Kick-Off: Gameweek 34 Fantasy Preview

Meet the nominees for PFA player of the year. From left to right, top before bottom: Gareth Bale, Michael Carrick, Juan Mata, Luis Suarez, Robin Van Persie and Eden Hazard.

Hope that you have gone through a smooth double gameweek. For those who didn't, don't give up as there are still five gameweek to go!

FEATURED: Tottenham v Manchester City @ White Hart Lane
Of course Rafael Benitez's return to Anfield as an opposition manager is a big one, but the battle at White Hart Lane has definitely a better reason not to miss.

Gareth Bale (£10.5m, 200 season pts) is not expected to return as of yet — Andre Villas-Boas simply has to be patient and wait for his full recovery instead of risking the Welsh to preserve Tottenham's chances to finish within top four.

That means Emmanuel Adebayor (£9.0m, - pts) will have to bear the burden of scoring on his shoulder. The Togolese has only 3 league goals so far, he a goal and an assist in his last Premier League game certainly indicated a better him. And playing against his former club, he will definitely be more motivated to score.

As for the visitors, Manchester City have close to zero possibility to defend their title by now, neither do they feel threatened at second with Chelsea trailing them by 7 points. David Silva (£9.2m, - pts) is a slight doubt but is expected to play nonetheless, while Carlos Tevez (£8.7m, 8 pts) is having a great run recently (4 goals in his last 6 games) and will definitely pose some threat to Spurs' defence.

City are at a comfortable second, but I think they have too much class for Bale-less Tottenham.

Prediction: TOT 1-2 MCI

TEAM FOCUS: Manchester United
This could be the coronation day for the Red Devils, and they are definitely ready for that.

Robin Van Persie (£13.7m, 16 pts) has officially ended his scoring drought with 2 goals in his last 2 games. With his return in form, you can confidently pass your captain armband to him and hope for the best.

Shinji Kagawa (£8.0m, 11 pts) could be the provider again after setting up two goals at Upton Park on Wednesday, while Wayne Rooney (£12.1m, 4 pts) will hope to be the star of the pitch instead of transfer headlines.

A clean sheet is very likely at the back too, so you may want to get one of their members.

Prediction: MUN 2-0 AST

PLAYER FOCUS: Michu
The Swans are well rested, and against defensively poor Southampton, it's really Michu's (£8.1m, 173 season pts) opportunity to shine.

GAMEWEEK 34 DREAM TEAM

De Gea

Samba — Turner — Sagna

Kagawa — Walcott — Michu (VC) — Fellaini

Tevez — Van Persie (C) — Remy

Subs: Cesar — Snodgrass — Demel — O'Shea

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Kick-Off: Gameweek 28 Fantasy Preview

Fiery Bale: The thunderous midfielder has now scored 6 goals in his last 4 Premier League games.

Rafa Benitez led the Blues to cruise into the next round of the FA Cup but vowed to quit at the end of the season. I don't think he will still be Chelsea's manager next season anyway.

FEATURED: Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal @ White Hart Lane
Mr Bale will be the main cast for the show this week as Tottenham welcome Arsenal in the famous North London Derby match-up.

Spurs were the losers in the first leg encounter — conceding 5 goals in the process — and would definitely want return the favour to Arsene Wenger's side. They can be confident indeed this time, with Gareth Bale (£10.3m, 15 pts) in such an unstoppable form that not even Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi can match at the moment.

Joining the cause are ex-Gunner Emmanuel Adebayor (£9.0m, 2 pts), who scored only 2 league goals so far this season and hopes the extra motivation against his former club will do him good. The rest of Tottenham's attackers, judging by their playing minutes, are just too risky to be recruited into your fantasy team.

Looking across, Santi Cazorla (£9.3m, 15 pts) seems to have regained his magic feet after scoring 3 goals in the last 2 matches. This will definitely give more pressure to Spurs backline as they have to split their attention from the ever consistent and threatening ace of Arsenal Theo Walcott (£9.5m, 2 pts).

Seems to be a very delicious goal feast, and I think both sides will end the game with a stalemate.

Prediction: TOT 2-2 ARS

TEAM FOCUS: Manchester United
I feel sorry for the Canaries, but the fatal blow by the Devils' trident is imminent.

It doesn't look good for Robin Van Persie's (£14.0m, 4 pts) owners as he is not expected to play a full 90 minutes and may even play none with Sir Alex Ferguson preparing ahead for the game against Real Madrid. Coupled with Manchester United's missing fixture for the next gameweek, the pressure is mounting high on his sale.

This gives a great opportunity for Wayne Rooney (£11.9m, 1 pt) this week. The lad only played 30 minutes against Queens Park Rangers last week and will be full of energy to push for this one. Nani (£8.2m, 6 pts) has been doing well recently and may again get SAF's nod for a start this week.

Prediction: MUN 4-0 NOR

PLAYER FOCUS: Aguero
Has Sergio Aguero (£10.9m, 2 pts) lost his magic? Manchester City have signs of restored aura recently and I think Maradona's son-in-law should benefit from that sooner rather than later. He needs to be more accurate in his shooting though.

GAMEWEEK 28 DREAM TEAM

De Gea

Baines — Zabaleta — Azpilicueta

 Bale (C) — Mata — Fellaini — Silva

Suarez (VC) — Aguero — Rooney

Subs: Boruc — Sissoko — Marc Wilson — Clyne

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Saturday Screamers: Five Star City

The golden trinity (Silva, Aguero and Tevez) led City to a 5-0 win.

Quite a number of shocking results including Chelsea's and Manchester United's shock defeats which helped Manchester City climb to the summit. Here are some highlights:

• An outrageous performance by Carlos Tevez (£9.4m, 16 pts) as his 2 goals and 2 assists opened the door to a 5-0 victory over Aston Villa.
• David Silva (£9.3m, 14 pts) and Sergio Aguero (£11.0m, 10 pts) were also having a great game as the three of them were involved in all the 5 goals.
• Meanwhile at Anfield, Luis Suarez (£10.2m, 10 pts) became the first player who hit the 10 goal milestone this season as his brace helped Liverpool to claim 3 points and move them up in the league standings.
• Raheem Sterling (£5.4m, 9 pts) and Jose Enrique (£5.7m, 15 pts) were both influential apart from Suarez as the Reds seem to find their best trinity upfront.
• At Emirates, Emmanuel Adebayor (£9.0m, 2 pts) scored an early opener but was fouled out in just 17 minutes of action as Tottenham suffered the consequences and conceded 5 goals from Arsenal.
• The Gunners attacking quartet — Theo Walcott (£8.7m, 10 pts), Santi Cazorla (£9.4m, 10 pts), Lukas Podolski (£8.2m, 8 pts) and Olivier Giroud (£8.4m, 6 pts) — have all did well in their demolition over their derby rivals, which really give headaches to fantasy managers on who to pick.
• Norwich created another unbelievable victory since their 1-0 victory over Arsenal last month as Anthony Pilkington's (£5.7m, 8 pts) only goal of the game pulled Manchester United off the league leading position.
• But Chelsea failed to take advantage of United's slip as they lost earlier to West Brom, with Juan Mata (£9.6m, 1 pt) only featured as a sub. Shane Long (£6.1m, 9 pts) and Peter Odemwingie (£6.9m, 6 pts) were the heroes of the victory.
• West Brom's victory also meant that they are now fourth on the league, overtaking Everton. The Toffees were unable to take any points away from Madejski Stadium as Adam Le Fondre (£4.8m, 10 pts) finally scored again since the opening day, and this time he scored twice.
• Queens Park Rangers are really on high pressure now as a lost to Southampton means that they remain with only 4 points after 12 games. Jason Puncheon (£4.4m, 10 pts) made it his day with a goal and an assist.
• At Sports Direct Arena, Demba Ba (£8.3m, 6 pts) returned to scoring form but it was too late to recover from Michu's (£7.3m, 8 pts) and Jonathan de Guzman's (£5.7m, 7 pts) earlier goals as Newcastle now lost 2 consecutive home league games.

