Kick-Off: Gameweek 36 Fantasy Preview

Awardsss: Gareth Bale is the winner of PFA Player of the Year, PFA Young Player of the Year and Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year.

Gareth Bale (£10.7m, 12 pts) was all over the headlines after clinching a hat-trick of awards. Astounding. In the European football we saw Bayern completed a 7-0 sweep against Barcelona. The end of an era?

Let's back to our fantasy business anyway with another double gameweek awaiting us...

FEATURED: Manchester United v Chelsea @ Old Trafford
Reigning champions Manchester United will welcome the challenge of Chelsea at the Theater of Dreams.

With nothing else to compete for, the Red Devils will go all out against their new rivals since Roman Abramovich purchased the London club last decade. Robin Van Persie (£13.8m, 8 pts) continues to be the biggest threat and the player of the year of every Manchester United fans. Nonetheless, fantasy managers should take into account of the possibility of "experiments" by Sir Alex Ferguson as he prepares the team for the next season — rotations can possibly harm your fantasy returns from this team.

On the other side, Fernando Torres (£9.3m, - pts) led his side to reach the final of Europa League, and may give United's defence a tough run. Rotations are also a heavy downside here with such compact fixtures for the Blues, but at least Rafa Benitez's side have two games this gameweek to earn fantasy points.

David Luiz (£6.6m, 6 pts) is one good investment to consider, with his defence greatly improved compared to when he was initially at Stamford Bridge and his threatening long range efforts.

There are a lot of uncertainties in this game so let's just stick with a scoring draw.

Prediction: MUN 2-2 CHE

TEAM FOCUS: Manchester City
Sure, Tottenham have better reason to go all out, but City's fixtures are relatively much easier and they need to warm up for their FA Cup final too.

Carlos Tevez (£9.3m, 2 pts) is the obvious pick upfront despite scoring none in the last two games. Yaya Toure (£8.2m, 10 pts) will provide support from the back, and is also a good option for you in this double gameweek.

Defensively it seems rather negative for me against West Brom who have in-form Romelu Lukaku (£6.7m, 15 pts), though Swansea's rather weak offence recently presents the Citizens the chance to clinch a clean sheet.

Prediction: SWA 1-2 MCI, MCI 3-1 WBA

PLAYER FOCUS: Bale
Of course you have to go for Super-Bale, who still has all the reasons to fight for this season. His halo of glories will make his days tougher in front of his opponents, but nonetheless these should not be a problem for him.

GAMEWEEK 36 DREAM TEAM

Robles

Luiz — Dawson — Zabaleta

Bale (C) — Coutinho — Mata — Yaya Toure

Defoe — Tevez (VC) — Lukaku

Subs: Vorm — Walcott — Boyce — Azpilicueta

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Kick-Off: Gameweek 19 Fantasy Preview

Six Chelsea players on last gameweek's dream team. How many do you own?

A not less than impressive gameweek 18 action featuring Chelsea's 8-goal demolition over Aston Villa, which Juan Mata (£9.5m, 6 pts) and Fernando Torres (£9.6m, 6 pts) both failed to register double digit scores. Weird, just weird.

GAMEWEEK 18 HIGHLIGHTS

• Manchester City managed to close down the gap to 4 points against Manchester United after Gareth Barry (£5.3m, 11 pts) scored a last minute goal to secure 3 points for the home side and left Reading stuck at the last place on the league table on Christmas. They are certainly playing more and more like a champion team — playing averagely and yet able to take three points into their bag.
• Manchester United, on the other hand, were held draw by Swansea — who have been doing so well against the top sides this season. The bright spot was, of course, the brawl between Robin Van Persie (£13.9m, 4 pts) and Ashley Williams (£4.8m, 4 pts), where the defender attempted to clear the ball but ended up striking the ball to Van Persie's face at close range.
• Meanwhile, Steven Gerrard (£9.3m, 17 pts) seems to be very hype in this festive season as he led his side to a 4-0 victory against Fulham. Stewart Downing (£5.7m, 11 pts) did surprisingly well this time as he scored his first Premier League goal, as well as first Premier League assist, for the Reds since joining the club last summer.

GAMEWEEK 18 TOP SCORERS

1. Steven Gerrard (£9.3m, 17 pts): His killer pass simply owns.
2. Ramires (£6.2m, 14 pts): Featured as a supersub and did not disappoint with his locomotive-style run. Two goals in 30 minutes, that is simply incredible.
3. Martin Skrtel (£5.9m, 13 pts): One thing unique about Liverpool defenders is that their best back four are all good at going forward. He just showed that again.
4. Eden Hazard (£9.5m, 13 pts): Recorded his first double digit gameweek after his price returned to his season starting value. Perhaps it's time to get him in again.
5. Steven Pienaar (£6.6m, 13 pts): He's in one hell kind of form with 28 points in last 3 gameweeks. Can he continue to take charge of Everton's offence in the absence of suspended Marouane Fellaini (£7.5m, - pts)?

FEATURED: Manchester United v Newcastle @ Old Trafford
The Magpies will certainly have a tough Boxing Day as they visit to Old Trafford tomorrow.

Newcastle are historically Manchester United's bully suspects, and have never won at Old Trafford since 1972 — that's an incredible 40 years.

Robin Van Persie is the favourite to lead the line again, though one might wonder the possibility of resting him, and/or possibly Wayne Rooney (£12.0m, 1 pt) by Sir Alex Ferguson and deploy Javier Hernandez (£6.9m, 1 pt) and/or Danny Welbeck (£7.8m, - pts) instead.

