Kick-Off: Gameweek 30 Fantasy Preview

Get well soon Muamba!

Overview
Some meaningful football moments that happened in past hectic week:

• The cardiac arrest of Muamba definitely tops the list. The 23-year-old English is slowly recovering but God knows whether he will be able to get back to pitch. All the best Fabrice as you united the football arena!
• Lionel Messi becomes Barcelona's top scorer (234) after surpassing Cesar Rodriguez. The wonder man still has years to break the record again and again and at this rate, don't be surprised if he breaks the 400 goal milestone before he retires.

Game of the Week: Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur

Can Lampard push on for 150
fantasy points this season?

One of the famous London derby will take place at Stamford Bridge as struggling Tottenham tries to find a way to escape from their misery.

Tottenham has been performing very awfully since the mid of January, winning only two out of the last nine fixtures. Players have been performing very inconsistently and that makes fantasy selections from Tottenham very difficult. Adebayor could stay silent for a month or two, and then suddenly blasted a 20 point gameweek when you sold or benched him.

Meanwhile, Chelsea has regroup themselves under caretaker manager Di Matteo. The Blues' last game against Manchester City was their first ever defeat under the Italian coach. Senior players who got abandoned by Andre Villas-Boas such as Lampard and Drogba are all performing greatly ever since their manager has been changed.

Expect strong performances by the aforementioned players plus Mata at home. Torres should still be avoided despite man of the match performance at FA Cup quarter finals. Tottenham could give Chelsea a goal or two, but I think the Blues will leave the pitch happily after the game.

Prediction: CHE 2-1 TOT

Pick: Lampard, Mata, Drogba

Drop: TOT defence

Fantasy Game of the Week: Manchester United v Fulham

Valencia - the super consistent
value buy.

Liverpool might have a game against second-last placed Wigan, but we all know how unpredictable the Reds are at league. United's game against Fulham will be the safest bet.

Nani, along with Jones, is expected to be available in this game. I expect him to feature on bench, so start your Valencia, and Young, who missed out last game, with confidence. Rooney is a strong captain choice here - grab him if you can afford to.

Defensively Evans continues to be the most economic choice, though less economic now - he scored on last game and hence has a price bloom this week. Fulham has been shut for two games, but you can't ignore how threatening Dempsey and Pogrebnyak are.

Should be a comfortable win by again by United, but you never know...

Prediction: MUN 3-0 FUL
Pick and Captain: Rooney, Valencia

Drop: FUL defence

Pick and Drop

Pick and Captain:

• Van Persie  - Villa has only conceded more than two goals once this season, but Van Persie is most capable in handling tough defences.
• Suarez/ Gerrard  - Even tough they are very inconsistent, it's still a good bet to hold on to.

Pick:

• ARS defence  - I don't see Villa's sharpness.
• LIV defence - Wigan is one of the poorest converter apart from Liverpool.
• Sigurdsson  - You never know when he will score a brace again.
• Yakubu  - Bolton might not be in mood to play.

Drop:

• BOL players  - High degrees of uncertainty.
• WIG defence - Unless Liverpool hit posts and bars again.

Transfer Traffic

Green light (buy):

• Valencia - Sits on top of Ferguson's winger pecking order.
• Sigurdsson  - Best low cost buy of the season.
• Rooney  - Final quarter of the season is always United's best.

Yellow light (watch):

• A Young - You never know what will happen when Nani is fit for full game.
• Dempsey/ Pogrebnyak  - Been shut for two games.

Red light (sell):

• Silva - His production is far from promising.
• Ba - Less sharp after went for African Cup.
• Adebayor/ Bale  - The whole team has been under par.

Gameweek 30 Dream Team

Szcznesny

Skrtel -- Evans -- Taylor

Valencia -- Gerrard -- Sigurdsson -- Mata

Van Persie -- Rooney (C) -- Suarez (VC)

Subs: Vorm -- McClean -- McAuley -- Martin

Gameweek 35 Fantasy Preview

Wayne Rooney
Wazza on fire.

Congratulations to Manchester United to step one of their feet into the Champions League finale after a 2-0 away win at Gelsenkirchen against Schalke. Despite Neuer's godlike performance, Die Knappen were unable to stop Rooney's fantastic performance. Thumbs up.

On the other hand, Messi outstanding performance outshone the whole team of Real Madrid, only to be shadowed by *you know who* ridiculously exaggerated post-tackle actings. Pepe's sent off was unjustified honestly. Still, Barca deserved the victory and it's like a mission impossible now to Jose Mourinho.

