Kick-Off: Gameweek 9 Fantasy Preview

Aguero returns wonderfully.

Overview
Both Manchester clubs have finally earned themselves their first victory in Champions League group stage respectively as they set for the first grand match of the season at Old Trafford in this coming Sunday. A pretty good Champions League midweek for Premier League clubs in fact as all four participants won. Rooney, Aguero, Ramsey and Torres (still not available) were the big man from respective teams.

Game of the Week: MANCHESTER UNITED v MANCHESTER CITY

Can De Gea pass the second
test after passing the first one
against Liverpool?

The first decisive game that can alter the direction where the Premier League trophy will go at May next year. Manchester United will take on the challenge against league leader and also their "noisy neighbours" Manchester City at Old Trafford.

City are really cementing themselves as a giant club currently, sealing 22 from possible 24 league points so far. The money spent by the Sheikhs has really given them incredible squad depth - players like Balotelli and Adam Johnson can easily make it through the starting XI of any other Premier League clubs, but yet they sit on City's bench frequently.

Silva and Nasri will continue to act as the dual-core processor at City - their supplies will be the very crucial factor in determining the outcome for City at Old Trafford. Aguero, who just scored the winning goal for City coming on through bench, shall give some hard time to United's defence.

The host Manchester United are doing fine too this season, but their form has dipped a bit recently. A lucky win against Norwich plus a difficult draw against Liverpool clearly shown that they are starting to struggle as the fixtures get more compact for them.

Rooney will lead the line as usual with Nani and Young providing the width. But will they play 4-5-1 or 4-4-2 against the ever threatening City? Hard to tell.

Vidic will really have to be in 100% focus if he starts. He has bad discipline history in big games (remember the red card hat-trick against Liverpool) so he simply has to be more alert about that.

I would have gone for a home victory a week ago, but the recent performance by United simply doesn't give me the confidence for that. Mancini has quite a chance to break United's 100% Premier League home record.

Prediction: MUN 1-1 MCI
Pick: Rooney, Aguero


Fantasy Game of the Week: QPR v CHELSEA

Meireles surely hopes to lock in
a first team place at Chelsea.

Sure, Liverpool are at home against Norwich, but with Norwich on form and Liverpool not so solid on the back so far, I'll rather go with Chelsea who just won 5-0 in the Champions League.

Torres scored more than one goal for the first time for Chelsea but is still unavailable for this week's Premier League action. No worries though, as both Sturridge and Drogba are more than ready to fill the Spaniard's boots, with on form Meireles providing the supplies behind them.

Lampard and Mata are perhaps the most safe player to start, but you do need to pay some good premiums for them (Lampard is super expensive and Mata don't seem to have a high ceiling yet). Ramires' injury has certainly paved a way to Meireles for a sure-starter, so you should really consider him who comes at a much cheaper price.

Defensively I still don't trust Terry and co, so it's really the Blues' attackers who matter.

Prediction: QPR 1-3 CHE
Pick and Captain: Sturridge, Meireles, Lampard
Pick: Mata
Drop: QPR defence, Ramires


Pick and Avoid
Pick and Captain:

1. Suarez/Adam/Gerrard - Against Norwich it's always a good choice to pass the armband any one of them.
2. Adebayor/Van der Vaart - They are against one of the worst defence of the league.
3. Van Persie - A no-brainer for his form.
4. Demba Ba - Scored 5 goals in 3 games and should score again against Wigan.

Pick:

1. Ramsey - Good form.
2. Best - Form is not as good as Ba.
3. Agbonlahor - Never fails to shine.
4. NEW defence - Rock solid.

Avoid:

1. NOR defence - Don't think they can escape from Anfield with no damages on the back.
2. BLA players - Awful all the way.

Transfer Traffic
Green light (buy):

1. Van der Vaart/Adebayor - Both are dictating Tottenham's offence.
2. Ba - Newcastle are playing extremely fine with him the key player upfront.
3. Ramsey - Cheap and productive.

Yellow light (watch):

1. Pilkington - Not really a good time to bring him in despite the form.
2. Adam - Watch whether he will be sacrificed to make way for Gerrard.
3. Arteta - Playing too deep.