On the back Nemanja Vidic (£6.6m, 2 pts) is fully fit once again and played until the whistle was blown against Swansea last Sunday and should therefore lead the line again this time.

Newcastle has lost all of their last 3 Premier League away tie and I expect that to continue. Demba Ba (£8.3m, 2 pts) might of course blast one or two goals behind the line, but I don't think that's going to stop the Red Devils from reaping points from their favourite prey in the Premier League.

Prediction: MUN 3-1 NEW

TEAM FOCUS: Tottenham
It's unlucky that Aston Villa will face Tottenham after a calamitous defeat at Stamford Bridge.

Gareth Bale (£9.5m, 3 pts) is fit to war again so expect the floodgate to reopen at Villa Park. Jermaine Defoe (£8.4m, 2 pts) is more than happy to see him return as he had scored no goals in his absence.

I think Christian Benteke (£6.7m, 2 pts) surely has something up his sleeves so let's focus on Tottenham's offensive players instead of their defence.

Prediction: AST 1-3 TOT

PLAYER FOCUS: Pienaar
Steven Pienaar is in wonderful form in the absence of Fellaini, so expect him to get up and running again against Wigan at Goodison Park.

GAMEWEEK 19 DREAM TEAM

Hart

Vidic — Ivanovic — Baines

 Michu — Pienaar — Mata  — Bale (VC)

Defoe — Van Persie (C) — Suarez

Subs: Begovic — Gaston Ramirez —  Nelsen — Fonte

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Kick-Off: Gameweek 16 Fantasy Preview

The Blues' three musketeers failed to bring their team to the round of 16 despite a emphatic victory.

Chelsea won 6-1 in their last Champions League fixture of the season, sitting only third in group standings as Manchester City couldn't even qualify for Europa League after yet another loss, ending only with 3 points without a victory. Is English influence on Europe football diminishing?

GAMEWEEK 15 HIGHLIGHTS

• Rafa Benitez got only 1 point in his first 3 games for Chelsea after a poor defeat against West Ham. What an embarrassing record.
• Chelsea's London rivals, Arsenal didn't fare well too as a defeat to Swansea at home marked a poor run of only 1 victory in their last 6 Premier League games.
• Manchester United needed to come from behind again to win in a 7-goal thriller at Madejski but the win nonetheless extended their lead to three points as Manchester City failed to win against Everton.
• Luis Suarez (£10.4m, 1 pt) is going to serve for one-match suspension after collecting his fifth yellow of the season against Southampton.

GAMEWEEK 15 TOP SCORERS

1. Michu (£7.8m, 16 pts): After some period of silence, the Spaniard rediscovers his goalscoring form with 4 goals in 4 games. Expect the buy bandwagon to return.
2. Wayne Rooney (£11.8m, 16 pts): Unfortunately to Robin Van Persie's (£13.8m, 6 pts) owners, Rooney is still the primary penalty taker of the team. Certainly needs drag the battle to determine who's the boss at Old Trafford.
3. Daniel Agger (£6.4m, 15 pts): 31 points in his last 4 FPL games, which include 6 bonus points. The Dane is certainly showing some fine form here and the upcoming fixtures look pretty fantasy friendly too.
4. Jermaine Defoe (£8.3m, 13 pts): Don't look like he will lose his position as Spurs' first choice forward as least for this season. Solid pick.
5. Demba Ba (£8.2m, 13 pts): Scored an important brace to end Newcastle's poor run of 4 consecutive defeats. Looks awesomely consistent as his maximum goal drought is only 2 league matches so far.

DOUBLE GAMEWEEK: Sunderland and Reading

This double gameweek has little meaning actually, as both teams do not have any big scorers. Still, start their players if you happen to own them anyway as 180 minutes of action will give you 4 points even if they don't contribute any goals, assists or clean sheets.

FEATURED: Manchester City v Manchester United @ Etihad
The battle for top comes in a pretty critical moment as City host United at home.

The gap between the Manchesters is now 3 points wide, and a win is much needed for City to ensure that this is still at least a two-horse race. The battle for the forward spots is pretty intense now, though I am pretty sure that Sergio Aguero (£11.0, 1 pt) will pin down one of the places to play against the Red Devils. David Silva (£9.4m, 2 pts) is a much more rotation-proof figure in City's offence, but he may not be fit enough to play following a hamstring injury.

For the away side, injury is plaguing the midfielders so expect Wayne Rooney to play in the hole supporting Robin Van Persie and Javier Hernandez (£7.5m, - pts) or Danny Welbeck (£7.8, 1 pt) upfront.

I am not too convince about City winning at home with such mediocre form recently, so I guess I will vote for a draw.

Prediction: MCI 1-1 MUN

TEAM FOCUS: Chelsea
Martin O'Neill's team is struggling recently and it presents a great chance for Rafa Benitez to grab his first Premier League win as Chelsea's manager.

The Blues thrashed Nordsjaelland 6-1 in the Champions League, with Fernando Torres (£9.4m, 5 pts) rediscovering his form by scoring 2 goals. That could serve as a great momentum for him to get back on the scoring track.

Juan Mata (£9.5m, 7 pts) also scored a goal against Nordsjaelland and will be hopeful to replicate his scoring form too.

Benitez should really start winning to avoid premature axing by Roman Abramovich...

Prediction: SUN 0-2 CHE

PLAYER FOCUS: Michu
Michu has been very streaky so far this season, so he may go with full ammunition this weekend and bag one goal or two again against Norwich.

GAMEWEEK 16 DREAM TEAM

Cesar

Sean Morrison — Mertesacker — Cuellar

 Gardner — McAnuff— Michu (C) — Mata

Le Fondre — Berbatov — Torres (VC)

Subs: Gazzaniga — Lallana —  Rangel — Nelsen 

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Kick-Off: Gameweek 13 Fantasy Preview

Roman Abramovich certainly loves the personnel from Merseyside.

