Finale: Gameweek 38 Fantasy Preview

Congratulations Chelsea!

Overview
Title race? Still on. Survival struggles? Still fighting. Champions League spot? Still in contest. All these make a wonderful finale to this season's Premier League. Exciting.

Game of the Week: Manchester City v Queens Park Rangers

Title hopes on his shoulder.

Three points is a must for both sides: the home side is eager to lift the top flight league trophy since 1968, while the away is hoping to maintain its spot at the Premier League to preserve the pride as last season's League Championship winner, especially when the other two promoters (Swansea and Norwich) were freed from relegation threats much earlier this season.

Aguero and Tevez should lead the line as usual to crush QPR's much fragile defence, with supports coming in from Silva and Yaya Toure. Defensively they should continue to be resolute, like how they held off in-form Papiss Cisse last game.

I can't see how QPR is going to go against all odds and crush City's title hopes. A pray for Bolton to not win sounds more realistic to me.

Prediction: MCI 2-0 QPR
Pick and Captain: Aguero
Pick: MCI defence, Silva, Tevez, Yaya Toure


Fantasy Game of the Week: Chelsea v Blackburn

Great ending for El Nino?

Blackburn has already relegated - this means they would play purely for the sake of entertainment. Chelsea, meanwhile, has nothing to fight for in this very last gameweek of the season and will surely play with less seriousness. Expect some big scoreline.

Torres could lead the line and score a hat-trick again just like what he did against QPR weeks before. Looking good for his price of  £9.9m. Yakubu on the other side looks to be a good investment as well, except that he will be facing Terry who needs to put on his best to lock a spot in England's 2012 Euro team sheet.

A big scoreline in the waiting.

Prediction: CHE 4-2 BLA
Pick and Captain: Torres
Pick: Mata, Yakubu
Drop: Defences


Pick and Drop
Pick and Captain
Rooney - Still chasing City.
Van Persie - Needs to lock on third place for Arsenal.

Pick
P Cisse - Always a good choice.
Van der Vaart - Still fighting for Champions League spot.

Gameweek 38 Dream Team

Vorm

Clichy -- Evra -- Walker

Mata -- Silva -- Valencia -- Van der Vaart

Aguero (C) -- Rooney (VC) -- P Cisse

Subs: Sorensen -- Sigurdsson -- Bosingwa -- Skrtel

Kick-Off: Gameweek 37 Fantasy Preview

Suarez and Torres: Hat-trick heroes.

Overview
The gameweek double went wild some crazy performances including hat-tricks by Suarez and Torres as the top fantasy scorer of the week scored 186 fantasy points. Incredible. Van der Vaart, a long silent major fantasy force, was the top scorer of the week with 22 points.

Game of the Week: NEWCASTLE v MANCHESTER CITY

Huge mission on his shoulder.

Livepool against Chelsea might look more interesting in terms of the clubs' fame, but this one has more importance for both clubs. Newcastle, looking for a Champions League spot, will do their best to outperform the leading club, Manchester City, who also desperately need three points to secure their first Premier League title.

Papiss Cisse continued his unstoppable form, firing two goals past Chelsea last midweek (the second one was incredible). He will continue to be the major attacking force, and Kompany and co will need to do more than usual to stop him.

On the other side, all stakes will be put on offence to secure another three points, so expect anyone of Aguero, Tevez and Silva to slot in some goals. It will be a tough one for City, but their determination should carry them forward.

Prediction: NEW 1-2 MCI
Pick: Cisse, Aguero, Tevez, Silva


Fantasy Game of the Week: ARSENAL v NORWICH

Recommended captain
of the week.

Van Persie would be the no-brainer captain of the week as Arsenal host Norwich at home.

The Canaries had been terrible defensively, conceding three from Suarez last game due to some unforgivable defensive errors. Great chance for the Gunners.

Van Persie will need to bridge the gap away from Rooney, so there is no issue of motivation. Quite some good likelihood of hat-trick.

Prediction: ARS 4-0 NOR
Pick and Captain: Van Persie
Pick: Walcott, Rosicky


Pick and Drop
Pick and Captain:
Rooney - Still on pursuit of Golden Boot.

Pick:
Van der Vaart - Showing good form.
Dempsey - The consistent performer.
D Cisse - QPR on fight of their lives.

Gameweek 37 Dream Team

De Gea

Sagna -- Ferdinand -- Walker

Walcott -- Silva -- Van der Vaart -- Dempsey

Van Persie (C) -- Rooney (VC) -- D Cisse

Subs:  Bogdan -- McClean -- Warnock -- A Ferdinand

Kick-Off: Gameweek 34 Fantasy Preview

Back with unstoppable form.

Overview
First of all, a big apology to fellow loyal readers for missing two consecutive previews for you all. I was very busy last week and therefore wasn't alert of the gameweek deadlines. Rest assured as FPLZ will continue as usual until the end of the season.

Some big news over the last week:

• Manchester United extended the lead to as much as 8 points but was closed down by City later thanks to their shocking defeat to Wigan.
• Keeper crisis at Liverpool as Brad Jones is the only available senior goalkeeper currently (the other two were suspended).
• Tottenham has only one win over the last eight league fixtures as Newcastle now goes level with them in points.
• Wolves is almost certain to book a place in League Championship with nine points away from survival zone.

About This Gameweek

There will be only six games (12 teams) playing this week due to FA Cup semifinals and those delayed fixtures will be replaced in gameweek 35 (1 game) and gameweek 36 (4 games). Plan your transfers well.

Game of the Week: Swansea v Blackburn

Operation Yakubu:
Survival from Relegation

Not really have any game with intense match-up this week, so let's stick to Blackburn who's eager to get a win to escape from relegation.

The Rovers almost defeated Liverpool last gameweek with one-man advantage, but somehow had squandered to comeback. Yakubu remains to be the team's top scorer with 16 goals on hand now. A great striker.

But his supremacy will be tested by Vorm, the most acrobatic keeper in the Premier League. The Swans has leaked for at least two goals per game for the last four games, but you just can't underestimate what this keeper can do.

Sigurdsson will be the man who cause the most threat again, but personally I think Blackburn will be more motivated to get three points.