Red light (sell):

1. Dzeko - Out of favour.
2. Downing - Played decently but somehow failed to contribute anything up till now.

Gameweek 9 Dream Team

Krul

Enrique -- Warnock -- R Taylor

Adam -- Van der Vaart -- Ramsey -- Meireles(VC)

Suarez -- Adebayor(C) -- Ba

Subs: Vorm -- Eagles -- Assou-Ekkoto -- Boyata

Reviews on Deadline Day Deals

Per Mertesacker is the best deadline day deal in my opinion.

Some reviews on notable deadline day transfers:

1. Arteta (£8.1m) - He actually took a pay cut to join Arsenal. Is expected to become the new playmaker of the team and steal some set piece duties of Van Persie. Pick.
2. Mertesacker (£6.0m) - A very solid buy by Arsenal. Should take defence to another level but is rather expensive. Watch.
3. Santos (£6.5m) - Too expensive for an Premier League unproven defender with a rather leaky side. Avoid until he shown great offensive capabilities. Avoid.
4. Benayoun (£6.9m) - Not too sure about his position as a starter or a benchwarmer. If it's the former, he will resemble a great fantasy bargain with his creativity. Watch.
5. Hutton (£5.0m) - Should become first choice RB of Villa, but with no discount compared to Stephen Warnock. Pick.
6. Jenas (£5.5m) - Pretty cheap for a midfielder who is capable of breaking 100-point ceiling. Watch.
7. Dann (£5.0m) - The former Birmingham defender joins Blackburn to bolster their defence, but it remains to be seen how is it going to be improved. Watch.
8. Yakubu (£5.5m) - He's getting older, but with limited options upfront at Blackburn, he can be a steal if he somehow finds his form. Watch.
9. N'gog (£5.4m) - Don't know how it he going to get his place with K Davies and in-form Klasnic upfront. Needs to wait for his chance. Avoid.
10. Meireles (£7.4m) - A surprise move. 50-50 on him whether to replace in-form Ramires or Mikel for a starting spot. Watch.
11. Drenthe (£6.0m) - Former Real Madrid left-back is expected to take a spot in midfield, but I don't see how is he going to contribute much in offence. Avoid.
12. Grygera (£5.0m) - An experienced defender who can play in both CB and RB. Pretty hard to predict where he stands in Fulham's defence. Watch.
13. Ruiz (£7.0m) - The new Fulham striker has some decent scoring record and is expected to share goal burden with Zamora and A Johnson. Watch.
14. Coates (£5.5m) - A big threat for Carragher's CB spot. Should replace him sooner or later. Watch.
15. Bellamy (£7.5m) - Expect a supersub role for him. Apparently overpriced. Avoid.
16. Hargreaves (£5.0m) - One of the worst deals in my opinion. Avoid.
17. Santon (£4.5m) - Surprisingly cheap for a former Inter defender. Expected to be a direct replacement for Jose Enrique. Pick.
18. Wright-Phillips (£6.4m) - May give immediate impact to QPR's attack. Pick.
19. Puncheon (-) - Great talent that should perform well alongside Barton, Taarabt and Wright-Phillips. Fantasy impact remains a question. Watch.
20. Crouch (£6.9m) - Fits nicely into Stoke's system but will not be too productive in my opinion. Watch.
21. Palacios (£4.9m) - Historically a good defensive midfielder but not a good fantasy midfielder. Avoid.
22. Bendtner (£6.4m) - Should be pairing up with Gyan to provide greater dimension to Sunderland's offence. Watch.
23. Parker (£6.5m) - Good time to arrive as Van der Vaart will out for some months. Pick.
24. Adebayor (£8.0m) - Has good scoring record and should shine with offensive-minded Tottenham. Pick.

Missing some? Kindly inform me. Thank you.

Full-Time: Gameweek 2 Fantasy Review

Raul Meireles with his middle finger got excited after creating the second goal for Liverpool.

Sunderland 0-1 Newcastle
SUN: Disappointing performance at home. They were lucky to escape with a penalty when Seb Larsson blocked Barton's going-in header with his arm. Sessegnon does look to be a good fantasy bargain with his advanced position anyway.


Potential Pick: Sessegnon
Drop: Bardsley (suspended)


NEW: It's surprising to see Newcastle being able to pick up consecutive clean sheets. That makes defenders like Simpson and Ryan Taylor (both at £4.0m) superb fantasy bargains. But before the window closes at the end of August, you can't be sure whether the Ryan Taylor will lock his place at the left.