A week of sackings as Roberto Di Matteo became the first Premier League manager to be discharged from his job this season following a 0-3 defeat to Juventus in the Champions League. Shocking. Replacing him is ex-Liverpool gaffer Rafael Benitez, until the end of the season.

The Blues of London certainly need a miracle to progress to the next round now, while the Blues of Manchester — Manchester City — are officially out of the tournament. Both Manchester United and Arsenal have secured their progress though.

Also being sacked is Queen Park Rangers' ex-manager Mark Hughes, after such a horrible season with only 4 points despite having a more than decent squad. He is then quickly replaced by Harry Redknapp, one of the best manager since Premier League's establishment 20 years ago.

Let's see how these sides respond in the Premier League as we head into the 13th gameweek of the season.

GAMEWEEK 12 TOP SCORERS

1. Carlos Tevez (£9.4m, 19 pts): Explosive. The Argentine is now leading the fantasy scoreboard and looks set to become the first player to break the 100-point milestone.
2. Jose Enrique (£5.7m, 18 pts): Looks superb to play out of position. If he can lock down the left wing spot he could be the next fantasy hot cake.
3. David Silva (£9.3m, 16 pts): And finally the Spaniard scored something which tallies with his price. Needs a few more of such performance to regain fantasy managers' confidence though.
4. Santi Cazorla (£9.4m, 13 pts): The expected one to perform when Arsenal perform.
5. Adam Le Fondre (£4.8m, 13 pts): A good, low-cost benchwarmer in your fantasy team considering his penalty duties.

FEATURED: Chelsea v Manchester City @ Stamford Bridge
Rafa Benitez will have a tough start at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea face league leaders Manchester City.

The Blues have gone four matches without a win and will definitely hope for a change under the new gaffer. Fernando Torres (£9.5m, 2 pts) is the man on the radar now as he had flourished well under the leadership of Benitez and will hope to replicate the same thing again.

Frank Lampard (£8.4m, - pts) and John Terry (£6.6m, - pts) will continue to spend time with the physios, and thus offensive burden will continue to lay heavily on Juan Mata (£9.6m, 1 pt) and Eden Hazard (£10.1m, 7 pts) while defensively it will continue to leak in my opinion.

Roberto Mancini certainly has huge pressure after witnessing the sack of Roberto Di Matteo and will go all out to deliver the necessary result to avoid following Di Matteo's footsteps. Carlos Tevez (£9.4m, 19 pts), David Silva (£9.4m, 16 pts) and Sergio Aguero (£11.0m, 11 pts) will continue be Mancini's main weapon to rely on if they are to get something from London this Sunday.

Tough one to call given the uncertainty that new manager gives, but I believe City should be able to knock down unsettled Chelsea.

Prediction: CHE 1-2 MCI

TEAM FOCUS: Manchester United
A managerial change at Queens Park Rangers, but I don't think that will change Manchester United status as the most fantasy friendly team this week.

United went for a full rotation in Champions League defeat against Galatasaray and will have their elites fully prepared for a full scale demolition. Wayne Rooney (£11.7m, - pts) will be fit for the clash, though Robin Van Persie (£13.7m, 2 pts) remains the best pick of the team and perhaps across the league as well for this week's FPL captain.

The Rangers don't score a lot of goals, so it's likely for Rafael Da Silva (£6.4m, 1 pt) and co to get some good returns.

Prediction: MUN 3-0 QPR

PLAYER FOCUS: Kone
Wigan will host Reading who have only kept one clean sheet so far this season, so I think Arouna Kone (£6.5m, 2 pts) has quite the chance to get something from the game and become a decent pick for this gameweek.

Luis Suarez (£10.3m, 11 pts) continues to get popularity among fantasy managers as well as with his unstoppable form, scoring 5 goals in last 4 Premier League games.

GAMEWEEK 13 DREAM TEAM

Al-Habsi

Rafael — Shawcross — Enrique

Adam Johnson — Cazorla — Sterling — Bale

Tevez (VC) — Van Persie (C) — Suarez

Subs: Begovic — Pablo Hernandez —  Mertesacker — Cuellar

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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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Sunday Aftermath: No Ban

A big relief for Robin Van Persie's owners after FA's decision to not take action against his elbow towards Yohan Cabaye.

So Chelsea continued to hold their 5-point lead after a handsome victory over Norwich. Here are some highlights:

• Branislav Ivanovic (£7.2m, 12 pts) continues to fire after recording yet another goal and assist. The Serbian defender has already got 3 league goals this term, and looks unstoppable at the moment.
• Meanwhile, Juan Mata (£8.9m, 8 pts) continued his supremacy but Eden Hazard (£10.3m, 9 pts) gave a timely response with his second goal of the season. Still too early to tell who is the king at Stamford Bridge.
• Fernando Torres (£10.0m, 12 pts) was the man who claimed 3 bonus points nonetheless as the Spaniard starts to show some ruthless form. Looks to have the best value among those luxurious forwards.
• Manchester City got their first clean sheet of the season as defender Aleksandar Kolarov (£5.7m, 20 pts) blasted home with 20 fantasy points. Still as efficient as always. Still not getting the required playing time to unleash his fantasy potential yet as well unfortunately.
• The London derby between Arsenal and West Ham saw Olivier Giroud (£8.4m, 12 pts) scored his first Premier League goal in his career as the Gunners inflicted a comprehensive defeat to the Hammers. Theo Walcott (£8.7m, 10 pts) made a wonderful feature from the bench — he has not started for 6 Premier League games already.
• Defenders went on rampage at Tyneside as Newcastle succumbed to a 0-3 defeat to Manchester United. Jonny Evans (£5.8m, 14 pts) represents a good buy from United's defence following Nemanja Vidic's (£6.8m) medium-term injury.
• Wayne Rooney (£11.7m, 11 pts) continues to be influential, while Rovin Van Persie (£13.5m, 4 pts) was lucky to not being suspended after an elbow to Yohan Cabaye (£6.8m, 2 pts).
• At White Hart Lane we saw Tottenham getting their clean sheet with Hugo Lloris (£5.9m, 7 pts) getting his first cap at the Premier League. A coincidence?
• 3 straight league starts for Clint Dempsey (£9.2m, 6 pts) as his assist surely further piles Glyfi Sigurdsson (£8.3m, 1 pt) on the bench.
• Miguel Michu (£7.2m, 6 pts) and Wayne Routledge (£5.1m, 13 pts) as Swansea ended their consecutive defeat streak by sharing 1 point apiece with Reading. Pavel Pogrebnyak (£4.7m, 8 pts) was the influential man from the other side.
• James Morrison (£6.0m, 12 pts) continued his fine season in style as West Brom made sure that Queens Park Rangers continue to root on the bottom of the table.
• Defender Jose Fonte (£4.0, 15 pts) scored both goals for Southampton including one last-gasp equaliser to secure 1 point for the Saints.
• Arouna Kone (£6.5m, 11 pts) was the man at DW Stadium for the home side, while Steven Pienaar (£6.8, 8 pts) had a lively combination with Leighton Baines (£7.4m, 6 pts) to secure a point from Wigan.
• Liverpool hit the frame thrice at home as they suffered a goalless draw against Stoke City, which eventually means they still have only won twice at Anfield this year.

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Kick-Off: Gameweek 7 Fantasy Preview

Van Persie and Rooney: Possibly the toughest ever partnership for defenders.

The English clubs are doing pretty well in UEFA Champions League, with only Manchester City failed to win this midweek. Van Persie, Rooney and Mata are among the performing players, but can they carry forward their fine form into this week's Premier League?

GAMEWEEK 6 TOP SCORERS

1. Luis Suarez (£9.5m, 20 pts): You don't frequently see a 20-pointer, but he is definitely one of the players who are capable to do such impressive one-man-show. Not so sure on his consistency though.
2. Nikica Jelavic (£8.4m, 16 pts): Still very clinical in front of goal. His return will make Everton an even tougher side to face.
3. Gareth Bale (£9.4m, 16 pts): Tottenham have pretty much get themselves on the right track. The Welsh should continue to be the main fantasy contributor of the team this season.
4. Nuri Sahin (£6.7m, 15 pts): The on-loan player from Read Madrid is certainly on a hot streak. Just like Suarez, sustainability is a question to be unfolded.
5. Juan Mata (£8.8m, 13 pts): All of sudden the Spaniard got back his ace position from Eden Hazard (£10.3m, 2 pts). Scored another brace in UEFA Champions League and looks unplayable at the moment.
6. Demba Ba (£8.2m, 13 pts): 5 goals in last 3 shows how good he are. Plays Manchester United this gameweek but nonetheless fantasy managers should still feel comfortable to play him with the Red Devils' patchy defence.
7. Peter Crouch (£6.6m, 13 pts): A very underrated forward, sitting third among fantasy forwards in terms of total score. Short-term fixtures look unfavourable though.

FEATURED: Newcastle v Manchester United @ Sports Direct Arena
Tough game for Manchester United as they travel to Newcastle to try to take something away from the Magpies this weekend.

"Van Rooney" is the hot phrase in the football world now after Wayne Rooney (£11.7m, 4 pts) assisted both Robin Van Persie's (£13.5m, 5 pts) goals in Champions League clash against Cluj this midweek. The priciest duo in FPL are surely having a great chemistry, though Sir Alex Ferguson's unpredictable rotation policy might hinder them to deliver their value.

Unfortunately though, the back line continues to haunt Ferguson's team with Nemanja Vidic (£6.9m, - pts) set to out for 2 months. The Red Devils have now gone 4 games without a clean sheet in all competitions, and the defensive crisis will surely open up the opportunity for Demba Ba (£8.2m, 13 pts) to shine. A big man to watch from Alan Pardew's side.

It won't be easy for both sides, but I believe Manchester United's poor defence will pull their leg this time.

Prediction: NEW 2-2 MUN

TEAM FOCUS: Chelsea
The Blues will host Norwich — who conceded 5 goals last week — this week, and that is such a great opportunity for fantasy managers to exploit.

Mata fired yet another 2 goals in Champions League and definitely should be the man on your radar, but let's not write off Hazard just yet — this game may help him to bounce back to his earlier stunning form.

Fernando Torres (£9.9m, 11 pts) is another man that you can consider, while the defence looks good to earn a clean sheet as well this week.

Prediction: CHE 4-0 NOR

PLAYER FOCUS: Bale, Jelavic
Blazing Tottenham will face not so great Aston Villa this week, and that certainly is a great chance for Bale  to grab even more points to push himself up in the ranks of fantasy.

Wigan is traditionally not a good side in defence, so it's a good time to jump into Jelavic's bandwagon and hope for some clinical finishing from the Croatian.

Miguel Michu (£7.3m, 2 pts) has a solid opportunity to score against Reading, but to hold him could mean that you will lost a few pennies as some fantasy managers have lost patience and started to sell him. It's a call for you to decide.