Prediction: SWA 1-2 BLA

Pick: Yakubu, Sigurdsson

Fantasy Game of the Week: Norwich v Manchester City

Operation Kun:
Revival of title hopes.

Sure, Arsenal are facing Wigan at home. But resurgent City against leaky Canaries are much more appealing to me.

Aguero has found his early season dominance as he scored two and made two last gameweek. Splendid and definitely deserve a captain armband this gameweek. His compatriot, Tevez, started the game and scored one too. Too expensive to own but nonetheless deserves a mention.

In the middle I expect Silva to play the craftsman role again, supplying the creativity needed to breakdown the defence. City's defence has back to its usual resoluteness again, though Kompany is perhaps too expensive to own at the moment.

Should be a comfortable win for City.

Prediction: NOR 0-4 MCI

Pick and Captain: Aguero

Pick: MCI defence, Silva

Drop: NOR defence

Pick and Drop

Pick and Captain:

Van Persie/ Rooney - As always.

Sessegnon - Wolves might have probably given up by now.

Pick:

MUN defence - Villa are quite weak on offence.

ARS defence - Certainly more composed now.

Valencia/Young - The most threatening flanks across the league.

Walcott - RvP's best partner.

Taarabt - Finally shown his true potential.

SUN defence - Wolves have little to fight for.

Drop:

WOL players - It's only a matter of time to get relegated.

Transfer Traffic

Green light (buy):

Aguero - In form for City's final push.

Taarabt - The real playmaker has been unleashed.

Yakubu - With intense desire to take Blackburn to the shore.

Red light (sell):

LIV defenders - Not even paying attention to league.

TOT players - Totally disjointed.

Pogrebnyak  - Doubtful indefinitely.

Gameweek 34 Dream Team

De Gea

Evans -- Sagna -- Lescott

Valencia -- Walcott -- Silva -- Sessegnon

Yakubu -- Aguero (C) -- Van Persie (VC)

Subs: Mignolet -- Sigurdsson -- Turner -- A Ferdinand

Kick-Off: Gameweek 31 Fantasy Preview

Kenny Dalglish: Man in pressure.

Overview
So Chelsea continued their fine run under the lead of Di Matteo. The Blues won their first leg of the Champions League quarter finals with a 1-0 win away to Benfica. Great likelihood to progress, but they are expected to face Barcelona next.

Game of the Week: NEWCASTLE v LIVERPOOL

Can Ben Arfa get consistent
starts?

Not pretty interesting in terms of the meaning of the battle, but nevertheless this is the most balanced match-up of the week.

Newcastle are back in winning ways, winning the last two games with Papiss Cisse the man. The compatriot of Ba has scored three goals in the last two games and will be the biggest threat of Liverpool's clean sheet points.

Ben Arfa is the other man where you cannot take your eyes off. The talented winger has shown supreme performance last gameweek by getting involved in all three Newcastle's goals. Coupled with Cisse and Ba, the trio has immeasurable potential against Liverpool.

On the other side, Suarez has managed to find some consistency recently, but his explosive potential is yet to be materialized. Can he unleash that against Newcastle? Seems tough when his teammates are not up to his par except Gerrard.

Should be a comprehensive Newcastle victory as Liverpool continues to drop points horribly.

Prediction: NEW 3-1 LIV
Pick: Cisse, Ben Arfa
Drop: LIV defence


Fantasy Game of the Week: MANCHESTER CITY v SUNDERLAND

Carlos Tevez to get a start?

City certainly is not ready to hand the title out as they host Sunderland in the quest of closing down the gap against United.

The Blue Moon's offensive power has been mediocre recently - they had only scored 3 goals in their last three when they had score 12 in their first three games of the season. David Silva seems to be out of magic as the team struggles to find chances.

Aguero is quoted as "75% playing" so maybe you should sell him considering how much better you can achieve via Van Persie and Rooney. Balotelli will be your main man to trust, as the wonder kid is never short of wonders - both on and off the field.

Defensive wise, Kompany is flagged as "50% playing" but given his importance in the team, I think he should start in order to break down Sunderland's offence which has return to its best after as Sessegnon returned from suspension.

City's superb home record should keep their trail within 3 points so put your City players on and hope for the best.

Prediction: MCI 2-0 SUN
Pick and Captain: Balotelli
Pick: MCI defence


Pick and Drop
Pick and Captain:
Dempsey/Pogrebnyak - Superb potential against Norwich.
Van Persie/Rooney - The automatic picks.

Pick:
Mata - The team are very much settled under Di Matteo.
Jelavic - Seems quite lively recently.
Bale/Adebayor - Expect them to back in form.
Valencia - Never short of magic.

Drop:
QPR defence - Too poor against Arsenal's offensive standards.
BLA defence - Nothing stops United at the moment.

Transfer Traffic
Green light (buy):
Evans - 25 points in the last two games has made him super popular.
G Cahill - Performs impressively under Di Matteo's tactics.
Walcott - Starts for more than 10 consecutive league games.
P Cisse - Cheaper and in better form than Ba.

Yellow light (hold):
Sessegnon - Returned but has back to back tough games.
Jelavic - Looks settled but needs more games to make conclusion.
Suarez - Still waiting for the explosive factor to explode.

Red light (sell):
Enrique/Skrtel - Terrible form at the moment.
Ba - Overpriced compared to his teammate Cisse.
MCI forwards - Overly crowded to get consistent minutes.

Gameweek 31 Dream Team

Hart

Assou-Ekkoto -- Evans -- G Cahill

Ben Arfa -- Dempsey -- Bale -- Valencia -- Walcott

Rooney (VC) -- Van Persie (C)

Subs: Al-Habsi -- Pogrebnyak -- Gibbs -- Hibbert

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

Kick-Off: Gameweek 29 Fantasy Preview

Di Matteo saved Premier League's pride by progressing to
quarter finals of Champions League.

Overview
Liverpool's 3-0 victory over Everton certainly salvaged many double gameweek gamblers. Gerrard got a whopping 22 point gameweek thanks to his hat-trick, while Suarez provided 2 assists to score 14 points. Defenders like Skrtel and Enrique got a clean sheet too. Those who bought them certainly won't be disappointed, although they might expect more.

