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

Kick-Off: Gameweek 8 Fantasy Preview

Wayne Rooney lost his cool for England. Can he control his temper
against Manchester United and Everton's arch-rival Liverpool?

Overview
A long break for the UEFA Cup qualifier with England confirmed a spot in the finals. But Wayne Rooney's red card certainly is a blow for England as it means that he will possibly miss all the group stage of the European's top national tournament. Worries for Capello then.

This gameweek is certainly another good period to use your wildcard. With players like Adebayor and Aguero gone doubtful/injured and players like Nani and Nasri who are both on form, I would advise you to use the wildcard without hesitation should you need it.

Game of the Week: LIVERPOOL v MANCHESTER UNITED

Luis Suarez to whack
Man Utd again?

Nothing in England is greater than this derby. Manchester United, who knocked Liverpool off their perch on May this year, will seek for a victory to push themselves further in front of their arch-rivals in terms of the number of top-flight league trophies.

The Red Devils are definitely having an extremely fine league run, scoring 19 league points out of 21 which include an astonishing 8-2 victory against Arsenal. Rooney is setting his sight for the Golden Boot definitely, with Hernandez and Welbeck competing to become the ace's partner. All three are studs if start.

On the midfield we have Ashley Young and Nani who are both constant threat to any defence. Martin Kelly (whom I prefer over Glen Johnson in this game) and Jose Enrique will need to be 100% (or perhaps 110%) focus to stop them from attacking. Not to be forgotten is Valencia who can deliver precise cross for the forwards to deal the finishing blow.

On the other side, Suarez will want to repeat his feat on the same game last season as he is definitely the most threatening player to Manchester United. His mazy runs should be dealing hell lots of troubles for United's defence led by Phil Jones and co.

The most anticipated one if of course the return of Steven Gerrard to the starting XI after a hell long 7 months. Can he bring instant impact and kiss the camera again like last time at Old Trafford? Big answer to fill in.

I think United's form will match Anfield's home advantage. It can go anywhere, but I'm going in for a scoring draw.

Prediction: LIV 2-2 MUN
Pick: Rooney, Nani, Suarez


Fantasy Game of the Week: MANCHESTER CITY v ASTON VILLA

Edin Dzeko is hopeful to regain
his starting spot.

The top pack teams are all facing tricky oppositions this week, but let's focus on Mancini's squad which will host on form Villa at Etihad Stadium.

Attacking options are becoming much easier at City as Aguero suffers an injury - Dzeko should become Mancini's first choice forward. Balotelli may or may not start depending on Mancini's tactics, while Nasri should accompany Silva to supply the forward(s) after showing some magnificent form both in club and country.

On the other hand, Agbonlahor continues to be McLeish's strongest chip to steal some points from one of the joint leaders of the league as his speed and confidence should give some hard time to Kompany and co.

Given will be eager for a payback to his former club, but City's strength and home advantage will be too strong for him to protect his square.

Prediction: MCI 2-0 AST
Pick and Captain: Silva, Dzeko
Pick: Nasri




Pick and Avoid
Pick:

1. Ramsey - Playing in a more advanced role than Arteta.
2. Sturridge - Cheap and promising.
3. Sinclair - Starting to shine.
4. QPR players - Blackburn are pathetic enough for them to bounce back.
5. Odemwingie, Long - Should be getting goals at home.

Avoid:

1. Aguero, Adebayor - Doubtful.
2. Sagna - Long term injury.

Transfer Traffic

Green light (buy):

1. Ramsey - Cheap and fruitful.
2. Nasri - On hot streak.
3. Dzeko - Set for sure start.

 Yellow light (watch):

1. A Young - Form is dipping.
2. Sturridge - See if he starts most of the time.
3. Andrew Johnson - See whether he hits his high.

Red light (sell):

1. Aguero - People are dumping him.

Gameweek 8 Dream Team

Hart

Enrique -- A Ferdinand -- Bosingwa

Silva (C) -- Nani -- Ramsey -- SWP (VC) -- M Petrov

Dzeko -- Odemwingie

Subs: Vorm -- A Johnson -- Shawcross -- Tamas

Lampard's Return: Gameweek 7 Fantasy Review

Three goals - the perfect way to shut doubters' mouth.

Bolton 1-5 Chelsea
BOL: Another morale sapping defeat. Bogdan had a nightmarish game with several "state-of-the-art" saves. Several sparkling attacks from Petrov and Eagles, but in general they were overwhelmed.


CHE: Cool Lampard hat-tricked in style. Just when people (including me) started to forget him, the talisman of Chelsea made himself noticeable again in the most effective way. A display of great positioning.

Sturridge was the other architect who paved way for the emphatic win, who also almost hat-tricked. Great skill, great attitude to not celebrate against his former club. Chelsea did have abundance of attacking talents.

Defensively they need to improve on set pieces - certainly the dead spot of the Blues.

Pick: Lampard, Sturridge
Drop: BOL defence


Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal
TOT: Not a very convincing display, but good enough to win a derby game. I like the way Adebayor and Van der Vaart combined - lethal. In fact VdV's lovely goal was set by Ade. Given more time, I think both of them are fantasy musts given their superb figure of shots per game. Goal machines.

Kyle Walker scored a stunner, but as a defender I can't see how is he going to get a decent number of clean sheets from offensive-minded Tottenham.

ARS: Another sad case of complete control, and lost in the end. Arteta somehow played too deeply - hardly any offensive influence. It was Ramsey who surged forward more frequently, and shot a powerful equaliser. Good lad but not convincing enough as of yet, even with such low price (£6.3m).