GAMEWEEK 6 DREAM TEAM

Howard

Johnson — McAuley — A Cole

Michu — Fellaini  — Mata — Bale (VC)

Suarez —  Jelavic (C) — Torres

Subs: Gazzaniga — Sterling—  Jenkinson — Rangel

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Sundat Aftermath: What's the MATA?

Juan Mata is responding after Eden Hazard's marvel earlier this season.

Interesting Saturday fixtures as we saw Chelsea bagging-in 3 points from Emirates Stadium while Tottenham Hotspur got their first win at Old Trafford since 1989. Here are some notes:

• Juan Mata (£8.8m, 13 pts) returned in style. 1 goal + 1 assist + 3 bonus points made the Spaniard one of the top scorers of the week in Chelsea's victory over Arsenal. With Eden Hazard (£10.3m, 2 pts) totally out of form, fantasy managers may get tempted to switch to Mata and use the extra money elsewhere.
• And just when people are jumping on the sell bandwagon of Fernando Torres (£9.9m, 11 pts), the striker came back with a tough goal and an assist. He is the only available forward that Chelsea have currently, so he should still give you at least some consistent returns, if not spectacular.
• At the back of the Blues defence Petr Cech (£6.6m, 3 pts) had a wonderful performance and is definitely the only luxury-line keeper I would recommend at the moment.
• On the other side, Yao Gervinho (£7.4m, 8 pts) scored another goal and seems to secure one of the starting position at the moment with his fine form.
• Laurent Koscielny (£5.4m, 1 pt) on the other hand was disastrous at the back and was the main culprit for the Gunners' home defeat.
• At Old Trafford, Gareth Bale (£9.3m, 16 pts) was involved in all the 3 goals as Tottenham won 3-2 against Manchester United.
• Jan Vertonghen (£6.4m, 9 pts) scored a beautiful opener for Spurs, while Clint Dempsey (£9.2m, 7 pts) wasted no time to show his skills by tapping in the third goal of his side.
• Wayne Rooney (£11.7m, 4 pts) made an influential return for the Red Devils, but the defence was really too calamitous for them to earn a victory. They have at least 1 legitimate penalty claim denied though.
• A tough game for Manchester City but they eventually overcame it with a comeback victory at Craven's Cottage. Carlos Tevez (£9.8m, 4 pts) continued to be under-productive this time, but nonetheless got 2 bonus points for his performance.
• Meanwhile, captain Vincent Kompany (£7.4m, 1 pt) struggled a lot during that game as City still fail to capture their first clean sheet.
• 7 goals were scored at Carrow Road as it has become Luis Suarez's (£9.4m, 20 pts) most favourite ground, as he completed 2 hat-tricks in as many games there. Superb one-man show.
• Another man on fire for Liverpool was Nuri Sahin (£6.7m, 15 pts), who seems to click into Liverpool system already.
• Interestingly the Reds' young revolution are beginning to take shape with Raheem Sterling (£4.7m, 17 years old), Andre Wisdom (£4.5m, 19 years old) and Fernandez Saez (£5.0m, 18 years old) all on the starting line-up against Norwich.
• 5 goals in 3 games for Demba Ba (£8.1m, 13 pts) as Newcastle took 1 point away from Madejski Stadium. What an incredible form for the Senegalese forward.
• Also scoring a brace on Saturday were Everton's Nikica Jelavic (£8.4m, 16 pts) and Stoke City's Peter Crouch (£6.6m, 13 pts) in their respective wins over Southampton and Swansea.
• Another man on fire was Steven Fletcher (£7.4m, 8 pts) as he scored all of Sunderland's Premier League goals since his arrival. A cautious trend for Martin O'Neill, but that is really a happy signal for Fletcher's fantasy managers.
• Shane Long (£6.0m, 9 pts) scored a fine opener for West Brom only to be equalised by Darren Bent (£8.2m, 5 pts) from the bench as points were shared at Villa Park.

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Kick-Off: Gameweek 4 Fantasy Preview

How long will Van Persie be out?

The Premier League was absent last week with international fixtures taking over, with fantasy favourite Robin Van Persie limping off for Netherlands. Louis Van Gaal said it was only a precautionary measure, but we shall wait and see.

GAMEWEEK 3 TOP SCORERS

1. Robin Van Persie (£13.4m, 15 pts): A dramatic hat-trick from the Dutch had helped United to turn defeat into victory. People at Old Trafford have no reason to miss Wayne Rooney (£11.7m) for the time being.
2. Carlos Tevez (£9.8m, 15 pts): 3 goals and 3 assists already so far for the Argentine. A cheaper version of Van Persie, yet as productive as him.
3. Gareth McAuley (£5.1m, 15 pts): The defender is producing RVP-esque return so far, but that is hardly sustainable in my opinion in the long run.
4. Winston Reid (£4.6m, 15 pts): 5 bonus points already this season. Perhaps he will be the Shawcross of the season — super-budget defender who is good at both ends.
5. Santi Cazorla (£9.0m, 13 pts): Superb play which finally got converted into fantasy points. Great work.
6. Matthew Taylor (£4.9m, 13 pts): Might still has the ace quality he once got at Bolton, but nonetheless it's too risky to get him now unless he can confirm a firm starting spot at West Ham.
7. Steven Fletcher (£7.0m, 13 pts): Great debut as the forward netted both goals against Swansea. Still a long way to tell though whether he can become the Papiss Cisse of this season.

FEATURED: Everton v Newcastle @ Goodison Park
Arguably the most balanced match-up of the week as in form Everton face Newcastle at home after a long international break.

