Kick-Off: Gameweek 23 Fantasy Preview

Both Dempsey and Zamora led the demolition of Newcastle.

Overview

The title race has reduced down to two-horse race again after Tottenham's defeat at Etihad Stadium enlarged their trail to Manchester City to eight points. Tottenham should still at least sit a comfortable third at the end of this season anyway, with Chelsea starting to secure the last spot of Champions League football.

Liverpool has knocked out both Manchester clubs out of Carling Cup (City) and FA Cup (United) respectively. Carling Cup looks to be on the hands of the Reds already and that title could be a boost for them to end their trophy drought of six years.

The transfer market is creepily silent this year. Even rumours seem to be very little and it is increasingly likely that Gary Cahill's move would be the biggest action this time compared to Torres' and Carroll's mega buck moves last year.

Game of the Week: SWANSEA v CHELSEA

How will SuperVorm fare
against Chelsea?

Interesting meet up as Chelsea will visit one of the hell arena in Premier League - Liberty Stadium.

Swansea has been incredible at home and has only lost one on their territory to Manchester United. They scored clean sheets in 6 of the 11 home games they had played this term, though they did not collect any in their last three home games. Tough task to score for Chelsea.

Drogba is still progressing with Ivory Coast in the Africa Cup of Nations so Chelsea will need to continue to rely on £50m striker Fernando Torres to apply offensive pressure. The Spaniard is on a three month goal drought and I am quite negative on his possibility of breaking the duck. Defensive wise, Gary Cahill did not feature on his first league game at Chelsea and it remains to be seen where he fits in Andre Villas-Boas' tactics.

Given that Chelsea's inconsistent away form, I believe Swansea can frustrate the Blues and make the battle for fourth more interesting.

Prediction: SWA 0-0 CHE
Pick: Vorm


Fantasy Game of the Week: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR v WIGAN

It's time for Adebayor
to end his scoring
drought.

Harry Redknapp will seek to turn the tide in their title hunt as they host Wigan at White Hart Lane.

Gareth Bale is a slight doubt for this game - quoted as "75% playing" for this encounter. Adebayor is available again - a great chance to end his goal drought. Both are great captains for this gameweek.

Hugo Rodallega fired a screamer last week... Well that doesn't happen every week. My vote goes to Tottenham for a strong response after a defeat.

Prediction: TOT 3-0 WIG
Pick and Captain: Bale, Adebayor
Pick: TOT defence
Drop: WIG players


Pick and Drop
Pick and Captain:

• Valencia - He doesn't promise you great fantasy score but he is consistent.
• Sessegnon - Plays exceptionally well since Martin O'Neill's takeover.
• Van Persie - A suspension doubt, but you should captain him if he plays.

Pick:

• Carroll - Fits into Liverpool's system finally.
• Aguero/ Silva - Still the reliable combination.
• Walcott - On form recently.
• Keane - Made a spectacular Premier League return.
• Dempsey/ Zamora - Both should combine again.
• Kompany - The captain is back to strengthen the back line.

Drop:

• NEW defence - Blackburn scores in almost every game.

Transfer Traffic

Green light (buy):

• Kompany - The captain returns (clean sheet returns too).
• Lindegaard - For sure De Gea will be benched more often after his terrible performance against Liverpool. Out in crutches during training.
• Sessegnon - His fantasy score is rocketing. Same goes to his price.
• Valencia - Nani's injury made him an even solid selection.
• Keane - His influence is obvious.

Yellow light (watch):

• Van Persie - Suspension doubt.
• Carroll - Looks to finally fits into the system but Suarez will be released from "jail" soon.
• Oxlade-Chamberlain - Played fantastically well but god knows what Wenger is thinking.

Red light (sell):

• Jones - Injured again.
• Ramires - Injured.
• Sturridge - His consistent "one game one goal" trend disappeared into nowhere.

Gameweek 23 Dream Team

Lindegaard

Kompany -- Assou-Ekkoto -- Enrique

Silva -- Sessegnon (VC) -- Valencia -- Bale

Adebayor (C) -- Van Persie -- Keane

Subs: Vorm -- Evans -- Dyer -- Tate

Merry Christmas: Gameweek 17 & 18 Fantasy Previews

Defenders period: Hectic fixtures usually create more clean sheets.

