Kick-Off: Gameweek 36 Fantasy Preview

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prediction: MUN 2-2 CHE

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

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

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

Prediction: SWA 1-2 MCI, MCI 3-1 WBA

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

GAMEWEEK 36 DREAM TEAM

Robles

Luiz — Dawson — Zabaleta

Bale (C) — Coutinho — Mata — Yaya Toure

Defoe — Tevez (VC) — Lukaku

Subs: Vorm — Walcott — Boyce — Azpilicueta

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Kick-Off: Gameweek 10 Fantasy Preview

Theo Walcott was the main hero in Arsenal's 7-5 victory over Reading.

A crazy League Cup round as we saw 2 astonishing games played which include Arsenal's unbelievable 4 goal comeback against Reading and Chelsea's extra-time revenge against Manchester United in a 9-goal-thriller. Absolute stunners but let's return to Premier League as we prepare for gameweek 10 of FPL:

GAMEWEEK 9 TOP SCORERS

1. Robin Van Persie (£13.4m, 12 pts): Second consecutive double-digit gameweek score now for the Dutch forward. Simply one class above of the rest of the Premier League forwards.
2. Bryan Ruiz (£5.8m, 11 pts): He said that he can fill the void left by Mousa Dembele (£6.1m, - pts) and Clint Dempsey (£9.2m, 9 pts). Quite good so far.
3. Mikel Arteta (£7.7m 11 pts): First double-digit gameweek for the Spaniard this season. Playing in such a deep position, he doesn't look likely to carry forward his scoring momentum.
4. Michael Turner (£4.2m, 11 pts): His last gameweek's score has made him more than double his season's score. Definitely not a man to hold until Norwich find some good defence at the back.
5. Gareth Bale (£9.6m, 10 pts): 12 bonus points in the last 5 games he had played. A season-long pick for me.

FEATURED: Manchester United v Arsenal @ Old Trafford
Premier League continues to get hot this week with Manchester United hosting Arsenal at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils currently sit second on the league after a controversial victory over Chelsea last week. Nonetheless, they fumbled in Capital One Cup tie against the same team in a dramatic match-up.

Robin Van Persie will play for the first time against his old club since his transfer saga, but he won't be kind to Arsene Wenger for sure and will continue be the main goal threat for Manchester United, with Wayne Rooney (£11.8m, 1 pt) continue to provide world class support to last season's Golden Boot winner.

Shinji Kagawa (£8.1m, -  pts ) is still a few weeks away from recovery while Chris Smalling (£5.3m, - pts) could be back to boost Sir Alex Ferguson's options at the back for this important tie.

On the other side, the Gunners have been pretty quiet in front of goal but that ended on League Cup tie against Reading, where they scored 7 goals. Santi Cazorla (£9.5m, 3 pts) and Lukas Podolski (£9.5m, 2 pts) continued to be the best bets at Arsenal, while Jack Wilshere (£6.4m, 3 pts) could be handed another league start again after starting last weekend against Queens Park Rangers. Not so sure about his fantasy value though.

Should be a pretty open play, with the Red Devils enjoying their home advantage and send Arsenal back home with a defeat. Don't expect another 8-2 though.

Prediction: MUN 3-1 ARS

TEAM FOCUS: Tottenham Hotspur
They will play at White Hart Lane against Wigan so you could do much worse than getting Tottenham's players and captain their stars.

Gareth Bale (£9.7m, 10 pts) is the obvious captain pick for this week with his explosive speed the main weapon to break the Latics' defence. Clint Dempsey (£9.2m, 9 pts) is another man you can consider as his starting place is now for him to lose after some consistent run of form.

Upfront Jermaine Defoe (£8.0m, 5 pts) should continue to be Andre Villas-Boas' trusted choice, though Emmanuel Adebayor (£9.0m, - pts) could spoil the party as he recovers from illness.

A fair chance to grab a clean sheet too, with Steven Caulker (£4.8m, 2 pts) providing cheap access to Tottenham's backline. He is in legal troubles though, so be cautious.

Prediction: TOT 3-0 WIG

PLAYER FOCUS: Tevez
Manchester City will travel to Boleyn Ground this week. They will have no League Cup fixtures after being eliminated on late September, so Carlos Tevez (£9.5m, 9 pts) will be full of stamina to produce some nice results.

Shane Long (£6.1m, 1 pt) is struggling to shrug off injury problems, so Romelu Lukaku (£6.4m, 9 pts) could start again and get some good scores against Southampton.