I like the way Song played, but he is certainly not prolific enough to gain my love for him in my fantasy squad.

Pick: Adebayor, VdV
Watch: Ramsey, Walker


Everton 0-2 Liverpool
EVE: They certainly didn't deserve to lose under such unfortunate circumstances. Bad refereeing had costed them a player named Rodwell. Not quite impressive in terms of attack though.

I like Drenthe's potential. Given more playing time, he could produce some impressive feat.

LIV: Carroll broke his duck with a nice volley - still too early to say that he will return to his Newcastle's form though. Suarez continued to provide consistency despite limited upside potential.

The most impressive man was Enrique though who popped out with 11 points thanks to his good performance at both ends. Even if Liverpool can't keep too much of clean sheets this season, his good crosses will ensure that he will still score points that match his asking price.

Pick: Enrique, Suarez
Watch: Carroll, Drenthe, Kelly


Aston Villa 2-0 Wigan
AST: Gabby. You simply need to have him. Agbonlahor at Villa is like Rooney at Manchester United - ace status, prolific scoring, English. I love (seriously love) how he raped Wigan's defenders with his fastest legs of Premier League. At £7.0m it's a very ridiculous decision to not own him.

Bent scored too, but clearly at the moment people will only talked about Agbonlahor who is more all-rounded than him. The more interesting man is Bannan though - his long range bombs are threatening.

WIG: Simply got overpowered by Aston Villa. Defensively they are hardly trustworthy anyway averaging 2.5 goals conceded per game over the last 4 games.

Pick: Agbonlahor
Watch: Bannan
Drop: WIG defence


Blackburn 0-4 Manchester City
BLA: Blasted yet again as fans were holding "Kean Out" banner throughout the game. Nothing to be positive about as I place them in the first place to relegate this season.

MCI: Aguero was injured - BIG, BAD news. Fortunately it's international break coming right up and he should feature in City's next league game. The bigger concern for fantasy managers of course, is the possibility of his price drop.

Nasri dictated the whole game after replacing Kun. 1 goal plus 2 assists certainly proved to be too much for bench midfielder. Superb.

Balotelli's should had gotten 3-4 goals if he didn't waste those chances. Great prospect if Mancini decides to bring down Dzeko as third choice striker after the Serbian's dissent with his decision to sub him off during Champions League tie against Bayern.

Pick: Nasri, MCI defence, Silva
Watch: Balotelli
Drop: BLA players


Manchester United 2-0 Norwich
MUN: One of the luckiest game of the world as United opened their season with close to perfect 19 points out of possible 21. Team was rather disjointed. If not for Norwich's unbelievably poor decision making ability the Red Devils' exposed back should had lost. Credits to Welbeck though with his impact coming from the bench. He should pose huge threat to my favourite Chicharito.

NOR: Terribly terrible. They had about 4-5 clear cut chances and yet failed to score even one because of their amateur like judgement. It's a very simple philosophy: whoever is at a better chance to score, don't hesitate to pass. They didn't follow that, and thus the defeat. Paul Lambert should prepare for a big lecture to them.

Watch: Welbeck, Pilkington


Sunderland 2-2 West Brom
SUN: Nicklas Bendtner's game. Strong presence. If not for him, they wouldn't be able to level after a shocking 2-goal trail in the first 5 minutes. Not so sure about his value of money though with so many even better forwards to choose from.

WBA: They squandered a dream start. Long continued to impress though after scoring his third goal of the season. However, just like Bendtner, there're too many talents upfront.

Watch: Bendtner, Long


Wolves 1-2 Newcastle
WOL: Played well, but just couldn't penetrate five-star Krul. Just as usual, it was Doyle, Fletcher, Jarvis and O'Hara who manipulate the attacks.

NEW: Godlike Krul. Extremely entertaining just like how Begovic held off Liverpool few weeks ago. Stunning defence.

Offensive wise, Ba scored in two consecutive matches, with Cabaye the provider. Both are revealing more potential as the season progresses.

Pick: NEW defence, Ba
Watch: Cabaye, O'Hara

Fulham 6-0 QPR
FUL: Andy Johnson! 10 out of 10 for the English as he dictated the demolition after scoring a brace at Europa League just days ago. Swift run, great positioning, and most importantly, ruthless shots. He does intrigue me why Martin Jol buy Bryan Ruiz and Orlando Sa when he got one of the best local partnership already?

Not to be forgotten is Zamora who played the layman role perfectly. And I mean perfect. He just never got selfish throughout the game and always make chances for his teammates to score. Professional. Salute.

Dempsey also scored 1, but it was really aforementioned strikers who combined and took them to cloud nine.

QPR: Sluggish defending. Paddy Kenny certainly needs to be replaced with his amateurish display.

Pick: A. Johnson, Zamora
Watch: FUL defence
Drop: QPR defence


Swansea 2-0 Stoke City
SWA: Scott Sinclair scored once again through the spot - the first one to fly in the Prem against his Championship rivals Taarabt and Holt.

Danny Graham scored too, but I still don't see his value.

STO: Unlucky day for them as they were stopped by the post and Vorm.

Pick: Sinclair
Watch: Graham, Dyer, Walters

Full-Time: "THE CRAZY" Gameweek 3 Fantasy Review

Wayne Rooney killed the match with 3 set pieces. Ultimate performance at
Old Trafford.