In terms of offence, Cabaye is showing more and more potential with his set pieces.


Pick: Simpson
Potential Pick: R Taylor, Cabaye


Arsenal 0-2 Liverpool
ARS: Awfully bad luck for the Gunners. They didn't play as bad as predicted. Frimpong had a good game actually if not for the red card, while Nasri had a one-man show dribbling for 70-yards before unleashing a wide shot. Both goals they conceded were arguable, but Wenger did signed one or two star players before this, they could have already won the game before Ramsey's own goal.

Nasri is expected to be a superb fantasy bargain if he stays.

Potential Pick: Nasri
Drop: Frimpong (bad gamble eh?)


LIV: Still don't look organized as a squad. It's surprising that Suarez was benched, but with Frimpong's red, his introduction from the bench along with Meireles was superbly effective. Enrique-Kelly flank defence combo is very solid. In fact, I rate Kelly higher than Glen Johnson in terms of defensive ability.

Downing continued to show great potential and I believe it will be sooner rather than later for him to harvest some good fantasy scores. As for Meireles, I hope he will start instead of Henderson for his great vision of short passing and teamwork with Suarez. Before that happens, it's hardly justified to own the Portuguese.

Pick: Suarez, Downing, Enrique
Potential Pick: Meireles, Kelly
Drop: Henderson


Aston Villa 3-1 Blackburn
AST: Looks like McLeish will stick with his current three-pronged attack - Agbonlahor, Bent and Heskey - as each of them scored once. The rusty Agbonlahor seems to have gone away after a fine display at Saturday. At £6.5m he is a superb acquisition so hopefully he doesn't have any fitness problems after being subbed off during half-time last game.

Darren Bent scored despite not looking really sharp - that's what he is anyway. You'll never be disappointed with his goal rate. What that is differing him with other premium forwards is his lack of participation in creating chances and also his lack of bonus points.

It's a shame that they didn't get a clean sheet, but that doesn't erase the fact that Aston Villa is a good team to invest in defence.

Pick: Agbonlahor
Potential Pick: Bent


BLA: A very courageous header by Gamst Pedersen, but their defence has been horrible. Salgado is increasingly a liability in Rovers' defence - look how easily Agbonlahor teased him before going for a goal. If they don't get some good additions to the squad, I can see relegation coming near towards them.

Drop: BLA defence


Everton 0-1 QPR
EVE: Another story of bad luck. They played good, yet they failed to score. Cahill had a couple of chances to equalise or even win for Everton - he still is the heart of the Toffees' attack.

Meanwhile, youngster Barkley looked very lively throughout the game and should come into your consideration should he get regular starts.

Potential Pick: Tim Cahill


QPR: Nothing much to tell here, as their first choice pair upfront - Bothroyd and DJ Campbell - were both not playing due to virus infection. Certainly needs more observations to evaluate about their defence.


Swansea 0-0 Wigan
SWA: Vroom~! Vorm is looking more and more like the next fantasy keeper of the season with his crazy number of saves. With a penalty saved, he now stands comfortably on the top of keeper's table for this gameweek.

Pick: Vorm


WIG: Moses was unlucky to get two shots on bar. Has a lot of potential with him.

Pick: Moses


Chelsea 2-1 West Brom
CHE: Long way to go for AVB. Their play was sloppy, and Torres seems to return to his last season's form after one game of brilliance.

I like the way Malouda changed the game, but it looks like he is not an absolute starter. With Mata rumoured to be joining soon, things might get worse.

Bosingwa is one of the culprit for the early surprise from Long, but he does look great with his forward runs and crosses.

Potential Pick: Bosingwa, Malouda

WBA: Long made himself famous after scoring back-to-back against Manchester United and Chelsea. Certainly a good fantasy bargain with a price tag of £6.0m. Should have no trouble in pairing up with Odemwingie as well - the latter is both good at scoring and feeding.

Pick: Long

Norwich 1-1 Stoke
NOR: De Laet scored, surprisingly. Too bad he couldn't keep the clean sheet though. Holt still fails to find his form.

Pick: De Laet

STO: Nothing really caught me up here except for Pennant's injury and Shotton's ability for long throw.