Overview
The fast and furious Christmas fixtures will begin and results from this period will be certainly crucial to both Premier League and fantasy teams. Spend your wild card if necessary. You wouldn't want to lose over 100 points to your rivals in less than 2 weeks.

---

Game of the Week (Gw 17): TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR v CHELSEA

Petr Cech was partly responsible
for Wigan's equaliser last week.

The battle for third, the battle for the top team in London. Tottenham will be waiting over at their home ground to fire porous Chelsea's defence with their great attacking talents.

The Blues were surprisingly held draw by Wigan last Saturday thanks to ridiculous mistakes by the whole defensive unit of theirs. Still not the team you can trust on defensively.

Thus, Andre Villas-Boas can only rely on attack to compensate for their defensive problems. Sturridge has been in good and ultra consistent form (amazingly consistent for a youngster of his age) and will be relied upon again to earn league points for Chelsea alongside with resurgent Drogba and tricky Mata.

But Tottenham will be hopeful to bag the three points. Players such as Adebayor, Van der Vaart, Bale and Lennon are all on form and should terrorise Chelsea's defence at ease. It will be a classic victory for Spurs in my opinion.

Prediction: TOT 3-1 CHE
Pick: Adebayor, Bale, Van der Vaart, Sturridge
Drop: CHE defence


Fantasy Game of the Week (Gw 17): WIGAN v LIVERPOOL

Bellamy's second spell at
Liverpool is currently a
success.

Wigan will hope to repeat their feat against Chelsea but it won't be easy against resolute Liverpool's defence.

The Reds boast the best defence in Premier League, conceding only 13 goals. Barring the terrible 0-4 defeat against Tottenham, they had never conceded more than a goal to any opponents. With Agger and Skrtel currently forming the best CB partnership in the league, it's a big task for Wigan to score against them.

Offensively, Liverpool are doing pretty well too. Bellamy is clearly enjoying his second stint at Anfield and is combining very well with Suarez. A dangerous man in offence.

Jordi Gomez has scored 4 goals in the last 5 games, but I believe that tally will not be improved in this game.

Prediction: WIG 0-2 LIV
Pick and Captain: Bellamy, Suarez
Pick: Adam, LIV defence
Drop: WIG defence



Pick and Drop (Gw 17)
Pick and Captain:

1. Van Persie - Clearly Villa is on a slump for him to take advantage from.

Pick:

1. Ba - Played a fabulous but unlucky game last week. He should get something this time.
2. Rooney - He scored, and scored again, and should score again for three games in a row.
3. Valencia - Played very well and should start again.
4. Yakubu - Bolton looks very terrible now and he should really score one or two.
5. Holt - Find his form at the Championship.
6. Aguero/ Silva - Without Shawcross it will be less organized at Stoke's backline.

Drop:

1. AST defence - Not resolute enough to hold Gunners.
2. Shawcross - Suspended for his fifth yellow.
3. Cabaye - Also suspended for his fifth yellow.

---

Game of the Week (Gw 18): SWANSEA v QUEENS PARK RANGERS

Michel Vorm is a nightmare
for every striker.

Two of the promoted teams will face each other as both teams will be looking forward to bolster their survival chances from their counterparts.

Swansea has been defensively magnificent at home and with Vorm never failed to impress with his superb reflexes. A tough challenge for Helguson and co to take on.

QPR is goalless for 2 consecutive games and I believe it will extend for yet another game. I am predicting a 0-0 score.

Prediction: SWA 0-0 QPR
Pick: SWA defence


Fantasy Game of the Week (Gw 18): LIVERPOOL v BLACKBURN

Jonjo Shelvey is only
£4.8m in fantasy.

Liverpool is treated with such kind Chirstmas games and thus they have only themselves to be blamed if they fail to get results from this one.

Blackburn still stuck deep deep within the relegation zone and it won't be helpful travelling to Anfield.