CRAZY! With just 11 goals produced from 6 matches at Saturday, the game between Manchester United and Arsenal alone produced 10 goals (MUN 8-2 ARS)!!! Prior to that Manchester City also thrashed Tottenham 5-1 at White Hart Lane! A super duper unbelievably insane Premier League Sunday. Supreme feast for fans.

Man Utd 8-2 Arsenal
MUN: Complete dominance by the Red Devils as they thrashed the Gunners perhaps too easily. Defence was too easy to pass through as Rooney and co fully capitalised the spaces available to them. Ruthless.

Rooney is spectacular. 2 easy free kicks plus another penalty ensures that Dzeko will not distant himself away in his pursuit of golden boot. Ashley Young is even more productive in fantasy, providing 2 cheap assists by setting up both Rooney's free kicks before completing his third to Park beside scoring 2 entertaining goals. Nani also broke his duck with 1 goal and 1 assist in this reaping game.

Welbeck scored the opener but was unfortunate to get injured during the first half. Anderson and Cleverly continues to boss the midfield and are both cheap and decent picks from the team. Still I would put Rooney and Young plus a defender (Jones, Evans, Smalling) from United as the wisest fantasy picks from United.

De Gea saved a penalty but was at fault for letting Walcott's attempt went in - still not convincing.

Pick: Rooney, Young, MUN defence
Potential Pick: Nani, Cleverly, Anderson


ARS: Horrendous display throughout the game. Midfield was non-existent, defensive positioning was even worse than relegation candidates, and chances were wasted as if they came for free.

Ramsey was perhaps one of the worst players on field - he only knew how to hold the ball and turn around as he received them instead of making some penetrative passes. Jenkinson got yet another red as Wenger perhaps has broken his career record of conceding red cards in 3 straight league games. The way Arshavin wasted a one-on-one effort was also terrible - how did he managed to score 4 at Anfield years ago with this kind of performance?

To sum it up it's probably all Wenger's fault for not altering his tactics with the absence of Fabregas and Nasri. They looked even worse than a League One team when defending against Manchester United.

Drop: ARS players


Tottenham 1-5 Man City
TOT: The team looked totally not on form despite the fact that Modric started the game. They got some good chances but several of them were denied by the woodwork. Rather unfortunate but yet they still don't deserve to win this one.

I would say wait for one or two gameweeks to reassess them when the fixtures are slightly easier.

MCI: Dzeko is simply incredible. Four goals which clearly illustrated how all-rounded he are - left tap, right tap, difficult header of pure class and long-range shoot. He's bringing the best of him after he left Wolfsburg.

Nasri performed a hat-trick of assists on his debut game for City, suggesting that Wenger's tactics are limiting his potential. With so many talent upfront he could as well bang in a lot of fantasy points through his beautiful assists.

Other players like Aguero, Yaya Toure, Barry and Silva all performed well as well in this most expensive offensive package, and it will be difficult to choose who to lead your line.

Pick: Dzeko, Nasri, Silva, Aguero, Yaya Toure


Liverpool 3-1 Bolton
LIV: A masterclass display by Liverpool with all those free-flowing passes. Suarez continues to carry the team forward with all his creativity but he will need to improve his one-on-one skills after missing two golden chances. Still one of the must own fantasy player despite that.

Henderson was a completely different person than the first two games as he blended perfectly with others and definitely owned the first half of the game. His opener was very important and he is fairly rewarded with 3 bonus points.

Adam also scored after assisted the corner for Skrtel and is looking more and more deserved to be price £9.0m in fantasy. Skrtel's introduction was a "perfect accident" for me and he played really well as right back.

Carragher made a silly mistake which costed 4 points from each of the defenders (especially Enrique). It does wonder me whether Coates will push the vice-captain out of starting XI.

Pick: Suarez, Adam
Potential Pick: Henderson, Downing, Skrtel

BOL: Owen Coyle's squad were completely outmatched. Nothing much to say but Klasnic's third goals in three games certainly suggest that he's the king of all third-choice strikers.

Pick: Klasnic


Aston Villa 0-0 Wolves
AST: They were wasting quite an amount of chances here and there against the disciplined Wolves. Something for them to reflect.

WOL: Another solid display by them suggesting that you can trust on Wolves defence now with R Johnson leading the line.

Potential Pick: WOL defence


Wigan 2-0 QPR
WIG: Two medium-range strike by Di Santo suggest that he can outshine Rodallega this season. Moses failed to deliver fantasy points yet again. It's testing your patience.

Potential Pick: Di Santo


QPR: The defeat is rather expected. Hopefully Joey Barton will pull them up a level in next game.

Blackburn 0-1 Everton
BLA: Offensive productivity is a concern as they failed to score any after committed around 20 shots and 2 penalties. That was bitterly penalized through Arteta's penalty.

A strong relegation candidate in my opinion.

Drop: BLA players


EVE: Not very convincing on the field. They'll need to play better against oppositions like Blackburn to fetch a better ranking. Baines collected 3 bonus points - an encouraging sign to own him.

Potential Pick: Baines


Chelsea 3-1 Norwich
CHE: Not really convincing for the win, but AVB won't be unhappy as long as his side claimed 3 points. Drogba fall was the fall of the century anyway. Bosingwa should sit firmly as AVB's first choice right back after yet another fantastic display especially the opening goal.

Mata was the difference between 1 point and 3 points with his good footwork. Something Chelsea's had been missing since the departure of Arjen Robben.

And finally, drop Torres until he broke his duck.

Pick: Bosingwa, Mata
Potential Pick: Lampard
Drop: Torres


NOR: Brave display by the Canaries. Holt finally scored but was at my bench (unfortunately). Didn't look shy to attack. Good game.