Wolves 2-0 Fulham
WOL: Jarvis is the bright star here as Wolves is now currently one of the two teams who got six points. Forward duo Fletcher and Doyle were both influential in the victory again. A much promising team than last season especially in defence which is now led by Roger Johnson.

Pick: Jarvis
Potential Pick: Doyle, Fletcher


FUL: The weak at away syndrome doesn't seem to change under Martin Jol. Senderos looks to be a steal as Fulham's defensive line remains the same as last game.

Potential Pick: Senderos


Bolton 2-3 Man City
BOL: Klasnic on fire! The Croatian continues his fine form by scoring two in two. Kevin Davies also got his first goal of the season with a fine header. Both are expected to carry Bolton to the survival bank along with Eagles and Petrov. But I would still avoid them until next month, where their extremely difficult fixtures end.

Potential Pick: K Davies, Klasnic


MCI: Solid display at offence. Silva continues to look spectacular. Surprisingly James Milner was very productive during the match. Still I don't think he will do that every week.

Dzeko continues to fire as well, and with his style relatively much unique than his teammates, I think his striker position is the safest.

Pick: Silva, Dzeko

Gameweek 34 Fantasy Preview

Gareth Bale
PFA Player of the Year. Even Dirk Kuyt has better statistics than him on the league.

Raul Meireles
PFA Fans' Player of the Year. Well deserved.

Scott Parker
Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year. What a great year for a great leader.

Congratulations to all three of them for winning their awards respectively. This season has gone pretty far isn't it? Still, there are three horses running for the title and five clubs struggling on the quicksand of relegation. Excitements continue...

Back to this gameweek. Four more teams on a double this week, with Fulham having the best fixtures among them. Will you invest heavily on double gamers given that the top clubs are having relatively easy fixtures this week? A big gamble to be honest.

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PART I: PRE-MATCH ANALYSES

Daniel Sturridge
Can he continue his magic in this gameweek double?

Double Gamers

• Stoke City (Aston Villa @ away, Wolves @ home) - Fantasy managers won't be enjoying too much from this double with two tough opponents. The Villans had regained their long lost form and will give a hard time to Bolton at their home ground. Wolves on the other hand are still distance away from survival and will again fight their best for points. Still, start your Begovic, Huth and Etherington - they are all great in collecting fantasy points. Prediction: AST 2-0 STO, STO 1-1 WOL.
• Wolves (Fulham @ home, Stoke @ away) - Interestingly both of their opponents this week are double gamers. They should at least salvage a point at Molineux given Fulham's inability to win an away league game since 2nd of February. Stoke at away is a tricky one, but with nothing else to lose, they will fight out their best. Jarvis is the best Wolf, but those who are willing to take risk may stock Ebanks-Blake or Milijas as well. Prediction: WOL 2-1 FUL, STO 1-1 WOL.
• Fulham (Wolves @ away, Bolton @ home) - The Cottagers are quite on fire now with the return of Bobby Zamora, and it's quite possible to take four points from these two games. Dempsey and Zamora are worthy for your captain armband this week. Prediction: WOL 2-1 FUL, FUL 2-1 BOL.
• Bolton (Arsenal @ home, Fulham @ away) - First, they have neither European spots to pursue for nor relegation crisis to fight for; Second, one of their opponents is Arsenal (I know the Gunners have been quite unreliable recently, but still). Don't put too much on hope for them except for one - Daniel Sturridge! Prediction: BOL 1-2 ARS, FUL 2-1 BOL.

The Rest

• Man Utd v Everton (1-0) - The Red Devils are not as slippery the Gunners, but you never know.
• Blackpool v Newcastle (2-1) - The Magpies are quite safe. Will they lend a helping hand?
• Liverpool v Birmingham (3-0) - The Reds now have more than enough weaponries to kill any team who park their buses.
• Sunderland v Wigan (2-2) - One point from last nine games for the Black Cats. I'm quite sure they will not win this time as well.
• Tottenham v West Brom (2-0) - It's VdV's time again.
• Chelsea v West Ham (3-0) - Expect complete demolition by the Blues (if Torres doesn't start).
• Blackburn v Man City (0-1) - City needs to win to protect their Champions League spot.

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PART II: SQUAD SELECTIONS

Didier Drogba
Another scoring spree for the Ivorian?