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Kick-Off: Gameweek 8 Fantasy Preview

David Silva is a major doubt for this week's Premier League.

Real Madrid suffered a large scale FIFA virus after the notorious international fixtures. Fortunately it doesn't look that bad for Premier League clubs, with David Silva the only big name on the casualty list so far. Let's get back to business then, fellow fantasy managers.

GAMEWEEK 7 TOP SCORERS

1. Aleksandar Kolarov (£5.7m, 20 pts): A super productive gameweek for him, just like what we saw frequently last season. He don't play regular minutes though, which makes it hard to persuade myself to get him.
2. Jose Fonte (£4.0m, 15 pts): Not so sure how he managed to get in here. Averaging not even a point for the past 6 gameweeks before the last one, you will need incredible courage to get him. Not recommended.
3. Steven Caulker (£4.7m, 15 pts): So defenders top the list of last gameweek. Good price, good offensive stats so far, but needs a few more gameweeks to observe his playing minutes, his offensive consistency and Tottenham's defensive resolution.
4. Jonny Evans (£5.8m, 14 pts): If Manchester United can regain their tight back line, then he is the man to own. Evans is currently the cheapest access to the Red Devils' list of fantasy defenders following Nemanja Vidic's 8 weeks injury.
5. Patrice Evra (£6.8m, 13 pts): A much more solid performance. Still not recommended however with Branislav Ivanovic (£7.2m, 12 pts) and Leighton Baines (£7.5m, 6 pts) both performing much better with just a little bit of premium.
6. Wayne Routledge (£5.2m, 13 pts): Played a big part in ending Swansea's consecutive defeat streak. Taking the inflation of Nathan Dyer (£5.7m, 2 pts) into consideration I believe Routledge is the more valuable pick of the duo should you need some Swansea exposure.

FEATURED: Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea @ White Hart Lane
A big showdown will happen at London this Saturday as Andre Villas-Boas hopes for a redemption against his former club Chelsea.

Though the Mourinho protege had an awful career at Stamford Bridge, he is having a much better time at White Hart Lane, grabbing 12 points out of possible 12 in his last four Premier League games after a slow start. It could hardly get any better to face his former employer at such a timing.

Much of his hopes will depend on Gareth Bale (£9.5m, 43 pts in total) — who has been superior in both club and country level and earned numerous praises after a fantastic feat for Wales earlier this week.

Emmanuel Adebayor (£9.0m, 1 pt) should be fit for action, but I don't think that will refrain Jermaine Defoe (£7.8m, 5 pts) from going into action — a 4-4-2 is quite likely for Villas-Boas' side.

On the other side, Fernando Torres (£10.0m, 12 pts) will be looking forward to extend his fine form, with Eden Hazard (£10.3m, 9 pts) and Juan Mata (£8.9m, 8 pts) providing strong support from the flanks. Great exciting offensive match in anticipation.

I don't expect clean sheets, so it is not advisable to get any of their defenders hoping for 4 clean sheet points. Close call, but I am more inclined to a Tottenham victory after their wonderful feat at Old Trafford two weeks ago.

Prediction: TOT 3-2 CHE

TEAM FOCUS: Liverpool
Arsenal will play at Carrow Road against leaky Norwich City, but in my opinion Liverpool's home game against Reading is as delicious as the Gunners in fantasy terms, if not better.

Just like Norwich, Reading are still struggling to earn their first Premier League of the season, and the road to Anfield — which is set for an expansion plan — won't be kind to them.

While the Reds have just won one Premier League game so far, they have the tendency to bully defensively weak teams. Luis Suarez (£9.6m, 2 pts) is the only match fit senior forward of the team, and is surely the man to invest following Fabio Borini's (£7.3m, 0 pts) injury for Italy.

Fernandez Saez (£5.0m, 2 pts), better known as Suso, is another Liverpool man on fine form and could start and score some good returns this gameweek, while Andre Wisdom (£4.5m, 9 pts) will hope to start again after claiming 9 points which include 3 bonus points last gameweek.

It's too long to not win at Anfield, and I think that will end on Saturday.

Prediction: LIV 3-1 RDG

PLAYER FOCUS: Cazorla
Arsenal will play Norwich this week, so it's very hard to ignore the likes such as Santi Cazorla (£9.4m, 8 pts). The Spanish playmaker is expected to bring lots of troubles to the Canaries' defence.

Lukas Podolski (£8.6m, 5 pts) is another man you should consider from Arsenal, while Everton's match against QPR presents several fantasy opportunities such as Steven Pienaar (£6.9m, 8 pts) and Nikica Jelavic (£8.4m, 5 pts).

GAMEWEEK 8 DREAM TEAM

Manonne

Johnson — Evans — Baines

Cazorla (VC) — Nolan — Sahin — Bale

Suarez (C) —  Podolski — Jelavic

Subs: Schwarzer— Routledge —  McCartney — Rangel

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Monday Mirror: Ba's Brilliance

Demba Ba on fire with 2 goals in just 45 minutes of action.

Interesting game at Goodison Park as we saw Demba Ba equalised twice to earn a point for Newcastle. Here are some of my notes:

• Demba Ba (£7.7m, 12 pts) blasted both goals for Newcastle and responded perfectly to Alan Pardew's decision to bench him. The striker is clearly furious though with his agent threatened to take Ba away from Newcastle if he continues to sit on the bench.
• On the other hand, Papiss Cisse (£9.3m, 2pts) continued his goalless streak, and made Alan Pardew's decision to start him instead of Ba a ridicule.
• Meanwhile, Leighton Baines (£7.1m, 9 pts) scored his second goal of the season and accumulated 7 bonus points already this season, as he highlighted to us the benefits of owning a high-end fantasy defender. Solid.
• Also on the scoresheet was Steven Pienaar (£6.6m, 7 pts), who shows good value to money so far and is capable to provide consistently in offence.
• Marouane Fellaini (£6.9m, 1 pt) on the other hand has reduced fantasy potential as predicted with Kevin Mirallas (£7.4m, 2pts) started alongside Nikica Jelavic (£8.5m, 1 pt) on yesterday night. Jelavic was subbed out with an injury nonetheless, so Fellaini could still play in an advanced role for a few gameweeks more.
• On Sunday we saw Gareth Bale (£9.3m, 11 pts) went on full throttle as Tottenham claimed their first victory of the season, crushing Reading 3-1.
• Jermaine Defoe (£7.6m, 9 pts) got the nod to start again ahead of Emmanuel Adebayor (£9.4m, 0 pts) and repaid Andre Villas-Boas' faith handsomely with 2 goals. Does Adebayor still have value fantasy wise? Pretty negative at the moment.
• Brad Friedel (£5.5m, 2 pts) continued to start ahead of Hugo Lloris (£6.0m, 0 pts), and it surely left us wondering why the French keeper was being bought at the first place.