The Toffees are without any injuries currently, so one would expect Nikica Jelavic (£8.5m), Steven Pienaar (£6.6m) and Marouane Fellaini (£6.9m) to continue to star in offence. I doubt Fellaini's long-term prospect though with Kevin Mirallas (£7.5m) expected to gain more playing time, pushing the Belgian backward.

On the other side, both Demba Ba (£7.7m) and Papiss Cisse (£9.4m) are struggling to find their spectacular form last season, with only one league scored by them in total currently. Hatem Ben Arfa (£7.7m) led Newcastle's scoresheet instead, with 2 goals in his bag already and is ready to give more. It does seem that the French is a better pick than the former duo at the moment. Both right-backs of the Magpies — Danny Simpson (£5.0m) and Ryan Taylor (£5.3m) — are injured, so don't be hopeful that they will get a clean sheet away from home.

Not an easy game to predict, but I think Everton have the slight advantage to get 3 points at home.

Prediction: EVE 1-0 NEW

TEAM FOCUS: Arsenal
Yes, Southampton had been scaring both Manchester City and Manchester United a big time, but that does not stop me from giving my vote of confidence to Arsenal.

Arsenal is currently the only club that are yet to concede a goal across four divisions in England, with Thomas Vermaelen (£7.0m) and Carl Jenkinson (£4.8m) both performed stunningly well. One must really own at least one of them.

On the offence, Santi Cazorla (£9.1m) and Lukas Podolski (£8.4m) are the obvious picks after both of them broke their duck on their last fixture. Olivier Giroud (£8.8m) is still struggling to find his first goal, but his poor finishing should really end sooner rather than later with so many supplies going to him.

Arsenal should really win this one and start pushing themselves to the leading pack.

Prediction: ARS 2-0 SOU

PLAYER FOCUS: Torres and Hazard
With Robin Van Persie (£13.4m) seems to have a minor injury doubt, Fernando Torres (£10.1m) and Eden Hazard (£10.1m) seems to be the safer option. Queens Park Rangers have been conceding 9 goals already, and with Mark Hughes still figuring his best XI, I do not expect leakages to end soon. You can do much worse than picking (and captaining) the duo, especially when Torres had hat-tricked against the Rangers last season.

With Manchester United at home against Wigan, one just cannot simply ignore players from Old Trafford. But with Van Persie and Shinji Kagawa (£8.6m) both having an injury, Antonio Valencia (£8.9m) seems like the safest bet at the moment.

GAMEWEEK 4 DREAM TEAM

Szczesny

Rafael — Hangeland — Jenkinson

Hazard — Valencia — Cazorla — Nolan

Torres (C) — Van Persie (VC) — Tevez

Subs: Schwarzer — Duff — Bertrand — Demel

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Sunday Aftermath: From Hero to Zero

Martin Skrtel was influential on both ends of pitch... One of the ends was a wrong end unfortunately.

Dramatic game at Anfield on Sunday as we saw Liverpool fantastic offence got jeopardized by their shabby defence. Here's my notes on yesterday's game:

• Martin Skrtel (£6.0m). The defender got all the flashlights as he dictated the game with one atomic header and one assist — to Carlos Tevez (£9.4m) unfortunately.
• Tevez once again became the hero for Manchester City, capitalizing both defensive errors of the Reds and recorded one goal and one assist. Great, great underpriced fantasy acquisition, especially when Sergio Aguero (£11.2m) is injured and QPR are the next team on City's fixtures.
• Brendan Rodgers started Raheem Sterling (£4.5m) instead of Stewart Downing (£6.4m) on the left flank surprisingly, and that has paid great dividends. The 17-year-old winger played as if he's a Premier League veteran — calm, composed, and low on errors. Might be the best £4.5m player to own if he can squeeze Downing away from starting XI.
• Luis Suarez (£9.5m) scored the first direct free-kick goal (watch here) of Premier League this season. A very beautiful goal. If and only if he can be more accurate in shooting on open play and provide more in fantasy terms...
• Yaya Toure (£8.0m) continued his spectacular and scored 9 fantasy points. The lad seems to be a better pick than David Silva (£10.0m) at the moment, who only featured as a substitute and broke his fantasy managers' heart.
• As for Arsenal, they failed to grab a goal once again and stuck 0-0 against Stoke City. Thomas Vermaelen (£7.0m) continued to shine though, getting yet another clean sheet and 2 bonus points. Still one of the most productive defender in the luxurious line.
• Meanwhile, Carl Jenkinson (£4.6m) continued to provide super-productive fantasy return for his price, scoring 16 points in aggregate — on par with his new captain Vermaelen. But can he maintain his position when Bacary Sagna (£5.5m, expected to return on 02 September) returns? Big question mark to answer.
• Michael Kightly (£5.5m) of Stoke also continued his fine form, scoring 5 bonus points in 2 games. Looks like the killer-passer in League Championship years ago (check his historical stats here) is getting back his magic feet.
• As for late Saturday game, Eden Hazard (£9.8m) combined with Fernando Torres (£10.1m) for both of Chelsea's goals in their win over Newcastle. The duo are attaining the "must have" status in FPL, with fantasy managers continue to jump into the bandwagon to get him despite Chelsea having no game in gameweek 3.
• Juan Mata (£9.4m), on the other hand, continued to disappoint fantasy wise, having played too deep to contribute any goals or assists.

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

Kick-Off: Gameweek 1 Fantasy Preview

The dream partnership.

I am sure sports lovers have undergone a great summer with Euro 2012 and London 2012 Olympics around. But nothing brings excitement and passion as much as Premier League action and managing your own Premier League team at Fantasy Premier League! And here we go, the gameweek 1 of 2012/13 Premier League season! Live up the game!