Potential Pick: Holt


Swansea 0-0 Sunderland
SWA: Sinclair hit the woodwork once with his thunderous shot - bad news. Not too bad although they failed to register their first goal in the Premier League.

Potential Pick: Sinclair


SUN: Mediocre. Wes Brown claimed 2 bonus points apart from clean sheet points, and is a great £4.5m defender to pick.

Pick: Brown


Newcastle 2-1 Fulham
NEW: The best day for Best to score two impressive goals. Cabaye is showing more and more significance through his midfield leadership and set pieces. It's just a matter of time to see a fantasy boom from him.

Potential Pick: Cabaye, Best


FUL: Senderos was dropped this time for Briggs - he's not that sure as a starter. Dempsey scored his first goal, but it remains to be seen whether he fits his price tag.

West Brom 0-1 Stoke City
WBA: Been dominated for the whole game and yet lost due to one silly mistake by Foster. Long could have make it 3 goals in 3 games but was prevented to do so by Begovic. Brunt continues to look solid in the offensive department.

Potential Pick: Long, Brunt
Drop: Foster


STO: Easy goal by Shotton but it was Walters who deserve more attention in fantasy with his assist.

Potential Pick: Walters

Nasri Left for Manchester City - What's Left At Arsenal?

Nasri to follow the footsteps of his ex-captain Fabregas to quit Arsenal.

Done deal. Nasri is going to Manchester City following a £24m bid from the Eastland club.

The attacking midfielder is having a great season last year with Arsenal, but a contract breakdown with the club has angered the French to head for an exit. Not really a good news for fantasy managers though, as he will disrupt the current "comfortable" midfield order at Manchester City. Who will become the scapegoat of bench with Nasri's arrival? Or will he be benched as supersub instead? We'll know that for the coming weeks.

His departure will further worsen Wenger's squad crisis. With players including Song, Wilshere, Rosicky, Diaby, Frimpong, Gibbs, Koscielny, Djourou and Gervinho all either unavailable or doubtful, it seems impossible for them to escape from a defeat at Old Trafford on this coming Premier League weekend. Manchester United players should become super stud picks.

Is Gael Clichy the Starter for Arsenal's Collapse?

Gael Clichy
Fled away from the stained cannon.

Six years, nil trophy. Now everyone wants to get away from Arsenal. Is the empire that has once stood so strong, now is on the verge of destruction?

It looks possible. Gael Clichy has become the first player to jump the ship in order to board the juggernaut of Manchester City in a fee of approximately £7m. Samir Nasri's is also believed to escape from Gunners soon, and sources state that Manchester City, again, is preparing a £20m bid for the talented French.

With captain Cesc Fabregas looking desperately to return to Camp Nou as well, the future looks dark for the London giants. A rebuild or destruction of an empire? Let's see how Arsene Wenger does.

Surprises

Robin Van Persie

Flying like a god.

Sorry for the lack of updates as I am having problems with my PC. Anyway, there's lots of surprising results happening over the past few days:

• Tottenham crushed Milan at San Siro. Can you believe it? The London club has actually won two Milan giants in the same season! Fantastic job by Lennon and Gomes.
• Newcastle scored two away clean sheets at this gameweek double. Unbelievable. Smart move for those who stocked Newcastle defenders.
• Arsenal finally won Barca. Not so surprising for me though. Van Persie scored from an unbelievable angle, but Valdes should have done better with his positioning. Nasri wasn't at his best, but his vision is still lethal.

Premier League. Still the best.

Gameweek 17 Fantasy Preview

Samir Nasri
The man of December?

After scoring two incredible goals against Fulham, Nasri continues his fantastic form to take Arsenal to the next round of the Champions League. Van Persie was also on action in the 3-1 victory against Partizan and might pose some form of threat to Chamakh's or Arshavin's position.

On the other hand, Chelsea's awful form was brought into the Champions League as the Blues succumbed to a defeat against Drogba's ex-club Marseille; while on the day before both Manchester United and Tottenham were drawn by their opposition as all four English clubs proceeded to the round of 16 in the European's most prestigious league.

On a side note, all three luxurious fantasy midfielders - Gerrard, Lampard and Fabregas - are set to return to action this week or next. Their past experiences in the cold December may return you with hefty fantasy points.

---

PART I: PRE-MATCH ANALYSES

Petr Cech
Clean sheet-less for six consecutive matches.

Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea
London's Sunday will not be cold as Tottenham looks set to take down Chelsea in this red hot derby.

Tottenham may welcome a quick return of Rafael Van der Vaart after continuously injured his hamstring. His presence will definitely add more threat to Chelsea's defence alongside with the offensive suspects of Bale, Lennon and Defoe.

On the other side, the Blues' form are still far from convincing. They have now lost 10 points from the last four premier league games, conceding at least a goal from each of these. The crazy December fixtures for them - Tottenham, Arsenal, Man Utd and Bolton in order - certainly doesn't help.

I think confidence crisis will once again took Chelsea down and Tottenham can at least retain a point at White Hart Lane.

Prediction: TOT 1-1 CHE

Wayne Rooney
The key to take down Arsenal?

Manchester United v Arsenal
The battle for first remains intense this week as Manchester United awaits Arsenal at the Theatre of Dreams.

The Red Devils had just gone to the summit two weeks ago but that was quickly overtaken by Arsenal due to the delay of United's game against Blackpool. But now they will have the chance to regain their position should they win the Gunners this coming Monday.