Captain Picks

• Drogba - On his peak currently.
• Suarez - They will be plenty of opportunities for him to strike.
• Zamora/Dempsey/Sturridge - Double gamers with fantasy excellence.

Buys-In

• Drogba/Malouda - Back to their prime.
• Van der Vaart - Starts his scoring engine again.
• Dempsey/Zamora - Fantasy proven.

Sells-Out

• Man Utd players - The toughest period of their season is coming soon.

Squad of XV

GK: Schwarzer

DF: Huth, Hangeland, Luiz

MF: Malouda, Dempsey, Etherington, Van der Vaart

F: Drogba, Suarez, Zamora

Subs (in order): Begovic, Jarvis, Flanagan, Gary Cahill

Captain: Drogba

ECS: Value

Gameweek 31 Fantasy Preview

Robin van Persie
Sustained an injury but the club is optimistic that he will play this Saturday.

So the international games are over and we've lost one of the best fantasy commodity - Gareth Bale. Meanwhile, Liverpool has also confirmed the loss of Martin Kelly for the rest of the season. With Van Persie, Tevez and some other big names doubtful for the game this weekend, it will be a major headache for fantasy managers.

The Dutch were obviously the strongest team this week, with Premier League stars Dirk Kuyt and Van Persie both on the score sheet. Carroll has also scored his first goal since he left Newcastle. But can they bring their form back to their clubs? We shall see.

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PART I: PRE-MATCH ANALYSES

Scott Parker
Can his form halt United's progress?

All Games

• West Ham v Man Utd (2-2) - United stumble at away. That's too usual.
• Birmingham v Bolton (1-0) - Bolton has nothing much to fight for. That's very opposite for the Brums.
• Everton v Aston Villa (2-1) - Everton has been pretty solid at Goodison Park recently.
• Newcastle v Wolves (3-1) - Big Mick will miss Kevin Doyle.
• Stoke City v Chelsea (2-3) - Carlo will certainly want to retain his chance to win the Premier League.
• West Brom v Liverpool (1-2) - The golden trio - Suarez, Carroll and Kuyt will outshine Roy Hodgson.
• Wigan v Tottenham (1-2) - Spurs must win this if they are to feature in the Champions League next season.
• Arsenal v Blackburn (3-0) - Obviously the match of the week. Unfortunately Van Persie is doubtful, and there will be a dilemma of whether or not to captain him.
• Fulham v Blackpool (2-1) - Charlie Adam has been declared fit to face Fulham, but I still expect a home win.
• Man City v Sunderland (2-1) - The Black Cats' form is too bad for Manchester City to lose.

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PART II: SQUAD SELECTIONS

Dirk Kuyt
Possessed by Superman recently.

Captain Picks

• Van Persie - Should bang in a couple of goals, if he features.
• Kuyt/Suarez - This partnership is in incredible form.
• Van der Vaart - Bale will out for this one, so it's all his show again.

Buys-In

• Kuyt/Suarez - Too great to miss.
• Lampard/Luiz - Easy games ahead.

Sells-Out

• Meireles - With the strikers on form, there's less reliance for his offensive service.

Squad of XV

GK: Foster

DF: Ridgewell, Coleman, Carragher

MF: Nani, Parker, Kuyt, Lampard, Van der Vaart

F: Van Persie, Suarez

Subs (in order): Almunia, Best, Jose Enrique, Aaron Hughes

Captain: Van Persie

ECS: Value

Liverpool 3-1 Man Utd: The Aftermath

Dirk Kuyt and Raul Meireles
One scored three, the other cleared two from the line.

Liverpool claimed an easy yet controversial revenge against Manchester United to make the Premier League battle more exciting. Here are some of the big stories of the game:

• Dirk Kuyt hat-tricked? Never know he can, with such ease.
• Suarez was my man of the match with his unbelievable dribble across United's fragile defence without both Ferdinand and Vidic. He is very heroic indeed and reminds me of Tevez.
• Meireles deserved his one point bonus this game. Despite not being so effective up front, he cleared two very important attempts from the Red Devils.
• A nightmare for Luis Nani. Assisted one for his opponents and got injured seriously. Ferguson will be anxiously waiting for the Portuguese's injury assessment.
• Carrick was awful. He was one of the main reason for United's defeat as the midfield was totally owned by Lucas and Gerrard.
• Smalling and Rafael were both decent, but with such substandard defence they can't do much.
• Chicharito continues his supreme goal efficiency after adding a consolation goal at last minutes of the match.
• And of course, Phil Dowd  the referee was controversial again against Manchester United, but there was never a perfectly fair football.