Meanwhile, Chelsea progressed through the last eight of Champions League in the expense of Napoli after extra time. Di Matteo is certainly on the run now as the new Chelsea coach, having won all games since he took over. Chelsea's players definitely should be on your radar by now.

Game of the Week: MANCHESTER CITY v CHELSEA

Frank Lampard: The
evergreen ace.

The greatest test for Di Matteo so far as they visit to Etihad Stadium to salvage their Champions League chance next season.

The former Italian international is rejuvenating the Blues at the moment, as Roman Abramovich's army won in all games under his charge. People are being reminded of Mourinho's era with him - resolute defense, strength battle and aerial advantage all reappeared under Di Matteo.

Senior players like Lampard and Drogba should lead the team again after a fantastic performance against Napoli. Huge pressure for City then, which will be without captain Kompany who is fantastic in positioning.

On the other side, City are losing grip in this concluding stage of the season, suffering two consecutive defeats at Europa League and Premier League. Aguero is unable to show us the super Aguero at the opening stage of the season, while Silva's form is also pretty woeful and has already been overtaken by Dempsey in terms of fantasy scores.

It will be a tough game to call, but as long as Chelsea continues to play Mourinho's style of football, I believe City will slip points again and hand the title to United.

Prediction: MCI 1-1 CHE
Pick: Lampard, Drogba
Drop: MCI defence


Fantasy Game of the Week: WOLVES v MANCHESTER UNITED

Rooney still has hopes
for Golden Boot.

Tottenham are facing Stoke at home but we all know how they struggled recently. Hence I will turn my head to Molineux - where league leaders Manchester United will visit to this week.

Wayne Rooney scored both goals in their victory against West Brom last week. The forward has 20 league goals now and still has chance to pressure Robin Van Persie (25 goals) in the golden boot race. Great motivation then, apart from grabbing the 20th league title for Manchester United.

Another man on form is Rooney's compatriot Ashley Young. The former Aston Villa's ace has got 26 fantasy points in his last two games and is expected to continue such fine run to demolish Wolves. Certainly a tough time for Wolves defenders to mark them both.

I am 50-50 about United's likelihood of a clean sheet, but nevertheless having at least one of the duo mentioned above is a must at this stage. Victory for Red Devils.

Prediction: WOL 0-2 MUN
Pick and Captain: Rooney, Young
Drop: WOL defence


Pick and Drop
Pick and Captain:

• Van Persie - An automatic choice.
• Ba/ Cisse - Norwich's defensive history makes them mouth-watering choices.
• Gerrard - The captain is inspirational.
• Suarez - He will make QPR defenders look silly.
• Dempsey/ Pogrebnyak  - The partnership is impressive.

Pick:

• Bale - Still reliable, but not reliable enough to be captained.
• LIV defence - QPR's attack shouldn't be tough for them.

Drop:

• STO defence - Tottenham is not expected to disappoint their fans.
• EVE defence - No one stops RvP.
• QPR defence - To stop both Gerrard and Suarez is not easy.

Transfer Traffic

Green light (buy):

• Young/ Rooney - On their high.
• Gerrard - In his cheapest price in these few years and still has skills.
• Suarez - Points are assured with Gerrard around.

Yellow light (watch):

• Bale/ Adebayor - Lacking consistencies at the moment.
• Cleverley  - Returned finally and we shall see how he cope with in these few gameweeks.

Red light (sell):

• Silva/ Aguero - Not in form and subject to heavy rotation.
• Kompany - Injured.

Gameweek 29 Dream Team

Schwarzer

Evans -- Skrtel -- Assou-Ekkoto

Dempsey -- Gerrard (VC) -- Young -- Lampard

Rooney (C) -- Van Persie -- Suarez

Subs: Al-Habsi -- Moses -- Simpson -- Cuellar

Tidal Change: Manchester United On The Summit

Rooney smiles after taking his team to the top of the league table
with two goals.

The tide has certainly changed. In the beginning of February we expect Manchester City to start to build up some cushion against Manchester United in terms of league points: City's February fixtures are pretty easy, while United's had to play against Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham in one month.

The fact is: City not only failed to increase the gap, but lost their lead today after losing 0-1 to Swansea. Impressive display by Manchester United as Rooney and Young continue to sparkle. Great team. Great players.

Now that the role has reversed, I believe Manchester Red will cruise their way to the 20th. Momentum is really important at the final stage of league battle, and United has it.

Kick-Off: Gameweek 26 Fantasy Preview

Rafa Benitez: Man in favour to replace Andre Villas-Boas should
Roman Abramovich decides to sack the young manager.

Overview
Champions League quarter-finals are set to be without Premier League clubs this season after Arsenal's humiliating 0-4 defeat and Chelsea's 1-3 loss against Italian sides AC Milan and Napoli respectively. Chelsea's gaffer Andre Villas-Boas will receive even greater pressure as Champions League knock-out will surely make his job even close to its end. He's on 1/2 now to be the next Premier League manager to go.

Do be reminded that League Cup final between Liverpool and Cardiff City will take place this weekend so there will be no league fixture for the Reds. Bench Liverpool's players or sell them if necessary. You should also be alerted (if you did not get informed earlier) that Valencia is injured, while super defender Assou-Ekkoto is doubtful for this week's match.

Game of the Week: ARSENAL v TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Big hopes on
Oxlade-Chamberlain again.

The Gunners will host Tottenham this week as it looks like only Champions League qualification can salvage the club's terrible season.

Arsenal has already been knock out from both local cup tournaments (Carling Cup and FA Cup), and it seems inevitable that they will exit Champions League after being swept down 0-4 by AC Milan. Though they are now sitting fourth in the league, they only led fifth placed Chelsea via goal difference and thus cannot afford to lose more points.

Henry has returned to United States so the team will continue to rely on captain Robin van Persie and bright starlet Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to do wonders in offence. Assou-Ekkoto might be absent so Walcott might have the chance to dominate through Arsenal's right flank.

Their London derby rival meanwhile, is not without problems. Rumours of the club's manager possible employment as England's manager never stops circulating around. As for the players, ex-Gunner Adebayor should be available along with Van der Vaart, but how is the offence is going to be setup remains unknown with Saha around.