Wayne Rooney, who has scored in both meetings against Arsenal last season, will be Arsenal's biggest threat. His recent form has been fine, with only goals lacking from him. More importantly, his presence also relieves defenders' pressure against Berbatov, allowing him to attack more freely.

Meanwhile, Wenger's side will have enough confidence to break United's unbeaten spell this season. Samir Nasri has been in an incredible form while Andrei Arshavin finds perfect cohesion with the French. Both of them are winning factor for Arsenal currently in the absence of captain Cesc Fabregas - who will most probably return only on the next match.

Manchester United usually wins important matches at home, and judging Arsenal's poor record in their last 10 games against United and Chelsea - W0 D1 L9 - things should be working for Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

Prediction: MANU 2-0 ARS


The Rest

• Aston Villa v West Brom (2-1) - A good chance for Villa to snatch three points with both Odemwingie and Brunt doubtful for this game.
• Everton v Wigan (2-1) - Both Tim Cahill and Charles N'Zogbia should be on the list of goalscorers.
• Fulham v Sunderland (1-1) - The draw specialist to draw again?
• Stoke City v Blackpool (2-2) - The Seasiders to preserve their good away record in the premiership.
• West Ham v Man City (1-0) - The Hammers to grab the chance to punish City in the absence of their captain Carlos Tevez.
• Newcastle v Liverpool (0-3) - Torres will want to open a big scoring feast to celebrate for the birth of his son. Newcastle's internal disputes will only make things worse for them.
• Bolton v Blackburn (2-1) - Bolton to back on track after a miserable week.
• Wolves v Birmingham (1-2) - Gardner showed some good form last week and I expect that to continue.

---

PART II: SQUAD SELECTIONS

Fernando Torres
Newcastle in a big trouble this week.

Captain Picks

• Torres - Motivated to score and that becomes much easier with Newcastle's managerial problems.
• Rooney - Good record against Arsenal.
• Agbonlahor - Time to wake up from his long silence.

Buys-In

• Torres - With happy feelings comes happy form.

Sells-Out

• Chelsea's players - Bad fixtures ahead.
• Newcastle's players - Massive uncertainties at St. James' Park.

Squad of XV

GK: Friedel

DF: Kyrgiakos, Baines, Vidic

MF: Maxi, Bale, Nani, Etherington, Cahill

F: Torres(C), Elmander

Subs (in order): Jaaskelainen, Ridgewell, Albrigton, Luke Young

Captain: Torres

Emergency Captain: Value

Starting XI Value: £82.5m

Total Team Value: £102.6m

Tuesday Torment

Fernando Torres
Celebrates the birth of his second child when I needed him the most in my fantasy team.

Another disappointing gameweek for me as I scored below the average again thanks to a couple of absentees including Man Utd's players. Here are the highlights for this week's game:

• Arsenal climbed to the summit for the first time this season thanks to the delay of Man Utd game and most importantly, Nasri's marvel. The midfielder has now scored eight league goals and racked up 14 bonus points. Wenger can now release Fabregas to Barcelona with relief.
• Tottenham failed to play consistently again as they have to share one point with Birmingham.
• Blackburn won much easier than I expected. Robinson picked up another bonus point to lead the goalkeepers' bonus points league.
• Tim Cahill did rub salt into Chelsea's wound as he assisted for the equaliser against them. Drogba scored, but only from a penalty. Seems like Ancelotti is on danger.
• Tevez's only goal secured a victory for Man City. He's suspended for next game after accumulating five yellows, so don't transfer him in hastily.
• Etherington continued his fantastic form to score three in three games but Stoke only managed to earn a draw against Wigan.
• Odemwingie made a superb performance as his two goals helped WBA to win 3-1 against Newcastle.
• Henderson scored the only goal to help Sunderland beating West Ham 1-0.
• Liverpool surprisingly overpowered Aston Villa with three goals in the absence of Gerrard, Carragher and Torres. What's more surprising? N'gog scored 12 fantasy points. Unbelievable.

Anyway, it's a great time to buy Torres this week as he will want to dedicate a goal or two to his new born baby. Good luck.

Gameweek 16 Fantasy Preview

Victor Obinna
Made four for his team mate on a stylish 4-0 victory against Man Utd.

Arsenal is on the driving seat to claim Carling Cup trophy following Manchester United's surprise defeat against West  Ham. Luck has finally on the Hammers side and fellow fantasy managers should be well alerted to start to look for Avram Grant's players - Parker, Obinna, Piquionne, Carlton Cole etc..

Meanwhile, on Europa League we see Manchester City edging Red Bull Salzburg at ease with Mario Balotelli providing two goals. Liverpool on the other hand secured a draw to ensure both English clubs getting through the next round.

Expect more snows to come.

The more important news for fantasy managers, however, is the weather condition in United Kingdom. Santa Claus is coming soon, with snow his first gift. Games may be postponed at last minute so do drag your transfer decisions to the final minutes. Good luck.

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PART I: PRE-MATCH ANALYSES

Tim Cahill
To rub salt into Chelsea's wound?

Chelsea v Everton
Chelsea will want to end their torment of winless streak at Stamford Bridge but that won't be easy with Everton visiting this weekend.

The Blue Lions are suffering from possibly the worst form since Roman Abramovich's reign. The condition further worsened by its chain reaction which causes the players like Drogba and Kalou to lose their touch of confidence. They certainly looked awful in finishing despite creating numerous chances.

But Everton isn't in a good shape as well. A 1-4 defeat to West Brom at Goodison Park wasn't something that I had imagined. Nevertheless, Tim Cahill continued his fantastic form to score in three consecutive league games.