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Saturday Screamers: Cottagers Got Hammered

Kevin Nolan scored the first of the 3 goals against Fulham.

A not so expected Saturday match day with numerous surprising results. Here are some highlights:

• West Ham 3-0 Fulham. Big shock, as Fulham has shown great offensive prowess in the last 2 games but failed to score any goals this time.
• As for the Hammers, Matthew Taylor (£4.9m, 11 pts) and Kevin Nolan (£6.0m, 8 pts) led the show upfront, with Winston Reid (£4.5m, 12 pts) scoring one from behind.
• Andy Carroll (£8.4m, 2 pts) made an instant impact for the Hammers, but did not contribute any fantasy points other than playing minutes and limped off with an injury.
• Stoke City came from behind twice to salvage one point from DW Stadium. Jonathan Walters (£6.4m, 10 pts) and Peter Crouch (£6.0m, 9 pts) led the show with 1 goal and 1 assist.
• Michu (£7.1m, 7 pts) stroke a goal for Swansea yet again, but it was new signing Steven Fletcher (£7.0, 10 pts) who starred the match, scoring 2 goals for Sunderland to snatch 1 point away from Liberty Stadium.
• Everton failed to maintain their momentum as they lost 0-2 to West Brom. Gareth McAuley (£5.0m, 12 pts) scored a goal and maintained a clean sheet, which was great.
• On a side note, it's seems like Shane Long (£6.0m, 6 pts) will continue to lead West Brom's forward line despite Romelu Lukaku's (£6.5m) presence.
• Meanwhile, Andre Villas-Boas continues to disappoint as his side squandered yet another lead at White Hart Lane. New arrival Moussa Dembele (£6.0m, 6 pts) impressed the home crowd with a debut goal, only to be leveled by Robert Snodgrass' (£5.9m, 7pts) marvellous equaliser.
• Emmanuel Adebayor (£9.6m, 1 pt) did not start again, but I expect that to end sooner rather than later as he is a more complete package than Jermaine Defoe (£7.6m, 5 pts) despite the fact that Defoe delivered one assist today.

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Kick-Off: Gameweek 3 Fantasy Preview

Can Carlos Tevez continue to fire?

It was Chelsea and Swansea players who bossed the gameweek again with Hazard, Torres, Rangel and Michu all scoring double digit scores. Interestingly though, fantasy managers continue to jump into Hazard and Torres' bandwagon, despite Chelsea will take no part in gameweek 3 due to European Super Cup fixture against Athletico Madrid. Will the price rises worth more than the points sacrificed? Time will tell.

Do take note that Reading will play no part in gameweek 3 as well. My advice: plan your transfer wisely.

GAMEWEEK 2 TOP SCORERS

1. Angel Rangel (£5.1m, 14 pts): Scored a rather lucky goal and secured yet another clean sheet. Not bad to own though I believe Ashley Williams (£5.0m) will be a better pick in long run with his tendency to collect higher scores in EA Sports PPI than his defensive teammates (which means higher chances to claim bonuses).
2. Eden Hazard (£9.9m, 13 pts): Recorded his sixth assist and first league goal. This lad simply dominates and is on his way to become the next C. Ronaldo — the automatic fantasy captain — in FPL.
3. Carlos Tevez (£9.6m, 12 pts): Continued to dominate in Sergio Aguero's absence. A wonderful pick as I mentioned earlier this week.
4. Fernando Torres (£10.1m, 11 pts): Hazard simply made him alive. Great great stuff from El Nino.
5. Benoit Assou-Ekkoto (£6.5m, 11 pts): Pretty good offensively, but I still cannot trust Andre Villas-Boas yet especially in defence.

TRANSFER UPDATES

• Kevin Mirallas (Olympiakos to Everton): Had a dream debut for Everton against Leyton Orient in Capital One Cup fixture. Worth scouting with his price of £7.5m.
• Cesar Azpilicueta (Marseille to Chelsea): Could challenge Branislav Ivanovic's (£6.7m) position as right-back. Priced £6.0m.
• Nuri Sahin (Real Madrid to Liverpool): Great addition for Liverpool, though it remains unknown how effective he will be.
• Jose Bosingwa (Chelsea to QPR): Available at £5.0m, he will need to deliver offensively to compensate for QPR's fragility in defence.
• Julio Cesar (Inter Milan to QPR): Another ambitious signing. Perhaps he can give more clean sheets to QPR.
• Adam Johnson (Manchester City to Sunderland): He will get good playing minutes to show his fantasy effectiveness. Good fantasy price at £7.0m.
• Ki Sung-Yueng (Celtic to Swansea): Second Asian to join Premier League this season. Hopefully his footwork is as handsome as his k-pop face.

FEATURED: Liverpool v Arsenal @ Anfield
I was wrong last week about Liverpool's chance against Manchester City. They played pretty well offensively, only to be pulled down by their defensive errors. This week they will continue to play at home against Arsenal, who are both yet to score and concede any goals this season.

Nuri Sahin is still not listed in FPL — until we know his price only can we determine his value. He is good in long pass though. Luis Suarez (£9.5m) and Steven Gerrard (£9.5m) continue to be Liverpool's main fantasy force, though their value can only be justified if Brendan Rodgers' tiki-taka starts to flourish.

As for Arsenal, their defence are reaping a lot of points for fantasy managers. Thomas Vermaelen (£7.0m) is the usual luxurious pick to own, while Carl Jenkinson (£4.6m) has provided a super value alternative to fantasy managers. Both are good picks.

While in offence, Olivier Giroud (£8.9m), Lukas Podolski (£8.4m) and Santi Cazorla (£9.0m) should be able to take advantage of the Reds' porous defence, though I believe Liverpool should also make Arsenal concede with home advantage.

Prediction: LIV 1-1 ARS

TEAM FOCUS: Manchester City and Manchester United
Both clubs in Manchester have great fixtures this week, but let's talk about City who will play at home first. Against Queens Park Rangers who are notoriously poor on defence, they have all the chance to score. You can do much worse than getting Carlos Tevez (£9.5m), David Silva (£9.9m) and Yaya Toure (£8.0m) and play them.

Meanwhile, Manchester United will travel to St. Mary's Stadium in their attempt to take 3 points from Southampton. Robin Van Persie (£13.2m) and Shinji Kagawa (£8.6m) are two obvious picks given Wayne Rooney's (£11.9m) injury which will ruled him out for 8 weeks. Not so hype on their defenders though, given their shaky performance against Fulham.

Prediction: MCI 3-0 QPR, MUN 3-1 SOU

PLAYER FOCUS: Adebayor, Ba, Cisse and Michu
Tottenham are going to face Norwich at home this week, so one would expect their attacking pack to shine. I like the prospect of Emmanuel Adebayor (£9.6m) more though, as Rafael Van der Vaart (£8.9m) and Gylfi Sigurdsson's (£8.9m) roles are still relatively unknown in Andre Villas-Boas tactics and Gareth Bale (£9.5m) is struggling to find his form.

Newcastle will deal with Aston Villa who struggle under Paul Lambert's reign, so one would expect the front duo — Demba Ba (£7.7m) and Papiss Cisse (£9.5m) — to contribute fantasy points. Hatem Ben Arfa (£7.6m) should also perform.

Michu (£7.1m) continues to be my weekly pick meanwhile, until his performance suggests otherwise.