Considering Arsenal's rather stable home form, the Gunners should be capable of holding Tottenham off. Not so positive for a home win though.

Prediction: ARS 1-1 TOT
Pick: Van Persie, Adebayor
Drop: ARS defence


Fantasy Game of the Week: MANCHESTER CITY v BLACKBURN ROVERS

Yaya Toure is pivotal in
both City's attack and defence.

Blackburn - the side which never fails to leak goals. What could possibly better for City than to face them at home?

Amazingly the Rovers are yet to collect their first Premier League clean sheet this season. That's a great news for City's attackers, who should be pretty much back on track in offence after crushing Porto 4-0 in Europa league.

Tevez will be back in 2-3 weeks according to Mancini but the return of Yaya Toure serves more importance. It was no coincidence that City won easily with the Ivorian player around as his absence to play African Cup of Nations was reflected in City's recent mediocre results. Now that he's back, City should once again shows better form in league games.

Not to show disrespect Blackburn, but even with Yakubu around, City with Toure is just too tough for them to face.

Prediction: MCI 4-0 BLA
Pick and Captain: Aguero, Silva
Pick: Dzeko, MCI defence, Yaya Toure
Drop: BLA players


Pick and Drop
Pick and Captain:

• Ba - Very reliable and clinical.
• Rooney - More responsibility with in-form Valencia not around.

Pick:

• Sturridge - Mata has a suspected finger injury going on, so Sturridge is apparently the safest pick.
• NEW defence  - Should be able to get a good result this time.
• Zamora - Should be motivated to score against Martin Jol's team.
• McClean/ Sessegnon - Sunderland now plays like a top four side, and the duo are the leading casts.
• Nani/ Young  - The duo should operate the flanks in the absence of Valencia.

Drop:

• BOL defence/ WOL defence - Both having tough tests this week.
• NOR defence - Rarely any team can withstand Manchester United's offence.
• EVE players/ LIV players - Not playing this week.

Transfer Traffic

Green light (buy):

• Sessegnon/ McClean - Buy in trend continues to bloom.
• Yaya Toure - £7.5m is a very enticing price for his quality.
• Ba - Very loved by fantasy managers.
• MCI defence - Clean sheet probability should increase thanks to Yaya Toure's return.
• Aguero - Back in form.

Yellow light (watch):

• Cleverley - It remains to be told whether he will be as productive as before he was injured.
• Pogrebnyak - Seems to be effective in Martin Jol's strategy.

Red light (sell):

• Valencia - Injured.
• Terry - Injured.
• LIV players - Not playing this week, Arsenal next week.
• Major League Soccer loaned players (Keane, Henry, Donovan) - End of contract.

Gameweek 26 Dream Team

Hart

Simpson -- O'Shea -- Shawcross

Silva -- Nani -- McClean -- Sessegnon

Ba (VC) -- Aguero (C) -- Rooney

Subs: Sorensen -- Moses -- G Cahill -- Caldwell

The Best Partner: Gameweek 25 Fantasy Review

The duo of Adebayor and Saha worked out together incredibly.

Manchester United 2-1 Liverpool
A convincing victory for the defending champion. Suarez refused to shake Evra's hand though that was forgiven by the FA.

The first half was rather boring thanks to the many passing mistakes done by both sides. In the second half Rooney scored goals in quick succession and they were enough to seal three points for United.

Rooney and Valencia were the aces as usual, with De Gea making one of his better games with two important saves. On the other side, Downing was pathetic ever since he joined Liverpool, while Enrique didn't look that sharp after making a quick return to the pitch. Suarez marked his return with a goal and that should be taken a note.

Pick: Rooney, Valencia
Watch: Suarez


Tottenham Hotspur 5-0 Newcastle
Crazy win! A comprehensive victory which recorded the rebirth of Adebayor after such a long scoring drought. 4 assists and 1 goal, that's five star performance. Credits to debutant Louis Saha too as he was the reason why Adebayor managed to give such a wonderful display. The French striker scored 2 goals in this game, which equaled his tally at Everton this season.

Assou-Ekkoto scored yet another goal this season to continue his super productive season. He is already £6.1m currently and is expected to rise again after such a fine gameweek.

Sad day for Newcastle as they were totally outclassed by Spurs.

Pick: Adebayor, Saha, Ekkoto


Blackburn 3-2 QPR
A sensational return by Yakubu as they led the game by three for a big part of the game. N'Zonzi scored a rare double digit gameweek, but he's never a fantasy pick.

Mackie scored twice as a sub as that effectively questioned the need of buying Zamora and Cisse during this transfer window when they have clinical finishers like Helguson.

Pick: Yakubu
Watch: Mackie


Bolton 1-2 Wigan
Another defeat for Bolton and I really wonder why Owen Coyle is still on the seat. At home, with a good crop of players, and yet lost to possibly one of the weakest sides in Premier League. That's unforgivable. Nevertheless, it's good to see the growth of Mark Davies.

No good fantasy prospects from Wigan despite the win, so I'll skip discussions about their players.

Watch: Mark Davies


Everton 2-0 Chelsea
All eyes will be on Steven Pienaar after this game. The South African played marvelously in his return to Goodison Park and provided the missing creativity that the side needs to score goals.

 A good game by Stracqualursi, but there remains a lot of uncertainties in Everton's frontline.

For Chelsea, it's an absolutely terrible game and the rumours about Chelsea's crises will continue to escalate after such a poor display.

Pick: Pienaar
Watch: Stracqualursi
Drop: CHE players


Fulham 2-1 Stoke City
A fine debut goal by Pogrebnyak. The forward stroke immediate impact into the team and therefore should be observed. Meanwhile, Dempsey continued his great form, assisted one and shot one on the post.

Shawcross earned three points of bonus surprisingly thanks to his set piece goal.

Pick: Dempsey
Watch: Pogrebnyak


Sunderland 1-2 Arsenal
Youngster McClean scored again as Sunderland thought they will win, only to be equalised by Ramsey and then defeated by Henry's last goal for Arsenal this season.

A rare silent game by Robin Van Persie, but with Henry leaving and the Gunners Champions League on the verge of exit, he's sure to perform for the rest of the season.