Despite Chelsea's poor form, I will have to back them to win this as a victory is much needed to prepare them to face the next three league opponents - Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal. Essien is back, and that makes the difference.

Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Everton

Raul Meireles
Should have score more fantasy points with his kind of performance.

Liverpool v Aston Villa
Injury-plagued Liverpool will be hoping to snatch three points against under-par Aston Villa at Anfield.

The Reds lost their last game against Tottenham despite being the better side. What's worse? They had also lost their vice captain Jamie Carragher. Kyrgiakos is set to take up his position until Carra's return and he is the best bargain in Liverpool's defence.

The bigger question though is whether Joe Cole (4-2-3-1) or David N'gog (4-4-2) will partner Torres. The former is still struggling to find his form at Anfield while the latter might had his confidence stripped after conceding a penalty during his last league game.

On the other side, the Villans were knocked out from the League Cup by their derby rivals Birmingham. Contrary to Liverpool, they are escaping from the injury crises with Gabriel Agbonlahor finally found his boots to score against Birmingham during the tourney. His speed alongside with Ashley Young's and Downing's will give a lot of trouble to Liverpool's slow defenders.

Houllier will be eager to prove himself in front of his former club, but I think the Reds' at home with stamina advantage will stop him to do so.

Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Aston Villa

The Rest

• Arsenal v Fulham (3-0) - No reason to lose.
• Birmingham v Tottenham (0-2) - I don't think Birmingham has the stamina to hold up Bale, Defoe and Lennon after a Carling Cup fixture.
• Blackburn v Wolves (2-0) - The Rovers to get tough at home and send Wolves home.
• Man City v Bolton (3-1) - City on form with Balotelli leading the strike.
• Wigan v Stoke City (1-2) - The tougher side wins.
• Blackpool v Man Utd (1-5) - Blackpool is poor at home. Expect the trio of Berbatov, Nani and Rooney to shine.
• West Brom v Newcastle (2-2) - Pretty tight match-up but it should be a leaky one.
• Sunderland v West Ham (2-2) - The Black Cats are still unbeaten at home but on-from Hammers should be able to get something away.

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PART II: SQUAD SELECTIONS

Maruonne Chamakh
Gets a captain tick.

Captain Picks

• Nani/Berbatov/Rooney - Ready to open up a big score line against Blackpool.
• Chamakh - Strong home advantage against the Cottagers.

Buy-Ins

• Liverpool players - Solid fixtures ahead.
• Gamst Pedersen - Nice fixtures as well. Check his injury status first anyway.

Sell-Outs

• Nolan - Tough games oncoming.
• Van der Vaart - Injured.
• Arteta - Suspended.
• Chelsea players - Hellish fixtures ahead. You might want to delay until the next gameweek though.

Squad of XV

GK: Fabianski

DF: Kyrgiakos, Samba, Richards, Vidic

MF: Bale, Nasri*, Nani(C), Brunt

F: Berbatov, Chamakh

Subs (in order): Robinson, Carroll, Etherington, Shawcross

Captain: Nani

Emergency Captain: Value

Starting XI Value: £75.5m

Total Team Value: £96.6m

*Latest news: Nasri is doubtful. Replace him with Arshavin when necessary.

Fabregas OUT

Cesc Fabregas
Arsenal's captain will join Gerrard on the sidelines.

Arsenal failed to secure an early progress in the Champions League group stage after a 0-2 defeat to Braga. What's worse? Their emperor on the pitch, Fabregas, was injured.

Fabby will be out for two to three weeks and may miss the important clash against Manchester United. Bad news for his owners.

On the good side, this means Nasri will once again take the central role in Arsenal and bang in lots of points. Time to jump into the bandwagon.

Arsenal: Not There Yet

Younes Kaboul
The hero of Tottenham of the day.

Arsenal once again failed to climb to the summit as they slipped all three points to Tottenham, losing 2-3.

This was a disastrous result for the Gunners, especially after having a 2-0 lead at the end of first half.

Nevertheless, it is a happy day for fantasy managers as all the fantasy favourites like VdV, Bale, Nasri, Fabregas and Chamakh were performing.

Gameweek 10 Fantasy Preview

Theo Walcott
Will he run to the top spot in FPL?

My life is getting busy recently and I would like to apologize for the reduced number of posts in the coming month. Anyway, let's review the recent League Cup tourney:

• Theo Walcott scored a brace which will certainly draw plenty of managers into the fantasy bandwagon.
• Javier Hernandez scored in three consecutive matches as Manchester United marched forward.
• West Ham progressed through the next round thanks to Obinna and co.
• Downing scored an extra time winner for Aston Villa.

Also remember that Carlos Tevez will out for the next one or two gameweeks so hold on before you buy in.

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PART I: PRE-MATCH ANALYSES

Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez
Will his scoring streak end?

Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur
This match-up at Old Trafford often ends with a total domination by the home side, but things may get different this time as Tottenham reaches a new level in offence piloted by Bale and Van der Vaart.

There are a lot of negative factors of United to be exploited by Tottenham, particularly:

• United played a Carling Cup fixture during this midweek whilst Tottenham had a full week of rest.
• Nani will have more difficulty guarding Bale than the other way round.
• Modric-Huddlestone CM combination is as solid as, if not better, than Scholes-Fletcher partnership.

However, I don't think that's enough for Tottenham to make up a victory at Manchester. United's defence is unarguably one level higher than Tottenham and Berbatov-Chicharito combination will possibly destroy away's defence. Crouch will need to double up his accuracy if they are to grab points from Manchester United, in my opinion.