STATUS UPDATES

• Wojciech Szcznesny (£5.5m): Unknown (75% playing).
• John Terry (£6.9m): Muscle injury (75% playing).
• Rio Ferdinand (£5.9m): Groin injury (50% playing).
• John Arne Risse (£5.5m): Knock (75% playing).
• Younes Kaboul (£5.4m): Knee injury (unknown return date).
• Lucas Leiva (£4.9m): Thigh injury (unknown return date).

GAMEWEEK 3 DREAM TEAM

Hart

Rafael — Williams — Coloccini

Michu — Kagawa — Ben Arfa — Yaya Toure

Adebayor — Van Persie (VC) — Tevez (C)

Subs: Al-Habsi — Hangeland — Kacaniklic — Figueroa

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Kick-Off: Gameweek 2 Fantasy Preview

Eden Hazard leading the league with 5 assists.

A phenomenal double gameweek saw Chelsea players giving supreme returns, especially from Branislav Ivanovic (24 pts) and new boy Eden Hazard (21 pts). Those who pick Juan Mata over the Belgian would certainly felt heartbroken. But let's move on, as we still have 37 gameweeks to go. Still lots of chance to overtake your rivals!

GAMEWEEK 1 TOP SCORERS

1. Branislav Ivanovic (£6.6m, 24 pts): Joint league top scorer with 2 goals. Exceptional for a defender.
2. Eden Hazard (£9.6m, 21 pts): 5 assists already with only 2 Premier League appearances. Too good for a new boy.
3. Michu (£6.8m, 18 pts): Top performer so single gameweek players. If his shot on bar went in instead he would hit the 20-point mark as well.
4. Mladen Petric (£6.1m, 16 pts): Carried forward his pre-season form successfully and scored some great goals.
5. Nathan Dyer (£5.6m, 16 pts): Still the budget player that I like. Opening his season with 2 goals.
6. Frank Lampard (£9.0m, 16 pts): Both of his goals this gameweek were from the spot, but still he has shown that he still has fantasy value.

TRANSFER UPDATES

• Emmanuel Adebayor (Man City to Tottenham): Great move on the paper. The forward has achieved great success with the same club last season and is expected to continue such momentum.
• Louis Saha (Free agent to Sunderland): Finally a veteran forward for the Black Cats. Has good potential with the price of only £5.5m, provided that he stays away from injury.
• Steven Fletcher (Wolves to Sunderland): Another veteran forward for the Black Cats. At the price of £7.0m he is hardly tempting - Mladen Petric could easily outperform him at cheaper price.
• Matthew Jarvis (Wolves to West Ham): His arrival complicates West Ham's midfield line-up and might deteriorate the whole midfield unit's fantasy value. His price of £6.0m represents a good bargain though, provided that he plays regularly.

FEATURED: Manchester City v Liverpool @ Anfield
After a big scare by Southampton last gameweek, Manchester City will continue their title defence with a tough visit to Anfield this Sunday.

The Citizens have lost Sergio Aguero (£11.3m) through injury, while David Silva (£10.0m) was mediocre in his last game against the Saints, having missed a penalty. Fortunately though, that was compensated with Carlos Tevez (£9.2m) heroics. He is definitely looking sharp and is very affordable in FPL. Strongly recommended.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have sufferred a big loss last week against West Brom, with Daniel Agger (£6.5m) being sent off for a last-man challenge. Big blow for the Reds as Jamie Carragher (£5.5m) is too old to keep up the pace, while  Sebastian Coates (£5.0m) still lacks the experience to cope with teams as strong as City.

City might have lost here terribly a year ago, but I believe things will turn around this time and the Reds will suffer two consecutive defeats in the opening stage of their season.

Prediction: MCI 2-1 LIV

TEAM FOCUS: Swansea
Fantasy managers will need to pay more attention to Swansea after their 5-0 victory against QPR last week. They will face promoters West Ham at Liberty Stadium this week as it represents a great opportunity for them to grab 6 points out of 6.

Michu (£6.8m) started his first Premier League game spectacularly, and could be the star again against West Ham. Consider him as the new Sigurdsson - cheap and super-productive. On the other hand, Danny Graham (£6.0m) was silent against QPR but could be the man this time - he is the first choice forward of the Swans and scored 12 goals last season after all.

No disrespect to West Ham but the Hammers are one class lower than the Welsh Barcelona in my opinion.

Prediction: SWA 3-1 WHM

PLAYER FOCUS: Hazard, Adebayor and Cazorla
One simply cannot ignore Eden Hazard (£9.6m) after his 5-assist gameweek 1 showdown. He is very very penetrative and though he will play Newcastle - a much better Premier League team - this week, I believe with his quality he can continue to deliver.

Meanwhile, with Emmanuel Adebayor's (£9.5m) permanent move to Tottenham being finalized, fantasy managers can expect him to lead the front line of Spurs and bang in lots of fantasy points. At £9.5m, he is one of the undervalued forwards in FPL.

I like the immediate influence of Santi Cazorla (£9.0m) at Arsenal. He has great vision and is not afraid to shoot from far range - both are important to beat big-men teams like Stoke City.

Mladen Petric (£6.1m) is one player that you should not forget about as well, but he's playing against Manchester United at Old Trafford this weekend - not a good time to bring him into your fantasy team in my opinion.

STATUS UPDATES

• Demba Ba (£7.5m):  Shin injury (75% playing).
• Rio Ferdinand (£6.0m): Groin injury (expected to back on 2 September).
• Fabricio Coloccini (£5.0m): Knock (75% playing).
• Jose Enrique (£6.0m): Knock (75% playing).
• Phil Jones (£6.0m): Back injury (expected  to back on 2 September).
• John Terry (£7.0m): Muscle injury (50% playing).
• Daniel Agger (£6.5m): Suspended until 2 September.
• Clint Dempsey (£9.5m): Lack of match fitness (expected to back on 1 September).
• Sergio Aguero (£11.3m): Knee injury (expected to back on 15 September).

GAMEWEEK 2 DREAM TEAM

Vorm

Vermaelen — Clyne — A Cole

Michu (VC) — Hazard — Cazorla — Yaya Toure

Graham — Adebayor (C) — Tevez

Subs: Given — Jenkinson — Kacaniklic — Barnett

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FPLZ 2012/13 Season Preview: Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR F.C.

Spurs with their new home and away kit for 2012/13 season.

You can download the full analyzed squad data here.

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Last Season: Unlucky
They got the fourth place, but without the qualification for Champions League. Tottenham Hotspur can consider themselves unlucky as Chelsea won UEFA Champions League for the first time, which effectively blocked their way to the top-flight European tournament this season. It was still a good season anyway, as they had gone very close to the leading duo at one point, showing great competitiveness and potential as title contenders.

This Summer: Massive Changes
Harry Redknapp was sacked for some unknown reason and replaced by Andre Villas-Boas, who failed a big time at Chelsea. A very questionable move by Daniel Levy seriously.

Swansea's successful loanee Gylfi Sigurdsson and former Ajax captain Jan Vertonghen are the ones who have joined the club currently, with players such as Vedran Corluka, Niko Kranjcar, Louis Saha, Ryan Nelsen and Steven Pienaar all heading the opposite direction.

Upcoming Season: Insecure
With such a big change in the management, it is hard to predict Tottenham's new season. The change in manager will certainly bring in a lot of uncertainty, especially when Redknapp had brought so much of stability and achievement at White Hart Lane. The first month will surely give us an indication whether Villas-Boas will succeed or flop for the second time in Premier League.