The Rovers might be able to struck a goal or two, but I believe it will be a total annihilation by the Reds.

Prediction: LIV 3-0 BLA
Pick and Captain: Bellamy, Suarez
Pick: Adam, Downing, LIV defence
Drop: BLA defence

Pick and Drop (Gw 18)

Pick and Captain:

1. Van Persie - Should really blast the Wolves.
2. Rooney/ Nani - Wigan wouldn't be able to hold in form United.
3. Silva/ Aguero - West Brom's defence is just too shaky.
4. Adebayor - Surely Norwich's backline won't be able to break all the supply points to him.

Pick:

1. Walters/ Crouch - Both are offensive pillars of Stoke.
2. Larsson - His set pieces are always a threat.
3. MUN defence - Ferdinand is showing some great form.

Drop:

1. WIG defence - It's such a problematic line to be exploited by Man Utd.
2. WBA defence  - Another problematic line like Wigan's.
3. BOL players - Out of form at the moment.

---

Transfer Traffic
Green light (buy):

1. Bellamy - Gained Dalglish's trust and is performing well at the moment.
2. Jones - Plays like a warrior and scores occasional goals.
3. SWA defence - A good place to search for cheap and effective fourth or fifth defender.
4. Sturridge - Incredibly consistent for his low asking price.
5. Adebayor - Ultimately influential upfront.
6. LIV defence - Great fixtures awaiting for the next two weeks.
7. MUN defence - Great fixtures awaiting too.
8. Valencia - Locking his place against competition from Ashley Young.
9. Holt - Found some superb form.

Yellow light (watch):

1. Suarez - Whether he gets suspended or not is the key of buying or selling him.
2. Agbonlahor - Losing the sharpness recently.
3. Ruiz - Broke his duck and could get some scoring streak on.

Red light (sell):

1. BOL players - In a big slump.
2. Schwarzer - Injured.

Gameweek 17 Dream Team

Krul

Enrique -- Vermaelen -- Kompany -- Simpson

Adam -- Valencia -- Silva

Bellamy -- Adebayor (VC) -- Van Persie (C)

Subs: Vorm -- Larsson -- Drenthe -- Evans

Gameweek 18 Dream Team

Vorm

Enrique -- Jones -- Vermaelen

Adam -- Nani -- Silva -- Larsson

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

Subs: Sorensen -- Walters -- Neil Taylor -- 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 15 Fantasy Preview

Shocking defeat + shocking exit for Ferguson's team in the
Champions League.

Overview
Calamitous day in football for Manchester as both representatives, namely City and United, were knocked out from the group stage. While City's exit is pretty much expected, United's elimination is a completely different story as it definitely shows how thin is Ferguson's squad currently to fight four ways. Not even half of the season, and the Red Devils are only left with two trophies to compete for. Glazer simply need to fund for new players to arrive at Old Trafford.

Game of the Week: CHELSEA v MANCHESTER CITY

Drogba: still not out of his
prime.

Two clubs which go for very different route. Chelsea, poor in Premier League but progressed through the last 16 in UEFA Champions League; Manchester City, invincible domestically but crashed out of the most prestigious cross-country league of the region. Stamford Bridge is the venue.

Andre Villas-Boas seems to have escaped from the big slump after recording three 3-0 victories against Wolves, Newcastle and Valencia respectively. His decision to relocate Drogba as his centre forward and drop Lampard from his midfield line-up were the key to the sudden shift in form.

However, the back line is as unconvincing as before. David Luiz is a big time bomb there and has caused so much of trouble to Petr Cech and Terry to handle. He will not always be lucky, so expect Mancini's side to exploit such fragile defence.

On the other side, City will surely want to unleash their anger due to Champions League exit on Chelsea. Aguero and Silva are no-brainer picks for offence as always while you can never be sure who will actually play with them among Balotelli, Nasri, Dzeko, Yaya Toure, Barry, Milner and Adam Johnson. Proceed with caution.

I believe it will be a high scoring game. A draw would be a fair result, though City should have a higher chance of victory.

