Gameweek 25 Preview of Fantasy Premier League, courtesy of Bet365.
What a way to start the weekend, with the Premier League’s top two teams going head to head in the lunchtime kick-off. Man City know that their superior goal difference means a home victory would move them above Leicester City in the table, and cement their status as favourites for the title. Their form at the Etihad is really good too, with only the two Merseyside clubs managing to avoid defeat there in the past 14 games. City have 33 goals from 12 home games in the league so far this season and Leicester have the worst defensive record of anyone in the top 5, so you’ve got to fancy the hosts to score a couple. Sergio Agüero (£13.5m) is the man to look to here, having scored 6 goals in his last 5 league outings.
Liverpool face Sunderland at 3pm, and despite Liverpool’s shaky form they are tough to beat at Anfield. They’ve lost only 2 of their last 17 home games in all competitions, and it’s rare that Sunderland come away from anywhere with all 3 points – they’ve lost 10 of 13 away games this season and have kept just one clean sheet in the process. Roberto Firmino (£8.0m) has 4 goals and 35 Fantasy Football points from his last 4 matches, so putting your faith in him could pay dividends.
Tottenham are the form team in the country, having won their last 5 games in all competitions. They’ve scored 16 and conceded just 3 in that time, and next up for them is a Watford team who are in a bit of slump (only 3 wins form their last 9 matches, and in the league it’s 1 win in 7). Harry Kane (£10.0m) is the only real centre forward in the Spurs squad and he’s leading the line well, bagging 4 goals in his last 3 league games. He could well add to that tally on Saturday, and at the back there could be a real bargain in Kevin Wimmer (£4.6m). With Jan Vertonghen out injured he could be set for an extended run in the team and he helped Spurs to a clean sheet last time out against Norwich. This Spurs side have conceded more than 1 goal on only 3 occasions in the league this season, so Wimmer could pick up some decent points over the coming weeks.
On Sunday Arsenal travel to Bournemouth, hoping to turn around their fortunes having failed to win any of their last 4 league games. Bournemouth have found some form, with only 2 defeats from 14 in all competitions. One of those defeats came against Arsenal though, and the Gunners should be too strong for the home side in this one. Alexis Sánchez (£10.9m) is back from injury and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet against Southampton last time out. He has 4 goals and 2 assists from the 8 away league games he’s featured in this season, and with Mesut Özil (£10.0m) failing to score or assist in his last 4 league games it could be up to Sánchez to lead his team to victory.
The last game of the weekend is historically a huge Premier League fixture but this season is between two massively underwhelming and underachieving teams. Stamford Bridge hosts Chelsea v Man United, with Chelsea setting their sights on a top half finish and Louis Van Gaal’s men hoping they somehow scrape a Champions League place despite his negative tactics! United have a wretched record in this fixture, with only 1 win in their last 11 games against the Blues. They’ve also failed to score in 4 of the last 7 meetings between the two sides, and with Chelsea’s recent defensive record (it’s now 5 clean sheets in 8 games after their goalless draw with Watford last night), the best players to look to for this game are defenders. John Terry (£6.6m) has picked up 33 Fantasy Football points from his last 6 matches, including 2 bonus points in each of the last 2, and would be a solid pick this week.
Saturday
Man City v Leicester
(12.45pm BT Sport 1)
Liverpool v Sunderland
Newcastle v West Brom
Stoke v Everton
Swansea v Crystal Palace
Tottenham v Watford
Aston Villa v Watford
Southampton v West Ham
(5.30pm Sky Sports 1)
Sunday
Bournemouth v Arsenal
(1.30pm Sky Sports 1)
Chelsea v Man Utd
(4.00pm Sky Sports 1)