Bale's stats last
season.

Speedy Speed Boy: Bale (FI: 0.699)
Aged 23, Gareth Bale (£9.5m) is definitely one of the best talent across the European continent right now, thanks to his excellent speed and explosiveness, precise ball delivery, and his decent aerial threat.

Having played 3216 minutes last season, Bale managed to record his best fantasy record so far with 195 points. Don't be surprised if he breaks the 200 point milestone this season - he still has plenty of room to grow.

The bad news unfortunately for Bale is that he limped off during the pre-season game with Liverpool, after a dangerous tackle from Charlie Adam, who is renowned for his sloppy defence.

Van der Vaart's historical P90.

Super Poacher: Van der Vaart (FI: 0.547)
Rafael Van der Vaart (£9.0m) actually has the ability to achive a 200-point season easily, but his injuries were limiting his potential to do so.

The Dutch has P90 of 6.50 last season which ranked first among his teammates, but playing minutes of only 2314 meant that he only ranked third in terms of aggregate scores. During the season before the last one he played 2222 minutes, which was even lesser.

I have no doubts about Van der Vaart's flair and goal poaching ability, so let's hope that he can be less injury-plagued this season and score more fantasy points. His price tag of £9.0m resembles a good bargain when compared to his scoring ability.

On Fire: Sigurdsson (FI: 1.240)
It was just half a good season, and Glyfi Sigurdsson (£9.0m) has become freaking expensive at the price of £9.0m, on par with his new teammate Rafael Van der Vaart.

However, the Icelandic is on sublime form during Tottenham's pre-season tour, scoring 2 goals and 3 assists in his first 4 games for the North London club. His set piece ability is a marvelous addition to Andre Villas-Boas's squad, and that really justifies his high price tag.

Defoe's FPL historical data.

Affordable: Defoe (FI: 0.340)
Jermaine Defoe (£7.5m) spent more time on the bench than on the pitch last season, but with Villas-Boas struggling to find a new forward for the team, he should become the team's first choice forward this season.

His best fantasy season record is 150 points - not too great, but good enough for his price, as long as he doesn't injure that often. Tottenham's offensive approach will definitely help him to rack up a good amount of points.

Super Budget Prospect: Kane (FI: N/A)
Tottenham manager is struggling to find a new striker for the team, but that may become a great fortune to fantasy managers as he will need to deploy Harry Kane (£4.5m) more often than not in this coming season.

The 19-year-old English scored 8 goals for Milwall last season, and can be a hit this season with his ludicrous price of £4.5m.

Can't wait to get more? Like FPLZ official Facebook page to get the latest updates regularly!

Kick-Off: Gameweek 26 Fantasy Preview

Rafa Benitez: Man in favour to replace Andre Villas-Boas should
Roman Abramovich decides to sack the young manager.

Overview
Champions League quarter-finals are set to be without Premier League clubs this season after Arsenal's humiliating 0-4 defeat and Chelsea's 1-3 loss against Italian sides AC Milan and Napoli respectively. Chelsea's gaffer Andre Villas-Boas will receive even greater pressure as Champions League knock-out will surely make his job even close to its end. He's on 1/2 now to be the next Premier League manager to go.

Do be reminded that League Cup final between Liverpool and Cardiff City will take place this weekend so there will be no league fixture for the Reds. Bench Liverpool's players or sell them if necessary. You should also be alerted (if you did not get informed earlier) that Valencia is injured, while super defender Assou-Ekkoto is doubtful for this week's match.

Game of the Week: ARSENAL v TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Big hopes on
Oxlade-Chamberlain again.

The Gunners will host Tottenham this week as it looks like only Champions League qualification can salvage the club's terrible season.

Arsenal has already been knock out from both local cup tournaments (Carling Cup and FA Cup), and it seems inevitable that they will exit Champions League after being swept down 0-4 by AC Milan. Though they are now sitting fourth in the league, they only led fifth placed Chelsea via goal difference and thus cannot afford to lose more points.

Henry has returned to United States so the team will continue to rely on captain Robin van Persie and bright starlet Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to do wonders in offence. Assou-Ekkoto might be absent so Walcott might have the chance to dominate through Arsenal's right flank.

Their London derby rival meanwhile, is not without problems. Rumours of the club's manager possible employment as England's manager never stops circulating around. As for the players, ex-Gunner Adebayor should be available along with Van der Vaart, but how is the offence is going to be setup remains unknown with Saha around.

Considering Arsenal's rather stable home form, the Gunners should be capable of holding Tottenham off. Not so positive for a home win though.

Prediction: ARS 1-1 TOT
Pick: Van Persie, Adebayor
Drop: ARS defence


Fantasy Game of the Week: MANCHESTER CITY v BLACKBURN ROVERS

Yaya Toure is pivotal in
both City's attack and defence.

Blackburn - the side which never fails to leak goals. What could possibly better for City than to face them at home?

Amazingly the Rovers are yet to collect their first Premier League clean sheet this season. That's a great news for City's attackers, who should be pretty much back on track in offence after crushing Porto 4-0 in Europa league.

Tevez will be back in 2-3 weeks according to Mancini but the return of Yaya Toure serves more importance. It was no coincidence that City won easily with the Ivorian player around as his absence to play African Cup of Nations was reflected in City's recent mediocre results. Now that he's back, City should once again shows better form in league games.

Not to show disrespect Blackburn, but even with Yakubu around, City with Toure is just too tough for them to face.

Prediction: MCI 4-0 BLA
Pick and Captain: Aguero, Silva
Pick: Dzeko, MCI defence, Yaya Toure
Drop: BLA players


Pick and Drop
Pick and Captain:

• Ba - Very reliable and clinical.
• Rooney - More responsibility with in-form Valencia not around.

Pick:

• Sturridge - Mata has a suspected finger injury going on, so Sturridge is apparently the safest pick.
• NEW defence  - Should be able to get a good result this time.
• Zamora - Should be motivated to score against Martin Jol's team.
• McClean/ Sessegnon - Sunderland now plays like a top four side, and the duo are the leading casts.
• Nani/ Young  - The duo should operate the flanks in the absence of Valencia.

Drop:

• BOL defence/ WOL defence - Both having tough tests this week.
• NOR defence - Rarely any team can withstand Manchester United's offence.
• EVE players/ LIV players - Not playing this week.

Transfer Traffic

Green light (buy):

• Sessegnon/ McClean - Buy in trend continues to bloom.
• Yaya Toure - £7.5m is a very enticing price for his quality.
• Ba - Very loved by fantasy managers.
• MCI defence - Clean sheet probability should increase thanks to Yaya Toure's return.
• Aguero - Back in form.

Yellow light (watch):

• Cleverley - It remains to be told whether he will be as productive as before he was injured.
• Pogrebnyak - Seems to be effective in Martin Jol's strategy.

Red light (sell):

• Valencia - Injured.
• Terry - Injured.
• LIV players - Not playing this week, Arsenal next week.
• Major League Soccer loaned players (Keane, Henry, Donovan) - End of contract.

Gameweek 26 Dream Team

Hart

Simpson -- O'Shea -- Shawcross

Silva -- Nani -- McClean -- Sessegnon

Ba (VC) -- Aguero (C) -- Rooney

Subs: Sorensen -- Moses -- G Cahill -- Caldwell

The Best Partner: Gameweek 25 Fantasy Review

The duo of Adebayor and Saha worked out together incredibly.