Prediction: Man Utd 3-1 Tottenham

The Rest

• Arsenal v West Ham (3-1) - Captain Fabregas, captain Nasri, captain Chamakh.
• Blackburn v Chelsea (0-2) - Samba is back, but that won't change the outcome much.
• Everton v Stoke City (2-0) - The Toffees are back on track and shouldn't lose this one.
• Fulham v Wigan (1-1) - The cottagers are losing themselves and Wigan should be able to sneak in.
• Wolves v Man City (0-2) - No Tevez but does that matter? No.
• Aston Villa v Birmingham (2-1) - Zigic starts to find his form but Birmingham can't be trusted at away, yet.
• Newcastle v Sunderland (2-2) - Newcastle are still short of home wins other than the 6-0 demolition of Villa.
• Bolton v Liverpool (1-2) - Victory shouldn't be a problem for the Reds if they can play like how they play against Blackburn.
• Blackpool v West Brom (2-3) - The Baggies are quite familiar with their former Championship opponent and should be able to outplay the Seasiders again.

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PART II: SQUAD SELECTIONS

Marouane Chamakh
A good chance for goals.

Captain Picks

• Fabregas/Nasri/Chamakh - It's quite hard to guess who will cast the main character, but he should be one of them.
• Brunt - A good gambling pick.

Buy-Ins

• Bosingwa - His price should rocket the next 2-3 weeks.

Sell-Outs

• Tevez - Keep if you believe that he'll only out for one week; otherwise sell.

Squad of XV

GK: Howard

DF: A Cole, Coleman, Warnock
MF: Nasri, Fabregas, Brunt, N'Zogbia, Nolan
F: Chamakh(C), Torres

Subs (in order): Friedel, Richards, Bosingwa, Carroll
Captain: Chamakh
Emergency Captain: Value
Starting XI Value: £80.2m
Total Team Value: £103.0m

Sunday Sparks

Sotirios Kyrgiakos
Fantastic performance at both ends on the pitch.

Congratulations for Manchester United for recording their first away victory this season and Liverpool for securing their second victory of the season. Here are some highlights:

• Javi Hernandez scored both goals of United. The lad is still far from becoming a sure-fire fantasy pick as Rooney will soon be back, but he might be able to squeeze Berbatov out should the latter dips his form.
• Both Nani and Berbatov failed to provide any fantasy returns this week and this frustrates a lot of managers including me.
• Liverpool overpowered a game for the first time this season, against Blackburn. Kyrgiakos has been superb all the while and Hodgson should list him as the first choice centre back of Liverpool as the Greek's reward.
• Liverpool's midfielders has been combining brilliantly during the first half and it was no surprise that Cole and Gerrard were on the assist sheet.
• Torres finally scored his second league goal (and smiled).
• A silly foul by Dedryk Boyata costed Manchester City a possible three points. Joe Hart owners will not be sad though as he caught five points with a precious penalty save.
• Nasri scored again! That is his six out of seven games. Magnificent.
• Tevez limped out with an injury. Stay updated with his status, fantasy managers.

Good night.

Gameweek 9 Fantasy Preview

Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney
Duo to reunite at Manchester in blue?

Wayne Rooney steals all the media attention this week with his intention to leave Old Trafford. It is predicted that his next destination will be out of these four: City, Chelsea, Real and Barca.

Gareth Bale
A fantastic hat-trick.

Meanwhile, Bale produced a terrific solo performance to avoid a humiliating defeat to the defending Champions League champion Inter Milan. The 21-year-old should have already rose his market price to more than £20m with that play.

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PART I: PREVIEWS

Emmanuel Adebayor
The notorious ex-Gunner will face his former employer again.

Manchester City v Arsenal
The Gunners is quite unfortunate to travel to Eastlands in such time when Manchester City is on their best.

Tevez has been in a thunderous form and it's no surprise that he is leading the golden boot hunt currently with seven goals. Meanwhile, his substitute, occasionally his strike partner, Adebayor, has just hat-tricked on a Europa League match yesterday and is set to preform his best against the club he left. Not to be forgotten of course is the Silva-Johnson competition where both are playing very well to snatch a long term starting position for themselves.

On the Gunners side, Fabregas has returned to action with a solid performance in the 5-1 rampage against Shaktar Donetsk. Walcott is ready to play this week but his form is pretty unsure. Chamakh and Nasri should be the more assuring picks than the former two.

I think Arsenal's defence will continue to pull the team down with the absence of Vermaelen and Koscielny and City will record a four consecutive victories against the London club.

Prediction: MANC 2-0 ARS


The Rest

• Tottenham v Everton (2-1) - Everton's unbeaten streak will come to an end at White Hart Lane with the magnificent Rafael Van der Vaart on the score sheet again.
• Birmingham v Blackpool (1-1) - Blackpool will have another solid performance to snatch a solid point.
• Chelsea v Wolves (3-0) - Heavily one-sided on the paper but Chelsea's form has not been that good recently.
• Sunderland v Aston Villa (0-0) - Houllier will play it patiently to find a chance but the game will end with nothing.
• West Brom v Fulham (2-1) - Odemwingie is struggling to fit but Premier League veteran Chris Brunt should be able to sort things out.
• Wigan v Bolton (1-0) - N'Zogbia has been spectacular and that form should continue.
• West Ham v Newcastle (2-2) - Things have not been right for the Magpies recently.
• Stoke City v Man Utd (2-2) - The Red Devils is still struggling to defend when they are leading.
• Liverpool v Blackburn (0-1) - Liverpool sucks a big time under Roy Hodgson.