Prediction: CHE 2-2 MCI
Pick: Silva, Aguero, Drogba
Drop: CHE defence


Fantasy Game of the Week: ARSENAL v EVERTON

Vermaelen is not shy to
attack from the back.

Captain Van Persie will get on fire again as the Gunners host the Toffees in this weekend's match.

Wenger's team are surely full of form now, recording 6 wins and 1 draw since 1-2 defeat to Tottenham. They scored 20 goals in total in these matches, including a 5-3 classic victory against Chelsea.

Van Persie should, or probably must, become your captain this week. Everton is in terrible form right now and at home, is all up to him who didn't play in the Champions League tie to blast Moyes' squad into pieces.

It's hard to believe how Everton is going to hold them up with such average defence and terrible offence...

Pick and Captain: Van Persie
Pick: Vermaelen, Walcott, Gervinho
Drop: EVE defence


Pick and Drop

Pick:

1. Long - Should beat Wigan with a goal or two.
2. Adam - Time to perform against QPR especially when Suarez has troubles with FA.
3. Welbeck - Needs to step up given Hernandez's absence.
4. Bale/ Lennon - Their speed will be vital to break through Stoke's tough defence.
5. Yakubu - His morale should be high after bullied Swansea with 4 goals.
6. Ba - Norwich's defence won't be too hard for him to perform.

Drop:

1. BOL defence - Gary Cahill-less and that surely matters.
2. Baines - Surely they will be no clean sheet isn't it?
3. STO defence - Tottenham's gunpowder is just too powerful.

Transfer Traffic
Green light (buy):

1. Van Persie - With only 33% ownership for such incredible performance, he still has much room to grow in price.
2. Vermaelen  - Ultra offensive as a defender.
3. Long - Reinstalled his form and should continue to perform.
4. Ba - Super ace of the team with great offensive capabilities.
5. Yakubu - On  hype and is having a string of easy fixtures.
6. Sturridge - Super consistent goal-rate.

Yellow light (watch):

1. NEW defence - The unchanged defensive line-up is forced to change for the first time.
2. Suarez - Continues to be troubled by FA.
3. Drogba - Powered up again.
4. Romeu - Is very cheap and has started 3 consecutive games for Chelsea.

Red light (sell):

1. Luiz - He will bring the whole Chelsea defend line down.
2. Hernandez - Injured.
3. Vidic - Might be out for the season.
4. Santos - Injured.
5. Lampard - AVB is phasing him out.

Gameweek 15 Dream Team

Vorm

Vermaelen -- Enrique -- Jones

Walcott -- Bale -- Adam (VC) -- Brunt -- Sinclair

Van Persie (C) -- Ba

Subs: Westwood -- Yakubu -- Evans -- Russell Martin 

Fergie's Golden 25: Gameweek 11 Fantasy Review

Sir Alex Ferguson with his record 25 years of excellence. Well rewarded with a Sir Alex Ferguson Stand.

Manchester United 1-0 Sunderland
MUN: Yet another mediocre display by the Red Devils, but three points, again. Good enough to celebrate Ferguson's 25 year anniversary at Old Trafford anyway.

Lack of confidence is the situation that perfectly describes Fergie's team right now, just give them some time and they will bounce back.

SUN: Not surprising to see them struggling upfront yet again. Brown was generous enough to present his ex-manager a big gift. It should be yet another mid table finish for them, despite constant investments into the team.

Watch: Nani


Newcastle 2-1 Everton
NEW: Another good victory to make sure that they are still third place on the league. The first goal was rather lucky, but Ryan Taylor's fantastic strike was a perfect piece of beauty, both the trajectory and power of the shot.

Defensively it's still solid, but that should be the end anyway with Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea coming up next.

EVE: The same old story about finishing ability. Tim Cahill was far from his best in goal poaching form, and Saha was never sharp enough to score frequently.

Maybe an ala Chicharito forward is what Moyes needs in January.

Drop: NEW defence


Arsenal 3-0 West Brom
ARS: The Gunners surely are on full throttle now with their fourth consecutive league victory. Van Persie's greatness is certainly unmatched across the league. A must have at this stage given the easy fixtures ahead despite such scary price.