A great game to celebrate the birthday of Kenny Dalglish.

Sunday Sparks

Daniel Sturridge
Made it three out of three at Bolton.

A not so crazy weekend as compared to last week's record-breaker 43 goals, but a couple of amazing goals made this week a memorable one. Here are some highlights:

• As mentioned on my last post, Rooney's fantastic overhead kick is really too enjoyable. Could be easily the goal of the season.
• Nani continued his show his consistency on the Manchester derby victory with a goal and an assist. That makes my decision to bench him a very awful one.
• Van Persie! Ten goals in seven games, he is really the most terrorising striker in premier league currently.
• Walcott and Fabregas are also on good points this week. It should be a great gameweek for those who invest heavily on Arsenal players.
• Birmingham got a clean sheet and I am more than happy about it. Labelled as flop for so long, Zigic's towering existence finally shows great importance.
• 0-0 between Blackburn and Newscastle was the last thing I expected.
• Aston Villa failed to take down Bloomfield Road as they shared a draw with Blackpool. Bent once again was pivotal; a quick and clean pass and he sent Agbonlahor to a one-on-one and scored a goal.
• Liverpool failed to make it five wins out of five, as opposed to what I expected. Meireles made it five goals out of six games with yet another stylish volley. Luis Suarez was pretty unlucky with one shot on bar and another on post, but two bonus points has justified his hard work.
• West Ham made a superb comeback after trailing for three goals to earn a point from West Brom. Worth noticing is Demba Ba who scored two goals.
• Niko Kranjcar gained my respect as he scored yet another victorious goal to make Tottenham escaping from two draws.
• And of course, Sturridge remains incredible at Bolton as he scored his third goal for Bolton in as many number of matches.

Gameweek 27 Fantasy Preview

Michael Appleton

The new West Brom manager faces gameweek double on his first game in charge.

A very cinematic Gw 26 saw West Brom manager Robert Di Matteo sacked and the game between Arsenal and Newcastle subjected to possible matchmaking claim. That's Premier League by the way.

Eights teams playing twice this gameweek, are you ready for the heat? Congratulations for those who still have their wildcard, don't forget to use it!

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PART I: PRE-MATCH ANALYSES

Carlos Tevez

"None of my teammates love the blue shirt more than I," I doubt.

Manchester United v Manchester City

A very interesting derby at such interesting times.

The Red Devils just have their unbeaten record broken at 29 games. That's a double-edged sword - either their players are relieved of their stress and play better or they loss their confidence and collapse.

On the other hand, City finally secured a clean sheet after a month with Carlos Tevez scoring his 47th, 48th and 49th goals for the Eastlands. The 50th milestone will be good enough to motivate him to score.

A quite even match-up, but since United have to prepare for their Champions League fixtures, I think they won't be able to focus too much on this game. Draw should be very possible for Tevez's side.

Prediction: Man Utd 1-1 Man City

The Rest

• Arsenal v Wolves (3-0) - The Gunners should be wary of Wolves strength. Care though, as the big names might be rotated to prepare for Champions League.
• Birmingham v Stoke City (1-0) - Huth might be superb, but the Brums' defence are capable to guard him.
• Blackburn v Newcastle (1-2) - The 4-4 draw should be a boost for the Magpies.
• Blackpool v Aston Villa (2-3) - Expect another entertaining high scoring match.
• Liverpool v Wigan (3-0) - Five consecutive clean-sheeted victories. That's what I foresee.
• West Brom v West Ham (2-2) - Unpredictable. But goals should fly.
• Sunderland v Tottenham (2-1) - Spurs might got torn between Premier League and Champions League.
• Bolton v Everton (1-2) - In form Saha should provide the edge for the Toffees.
• Fulham v Chelsea (1-2) - Tough game for the Blues with possibility to slip points.
• Birmingham v Newcastle (1-1) - Tough and close.
• West Brom v Wolves (2-2) - Another high scoring match-up.
• Blackpool v Tottenham (2-3) - Goals continue to fly at Bloomfield Road.
• Arsenal v Stoke City (2-2) - Somehow I think the Potters will bring some pain to Wenger's side.