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PART II: SQUAD SELECTIONS

Charles N'Zogbia
Will he become the superstud again?

Captain Picks

• Drogba/Malouda - Who wouldn't take advantage against Wolves?

Buy-Ins

• Chelsea players - Round two of long easy fixtures for them.
• Arteta/Cahill - Quite an easy going fixtures for long term hold.

Squad of XV

GK: Kirkland

DF: A Cole, Alcaraz, Elmohamady

MF: Malouda, Nani, N'Zogbia, Van der Vaart, Brunt

F: Drogba(C), Tevez

Subs (in order): Robinson, Dann, Varney, Jara

Captain: Drogba

Emergency Captain: Value

Starting XI Value: £83.4m

Total Team Value: £101.2m

Shocks (Saturday Quick Review)

Steven Gerrard feat. Fernando Torres
Two men is certainly not enough.

Certainly a bad day for all the big teams as none of them managed to snatch three points other than Manchester City which played Chelsea which is a bigger team. Here are the highlights:

• Samir Nasri caught the spotlight but nonetheless he was firing too late and Arsenal lost 2-3 at home to West Brom. Those who captained him should be more than happy though.
• Hodgson played some ****ing formation again as Liverpool held draw by Sunderland. Darren Bent provided two goals for the Black Cats, but look at Gerrard and Torres. Both are in form and you should certainly get one of them if you can afford to.
• Tottenham gave West Ham its first victory of the season, and I was furious about that. A fun fact - 39 shots throughout the game and only one goal scored!
• Blackburn won Blackpool, as expected. Unfortunate for Charlie Adam's owner though as he own goaled in the expense of -2 points.
• Both Birmingham v Wigan and Fulham v Everton ended goalless. Those who own Birmingham's and Fulham's defensive line should be happy enough.

Gameweek 6 Fantasy Preview

Samir Nasri
Is the burden of leading Arsenal's offence too heavy for him?

It was Berbatov who led the gameweek score last week, but still, Chelsea's trio of Drogba, Malouda and Kalou are on the top three fantasy podium and they constitute six of eleven of dream team. Spectacular. Here is my last gameweek's score. I am improving fast, don't I?

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PART I: PREVIEWS

Can Joe Hart repeat such an ultimate performance against Chelsea?

Manchester City v Chelsea
The true test for Chelsea begins with a visit to the Eastlands this Saturday.

Chelsea, the old time big money spender, experienced almost the same of the new millionaire army. They both got knocked out from the League Cup and suffer from injury crisis. Ancelotti's side is offensively impaired with the absence of Lampard, Kalou and Benayoun, while Mancini's side is even worse with only three healthy defenders ready for action on Saturday.

We all know how unstoppable Chelsea is currently. The defeat to Newcastle is a misfortune rather than a panicky sign as the Blues were downed to 10-men due to unforeseen injury. While the absence of Kalou will certainly hit them in terms of goals, they will still have too much of offensive quality to not score.

City, on the other hand, has been far from impressing this season. David Silva has a long way to adapt to English football, while the likes like Kolarov, Boateng and Balotelli have yet to show their abilities due to their injuries. Joe Hart has been a genius up till now, but you can't expect the English stopper to perform godly saves week in week out.

While both sides have quite the similar fate this week, the difference between them is Chelsea still has their top scorers Malouda and Drogba healthy, and they have big advantage in charging against the defensively weakened City. They need to beware on Nigel De Jong though.

Prediction: MANC 1-3 CHE


The Rest

• Arsenal v West Brom (2-0) - Arsenal will experience some difficulty in offence in the absence of Fabregas. It should not be tough though. Nasri is the clear first choice from the team.
• Birmingham v Wigan (2-0) - Hleb has a good start with the Brums, and I expect him to repeat the feat again.
• Blackpool v Blackburn (1-2) - I think Blackburn's defence is brutal enough to stop Blackpool.
• Fulham v Everton (1-0) - With Everton's poor season start, I doubt if they can score any goals.
• Liverpool v Sunderland (1-0) - I don't have much confidence on the Reds. Torres is one of the good captain this week.
• West Ham v Tottenham (1-2) - Tottenham is still pretty unpredictable but I think Van der Vaart should be able to offer some stability to the Spurs' performance.
• Bolton v Man Utd (0-2) - The Red Devils should have no problem of winning this one but do expect for rotation as soon as they achieve a two-goal lead.
• Wolves v Aston Villa (0-1) - All I can predict from this game is it should be a low-scoring one.
• Newcastle v Stoke City (2-1) - Another tight match-up which I have no clue.

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PART II: SQUAD SELECTIONS

Fernando Torres
Can you afford to have him given that Drogba is the clear first choice forward?

Captain Picks

• Nasri - He takes over Fabregas role temporarily.
• Torres - The Premier League top star is starting to find back the best of him.

Buy-Ins

• Torres/Gerrard/Konchesky - The next five games of Liverpool are relatively easy with three games at home.
• Berbatov/Nani/Scholes - Despite mostly away, Man Utd also has a good run of fixtures.

Sell-Outs

• Baptiste - Haunted by injury.

Squad of XV

GK: Foster

DF: Dann, Konchesky, Clichy

MF: Hleb, Nani, Nasri(C), Malouda, Van der Vaart

F: Torres, Chamakh

Subs (in order): Robinson, O'Shea, Luke Young, Carroll

Captain: Nasri

Emergency Captain: Value

Starting XI Value: £78.5m

Total Team Value: £99.6m