Manchester United 2-1 Liverpool
A convincing victory for the defending champion. Suarez refused to shake Evra's hand though that was forgiven by the FA.

The first half was rather boring thanks to the many passing mistakes done by both sides. In the second half Rooney scored goals in quick succession and they were enough to seal three points for United.

Rooney and Valencia were the aces as usual, with De Gea making one of his better games with two important saves. On the other side, Downing was pathetic ever since he joined Liverpool, while Enrique didn't look that sharp after making a quick return to the pitch. Suarez marked his return with a goal and that should be taken a note.

Pick: Rooney, Valencia
Watch: Suarez


Tottenham Hotspur 5-0 Newcastle
Crazy win! A comprehensive victory which recorded the rebirth of Adebayor after such a long scoring drought. 4 assists and 1 goal, that's five star performance. Credits to debutant Louis Saha too as he was the reason why Adebayor managed to give such a wonderful display. The French striker scored 2 goals in this game, which equaled his tally at Everton this season.

Assou-Ekkoto scored yet another goal this season to continue his super productive season. He is already £6.1m currently and is expected to rise again after such a fine gameweek.

Sad day for Newcastle as they were totally outclassed by Spurs.

Pick: Adebayor, Saha, Ekkoto


Blackburn 3-2 QPR
A sensational return by Yakubu as they led the game by three for a big part of the game. N'Zonzi scored a rare double digit gameweek, but he's never a fantasy pick.

Mackie scored twice as a sub as that effectively questioned the need of buying Zamora and Cisse during this transfer window when they have clinical finishers like Helguson.

Pick: Yakubu
Watch: Mackie


Bolton 1-2 Wigan
Another defeat for Bolton and I really wonder why Owen Coyle is still on the seat. At home, with a good crop of players, and yet lost to possibly one of the weakest sides in Premier League. That's unforgivable. Nevertheless, it's good to see the growth of Mark Davies.

No good fantasy prospects from Wigan despite the win, so I'll skip discussions about their players.

Watch: Mark Davies


Everton 2-0 Chelsea
All eyes will be on Steven Pienaar after this game. The South African played marvelously in his return to Goodison Park and provided the missing creativity that the side needs to score goals.

 A good game by Stracqualursi, but there remains a lot of uncertainties in Everton's frontline.

For Chelsea, it's an absolutely terrible game and the rumours about Chelsea's crises will continue to escalate after such a poor display.

Pick: Pienaar
Watch: Stracqualursi
Drop: CHE players


Fulham 2-1 Stoke City
A fine debut goal by Pogrebnyak. The forward stroke immediate impact into the team and therefore should be observed. Meanwhile, Dempsey continued his great form, assisted one and shot one on the post.

Shawcross earned three points of bonus surprisingly thanks to his set piece goal.

Pick: Dempsey
Watch: Pogrebnyak


Sunderland 1-2 Arsenal
Youngster McClean scored again as Sunderland thought they will win, only to be equalised by Ramsey and then defeated by Henry's last goal for Arsenal this season.

A rare silent game by Robin Van Persie, but with Henry leaving and the Gunners Champions League on the verge of exit, he's sure to perform for the rest of the season.

Pick: McClean
Watch: Ramsey


Swansea 2-3 Norwich
It was a battle between Holt and Graham, with the former winning it with two good goals after a goal drought of eight matches. Given his inconsistency, he should not be considered as a member in your fantasy team, yet.

Graham on the other hand is a better fantasy pick. He has consistently scored in every 2-3 games and is the cheapest on the top ten fantasy forward list.

Pick: Graham
Watch: Holt


Wolves 1-5 West Brom
It's no coincidence that Wolves is now at the bottom three. The wonderful combination which led to Steven Fletcher's goal won't erase the fact that the club's performance is very woeful recently. Bassong's purchase didn't help to improve the defence at all.

Odemwingie finally ended people's waiting on his goals and it was three in a row from this game. Hopefully he can build on this and move forward towards a good fantasy season like his last one.

Watch: Fletcher, Odemwingie
Drop: WOL defence


Aston Villa 0-1 Manchester City
Cold sweat for City as they failed to break the deadlock until the late stages. They were completely dominating the game but their finishing ability has really been poor recently.

The defence continued to be solid thanks to Kompany's return. Unarguably tough to beat.

Pick: MCI defence

Kick-Off: Gameweek 25 Fantasy Preview

The handshake routine will not be cancelled for Man Utd-Liverpool encounter.

Overview
A pretty two poled feelings last week with Van Persie's owners laughing happily and the rest left stunned. Can RvP repeat the feat? Not so positive against in-form Sunderland.

The shocking news this week is no other than Fabio Capello's resignation. The Italian coach is not happy with FA's decision to strip Terry's captaincy and thus decided to leave. Harry Redknapp tops the list to replace him.

Game of the Week: MANCHESTER UNITED v LIVERPOOL

Can Berbatov get a start
and hat-trick again?

Old Trafford will surely welcome Suarez with a great deal of abusive chants as Liverpool travel to Manchester for this number one rivalry in English football.

The usual handshake routine will not be cancelled according to FA and it will be interesting to see how Evra and Suarez react to each other. Strong personal rivalry. Luis Suarez will be eager to pay a revenge through his fancy footwork so expect tough times by defensive partnership of Evans and Ferdinand. In form Carroll could also be a big threat if he can get good aerial supplies by his teammates. Two big man to watch.

On the other side, all key players including the long missing Cleverly could be available for this game. It would be hard to predict the starting midfielders and forwards correctly, but I believe both Valencia and Rooney would still get the right to start and produce some havoc to one of the best defensive line (which might be without Jose Enrique) in the Premier League.

Surely it would be an intense game, but Liverpool's poor away attack (14 away goals only this season) will hinder their chances at Old Trafford. Expect good performances by the Red Devils.

Prediction: MUN 2-1 LIV
Pick: Valencia


Fantasy Game of the Week: SWANSEA v NORWICH

Sinclair has been pretty
impressive this season.

Spurs are welcoming the challenge of Newcastle, while City's away form has been mediocre recently, so I will change my focus to the battle between the two promoted teams this season. The Canaries beat the Swans 3-1 earlier this season, but we all know how different it will be at Liberty Stadium.

Sigurdsson has a flying start in the Premier League, while both Sinclair and Dyer are very threatening in the flanks. Up front they have Danny Graham who does a decent job as a forward. Expect goals from this quartet of attackers.

I will not be surprised if Norwich can score past the rubber hand Michel Vorm, but Swansea should really get a victory here.

Prediction: SWA 3-1 NOR
Pick: Sigurdsson, Sinclair, Dyer, Graham
Drop: NOR defence


Pick and Drop
Pick and Captain:

• Aguero - Broke his goal drought and that might be the opening of floodgate.
• Mata - Very pivotal in Chelsea's offence.

Pick:

• N'gog - Should score against Wigan.
• Zamora - Samba-less Blackburn will not have the quality to stop him.
• Van Persie - Always start him regardless of his opposition.
• Sessegnon/ McClean - Arsenal's defence is weak.
• Jarvis - Played well last week and should continue to perform.

Drop:

• NEW defence - Against Tottenham, clean sheet is hardly likely.
• AST defence - City's blades are sharp.

