in 8 matches! Still valued at under 10m FPL currency, expect his stock to rise, and your FPL points tally to swell.
2. Peter Crouch (Medium) – Perhaps Crouch would suit Big Sam’s “Route One” philosophy even better than he does at Stoke City. The instructions are simple at Britannia stadium – pass to the giant at the very top.. and quite frankly, he’s hard to miss, ehh!??
3. Pavel Pogrebnyak (Low) – EPL’s version of Ivan Drago, the Reading forward is yet to master the game this season.. He’s up against his last season’s employers Fulham. Remember that “scoring on important occasions” example i gave before..? Well, i forgot to add “score against former club” to that list… until now.

This is one of the longest posts i’ve written by a mile.. hope it helps!! Looking forward to yet another cracking Gameweek…

Cheers!

DesiEPLFantasyManager.

Gameweek 4 – Predictions.

It’s great to finally have some EPL action after the terribly timed inter-lull!

Most of us can’t wait for the action to start once again – but this week might just be a little unpredictable, what with the players returning from international duty (maybe) not having fully recovered yet…

Plenty of changes to be made – injuries and players being rested mean this weekend is very crucial as your FPL points might take a slight hit – if you’ve stocked up on international superstars!

Before we go into the GW4 player prospects, let me quickly highlight performances by last weeks’ picks’:

Goalkeepers:

Joe Hart (High) – Round Score : 3

Michel Vorm (Medium) – Round Score: 1

***Vito Mannone (Low) – Round Score: 7***

Predictions’ Success – 1/3

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Defenders:

Vincent Kompany (High) – Round Score: 2

Sylvain Distin (Medium) –  Round Score: 0

Danny Simpson (Low) – Round Score: 1

Predictions’ Success – 0/3

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Midfielders:

Gylfi Sigurdsson (High) – Round Score: 1

Yao Gervinho (Medium)  – Round Score: 0 (DNP)

***Shaun Maloney (Low) – Round Score – 7***

Predictions’ Success – 1/3

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***Robin van Persie (High) – Round Score: 15***

Nikica Jelavic (Medium) – Round Score: 2

Danny Graham (Low) – Round Score: 2

Predictions’ Success – 1/3

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Okay, so i’ll be the first to admit my calculations were waaaaay off the mark…

Here’s hoping this week’s picks have better returns!

• Goalkeepers:

1. Petr Cech (High): The game agains QPR will be in the spotlight mainly due to the Terry-Ferdinand drama, but it will an intense match nonetheless. QPR have had many new signings but whether they have found their rhytem is debatable. Expect the Blues defense to play for pride and produce a top-drawer performance – which bodes well for the Czech.
2. Brad Friedel/Hugo Lloris (Medium) – This one’s a gamble. Spurs have had a nightmarish start to their season. New Andres Villas Boas is under a lot of pressure. A new distraction for the Portuguese gaffer is which keepr to pick. American Friedel is an EPL veteran. Frenchman Lloris is one of most prodigious young keepers – and Captain for his national side. Whoever DOES get picked will have to perform impressively or risk losing their spot. Keep the pop corn ready…
3. Jussi Jaaskelainen (Low) – West Ham United had a great game against a weakened Fulham. Norwich have had a less than decent start to the season – with 2 points from their first 3 games. They’ve only scored twice this season, but let in 7. Jussi might jaasst make it two clean sheets in a row. Couldn’t help myself.

• Defenders:

1. Thomas Vermaelen (High) – With the Gunners seemingly finding their goal-scoring form up front, all eyes will now focus on the only defense across all 4 leagues in England who haven’t conceded a goal after three rounds of matches. A fourth clean sheet against the menacing but extremely unlucky Southampton team looks achievable – and the Belgian will have to take charge for that to happen, by keeping Lambert & Co. in check.
2. Pablo Zabaleta (Medium) – No matter what formation Roberto Mancini puts out this weekend – expect the Argentine to be in the starting XI. Having quietly established himself as an indispensable part of the City team, he will play key role if the Citizens finally end their erratic defensive performances and reclaim last seasons’ form.
3. Winston Reid (Low) – Reid had a fantastic outing against Fulham. A clean sheet and a well taken header to show for the teams well deserved victory. With Norwich attack not really posing a major edge, another clean sheet might well be on the cards.

• Midfielders:

1. Eden Hazard (High) – The Belgian is in irresistible form. Having scored a truckload of points in the first 3 matches already, Hazard is being hailed as the man who will lead Chelsea to their next domestic title – some say as early as this season itself. The Blues will play a League match after almost three weeks, and should be well rested and well prepared to run riot against a seemingly clueless QPR side. Hazard for FPL Captain!
2. Hatem Ben Arfa (Medium) – That Ben Arfa is talented is clearly stating the obvious. But the mercurial Frenchman fails to churn out consistent performances and deeply divides opinions among EPL fans. If Newcastle are to mount a challenge for a top 4 finish, they will have to defeat teams like Everton en route. Expect a cracking match at Goodison Park. The Toon Army will be praying the prodigy arrives.
3. Moussa Dembele (Low) – Dembele is widely tipped to be handed his first start for Spurs. The former Fulham man will be key to their attacking moves, with Gylfi Sigurdsson and Gareth Bale not having found their edge just yet. A great buy, and a sound investment.  And yet another Belgian to feature on today’s list.

• Forwards:

1. Carlos Tevez (High) – The Argentine has put last seasons troubles firmly behind and given the Citizens many reason to cheer – 3 goals and 3 assists to be specific. If the Sky Blues want to stamp their authority at Stoke – where many top teams struggle – Tevez will be the key to unlocking the stingy Potters defense.
2. Peter Odemwingie (Medium) – West Brom are having a fairy tale start to the season. The Nigerian has enjoyed a mini-rejuvenation as the elder statesman for the young West Brom team. If  the Baggies are to to sustain that run, expect Peter to a play a major role and pile on pressure on the Cottagers.
3. Franco Di Santo (Low) – Can Wigan pull off a repeat of last season’s performance when they defeated the Red Devils? Possibly. With a suspect defense and an even more suspect David De Gea, don’t be surprised if Roberto Martinez’s men manage to upset the Old Trafford faithful. A clean sheet by United seems highly unlikely, though a win can surely be achieved. Expect Di Santo to pester the red Devils back line convincingly.

After a less than impressive return last week, can this weeks picks possibly perform any worse? Highly unlikely…

Here’s hoping for a great weekend!!

🙂