*Important: Teams like Tottenham, Arsenal and Birmingham are not playing on Gw28. So plan your transfers well.

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PART II: SQUAD SELECTIONS

Robin van Persie
To continue his unstoppable form?

Captain Picks

• Van Persie/Walcott/Fabregas - Good picks, but you'll bear the risk of rotation.
• Odemwingie - Two teams with weak defences awaiting.
• Adam - Always a wise choice during the doubles.

Buy-Ins

• Arsenal players - Good time to invest on some, if you still don't have any.
• Villa players - Smooth and easy fixtures on its way.
• Liverpool players - King Kenny makes Liverpool a different team.

Squad of XV

GK: Foster*

DF: Dann, Clichy, Huth

MF: Meireles, Walcott, Adam, Brunt, Van der Vaart*

F: Van Persie, Odemwingie(C)

Subs (in order): Szczesny, Skrtel, Best, Evatt

Captain: Odemwingie

Emergency Captain: Value

*Subject to fitness.

Headlines Over the Past Week

Gary Neville
Wish him all the best in his post-football career.

• Gary Neville retired. He cannot be compared to Giggs or Scholes, but still, he's a legend.
• Old fantasy big names, Lampard and Rooney, finally scored some fantasy points which match their price tag.
• It only took 17 minutes for Luis Suarez to score his debut goal for Liverpool. Meanwhile, Meireles scored his third goal from four games and Martin Kelly continued to provide marvellous fantasy returns in such a cheap price.
• Liverpool actually played a weird 3-4-2-1 formation against Stoke. And it worked effectively.
• Two other new signings also scored on Gw25 - Robbie Keane for West Ham and Daniel Sturridge for Bolton.
• Obinna surely impressed fantasy managers with five goals on his recent two games.
• Darren Bent continued his fine scoring record against top sides of the Premier League.
• Fabianski out for the rest of the season. Will Szczesny become a fantasy hot cake?

Gameweek 25 Fantasy Preview

Carlos Vela
An interesting fantasy bargain after his loan move to West Brom.

The transfer market is finally heated in these final days as several deals are confirmed, including:

• Demba Ba (Hoffenheim to West Ham)
• Sulley Muntari (Inter to Sunderland, loan)
• John Carew (Aston Villa to Stoke, loan)
• Carlos Vela (Arsenal to West Brom, loan)

Among them, I believe Vela should perform well in the club with same attacking tendency and become fantasy studs.

Anyway, there's still 48 hours before the transfer market closes and we shall wait and see for the grand finale - Torres transfer saga. It is understood that Dalglish is willing to let the Spaniard go with a fee of £42m plus Anelka.

As a reminder, there will be four gameweek doubles in Gw27 and one each in Gw28 and Gw29. Plan your transfers nicely.

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PART I: PRE-MATCH ANALYSES

His presence greatly boosts Villa's damage to the opponents.

Manchester United v Aston Villa
Aston Villa has drawn Man Utd in the reverse tie this season, and they will have enough confidence to repeat it again in the presence of Darren Bent.

As soon as the Englishman arrived Villa has got two consecutive victories which shot them away from relegation zone. Bent simply attracts defenders and that means that Villa attackers like Downing and Ashley Young will have more space to attack. Smart bargain from Houllier.

However a trip to Old Trafford has never been easy. Sir Alex Ferguson will most likely welcome the return of his best back four, with Ferdinand back from injury and Rafael back from suspension. This will double the difficulty for the Villans to score.

Although Villa is now stronger than ever this season, but with Berbatov hitting top form, I still believe that United can win this one. Either a narrow victory or draw for them.