GAMEWEEK 10 DREAM TEAM

Hart

O'Shea — Caulker — Ivanovic

Gerrard — Hoilett — Mata — Bale (C)

Tevez (VC) —  Fletcher — Defoe

Subs: Guzan — McAnuff —  G. Cameron — Wisdom

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Sunday Aftermath: Howard Webb's School of Referees

Welcome our next graduate from Howard Webb's academy.

I am simply amused with Premier League's referee standard as Manchester United kept benefiting from such ridiculous officiating. Here are some highlights on last weekend's game:

• Robin Van Persie (£13.4m, 12 pts) was undoubtedly the man of the match (barring the ref) as he was directly involved in 2 of Manchester United's goals. He definitely is showing some performance that matches his price tag.
• On the other side Juan Mata (£9.3m, 9 pts) continued his fabulous performance with a brilliantly curled free-kick goal. Just 3 points between him and Eden Hazard (£10.3m, 5 pts) now, as fantasy managers are more and more tempted to switch to the former and use the extra sterling elsewhere.
• At Goodison Park Luis Suarez (£9.7m, 8 pts) almost embarrassed David Moyes — who accused him as a diver — as he scored one (and another disallowed but legitimate goal) and created Leighton Baines' (£7.5m, 4 pts) own goal in Liverpool's 2-2 draw with their Merseyside rivals. Surprisingly though he did not get any bonus points.
• So Gareth Bale (£9.7m, 10 pts) did dedicate a goal for his newborn daughter as Tottenham claimed 3 points at St. Mary's Stadium. Clint Dempsey (£9.2m, 9 pts) was the other goalscorer as he seemed to pin down a starting spot in Andre Villas-Boas' squad already.
• Demba Ba (£8.4m, 8 pts) and Papiss Cisse (£8.9m, 6 pts) both scored a goal in Newcastle's victory over West Bromwich Albion, but it was Romelu Lukaku (£6.4m, 9 pts) who claimed 3 bonus points despite losing.
• The buy call on Carlos Tevez (£9.4m, 9 pts) is expected to back on rise again as the Argentinian continued to perform consistently and scored the only goal for Manchester City in their victory against Swansea.
• Bryan Ruiz (£5.8m, 11 pts) starred for Fulham in their exhilarating 3-3 draw against Reading, with fantasy hotcake Dimitar Berbatov (£7.1m, 6 pts) scoring a goal too in the process.
• Arsenal continue to struggle in getting goals, though at least this time Mikel Arteta (£7.7m, 11 pts) scored one for the Gunners and secured 3 points for them.
• Christian Benteke (£6.5m, 7 pts) started ahead of Darren Bent (£8.0m, 1 pt) for Aston Villa and did not disappoint as he recorded one goal for the home side in their draw against Norwich City.
• It's 3 clean sheets in 4 games for Stoke City as they played a goalless draw with Sunderland. The upcoming fixtures look good too, so you should really take a look at the Potters' defence.
• None of the usual fantasy faces scored in Wigan's 2-1 victory over West Ham United, which was disappointing and boring.

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Sunday Aftermath: The 12th Man

Mark Halsey: The game spoiler.

Poor officiating had once again spoiled the game as Manchester United won controversially at Anfield. Here are some highlights:

• If Mark Halsey is listed in Fantasy, he should have gotten all the points that Robin Van Persie (£13.5m, 6pts) and Antonio Valencia (£8.8m, 5 pts) got this gameweek. Controversial judgement by him in my opinion as he awarded United for such a soft penalty but denied Liverpool's more legitimate penalty claim earlier.
• Rafael da Silva (£5.6m, 11 pts) scored a unbeatable goal at Anfield and is the man you should closely monitor from the Red Devils as he scored a sky high 6.75 points per game.
• Anders Lindegaard (£5.4m, 3 pts) performed superbly well yesterday and with that kind of performance, expect David de Gea (£5.8m, 0 pts) to rot longer on the bench.
• Steven Gerrard (£9.4m, 9 pts) scored the only goal for Liverpool but  I still don't see any value from Liverpool players yet, though the next few fixtures can be the time for them to start performing.
• Meanwhile at Etihad Stadium, Manchester City squandered their lead to share a point with Arsenal. Defenders Joleon Lescott (£6.4m, 11 pts) and Laurent Koscielny (£5.4m, 9 pts) scored one each for respective teams.
• Santi Cazorla (£9.2m, 7 pts) delivered yet another assist as he shows that he is really not far away from Eden Hazard (£10.3m) in terms of class.
• Sergio Aguero (£11.0m, 2 pts) made his return and pushed Carlos Tevez (£9.9m, 1 pt) back on the bench. Tevez's potential could get severely dented as Mario Balotelli (£8.8m, 1 pt) is also back in action to compete for a starting spot.
• At Sports Direct Arena Demba Ba (£7.8m, 9 pts) combined with Hatem Ben Arfa (£7.8m, 8 pts) to score the only goal of the game. Ba is definitely on fire and is one of the best forward to get in £7-8m band.
• On the contrary, Ba's compatriot, Papiss Cisse (£9.2m, 0 pts), missed a penalty and is out of form at the moment. Stay away from him indefinitely.
• Gareth Bale (£9.3m, 8 pts) carried forward his stunning form as Tottenham won at home against Queens Park Rangers. The same applies on Jermaine Defoe (£7.7m, 8 pts), who scored yet another goal to extend his fine goal run.
• Steven Fletcher (£7.2m, 9 pts) scored in all games he had played for Sunderland this season after yet another goal against West Ham this time. Scoring on the other end is Kevin Nolan (£6.2m, 7 pts) as both represent good offensive acquisitions from respective teams.
• Dimitar Berbatov (£7.2m, 8 pts) is unstoppable at the moment as he delivered a 1 assist plus 3 bonus points performance in Fulham's victory over Wigan. Damien Duff (£6.2m, 8 pts) is doing pretty well currently with 33 points already this season.
• Romelu Lukaku (£6.5m, 9 pts) scored as expected as West Brom recorded a narrow win against Reading. A man to monitor.
• Southampton recorded their first victory of the season as Rickie Lambert (£6.1m, 13 pts) scored  2 goals. One superb striker in the budget category.
• At Stamford Bridge Chelsea almost lost 2 points to Stoke City but Ashley Cole (£6.5m, 15 pts) prevented that with a last minute goal. Finally he is responding to Branislav Ivanovic's (£7.0m, 6 pts) dominance on the right.
• Marouane Fellaini (£7.1m, 12 pts) and Leighton Baines (£7.2m, 11 pts) led the show at Liberty Stadium as Swansea sufferred a terrible 0-3 defeat to the Toffees.

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Kick-Off: Gameweek 5 Fantasy Preview

Michael Carrick celebrated the only goal against Galatasaray.

European fixtures took place this midweek and players who played will certainly face stamina problems. Be prepared for unanticipated squad rotations.

GAMEWEEK 4 TOP SCORERS

1. Alexander Buttner (£5.5m, 17 pts): Great game by the Dutch as Patrice Evra's (£7.0m, 0 pts) position is threatened much earlier than expected. One of the man to scout but it is quite risky to own him at the moment.
2. Yao Gervinho (£7.3m, 15 pts): A sudden bombastic performance by the Ivorian. Doesn't look like a good fantasy prospect yet, especially when he only did averagely last season.
3. Matthew Lowton (£4.5m, 14 pts): Another erratic score like Gervinho. I do not recommend any Aston Villa defenders  at this moment unless they can tighten up the back line a bit.
4. Dimitar Berbatov (£7.1m, 13 pts): The new ace at Craven Cottage. One of the best third fantasy man up front at the moment.
5. Demba Ba (£7.7m, 12 pts): Man in fury. His potential will pretty much depend on Alan Pardew's tactical plan though.

FEATURED: Liverpool v Manchester United @ Anfield
Liverpool aim to get their first victory of the season as they await Manchester United's challenge at Anfield.

Justice seems to reach the doorsteps of Hillsborough victims finally after latest release of evidence last Wednesday, claiming that part of the deaths could be avoided if the police and emergency services authorities were more efficient. Definitely a very emotional moment for the players and supporters.

Jonjo Shelvey (£5.3m) scored a brace in Liverpool's 5-3 victory over Young Boys and could push for a start against Manchester United but Luis Suarez (£9.4m) and Raheem Sterling (£4.6m) should be the main threat of Liverpool again. The back-line seriously needs to be tightened up though if they are to sustain United's extravagant offence led by Robin Van Persie (£13.5m) and co. Big, big challenge.

Alexander Buttner (£5.5m) may start ahead of Patrice Evra (£7.0m) — who did poorly in Champions League — again. He certainly needs to do more to get good fantasy points again though. Shinji Kagawa (£8.6m) assisted Michael Carrick (£5.9m) in the Red Devils' Champions League win against Galatasaray — a man to watch.