Now, let's depart away from UEFA Champions League and step into the world of Barclays Premier League as the season reaching its finale...

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PART I: PRE-MATCH ANALYSES

Arsene Wenger
"Should I help Man Utd or Chelsea?"

Arsenal v Manchester United
All the rest of Premier League fans except the Red Devils' will hope Arsenal to defeat Manchester United to make the Premier League challenge more interesting.

The Red Devils are only one step away from the title. Should they beat the Gunners, it's only the matter of time to get their 19th. With Champions League final almost in Ferguson's grasp, it's likely that the Scot will deploy his best squad to face Wenger's.

On the other hand, the Gunners had hardly something to cheer for, after losing eight points from the last Premier League games. Defence has been a constant problem for the London club as they conceded so many silly goals. That's the reason why Arsenal has collapsed once again in the final part of the season in my opinion.

Things should go pretty even this time given Arsenal's all-time low morale and Manchester United's stamina disadvantages. I should be pretty narrow, and I'll vote for a draw as it's enough to satisfy Sir Alex Ferguson in pursuing United's 19th glory.

Prediction: Arsenal 2-2 Manchester United

Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba
Both to start together?

Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur
There are fighting for different reason, but they will fight with the same thirst.

All of a sudden the Blues are now only six points from leader Manchester United, and should the Red Devils lost at Emirates Stadium, Chelsea will have all the chance to surpass them on the week after.

On the other hand, Tottenham still has the chance to qualify for Champions League for another year. But more importantly, they will have to defend their fifth place against Liverpool for Europa qualification.

Torres and Drogba may join forces but their effectiveness when combined together remains a question. But since the former has broken his duck and the latter is on his prime, there should be no problem for Chelsea's offence especially when there are also in form Lampard, Kalou and Malouda on service.

Meanwhile, Tottenham continues its horrible form, finding themselves only one win from last six. Another draw or defeat will give them extreme pressure from Liverpool, especially when Spurs have fixtures disadvantages.

It's an intense London derby, but at Stamford Bridge, I can hardly believe Redknapp to outmuscle Ancelotti...

Prediction: Chelsea 3-0 Tottenham

The Rest

• Blackburn v Bolton (1-1) - The former has more reason to fight on.
• Blackpool v Stoke City (2-0) - Will Mr Charlie Adam finally create something spectacular? I will have to have faith on him.
• Sunderland v Fulham (1-1) - Both are safe, so results do not matter much to them.
• West Brom v Aston Villa (2-1) - My vote goes to Roy Hodgson and Odemwingie who's on much better form than Hollier-less Villa.
• Wigan v Everton (2-2) - Wigan are really pathetic throughout the season. Not much of confidence on them.
• Birmingham v Wolves (2-1) - It will be interesting to see whether the Wolves are hungry enough to bite the Brums.
• Liverpool v Newcastle (3-0) - Fantasy game of the week. Captain Suarez or Kuyt.
• Man City v West Ham (2-1) - Premier League survival quest looks hopeless for Avram Grant.

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PART II: SQUAD SELECTIONS

Luis Suarez
Will lady luck finally give him the permission to score a double digit fantasy score?

Captain Picks

• Suarez/Kuyt - Newcastle are known to be awful on the road.
• Drogba - Tottenham don't have good defence to stop him.
• Odemwingie - If you are adventurous enough.

Buys-In

• Kuyt - Seriously on form, seriously underrated by me before.
• Odemwingie - The remaining fixtures are quite easy.

Squad of XV

GK: Hart

DF: Flanagan, Luiz, R Johnson

MF: Kuyt, Lampard, Adam, Silva

F: Suarez, Drogba, Odemwingie

Subs (in order): Foster, Sessegnon, Tamas, Samba

Gameweek 23 Fantasy Preview

Christiano Ronaldo
Could not believe that Messi won Ballon d'Or

Congratulations to Messi for winning another best player award. Quite a number of people think that Xavi or Iniesta deserves it more, but whatever the result is, it won't satisfy all.

Double-gamers failed to grab the spotlight last week as several as numerous cheap performers are on fire including Bardsley, Coleman, Simon Davies and also hat-trick hero Leon Best. However, it weren't too bad for Blackpool players with DJ Campbell scored 12 while captain Adam scored nine in which five were bonus. The only Liverpool player worth mentioning is Torres - he scored the first goal in Kenny Dalglish's reign.

David Bentley
Looking to resurrect his career at Birmingham.

