Hello everybody, first season playing OFL after years of TFFO.

This weekend I have been stung by four defenders from Villa (perhaps not wise in retrospect) and Liverpool hitting me for a cheeky -14 points between them. Is it an accepted tactic in this game to avoid playing defenders away from home? I think I have a pretty strong defence, but the penalty for letting in goals is steep in this game without the appearance points.

I don't know if there is a "golden rule" concerning the defenders. Most of the time I just play them, because I didn't choose them for nothing
They can always score or give an assist, even when they concede.

Playing two defenders from the same team can also be highly beneficial, especially when they keep a clean sheet, so I would just stick with them.
This year's 6-0 scores are nothing like the previous years so it's just bad luck I guess.
But looking at the way AV lost, maybe a transfer of one of the Villa defenders is warranted...

Good luck with your decisions!

Personally I'll only ever bench a defender from a lower team when playing against a top three club (possibly extended to top six if the opponent's in good form and/or it's an away game). Except in these toughest of games, the chance of 3 points for the CS outweighs danger of conceding 2 or 3 and getting -1 or -2 points. The 6-0 to Newcastle was a freak result no-one saw coming, it's horrible but you just have to take the hit. In games between top teams (eg last night's) I'll very rarely bench a player, because there's often a chance of a 0-0 stalemate or your defender getting attacking points if they're the likes of Vermaelen, Glen Johnson etc.

What I'd question more is doubling up in defence from two teams. It can pay off if the team's on a run of clean sheets, but it's a bit risky as you've found out

Yeah, especially as I knew Villa had a good chance of being in disarray before the season started. Stupid picks right there me thinks.