Transfer Traffic

Green light (buy):

• Richards - Good fixtures oncoming.
• Oxlade-Chamberlain - Sensational form.
• Demba Ba - His price sky leaped by £0.4m since his return.
• Van Persie - Get him before his price reaches a prohibitive level.
• McClean - Superbly cheap and in form.
• Sigurdsson - The bandwagon should start in the next few gameweeks.

Yellow light (watch):

• Yakubu - Observe Blackburn's performance before getting him in.
• Assou-Ekkoto - Fantasy managers are overly optimistic on him.
• Mata - Chelsea's form is quite unstable at the moment.
• Kompany - Still not sure whether he will play this week.

Red light (sell):

• LIV players - United this round, League Cup final next round (no league fixture), and Arsenal after that.
• Adebayor  - Terribly out of form.
• D Cisse - Red carded.

Gameweek 25 Dream Team

Vorm

Ekkoto -- Richards -- Senderos

Bale -- Sessegnon -- Silva -- Sigurdsson

Aguero (C) -- Ba -- Van Persie (VC)

Subs: Hennessey -- McClean -- Knight -- Bassong

Kick-Off: Gameweek 23 Fantasy Preview

Both Dempsey and Zamora led the demolition of Newcastle.

Overview

The title race has reduced down to two-horse race again after Tottenham's defeat at Etihad Stadium enlarged their trail to Manchester City to eight points. Tottenham should still at least sit a comfortable third at the end of this season anyway, with Chelsea starting to secure the last spot of Champions League football.

Liverpool has knocked out both Manchester clubs out of Carling Cup (City) and FA Cup (United) respectively. Carling Cup looks to be on the hands of the Reds already and that title could be a boost for them to end their trophy drought of six years.

The transfer market is creepily silent this year. Even rumours seem to be very little and it is increasingly likely that Gary Cahill's move would be the biggest action this time compared to Torres' and Carroll's mega buck moves last year.

Game of the Week: SWANSEA v CHELSEA

How will SuperVorm fare
against Chelsea?

Interesting meet up as Chelsea will visit one of the hell arena in Premier League - Liberty Stadium.

Swansea has been incredible at home and has only lost one on their territory to Manchester United. They scored clean sheets in 6 of the 11 home games they had played this term, though they did not collect any in their last three home games. Tough task to score for Chelsea.

Drogba is still progressing with Ivory Coast in the Africa Cup of Nations so Chelsea will need to continue to rely on £50m striker Fernando Torres to apply offensive pressure. The Spaniard is on a three month goal drought and I am quite negative on his possibility of breaking the duck. Defensive wise, Gary Cahill did not feature on his first league game at Chelsea and it remains to be seen where he fits in Andre Villas-Boas' tactics.

Given that Chelsea's inconsistent away form, I believe Swansea can frustrate the Blues and make the battle for fourth more interesting.

Prediction: SWA 0-0 CHE
Pick: Vorm


Fantasy Game of the Week: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR v WIGAN

It's time for Adebayor
to end his scoring
drought.

Harry Redknapp will seek to turn the tide in their title hunt as they host Wigan at White Hart Lane.

Gareth Bale is a slight doubt for this game - quoted as "75% playing" for this encounter. Adebayor is available again - a great chance to end his goal drought. Both are great captains for this gameweek.

Hugo Rodallega fired a screamer last week... Well that doesn't happen every week. My vote goes to Tottenham for a strong response after a defeat.

Prediction: TOT 3-0 WIG
Pick and Captain: Bale, Adebayor
Pick: TOT defence
Drop: WIG players


Pick and Drop
Pick and Captain:

• Valencia - He doesn't promise you great fantasy score but he is consistent.
• Sessegnon - Plays exceptionally well since Martin O'Neill's takeover.
• Van Persie - A suspension doubt, but you should captain him if he plays.

Pick:

• Carroll - Fits into Liverpool's system finally.
• Aguero/ Silva - Still the reliable combination.
• Walcott - On form recently.
• Keane - Made a spectacular Premier League return.
• Dempsey/ Zamora - Both should combine again.
• Kompany - The captain is back to strengthen the back line.

Drop:

• NEW defence - Blackburn scores in almost every game.

Transfer Traffic

Green light (buy):

• Kompany - The captain returns (clean sheet returns too).
• Lindegaard - For sure De Gea will be benched more often after his terrible performance against Liverpool. Out in crutches during training.
• Sessegnon - His fantasy score is rocketing. Same goes to his price.
• Valencia - Nani's injury made him an even solid selection.
• Keane - His influence is obvious.

Yellow light (watch):

• Van Persie - Suspension doubt.
• Carroll - Looks to finally fits into the system but Suarez will be released from "jail" soon.
• Oxlade-Chamberlain - Played fantastically well but god knows what Wenger is thinking.

Red light (sell):

• Jones - Injured again.
• Ramires - Injured.
• Sturridge - His consistent "one game one goal" trend disappeared into nowhere.

Gameweek 23 Dream Team

Lindegaard

Kompany -- Assou-Ekkoto -- Enrique

Silva -- Sessegnon (VC) -- Valencia -- Bale

Adebayor (C) -- Van Persie -- Keane

Subs: Vorm -- Evans -- Dyer -- Tate

Kick-Off: Gameweek 22 Fantasy Preview

Josh McEachran is on loan to Swansea. Great fantasy prospect?

Overview
FPLZ wishes a happy Chinese New Year for all Chinese who are visiting this site as there are plenty to enjoy from Premier League this weekend - the title decider game between Manchester City and Tottenham, and also the all time classic between Arsenal and Manchester United.

Transfer News

• Papiss Cisse joins Newcastle. He had scored 37 goals in 65 games for Freiburg. We can only see him after the African Cup of Nations anyway.
• Josh McEachran is loaned to Swansea. At £4.6m the future of Chelsea could be a great stud if he get enough of playing minutes and performs.
• Blackburn will not let Christopher Samba to go in this transfer window even though the captain had requested to be transfer listed. Arsenal is keen to grab his signature.
• Jermaine Defoe is happy to stay with Tottenham Hotspur. He is reportedly a target for Liverpool.
• Ritchie De Laet was sent back to Manchester United as the loan of the plagued defender seems to be a bad business for the Canaries.
• Talks are still being done by QPR to land Chelsea outcast Alex.

Game of the Week: MANCHESTER CITY v TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
It's one of the title deciding game as Manchester City takes on third-placed Tottenham at Etihad Stadium.

Emmanuel Adebayor will not be eligible to face his "actual" club as the loan contract suggests. That means Jermaine Defoe will lead the line to face Kompany-less defence. Players like Bale, Van der Vaart and Modric will be very happy to exploit on that weak point of City.

However, one must not underestimate the aura of Etihad Stadium. The Citizens are yet to slip even a point at their home ground, scoring an average of 3 goals per game and conceding only 4 goals in all 10 home games played. Aguero has scored an average of 9.1 fantasy points at home - a possible captain candidate despite the toughness of this fixture.

I hope Tottenham can win the game and take themselves to the summit at May, but City at home is just too strong to be beaten.

Prediction: MCI 1-0 TOT
Pick: Aguero, Silva


Fantasy Game of the Week: NORWICH v CHELSEA
Well, Liverpool are visiting to Reebok Stadium, but I believe the Blues can give something more than the Reds.