Pick: McClean
Watch: Ramsey


Swansea 2-3 Norwich
It was a battle between Holt and Graham, with the former winning it with two good goals after a goal drought of eight matches. Given his inconsistency, he should not be considered as a member in your fantasy team, yet.

Graham on the other hand is a better fantasy pick. He has consistently scored in every 2-3 games and is the cheapest on the top ten fantasy forward list.

Pick: Graham
Watch: Holt


Wolves 1-5 West Brom
It's no coincidence that Wolves is now at the bottom three. The wonderful combination which led to Steven Fletcher's goal won't erase the fact that the club's performance is very woeful recently. Bassong's purchase didn't help to improve the defence at all.

Odemwingie finally ended people's waiting on his goals and it was three in a row from this game. Hopefully he can build on this and move forward towards a good fantasy season like his last one.

Watch: Fletcher, Odemwingie
Drop: WOL defence


Aston Villa 0-1 Manchester City
Cold sweat for City as they failed to break the deadlock until the late stages. They were completely dominating the game but their finishing ability has really been poor recently.

The defence continued to be solid thanks to Kompany's return. Unarguably tough to beat.

Pick: MCI defence

Rise of the Anfield Cat: Gameweek 24 Fantasy Review

"Pass me the ball, I am free!" spoke The Anfield Cat while waiting for the killer pass.

Chelsea 3-3 Manchester United
Howard Webb once again went into United's favour as the two penalties awarded were proven crucial to snatch one point for the Red Devils. 17% of Howard Webb's Premier League penalties were awarded in favour of Manchester United. I shall let you judge this unusually high statistic yourself.

Rooney played an okay game but his owners would be happy as long as he takes penalties when they come. On the other side, Torres made a fantastic cross but otherwise did terribly as a striker (crossing is a winger's role by the way). Mata was the star of the game obviously with yet another five-star performance.

Pick: Rooney, Mata
Watch: Sturridge, Gary Cahill


Liverpool 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Poor conversion continue to dent Liverpool's Champions League hopes. 17 shots, 0 goal. How pathetic.

Suarez returned with his usual trick but still, his shooting accuracy was far from his best. Carroll failed to shine this time, while Bale wasn't sharp enough to get one pass Reina.

Watch: Suarez, Enrique (injury)

Arsenal 7-1 Blackburn Rovers
RvP did it in the MVP way again, scoring three and made two. 23 points is by far the second best fantasy score this season (Ekkoto's 24 points in gameweek 20 is the highest but that was accomplished in a gameweek double).

Oxlade-Chamberlain was given a start again and he didn't disappoint Arsene Wenger. Equipped with speed, technique and vision, the future of England scored 14 points. His teammate Theo Walcott also played very well with a hat-trick of assists.

It's hard to be positive about Blackburn and if Samba continues to sulk, they can say goodbye to Premier League.

Pick: Van Persie, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott
Drop: BLA players


Manchester City 3-0 Fulham
It's glad to see Aguero to score finally despite the fact that it was only a penalty. Silva had a rare unproductive game but in long term, he's still the one of the best buy around. A clean sheet without the command of Kompany is pretty encouraging too.

Chris Baird proved to be a calamity in the back and it is expected that Riise will return and take that left back spot. Still, avoid Fulham's defence which failed to secure a clean sheet for eight consecutive games.

Pick: Aguero, Dzeko
Drop: FUL defence


Newcastle 2-1 Aston Villa
Say hi to the Senegalese duo. The senior, Demba Ba, scored a wonderful rebound opener; the junior, Papiss Cisse, scored a screamer to take three points for the Magpies. Such a wonderful combination. With this kind of strike force don't be surprise if Newcastle took the ticket to the Champions League.

Robbie Keane continues to impress with yet another goal. This makes me wonder why he was doing so bad during his time at Liverpool.

Pick: Ba, Papiss Cisse, Keane


Norwich 2-0 Bolton
The Canaries continue to secure their spot in Premier League next season. Russell Martin played surprisingly thanks to Daniel Ayala's injury and proved to be pivotal after providing an important assist.

Richard Surman played pretty well recently. At the price of £4.4m, you can do much worse than to pick him as your fifth midfielder.

Watch: Martin, Surman


QPR 1-2 Wolves
Djibril Cisse almost became the hero again but all turned to zero thanks to his overreaction. That red card certainly butthurted many fantasy managers to bring him in after his wonder last midweek.

Zamora scored a debut goal nevertheless, but in the end it was Jarvis and Doyle's day as both of them played very well. With O'Hara returned expect better performance from Big Mick's squad.

Watch: Zamora, Jarvis, Doyle, O'Hara


Stoke City 0-1 Sunderland
Sessegnon has collected 71 points in 11 games from the time where Martin O'Neill appointed as the new manager - impressive stats. Obviously a fantasy must own now given his unstoppable form. Youngster James McClean is even more impressive, scoring 44 points in his last 6 games. The defence has also collected 3 consecutive clean sheets. At this rate it's silly not to own any Sunderland key players.

On the other hand, The Potters became increasingly poor. 4 clean sheets only at home at this stage. Britannia Stadium has lost its fearful aura.

Pick: Sessegnon, McClean, SUN defence
Drop: STO defence


West Brom 1-2 Swansea
All is going well for Swansea's new boy Gylfi Sigurdsson. The lad has scored 25 points in just four fantasy gameweeks, making him a decent midfield pick.

West Brom is another disappointing team apart from Stoke City, and Odemwingie has not scored any goal in his last 6 Premier League matches. Where's the prolific Peter we all knew before?

Pick: Sigurdsson
Drop: Odemwingie


Wigan 1-1 Everton
Phillip Neville deflected the ball into his own net unfortunately. Thankfully, substitute Anichebe equalised. He deserves to get more playing minutes in my opinion.

Kick-Off: Gameweek 21 Fantasy Preview

Thierry Henry enjoying his sensational return after scoring
the only goal against Leeds.

Overview
The Mancs are not alone. The title race has officially became a three-horse race following Tottenham's victory over Everton. Interestingly, Benoit Assou-Ekkoto scored fantasy 24 points in this gameweek double. Those who had him must be smiling now.