In case you have no idea on how to play the game or improve your game, feel free to read FPLZ 2012/13 Fantasy Season Preview Series by clicking this link.

FEATURED: Manchester United v Everton @ Goodison Park
Great season opener awaits as league runners-up Manchester United set to travel to Liverpool with a new striker in the name of Robin Van Persie (£13.0m).

The Dutch is set to start with Wayne Rooney (£12.0m) and form possibly the best strike partnership in earth's history. It remains unknown though whether the team-up will flourish both in reality and fantasy or falter.

There are other things to unveil for fantasy managers in this game as well, such as Shinji Kagawa's role in the team, Sir Alex Ferguson's favourite defensive line-up for the season and the complicated battle between the wingers of United. Big questions to answer.

The Red Devils should have no trouble to win though.

Prediction: MUN 3-1 EVE

TEAM FOCUS: Chelsea and Reading's DGW (Double Gameweek)
Interestingly the double gameweek this season begins so early - at gameweek 1 itself! Chelsea and Reading will play twice each, but of course emphasis will be placed on the defending UEFA Champions League Champion who have done so many big moves this summer.

Fernando Torres (£10.0m) will surely grab the spotlight - he is the Blue's most senior and experienced striker currently and has found some good form since the end of last season. He scored in the Community Shield against Manchester City, which may give more reason to fantasy managers to land him in their line-up.

Getting Chelsea midfielders which consist of Eden Hazard (£9.5m), Juan Mata (£9.5m), Frank Lampard (£9.0m), Ramires (£7.0m), Oscar (£8.5m) and more is a pretty risky move right now - Roberto Di Matteo needs more time to conduct his experiment after landing so many new players. The defenders, on the other hand, are more reliable in my opinion so landing Ashley Cole (£6.5m) into your team can be a good choice.

As for new boys Reading, Pavel Pogrebnyak (£5.0m) represents a great investment. The Russian has been doing pretty well in the Royals' pre-season, so fantasy managers can consider giving him a shot. You can consider getting Danny Guthrie (£4.5m) in too with his very affordable price.

It can be very risky to put all eggs into Chelsea and Reading's basket, but you can always use your wildcard to tweak your team if things go badly.

Prediction: WIG 1-2 CHE; RDG 1-1 STO; CHE 2-0 RDG

PLAYER FOCUS: Aguero and Silva
It's only gameweek 1 and pre-season is hardly an accurate indicator, so let's just focus on fantasy-proven players.

It's hard to keep your eye away from Sergio Aguero (£11.5m) and David Silva (£10.0m) as they are facing new boys Southampton this week. Aguero is one of the top fantasy forwards last season with 23 league goals last season, while Silva is one of the most consistent fantasy player I  have ever seen in my career as a fantasy manager. Both are reliable, if not great, fantasy picks.

I also like the prospect of new Arsenal ace Lukas Podolski (£8.5m) at home against Sunderland and Fulham new signing Mladen Petric (£6.0m) at home against Norwich, but it's always risky to pick new fantasy players without any Premier League exposure before.

STATUS UPDATES

• Joe Hart (£7.0m): Back injury (75% playing).
• Phil Jones (£6.0m): Back injury (short-term).
• Laurent Koscielny (£5.5m): Calf injury (short-term).
• Clint Dempsey (£9.5m): On the verge of transfer (short-term).
• Yohan Cabaye (£7.0m): Lack of match fitness (75% playing).
• Demba Ba (£7.5m):  Lack of match fitness (75% playing).
• Bobby Zamora (£6.0m): Knee injury (50% playing).
• Theo Walcott (£9.0m): Thigh injury (75% playing).
• Stephane Sessegnon (£8.0m): Ankle injury (75% playing).

GAMEWEEK 1 DREAM TEAM

Hart

Vermaelen — Hangeland  — A Cole

Silva — Guthrie — Nolan — Mata

Pogrebnyak — Torres (C) — Aguero (VC)

Subs: Jaaskelainen — Allen — McCartney — Fabio

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

FPLZ 2012/13 Season Preview: Chelsea F.C.

Chelsea F.C.

Chelsea with their trademark blue home kit.

You can download the full analyzed squad data here.

Password: http://p-fplz.blogspot.com/

Last Season: Champion of the Champions
Being gone through a disappointing Premier League season, Roman Abramovich somehow got the grand prize he has thirsted long - the Champions League trophy. Nonetheless, the Blues should really strengthen their domestic performance, as a sixth in Premier League will not land them the Champions League ticket, and it is absurd to expect themselves to win Champions League two times in a row.

This Summer: Hazard-ous Threat
Abramovich is forking a lot of money this summer, with Eden Hazard £32m purchase the biggest move in Premier League so far. Joining the boat is his brother Thorgan Hazard, Werder Bremen winger Marko Marin and Brazil's Olympic participant Oscar. Meanwhile, Jose Bosingwa, Salomon Kalou and the Blues legend Didier Drogba were all released for free.

Upcoming Season: Di Matteo's Showtime
While Roberto Di Matteo brought the Champions League trophy to London for the first time, we must not forget the fact that Chelsea's Premier League winning percentage was actually worsened under him than his predecessor, Andre Villas-Boas. With generous support from the Russian owner, Di Matteo simply have no excuses to fail this time around. He must do all he can to avoid the fate of Liverpool's Kenny Dalglish, who succeeded as a caretaker manager but failed considerably when he led Liverpool again for one full season.

The Aces: Mata (FI: 0.536) vs Hazard (FI: N/A)

Mata and Hazard: In comparison.