Vermaelen provided a strong return with a goal, a clean sheet and 3 points bonus. Still, wait and see if he can reorganise the defence and continue his strong presence in attack as well. Great potential as always.

WBA: Another painful defeat. Continue to play over defensively against stronger teams. Stay away at the moment.

Pick: Van Persie, Gervinho
Watch: Arteta, Brunt, Odemwingie


Aston Villa 3-2 Norwich
AST: Agbonlahor continues to terrorise defences as he provided 1 goal, 2 assist performance at Villa park. Undisputed form especially in fantasy at such low price.

Darren Bent scored two, but I don't see the value in him when Agbonlahor is cheaper and more consistent. Unless you are planning to get both of them.

NOR: Holt has finally found his old self as he continues his pivotal performance with 2 assists. Great hope for survival if he can maintain such form.

Pick: Agbonlahor
Watch: Holt, Bent


Blackburn 0-1 Chelsea
BLA: Constructed the game well but finishing is really an issue. Will need to seriously get a decent goal poacher in the winter transfer market.

CHE: Lampard scored a crucial goal for them. He is surely returning with his form but whether he can hit 10 goals again this season is still a big riddle.

Torres was very disappointing with another open goal miss.

Watch: Lampard
Drop: BLA players


Liverpool 0-0 Swansea
LIV: Their fantastic 'shot on frame' form continues as Carroll made it the eleventh time for them to hit the crossbar and post this season in a clear cut chance. Wasted.

The old problem to score goals persist and remains a big headache for Kenny Dalglish. Stay away from their attackers.

Reina need to work out much more than usual in this game to hold the team goalless. Good news for Enrique owners anyway.

NOR: Vorm made a spectacular save against Glen Johnson's hi-speed volley. Incredible shot, but even better save. Marvellous fantasy keeper.

Pick: Vorm, Enrique
Drop: LIV offence


QPR 2-3 Manchester City
QPR: Strong fighting spirit. Jay Bothroyd was magnificent and should become the focal point for Neil Warnock's team to attack. Watch him.

MCI: Tough game due to Champions League fatigue, but won eventually. Silva remains a hot commodity, playing the most minutes among the productive attackers.

Savic looked very shaky at the back, but thankfully Kompany should return the next game.

Pick: Bothroyd, Silva


Wolves 3-1 Wigan
WOL: It's all about Jamie O'Hara. He has created lots of troubles to Wigan's defence. Superb.

WIG: Al-Habsi was busy throughout the game with several double saves but being attacked continuously it's impossible to keep the goal clean.

Pick: O'Hara
Watch: Al-Habsi


Bolton 5-0 Stoke City
BOL: Sweet revenge as the early referee dispute surely helped them a lot. Eagles and Klasnic as usual are the strong bargains upfront.

STO: Begovic never really recovered from the early shockingly unfair goal.

Pick: Eagles, Klasnic


Fulham 1-3 Tottenham
FUL: Pretty unlucky as they face a very formidable Brad Friedel on that day.

TOT: Bale continued his form surprisingly with one goal and one assist. Solid.

The most impressive one is of course the 40-year-old stopper, Friedel, who made several key saves to ensure Spurs' victory.

Watch: Bale

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

Kick-Off: Gameweek 7 Fantasy Preview

"Tevez is finished at Manchester City," says Mancini.

Overview
A week of Champions League failure for Premier League clubs with Arsenal the only club to win among 4 English candidates. The bigger news however, if of course Tevez's dispute with the club which may see him being froze indefinitely. Shocking.

On the contrary to Champions League clubs from England, all 4 Europa League clubs from the same country won their Europa tie. Splendid as we saw the likes like Pavlyuchenko, Defoe, Crouch and Andy Johnson on the score sheet. Worth to take note.

