Gameweek 25: Predictions

Hello there folks!

i don’t want to brag, but a lot of my picks in Gameweek23 did perform remarkably well… Joe Hart and Leighton Baines with clean-sheets…  Theo Walcott with an 18pt haul, Marouane Fellaini with a respectable 5, Luis Suarez and Romelu Lukaku among the goals and assists…

Could get my picks out for GW24, but it was a week of surprises – what with QPR keeping a clean sheet against Manchester City (!!), Wigan scoring 2 against Stoke, Ryan Shawcross with a goal (!!), Sunderland and Swansea in a stalemate 0-0, and Fulham winning 3-1 over West Ham…

Anyway, here’s a quick look at the fixtures this weekend:

QPR vs Norwich – Harry’s New Boys could claim their second home League victory of this season against a Norwich team which seems to lost some of the early season sheen…

Arsenal vs Stoke – I expected the Gunners to win the match against Liverpool, then have a 0-0/1-1 draw against Stoke. Now,  with the high stakes involved, Arsenal face a must win situation, but i fully expect Stoke to put in a real fight.

Everton vs Aston Villa – i expect Everton to win, but whether they shut out Aston Villa will depend on which side of the bed Christian Benteke woke up today..

Newcastle vs Chelsea – A classic “trap game” – the Toons could spring an upset and pile on the pressure on Rafa Benitez, but i fully anticipate a Frank Lampard goal – quite possibly from the penalty spot.

Reading vs Sunderland – An upset – a rare Reading win.

West Ham vs Swansea – West Ham win; Michu to score.

Wigan vs Southampton – Tooooo close to call, but i’d go for a Saints victory. Wigan will kick start their annual “escape from relegation” ritual next week with a shock result against Chelsea.

Fulham vs Man. Utd – Can Fulham pull off a shock victory?! Unlikely.. but this will be a typical MUtd match – a nervy 3-2 win with at least one RvP goal.. A brilliant performance from Berbatov is probably another guarantee.

West Brom vs Tottenham – Striker less Spurs have recalled Harry Kane, but latest news declare Jermain Defoe fit for this clash. Spurs will look to Gareth Bale to deliver yet another sizzling performance and grab three points in their quest for Champions League qualification.

Man. City vs Liverpool – Man City for the win. Edin Dzeko with a goal or two…

So now that we’ve had a quick look at the games, here are the picks for GW25:

• Goalkeepers:

1. Hugo Lloris (High) – The Frenchman has finally cemented his place as the No.1 at Tottenham, and today will be great opportunity to stamp his authority and silence any remaining doubters. West Brom have been struggling of late, having lost 4 of their last 5 matches. The usually solid Spurs defense could manage a shut out today.
2. Tim Howard (Medium) – Everton host Aston Villa, and will look to claim all three points in their quest for a top 4 finish. With Villans looking quite lost and the Toffees defense in solid if not impressive shape, this could be their third clean sheet in the last 4 games.
3. Julio Cesar (Low) – Why Cesar wasn’t awarded all 3 Bonus points after last week’s stupendous performance is beyond me. He single handedly kept David Silva from claiming a hat trick!! Against Norwich, QPR will look to build on their January enforcements with Man Mountain Christopher Samba in the heart of defense.

• Defenders:

1. Jan Vertonghen (High) – The Belgian has impressed in his first season in the EPL. He has been as important as Gareth Bale in their march towards a top4 finish. Expect him to put in a great shift today once again.
2. Bacary Sagna (Medium) – The Gunners’ right back is having a torrid season – his slip in the last game led to Liverpool’s opening goal. With Stoke’s forwards rarely threatening to score, i expect Sagna to show us all (and maybe potential suitors in summer) what he is truly capable of.
3. Christopher Samba (Low) – At 12.5 millions pounds and a salary of 100k, don’t expect Harry Redknapp to give the formed Blackburn Rovers man “time to settle” at QPR. Also, he won’t be caught unawares in the EPL, having left English shores only last January. He will slotted right in the centre of he action, and at the very low price of only 5.0m i fully expect the Congolese international to be a valuable asset – to QPR and to your FPL teams.

• Midfielders:

1. Gareth Bale (High) – Some research today confirmed that Jermain Defoe will be available for the match against West Brom. However, Bale’s position as the focal point of Spurs’ attack is beyond doubt. This could well turn out to be one of those games where the midfielder lights up the BPL with a brilliant display.
2. Marouane Fellaini (Medium) – The Belgian is having a quite run of late, having scored his last goal over 2 months ago. Aston Villa will be the perfect tonic to kick start the new month and a crucial run of games to clinch the top 4 spot for the Toffees.
3. Yohan Cabaye (Low) – Among the Frenchman who have arrived this year at Newcastle, let us not forget the “dreamboat” who came ashore last season.. Cabaye is already a vital cog in the Toons’ mechanism. With 2 goals in his last two outings, expect Cabaye – NUFC’s set-piece specialist to boot – to lift Alan Pardew’s men away from the relegation battle.

• Forwards:

1. Robin Van Persie (High) – If he isn’t in your FPL teams already, then you need to sell off 3 midfielders and get him in already! Agreed.. he costs more than any other player in the league, but bloody hell does he deliver! And now, Wayne Rooney has declared he will be relinquishing his penalty taking responsibilities to the Dutchman.  [http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2013/Feb/wayne-rooney-decision-not-to-take-penalties.aspx] So that means RvP – who is a Manchester United player now – will get at least 10 penalties from now till the end of… February. 45.2% of FPL Managers already own him…. Will i be surprised to find out the number’s doubled by next week?
2. Olivier Giroud (Medium) – 3 goals, 1 assist – a maximum 6 Bonus Points in the past two weeks – yeah, the Frenchman’s a flop alright. i hope my wife’s like Oliver – wait, that doesn’t sound right.. Surely, he will muscle (or charm) his way into the starting XI against the Rugby team tonight, and chip with a goal or an assist.
3. Rickie Lambert (Low) – The Saints are looking for their first win under new manager Mauricio Pochettino. Wigan gives them a great opportunity to claim three points. Rickie Lambert will the best man to score goals, set up team mates and take set pieces as well. And with a record as fabulous as “Career Penalties Taken: 33;  Career Penalties Missed: 0” and with 10 goals and 4 assists this season alone, who wouldn’t want Super Rickie Lambert in their team?! Or am i confusing him with some other penalty scoring Englishman?!

So, what do you think? Do my picks pass muster?!

in 48 hours we shall know for sure!

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.