The transfer market has already opened two weeks ago while the second fantasy wildcard can be used any time now until the deadline of gameweek 27. You should use it now if you have serious problems with your squad; otherwise, try to use it only after the transfer market has closed to have more possible options. Here are the list of major transfers that might interest you:

• Bentley [Tottenham to Birmingham (loan)] - Might be interesting if he gains enough playing time.
• Dzeko [Wolfsburg to Man City] - The most anticipated deal currently.
• Khumalo [Supersport United to Tottenham] - The only thing I know about him is he played in World Cup 2010. No idea on how much impact he will do.
• Bridge [Man City to West Ham (loan)] - May be the key for Hammers' survival.

Good luck on your transfers.

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PART I: PRE-MATCH ANALYSES

Rafael Van der Vaart
Vows to take down Manchester United.

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United
An entertaining battle is expected this Sunday from these two sides.

United is sailing ahead of its competitors with two points above Man City and two games on hand. Their 19th looks very close now but they must settle what is in front of them first.

White Hart Lane has been a mega fortress since Van der Vaart's arrival and Bale's emergence and that's why Tottenham are still unbeaten at home this season. Redknapp has now a new defender Khumalo but the South African will most probably bring no effect to your fantasy pursuit - Tottenham is known for leaking goals.

On the away side, Rooney should be available for this game and expect him to combine with Berbatov and Nani for goals and assists.

I will go for a draw with goals - not quite a bad result for both sides as they will preserve their home-unbeaten and league-unbeaten runs respectively.

Prediction: Tottenham 2-2 Man Utd

The Rest

• Chelsea v Blackburn (2-1) - Not quite safe for Blues since they could lose to Wolves.
• Man City v Wolves (3-0) - Might be a great debut for Edin Dzeko.
• Stoke City v Bolton (1-1) - Games at Britannia are never easy.
• West Brom v Blackpool (2-3) - Expect a goal feast.
• Wigan v Fulham (2-1) - N'Zogbia's return will give immense strength for home side to attack.
• West Ham v Arsenal (1-2) - The Hammers are not good enough defensively to stop Gunners.
• Birmingham v Aston Villa (2-1) - Not just a simple derby but also a relegation six-pointer. The Brums defensive resolution will help in this game.
• Sunderland v Newcastle (2-0) - The Black Cats should have gotten their lesson and will play their best to revenge.
• Liverpool v Everton (2-1) - It is a big challenge for Dalglish to return to Anfield in such intense Merseyside derby, but thankfully the Toffees offer much less attacking threat without Cahill.

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PART II: SQUAD SELECTIONS

Carlos Tevez
Does not fear about Dzeko's threat.

Captain Picks

• Tevez - Dzeko may or may not merge with the squad yet so the Argentine is still the safer bet.
• Adam - The Baggies are leaky.

Sells-Out

• Gerrard - Red carded.

Squad of XV

GK: Hart

DF: Kolarov, Bardsley, Huth

MF: Adam, Fabregas, N'Zogbia, Nani, Van der Vaart

F: Tevez(C), Torres

Subs (in order): Gordon, Odemwingie, Djourou, Carr

Captain: Tevez

Emergency Captain: Value

UEFA Champions League Review

Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Scored in Champions League with FIVE CLUBS.

Matchday 1 of UEFA Champions League ended with little surprise other than Internazionale's draw. Here's some highlights:

• Rafa seems to have no more magic to cast. He brought Liverpool down together with the two notorious bosses, and now he's still far from spring with Inter Milan. A draw with two goals conceded is such an insult to the formidable squad built by Mourinho.
• Messi played a prominent role again as Barca won 5-1 easily. His 51% ownership by UEFA fantasy managers is easily justified.
• Ibrahimovic just doesn't have any problem to play everywhere. His brace against Auxerre is his fifth club to score Champions League goals.
• Fabregas is just unbelievable. With him Arsenal has every single hope to beat any team in the world. And with him available the likes like Arshavin and Chamakh rarely fails to perform. 6-0, perfect.
• Chelsea thrashed their opponent again even with Lampard and Drogba absent. 21 goals in five games! Who can stop them?
• Ronaldo continues his scoring drought. 11 shots against Ajax, nil were scored.
• Tottenham played an impressive European debut with Crouch heading in a beautiful goal. They only managed to earned a draw though.
• Antonio Valencia hurt himself after a clean tackle by Broadfoot. The Ecuadorian lost his balance and that cost him half a year away from pitch. Ouch! Good news for Nani owners?
• A very bad game for Manchester United indeed. They lost two points, and they lost Valencia for most part of the season.

Antonio Valencia
Out of form recently, and now out of field for a long duration. What a pity.