It is expected that Eden Hazard's (£9.5m) arrival will change the whole complexion in Chelsea's formation. The new Belgian winger will definitely challenge the ace position of Juan Mata (£9.5m), which the Spaniard took away from the club's vice captain, Frank Lampard, last season.
While both are attacking midfielder-winger hybrid type of players, they do have some distinct differences. Mata is more Silva-esque - calm, silky and is a natural playmaker; Hazard, meanwhile, is more C. Ronaldo-esque - explosive, speedy and is a great at finishing.

With both players being priced at £9.5m this season, it will be a great dilemma for fantasy managers to choose between a proven fantasy player or a next superstar in the making.

Torres' FPL historical data.

Resurrection: Torres (FI:0.273)
Has the old Fernando Torres (£10.0m) really returned? This season should provide the clear cut answer.

Being an old-time fantasy favourite at Liverpool, the Spaniard failed to impress fantasy managers ever since he joined Chelsea, scoring only 7 goals in total out of 46 appearances.

Nevertheless, El Nino has shown signs of resurrection in the end of last season, which include a killer goal against Barcelona in the Champions League and a hat-trick against QPR in the Premier League. His return of form was further supported with a goal and an assist in EURO 2012 final, where he only featured as a sub.

With Daniel Sturridge being his only contender in the forward line currently, Torres should be able to grab more opportunity to perform this season. Hopefully the clinical and explosive Torres will be back finally.

Ageing Legend: Lampard (FI: 0.479)
It seems like the fantasy committee are negative about the prospect of Frank Lampard (£9.0m) in this coming season - he is priced at £9.0m, a £3.0m discount from this very same time of last term.

Has Fat Frank really lost the competitive edge to fight for a fruitful fantasy season? Though he might not get his tenth consecutive double-digit goal season this time, I still believe that the vice captain have the potential to deliver a solid 150+ points fantasy season, provided that he don't get benched that often this season.

Tough Battle Ahead: Sturridge (FI: 0.521)
Unsurprisingly Daniel Sturridge (£8.0m) placed second at Chelsea in terms of FPLZ Index, thanks to his consistent goal poaching and his cheap price.

His price has inevitably risen to £8.0m thanks to Drogba's departure and also his continuous improvement in terms of performance and reputation. That does not spoil his value though, as I am pretty confident that he can perform consistently as usual (P90: 5.12, third at Chelsea), provided that he wins a forward spot and gain the required playing minutes to perform.

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Fernando Torres: What Do the Two Goals Against Ireland Indicate?

Can we expect a better season ahead?

Spain completed its redemption after much skepticism by demolishing Ireland with a score of 4-0. Much to our surprise, striker Fernando Torres, who has been so poor for his country over the past two years, is showing signs of revival in the national football arena as he slotted two of the four goals Spain has scored. This surely arouses fantasy managers' interest whether FT9 will rise to become a fantasy superstar again in 2012/13 season, and FPLZ will analyze on this.

£50m Move to Chelsea: The Beginning of Nightmare?
It's not a secret that Torres' successful spell in the Premier League for his first few years was partly credited to Liverpool's tactical reliance on him and the skipper, Steven Gerrard. Together, the duo had produced the best chemistry in the Premier League over the decade and recorded fantastic goal scoring figures over the years. However, when El Nino felt unhappy and decided for a change in winter of 2010/11 season, things became very different.

Chelsea, unlike Liverpool, wasn't a two-man team. They had plenty of reliable offensive points which included Malouda, Drogba, Lampard, Anelka, and to some extent, Kalou. Unfortunatley, Torres couldn't merge well with his new teammates. While it took some time for Carlo Ancelotti, manager at that moment, to decide, he had no choice but to bench the Spaniard as the season came close to the end. At that half of a season, Torres scored only one goal - a big humiliation for a striker of his calibre.

Such phenomena didn't change with the arrival of Andre Villas-Boas, whom actually deteriorated the Blue's attacking prowess and made Drogba and him took turns playing on the field. However, as AVB got sacked  on 4 March 2012 and Roberto Di Matteo took over his helm, things started to change.

Roberto Di Matteo: El Nino's Saviour?
For some reason, unlike his predecessors Di Matteo seems to know the better way to utilize Torres. Torres ended his goal drought of 24 games on 18 March 2012 by scoring two and setting up another two in Chelsea's 5-0 victory against Leicester City in an FA Cup encounter. In the same month, El Nino scored a Premier League goal against Aston Villa, as his resurgence has started to make its surface.

It took almost another month for the Spaniard to score, but this one, for me, was a pivotal moment for him. The last minute goal against Barcelona in Champions League semi-final had effectively wrapped up the game and sent the Blues to Munich. More importantly to Torres though was the fact that he scored against what majority called "the best club in the world".

It was indeed a great morale booster for Torres, as he scored a hat-trick on 29th April, five days after he scored against Barcelona. That was a long awaited moment for his fans, as confidence slowly regrew in the striker's mind. Despite not starting the Champions League final, El Nino featured as a sub in that game, and earned a corner which Drogba scored to bring the game into the extra time.

With Torres getting back his goalscoring confidence in the national team as well, we can be hopeful that the once lethal Fernando Torres will return soon.

2012/13 Season: The Prospect
The coming season certainly looks bright for Torres, with Di Matteo continues to be in charge at Chelsea. He is currently uncontested at the forward position (that may change if Chelsea managed to land Porto's ace player, Hulk). Not only that, the current Chelsea also has much more "pacey" players such as Mata, Hazard and the latest signing, Marko Marin to complement his explosive style of play. If he can continue to improve and pick up his lost form, FT9 will surely become a hot fantasy commodity again, just like what he did seasons ago with Liverpool.