African Cup of Nations
Numerous players will left the Premier League for a month to play for their country. The big names include Demba Ba, Yaya Toure, Kolo Toure, Cheik Tiote, Gervinho, Marouanne Chamakh, Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou and Adel Taarabt.

Latest News and Transfers

• Robbie Keane the latest MLS player to join Premier League loan spell. His destination is Aston Villa.
• Mark Hughes the new QPR manager.
• Steven Gerrard pens a contract extension.
• Gibson leaves Manchester United for Everton.

7-Gameweek Fixtures Analysis (Published Monthly)
In heaven run:

• CHE (SUN, @NOR, @SWA, MUN, @EVE, BOL, @WBA) - Sunderland and Manchester United are tricky, but the rest should be fine. Beware of FA Cup and Champions League games which sandwiched in between though.
• FUL (@BLA, NEW, WBA, @MCI, STO, @QPR, WOL) - The attackers are more settled. Could be on for a run.
• MCI (@WIG, TOT, @EVE, FUL, @AST, BLA, BOL) - Quite easy. Beware of rotation policy though.
• NEW (QPR, @FUL, @BLA, AST, @TOT, WOL, SUN) - The absence of Demba Ba is kindly compensated by a string of favourable fixtures.
• QPR (@NEW, WIG, @AST, WOL, @BLA, FUL, EVE) - A good platform to begin for Mark Hughes.
• WBA (NOR, @STO, @FUL, SWA, @WOL, SUN, CHE) - The road is pretty clear for Hodgson.

In hell run:

• BOL (@MUN, LIV, ARS, @NOR, WIG, @CHE, @MCI) - The second round of the hellish fixtures. Most probably Owen Coyle will be axed in the next two months.
• LIV (STO, @BOL, @WOL, TOT, @MUN, EVE, ARS) - Things get pretty tough  after Bolton's game with the Carling Cup and FA Cup tie against Manchester brothers the opener. Big test.
• MUN (BOL, @ARS, STO, @CHE, LIV, @NOR, @TOT) - Tough opponents in the midst of compact fixtures. Big test as well.
• TOT (WOL, @MCI, WIG, @LIV, NEW, @ARS, MUN) - To face five of the top seven in the next seven games is simply crazy.

Game of the Week: ASTON VILLA v EVERTON

Shay Given could make
a shock return.

Two of the dark horses of previous seasons which have pretty much deteriorated to meet again in the most played fixture in the top-flight league.

Villa would welcome Robbie Keane from MLS, while his teammate Landon Donovan will be playing on the other side. The former certainly was a great striker at Tottenham, while the latter has shown his prominence during his short spell with Everton two seasons ago.

Shay Given is close to recovery and is expected to sit on the bench. On the other side, Distin and Osman would be out for this one but new signing Gibson is ready to take the challenge.

Donovan should add some firepower to wasteful Everton offence, but the lack of players will cause them to suffer.

Prediction: AST 2-1 EVE
Pick: Donovan

Fantasy Game of the Week: MANCHESTER UNITED v BOLTON

David N'gog has scored against
Man Utd before.

The Red Devils surely are looking for a way to escape from the streak of defeats. And luckily, Bolton is there to offer a way.

Bolton got yet another rare victory against Everton, with potential leaver Gary Cahill one of the goal scorer. Don't get blinded though, it was Everton's pathetic finishing that led to the victory.

United might had suffered two painful defeats, but the derby victory against Manchester City has certainly lifted their mood back. Expect strong rebound by Rooney, Nani and Valencia but don't put so much hopes on their leaky back line.

Pick and Captain: Rooney, Nani, Valencia

Drop: BOL defence

Pick and Drop
Pick and Captain:

• Gerrard - The talisman is as strong as ever.
• Van Persie  - No problem with Henry ready to help.
• Aguero  - With Silva expected to feature on the bench, he is the only City man to trust.
• Bale - Flying everywhere, but beware of a possible rest on the bench.

Pick:

• Yakubu - Scoring favourite against Fulham.
• Adebayor/ Van der Vaart - They won't cool down for so long.
• Ben Arfa - The scoring hope in the absence of Ba.
• Ruiz - Has become the architect of the team.
• LIV defence - The most probable clean sheet of the week.

Drop:

• CHE defence - Never mess with Martin O'Neill's Sunderland.

Transfer Traffic

Green light (buy):

• Bale - The bandwagon is still not ended.
• Sessegnon - Playing with more effectiveness under Martin O'Neill.
• Aguero - Awesome fixtures ahead.
• Yakubu - Everyone's picking him.
• Assou-Ekkoto  - Splendid at both ends.
• Simpson - Ultra cheap.

Yellow light (watch):

• Thierry Henry - Still too early to say how effective is him fantasy wise.
• Donovan - Might be able to boost Everton's goal scoring ability.

Red light (sell):

• African Cup participants
• Kompany - Is serving his match suspension.
• Jagielka - Injured.

Gameweek 21 Dream Team

Friedel

Enrique -- Evans -- Simpson

Nani -- Bale (VC) -- Mata -- Gerrard

Rooney (C) -- Van Persie -- Yakubu

Subs: Krul -- Ben Arfa -- Savic -- Warnock

Happy New Year: Gameweek 19 Fantasy Preview

A fresh one-match ban for Suarez will prevent him
from facing Newcastle.

Overview
Further drama on Suarez's incident as he will be facing a one-match ban against Newcastle following the middle finger incident at Craven's Cottage. Just one thing to note: Fulham is neither fined nor warned about their fans misconduct to constantly attack Suarez through chants. Such a fair English Fools Association.

Game of the Week: LIVERPOOL v NEWCASTLE

Ben Arfa is one of the
cheapest fantasy commodity
with big gun prospects.

The battle for sixth. Two of the top tier defences across the league.

Liverpool has the worst home record among the top 7 despite being undefeated at Anfield, with draw rate as high as 66.7%. Certainly a stat that can boost Newcastle's morale. 11 home goals is also the worst of the top 7, so don't be surprised if the away team gets a clean sheet.