As exciting as always despite the increased gap between them. Nonetheless, I don't think United can grab a win here as Liverpool always play at higher levels against greater oppositions.

Prediction: LIV 1-1 MUN

TEAM FOCUS: Tottenham
Tottenham will be hoping to get start their winning streak after breaking their victory duck against Reading, and a home game against Queens Park Rangers presents a great opportunity to do so.

Jermaine Defoe (£7.6m) should be the first pick against with Emmanuel Adebayor (£9.4m) suffering an injury. Great chance for a brace of goals again for the English. Another man who is expected to perform is Gareth Bale (£9.3m), who finally opened his goal account last gameweek against Reading.

Defensive wise they are also quite probable to get their first clean sheet of the season, so while I am not encouraging you to get their defenders (especially when they face Manchester United next gameweek), you should play them this gameweek if you have any of them in your fantasy team.

PLAYER FOCUS: Ba
Demba Ba (£7.7m) is certainly the man to watch, having scored both goals in the Magpies draw against Everton. A little bit risky with him missing the Europa League tie against Maritimo possibly due to recent disputes, but nonetheless a risk worth to be taken in my opinion.

Also on my radar is West Brom's Romelu Lukaku (£6.5m), who should start following Peter Odemwingie's suspension. He definitely has the quality to shine, just like what he had shown against Liverpool.

GAMEWEEK 5 DREAM TEAM

Foster

Walker — Ivanovic — Demel

Hazard (C) — Morrison — Ben Arfa — Bale

Torres — Defoe (VC) — Berbatov

Subs: Jaaskelainen — Puncheon —  McAuley — Santon

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FPLZ 2012/13 Season Preview: West Bromwich Albion F.C.

West Bromwich Albion F.C.

Gareth McAuley with West Brom's 2012/13 season home kit.

You can download the full analyzed squad data here.

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

Last Season: Impressive
Being a team who go through the promotion and relegation cycle regularly, West Brom managed to change the situation this time, finishing at glorious tenth place last season. A big part of the credit goes to ex-manager Roy Hodgson though, and with him left the club for England international team, it is a doubt whether they can reach the same height again this season.

This Summer: Clarke's Debut
Steve Clarke has been appointed as the new manager of the Baggies. A risky move as this is Steve Clarke's first stint as a club's head coach.

As for players, Ben Foster's move to the Hawthorns become a permanent one, with midfielder Claudio Yacob, young Belgian Yassine El Ghanassy (loan), free agent Markus Rosenberg and Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku (loan) joining the team. Five players were being released, namely Keith Andrews, Marton Fulop, Paul Scharner, Nicky Shorey and Somen Tchoyi.

Upcoming Season: Uncertain
As mentioned this will be Steve Clarke's first time as a manager - things can go everywhere honestly. The pre-season record is neither good nor bad at the moment. Maybe the first few gameweeks will reveal Clarke's ability to mange a club.

Odemwingie's fantasy stats.

Wet Gun?: Odemwingie (FI: 0.454)

Peter Odemwingie (£7.0m) was an instant fantasy hit during his first season at the Hawthorns, but his performance somehow declined to an unappealing level last season.

Still, the Nigerian forward managed to score double figure goals last season. The lad does have good fantasy potential, so do keep an eye on him and get him when the right time comes.

Ridgewell's fantasy
indices last season.

Great Return: Ridgewell (FI: 0.924)
It really caught me when I saw Liam Ridgewell (£5.0m) scored such a high FPLZ Index last season, which aroused my curiousity to analyze him further.

The defender scored 61 points in just 1170 minutes of action, which he managed to score one goal, one assist, and six clean sheets. Impressive.

He now costs £0.5m more than last season, but nonetheless he should be the first man to consider among West Brom defenders, if Steve Clarke can keep the back as tight as when it was during Hodgson's era, or even tighter.

Tough Battle: Long (FI: 0.344), Rosenberg (FI: N/A), Lukaku (FI: N/A)
Interesting competition upfront for West Brom where we will have three equally good candidate to fight for the second forward spot alongside Odemwingie - Shane Long (£6.0m), Markus Rosenberg (£6.5m) and Romelu Lukaku (£6.5m).

All of them are priced in the same band, so it really takes time to observe and see which player actually plays more and brings good value to fantasy managers.

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