Chelsea only managed to grab a 1-0 victory against Sunderland on their last fixture, but Sunderland is a much better team than Norwich under the leadership of Martin O'Neill. Against the Canaries I believe they can deliver more.

Much hopes on attack will be on Fernando Torres who performed a spectacular bicycle kick which deflected and rebounded by Lampard. The Spaniard had also being fouled inside the box twice but were not awarded a penalty for both offences.

Expect the best from El Nino, Lampard, Mata and Sturridge. I still have no clue whether Gary Cahill will be slotted in directly to pair up with Terry, but if he plays I believe Chelsea will not concede silly goals like when Luiz is around.

As for Norwich, there is still a high chance that either one of Holt and Morison to break the duck, but I believe Chelsea will get the much needed three points.

Prediction: NOR 1-3 CHE
Pick and Captain: Torres
Pick: Lampard, Mata, Sturridge


Pick and Drop
Pick and Captain:

• Gerrard - Should be leading his team to take charge against Bolton.
• Helguson - Should fire under the better approach of Mark Hughes.
• Van Persie - Will be looking forward to send Evans to hell.

Pick:

• LIV defence - Reliable especially against sides like Bolton.
• STO defence - West Brom are losing their direction recently.
• S. Fletcher - Super consistent.
• Valencia/ Nani - Much to exploit on the flanks against Arsenal's patchy defence.
• Ben Arfa - Cabaye is still injured so he should get his chance to show off.

Drop:

• ARS defence - Too patchy to face Manchester United.
• BOL players  - Liverpool's defence is just too tough while Bolton's is too weak.

Transfer Traffic

Green light (buy):

• Gerrard - If Liverpool scores, it is most probably his goal or assist.
• Steven Fletcher - Super ace of Wolves which resembles Van Persie's importance at Arsenal.
• Dyer - Running on a hot streak.

Yellow light (watch):

• Torres - Still not trustworthy until he proves himself.
• Gary Cahill - Never buy before his performance is reviewed.
• Rooney - His finishing looks really poor recently.

Red light (sell):

• Yakubu - Suspended.
• Adebayor - Pretty silent recently plus ineligible to face City.

Gameweek 22 Dream Team

Sorensen

A. Ferdinand -- Skrtel -- Gary Cahill

Valencia -- Gerrard (VC) -- Mata -- Silva

Torres -- Van Persie (C) -- Aguero

Subs: Vorm -- Dyer -- Savic -- Simpson

Terrible Refereeing: Gameweek 21 Fantasy Review

Why must you @#%&ing steal the limelight every time Mr Phil Dowd?

Poor Decisions

Terrible refereeing ruined a lot of good games this gameweek. Tottenham conceded thanks to one "accused" corner kick, Jonathan Woodgate wasn't even booked for so many dangerous offences he had done, no more red card in Blackburn v Fulham game after Yakubu's despite so many more dangerous tackles than his, and most obviously, three legitimate penalty claims denied in Chelsea v Sunderland game. Three ****ing legitimate penalty claims denied, with one wrongly judged as diving. How can someone as pathetic as Phil Dowd officiate a Premier League game? So many game spoilers.

Aston Villa 1-1 Everton

Not a very surprising result, though Everton deserved more. The build up was impressive by the Toffees, but their finishing ability continues to take them down. Given was splendid too to stop them.

No strong impact from Donovan in this game, so you might wait and watch.

Watch: Donovan, Bent

Blackburn 3-1 Fulham

I feel bad for the 300,000 fantasy managers who brought in the Yak (I was almost one of them but sold him later fortunately) as he got a straight red. Bad luck. However, Blackburn somehow played better with ten men on the field. Dunn scored 13 points which almost tallied to all that he got this season (16 points) prior to the game. Great game by the ex-fantasy-goody.

And Steve Kean survives, again.

Watch: Dunn

Drop: Yakubu

Chelsea 1-0 Sunderland

Torres was spectacular. He attempted a terrific bicycle kick that hit the bar before being tapped-in by Lampard. He was brought down twice inside the penalty box but both offences were ignored and he was even being booked for "diving". Great performance this time around and he might be able to steal the place from Drogba if he continues such great play.

Gary Cahill has officially joined Chelsea and might become a  fantastic fantasy acquisition. If he can create more clean sheets at Stamford Bridge, he is a must buy.

On the other side, it was a good play by Sunderland, but the chances they had wasted made sure that they went home with nothing.

Watch: Gary Cahill, Torres, Sessegnon

Liverpool 0-0 Stoke City

The same story again at Anfield. Liverpool controlled the game but were unable to create good opportunity and unable to finish well. Certainly needs a goal poacher at the moment.

The defence was superb as usual and you must be silly to not own at least one of Enrique and Skrtel.

Pick: Enrique, Skrtel

Watch: Gerrard

Manchester United 3-0 Bolton

Should be much easier than what it was. Rooney was at fault for missing yet another penalty. He could have confidence crisis in finishing. Still, he provided two great supplies which then scored two goals for United. But seriously, if he didn't miss the penalty, he would be on a 15 point haul instead of only 6 now.

Evans racked up 6 points again with his superbly cheap price, while Scholes and Carrick's provided abnormal returns thanks to their rare goals.

It's still the same kind of crisis at Bolton anyway...

Pick: Rooney, Evans

Watch: Scholes

Drop: BOL players


Tottenham 1-1 Wolves
Great game by Hennessey to save several critical attempts. The corner was awarded by luck, but the execution was all their credit as Steven Fletcher continued to mark his importance. He has scored 6 goals in last 8 games and looks to be a direct replacement for Yakubu.

Adebayor continues to disappoint with yet another non-productive gameweek. His will not eligible against Manchester City as stated in the loan contract next week. A transfer dilemma for fantasy managers to consider.

Pick: Bale, Fletcher
Watch: Adebayor


West Brom 1-2 Norwich
Two big centre forwards Holt and Morison combined again for the winner while Surman scored a great goal. The Canaries are looking good to stay in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Roy Hodgson fails to find a solution to victory as their side got only one point from the last four games.

Pick: Morison
Watch: Holt
Drop: WBA players


Newcastle 1-0 Queen's Park Rangers
Quite a lucky win by Newcastle to be honest. QPR had pushed well and got several great chances which either got squandered or got saved by Krul and his rearguards. You should really spend some time reassessing this team for the next few weeks to see how they perform under Mark Hughes' reign.

Leon Best scored a wonderful solo effort, but otherwise it was defence that brought them the victory.

Pick: NEW defence
Watch: Best, Wright-Phillips, Bothroyd, Helguson


Swansea 3-2 Arsenal
Fantastic game by Swansea which outplayed the Gunners' through Barca-esque possession. The ball control was superb as Wenger couldn't find any clue to anticipate the precise passes. Nathan Dyer is the man in form, scoring 23 points in the last two games.

Arsenal's defence was signalling a huge alarm as they become the side which conceded the most away goals (25). In my opinion, they would need two extra defenders which they should get in this transfer window if they are to grab that Champions' League ticket.

Pick: Dyer, Van Persie, Graham, Sinclair
Drop: ARS defence


Wigan 0-1 Manchester City
Finally a win for City after consecutive cup defeats. It was a hard fought victory though, with Silva provided the assist for Dzeko's goal. It was indeed quite surprising to see Silva played almost a full match, plus an assist.

Aguero still couldn't find the blazing feet which scored crazily earlier this season, but hopefully the upcoming easy fixtures will help him.

Pick: Silva