Suarez will not be available for this game (and perhaps the other 8 games to come) so expect at least one of Bellamy and Carroll to start upfront. The Geordie will face his old club again but it certainly won't be an easy game against the solid back four of Newcastle. Gerrard could also make it a start at Anfield - certainly the light of hope Liverpool needs.

On the other side, Demba Ba will continue to boss the front line and give Liverpool's defence a big test. Ben Arfa has played very well featuring from the bench last game and could as well start the game with Ba. Two delicious fantasy stocks.

Liverpool has historically done very well against the Magpies at home. The Reds should really end their unlucky streak already.

Prediction: LIV 2-1 NEW
Pick: Ba, Ben Arfa, Bellamy
Drop: Suarez


Fantasy Game of the Week: MANCHESTER UNITED v BLACKBURN

Valencia performs consistently
regardless of whether he is
playing as RW or RB.

Sure, Blackburn had managed to draw Liverpool, but blame Liverpool for their poor chance conversion. Against Manchester United, they have no chance.

Two straight 5-0 victories have surely rocketed the morale of fellow Red Devils sky high. Both Nani and Rooney didn't play for a full 90 minutes game against Wigan - superb captain choices. Berbatov might start too after a spectacular hat-trick, but just don't bet on him yet.

A big victory again might just send Steve Kean to execution and bring United to the summit. Sorry Blackburn.

Prediction: MUN 4-0 BLA
Pick and Captain: Nani, Rooney
Pick: Valencia, MUN defence
Drop: BLA players


Pick and Drop
Pick and Captain:

1. Van Persie - Might be rested, but nonetheless presents great scoring opportunity against QPR.
2. Bale - Hot and unstoppable, though Michel Vorm might stand on his way.

Pick:

1. Gervinho - In good form.
2. S. Fletcher - Against poor Bolton he should be able to do it again.
3. Sturridge/ Mata - The usual performer at Chelsea.
4. Holt - Norwich will put hopes on him to rebound from a defeat.
5. STO defence - Wigan has only scored 6 goals on the road this season.

Drop:

1. QPR defence - Arsenal hardly fails to score.
2. BOL players - In confidence crisis.
3. SWA defence - Looks impossible to stop Bale, Adebayor and Van der Vaart altogether.

Transfer Traffic

Green light (buy):

1. Bale - Fabulous and unstoppable.
2. Nani/ Rooney/ Valencia - United on fire.

Yellow light (watch):

1. Berbatov - His superb form might rekindle Ferguson's interest to start him.
2. Lindegaard - Started for 2 straight league games and kept 2 straight clean sheets.
3. Carroll - Suarez to start his suspension soon so he will get his chance.

Red light (sell):

1. BOL players - Whoever they are, sell. Second round of hellish fixtures is near for them.
2. Adam - Played terribly recently with Gerrard returning.
3. Suarez - Suspension begun.

Gameweek 19 Dream Team

Lindegaard

Shawcross -- Vermaelen -- Enrique
Nani (VC) -- Bale -- Mata -- Silva
Rooney (C) -- Van Persie -- Sturridge

Subs: Sorensen -- Hoolahan -- Walker -- R Martin

Kick-Off: Gameweek 16 Fantasy Preview

Darren Fletcher is suffering from a possibly career ending
infection. No more Fletcher in the rest of this season, at least.

Overview
Clearly Darren Fletcher's infection of ulcerative colitis is the biggest news over the week as there are fears that he might have to end his career as a football player prematurely. May god bless him.

As for fantasy managers, this week or the next are one the best period to utilize your wildcard if it is still available. Plan your transfers well and you can go very far during this hectic Christmas fixtures. Good luck.

Game of the Week: MANCHESTER CITY v ARSENAL

Can Van Persie destroy
City?

City surely are looking forward to recover from their first defeat against Chelsea last week, but it won't be easy as Arsenal will travel to Etihad Stadium this week.

Arsenal has managed to close the gap to single digit following City's lost, and Wenger will hope that his squad can do some miracles away at Manchester City. Van Persie is on course to renew Shearer's record of 36 Premier League goals in a calendar year and surely will show no mercy towards Kompany and co's defence. A sure starter despite such tough oppositions.

Yet I'm pretty sure City will find any possible way to rebound from their first defeat of the season, and a victory against the Gunners will be the best way to shut doubters' mouth. In fact, almost every player of City is a goal threat and it will be very hard for Arsenal to guard Silva, Aguero, Balotelli, Yaya Toure and others all together.

It's a City win for me, though you should start all your City and Arsenal attackers with confidence.

Prediction: MCI 2-1 ARS
Pick: Van Persie, Silva, Aguero
Drop: ARS defence


Fantasy Game of the Week: QUEENS PARK RANGERS v MANCHESTER UNITED

Beware of his return.

Chelsea are travelling to Wigan but Moses has just released his floodgate, so I'm more inclined to the rebounding Man Utd as the fantasy friendly team of the week. Against QPR, it's a pretty good chance for United attackers.

Nani and Rooney both broke their scoring drought - good signs of returning form and also a signal of "United season starts at December". Both are great candidates as the captain of the week.

Fletcher's loss is a blow to United's midfield, but Phil Jones was spectacular playing at centre midfield last week and is good at least for short term. He should be able to mark the witty Joey Barton well.

It should be a comprehensive victory for United. QPR's defence is too weak to hold them off in my opinion.

Prediction: QPR 1-3 MUN
Pick and Captain: Rooney, Nani
Pick: Jones
Drop: QPR defence


Pick and Drop
Pick and Captain:

1. Ba - In full rage. Unless he can be tamed by Vorm.
2. Adebayor - Sunderland's defence is kind of sloppy and I don't think Martin O'Neill can fix it so fast.
3. Drogba/ Mata/ Sturridge - On great form for Wigan to face their execution.

Pick:

1. Maxi - Should give some hard time to Guzan.
2. Steven Fletcher - On superb form.
3. Yakubu - Should be able to pierce West Brom's defence.

Drop:

1. SUN defence  - Not solid enough to hold Tottenham's rich vein of attack.

Transfer Traffic

Green light (buy):

1. Drogba - Returns to his old best.
2. Ba - Simply unstoppable.
3. Steven Fletcher - Great form.
4. Sturridge - Cheap and consistent.
5. Nani - Rejoices with 2 fresh goals last week.