Prediction: Man Utd 2-1 Aston Villa

The Rest

• Arsenal v Everton (1-0) - Tough game for the Gunners, but they should win it if they want to be remained in contention for the title.
• Sunderland v Chelsea (2-2) - The Black Cats have beaten City and held up Man Utd and Arsenal at home, so why not against the Blues?
• West Brom v Wigan (3-2) - Attack attack attack! I'm in favour of home side which had just recruited Vela.
• Birmingham v Man City (0-2) - Same as Arsenal, they simply need to win to at least maintain the gap against Man Utd.
• Blackburn v Tottenham (1-2) - Bale will absent, but Pienaar is there to replace him.
• Blackpool v West Ham (2-1) - A good chance for the Tangerines to improve their awful home record.
• Bolton v Wolves (1-1) - Bolton has been hitting lows recently, and I'm not so sure that they can bounce back against fine-form Wolves.
• Fulham v Newcastle (2-1) - It seems that Mark Hughes has found his winning formula.
• Liverpool v Stoke City (2-0) - Pass and move, and Liverpool beats Stoke.

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PART II: SQUAD SELECTIONS

Peter Odemwingie
One goal in each half?

Captain Picks

• Odemwingie - Great opportunity to get a brace against Wigan.
• Dempsey - Serves ultimate importance for Fulham.
• Meireles - His form bursts as fast as a burning volcano.

Buys-In

• Vela - Should make it through to the Baggies' starting XI.

Sells-Out

• Bale - May need a surgery for his injury.

Squad of XV

GK: Hart

DF: Kelly, Hangeland, Rafael

MF: Van der Vaart, Dempsey, Meireles, Adam, Malouda

F: Van Persie, Odemwingie(C)

Subs (in order): Szczesny, Gyan, Djourou, Kolarov

Captain: Odemwingie

Emergency Captain: Value

Liverpool II: The Return of The King

Fernando Torres
Averaged five shots per game under Dalglish when he could only make it slightly over once per game under Hodgson.

Liverpool have finally found back their spirit as recorded back to back league wins for the second time this season.

They're obviously the team to be considered now for your fantasy team. Since the return of King Kenny, the Reds are slowly regaining their confidence.

This gameweek double has obviously shown that. Torres has found back his motivation to run and shoot; Meireles claimed full six bonus points from two games; Kelly becomes the highest scoring fantasy defender of the week with two clean sheets.

Clearly these three will continue to dominate plenty of fantasy points - at least for the points scored by Liverpool Football Club.

Interestingly, this gameweek's lead scorer scored 182 points! Will that be surpassed in Gw 27 which has lots of gameweek doubles as well?

Five-Star BERBATOV Crushed Liverpool's Defence Into Pieces

Dimitar BerbaTOP
A perfect ten for him.

A dramatic Super Sunday has ended just now with Berbatov scoring all three for United. Here are some of my opinions towards both teams from this match:

• Torres outshone Rooney, but Berbatov overpowered both. Two headers, one bicycle. You can't do much better in the greatest derby game of England.
• Joe Cole was quite daring and creative but there were no one who met his minds. Poor link-up play.
• Liverpool has been very problematic with aerial balls. All three goals conceded were from long deliveries. You send air cannons, and you can blast Liverpool's fort easily.
• United's defence, on the other hand, wasn't much better. Evans remains to be a bigger threat for United than opponent's striker. Bad sliding tackle which led to the penalty.
• I am in doubt of Roy Hodgson's plan. Why did he took out Raul Meireles? I knew that Liverpool would lose their shares of possession in midfield after he disappeared, but it was worse than what I thought.
• Nani had effectively tore Liverpool's left flank and is the second-most important player of United.
• Steven Gerrard scored two goals despite missing from the field most of the time. Not confident at all to get him anyway.
• The Red Devils have offence on par with Arsenal and Chelsea, but Ferguson certainly needs to fix his squad's defence to give a challenge on the title.

Steven Gerrard
He kissed again, but this time the screen was bitter.

Raul Meireles And Konchesky: Two New Reds

Raul Meireles
A replacement for Mascherano?

Paul Konchesky
A reunion with his former manager.

Liverpool has been very active in the last week of the summer transfer market and had officially signed Raul Meireles from Porto and is near to pen Paul Konchesky from Fulham as well.

The two of them were found to sit together on the clash against West Brom just now, so both of them should be a part of the Reds by now.

Meireles is a Portuguese international and had been brilliant on the World Cup tournament. He is rumoured to fill in the place of Mascherano as the Argentine monster is expected to join Barcelona. Konchesky, on the other hand, wasn't a part of Capello's World Cup plan but nevertheless is a decent left-back.

It's also rumoured that Hodgson is going to get M Diarra from Real Madrid. What a big renovation for the club.