Yellow light (watch):

1. Maxi - Playing well can could book a starting place in Dalglish's XI.
2. Moses - Broke his duck and could break the floodgate.

Red light (drop):

1. Agbonlahor  - Suspended.
2. Van der Vaart - He's on the selling bandwagon.

Gameweek 16 Dream Team

Krul

Walker -- Enrique -- Jones

Nani -- Silva -- Bale -- Mata

Adebayor -- Drogba (C) -- Rooney (VC)

Subs: Vorm -- Maxi -- Jagielka -- Simpson

Unbeaten Got Beaten: Gameweek 15 Fantasy Review

Both Nani and Rooney returns with 2 fine goals each.

Chelsea 2-1 Man City
Well, no more unbeaten teams in the league after this game. Pretty shocking to see how fast and easy Balotelli scored the opener. Silva should had got a penalty but wasn't awarded. Big decision that turned the game around.

The king of all volleys a.k.a. Raul Meireles returned with a jumping tap-in. Great goal. Lampard was brave enough to take the penalty but nonetheless is still a fantasy player to be avoided with his little playing time.

Sturridge once again stole the limelight with a brilliant assist for Meireles' goal. Superb fantasy acquisitions.

Pick: Sturridge
Drop: Clichy


Man Utd 4-1 Wolves
Perfect response by United after a shocking Champions League exit. Both Nani and Rooney scored a brace to prove the fact that they are not fantasy flops, they are just out of form. And now they have found the form. Beware.

Interestingly, Valencia started ahead of Young and got 3 delicious assists. Let's see how the competition for place between Valencia and Young develop and if the former wins, he will become a great fantasy stock costing only £7.8m currently.

Encouragingly for Wolves despite the defeat is the fact that Fletcher scored yet another goal. Superb form. Mick McCarthy's ace.

Pick: Rooney, Nani, Fletcher
Watch: Valencia


Arsenal 1-0 Everton
The gunners had a hard time testing Everton's defence but Van Persie's fantastic volley made sure they took three points in front of their seniors such as Henry and Pires to celebrate the club's 125th anniversary. It certainly is RvP's era now and I can imagine the next statue to land at Emirates would be his.

I am fascinated with Walcott's growth and you can seriously see how much more he has now other than his speed. I am really in love with his vision and unselfishness.

Amazingly, the four centre backs of Arsenal, namely Vermaelen, Koscielny, Djourou and Mertesacker combined to give their club a clean sheet. Not bad.

Pick: Van Persie, Arteta, Walcott
Watch: ARS defence


Liverpool 1-0 QPR
For some reason Liverpool tend to make their oppositions keeper in godlike mode. Cerny certainly is far away from Krul and Vorm's class but somehow he made sure the result was respectable for QPR. Jinx?

Suarez played a fine game as usual but his selfishness at times didn't impress me. Good goal anyway.

Meanwhile, Maxi continues to attract my attention with his poaching instinct and I for one hope that he can start all the remaining league games for Liverpool.

And Adam, as predicted, was pivotal as he assisted for Suarez's header. His fantasy scores over the past weeks are consistent as well, making him a quite decent pick for your squad.

Pick: Adam, Maxi
Watch: Suarez


Bolton 1-2 Aston Villa
Guzan played a solid game with 7 saves. A good keeper to consider for rotation strategy if Given is out for a prolonged period.

Offensive wise, Agbonlahor provided an assist but will be suspended for the next game after accumulating five yellow cards. Might just be the right time to jump across Ba's bandwagon.

As for Bolton, Klasnic scored his seventh goal of the season. A good figure.

Watch: Guzan, Klasnic, Agbonlahor


Norwich 4-2 Newcastle
Great formation by Paul Lambert as he totally capitalised Newcastle's aerial weaknesses without Coloccini and Steven Taylor in the middle of the defence. 3 goals of Norwich were scored through direct headers and another through a rebound after a header - that explains all.

While the likes like Holt, Morison and Hoolahan all got home with good fantasy points, it's quite surprising to see Crofts with double digit scores. He has never failed to record 1-2-2-1-2-2 kind of scores for all previous gameweeks he had played. Certainly needs more observations to see whether that's a fluke or a sudden burst in form.

On the other side, Demba Ba showed some great first touches to score a brace. Truly incredible.

Pick: Ba, Morison
Watch: Holt, Crofts
Drop: NEW defence


West Brom 1-2 Wigan
So the best performer of Wigan during pre-season finally broke his goal drought after attempting his 46th shot of the season. Great present to his birthday and I believe the floodgate will be lifted soon. Be aware of his performance.

I thought West Brom played horribly at home. The penalty was unnecessary and Long wasted a seriously good chance.

Pick: Moses


Swansea 2-0 Fulham
Dempsey is the man in black as his deflection caused a goal for Sinclair and his equalising penalty well saved by Vorm. Formless poor lad.

Vorm mind games certainly worked for the penalty. 1 yellow card point for 5 save points... Worth it.

Pick: Vorm
Watch: Sinclair
Drop: Dempsey


Stoke 2-1 Tottenham
Two fine goals by Etherington has notified fantasy managers that it's not only about Walters at Stoke's offence. In fact, Crouch has also been pretty consistent over the weeks, though Walters will still be my first pick of Stoke's offensive department.

The ref has pretty much gone against Tottenham and it so ridiculous to see how Adebayor's equaliser was ruled off side. The Togolese had been magnificent in the second half and it was a shame that his brilliant work wasn't fairly rewarded.

Pick: Walters, Adebayor
Watch: Etherington, Crouch


Sunderland 2-1 Blackburn
A good comeback by Sunderland to get a sweet victory for O'Neill's first game in charge for the Black Cats. Two superb goals that came from Vaughan and Larsson. The latter's set piece dominance has once again shown its value following a wonderful free kick goal which hit the post before bouncing into the net. Great one from a great player.

Vukcevic earned two 8 points in a row and is only owned by close to 0% of fantasy managers. Certainly a gamble that wouldn't cause a drop in team value at the moment.

Pick: Larsson
Watch: Vukcevic

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