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

1. Bolton (CHE, @WIG, SUN, @SWA, STO @WBA, EVE) - Pretty easy after the tough run, but might struggle for the next few gameweeks with suspension of key players.
2. Stoke (@SWA, FUL, @ARS, NEW, @BOL, QPR, BLA) - Nothing too tough. Time to get Shawcross and Crouch in.
3. Tottenham (ARS, @NEW, @BLA, QPR, @FUL, AST, @WBA) - Get Adebayor, get Van der Vaart, and get them fast.
4. Wigan (@AST, BOL, @NEW, FUL, @WOL, BLA, @SUN) - With this kind of fixtures, it's either start performing or get relegated for them.

In hell run:

1. Everton (LIV, @CHE, @FUL, MUN, @NEW, WOL, @BOL) - Crazy. You should dump their players, if you were not already.
2. Liverpool (@EVE, MUN, NOR, @WBA, SWA, @CHE, MCI) - This is even crazier. Apart from Suarez, the others are not worth keeping in my opinion.

Game of the Week: TOTTENHAM v ARSENAL

Adebayor is on a hot streak.

It's always an exciting London derby with these two as they boast the finest offence of the Premier League.

Both has got games in midweek so no side will have stamina advantage. Unfortunately though, Arsenal are suffering large scale injury crisis - tough call for them. Andre Santos started against Olympiakos and scored - not much significance though as Arsenal is still one of the worst defence among Premier League teams. With so many glass legs shattered, it will be up to Van Persie and Arteta to propel the team forward.

On the other hand, Tottenham has been in magnificent form after two slumping defeat at the start of the season. Loaned striker Adebayor is on red hot form - expect strong presence of him against the team which made him famous. Van der Vaart will be a great pick too with his attacking talent.

Expect goals galore, and I think White Hart Lane is not a piece of land to fool around. Victory for Spurs in my opinion.

Prediction: TOT 4-2 ARS
Pick and Captain: Adebayor
Pick: VdV, RvP, Arteta
Avoid: TOT and ARS Defences


Fantasy Game of the Week: MANCHESTER UNITED v NORWICH

Can Welbeck bring United
out of slump?

Easy game for United after a frustrating Champions League tie against Basel which saw then getting only 2 points out of 6 possible.

Rooney is still not available, so expect a striking pair of Welbeck and Hernandez. Nani and Young should play the most important part in United's offence this time - supplying as well as taking chances themselves.

I don't see Norwich's ability to strike goals against United too, so a clean sheet is highly probable. Expect some demolition from the Red Devils.

Prediction: MUN 3-0 NOR
Pick and Captain: Young, Nani
Pick: Welbeck, Hernandez, MUN defence
Avoid: NOR defence


Pick and Avoid
Pick and Captain:

1. Agbonlahor - Against Wigan it's mouth-watering.
2. Aguero/Dzeko/Silva - The usual choice.

Pick:

1. Suarez - Should get even more powerful in such an intense derby.
2. Drogba - Without Torres, he will get all the chance.
3. Vorm - Stoke are usually weak at away.
4. Bendtner - His height will do a lot of good to penetrate Hodgson's team.

Avoid:

1. BLA defence - I don't see their ability to hold Man City.

Transfer Traffic

Green (buy):

1. Adebayor/VdV - Great fixtures coming up.
2. Drogba - Free from competition at the moment.

Yellow (watch):

1. MUN players - Without Rooney, they're at a lower class.
2. Rooney - Keep yourself updated.

Red (sell):

1. Dzeko - Sell pressure is mounting high.
2. Torres - Suspended.
3. Bent - Doubtful and out of form.
4. De Laet - Injured.
5. Tevez - Dumped.

Gameweek 7 Dream Team

Vorm

Brown -- Jones -- Riise

Nani -- VdV -- Silva -- Sinclair

Adebayor(VC) -- Aguero(C) -- Welbeck

Subs: Mignolet -- Larsson -- Warnock -- R Johnson

Kick-Off: Gameweek 6 Fantasy Preview

Stuart Holden back to Bolton's rescue.

Overview
There are plenty of actions in Carling Cup on the midweek as we saw fellow benchwarmers like Owen and Oxlade-Chamberlain shone. The more important news are of course the return of Stuart Holden (Bolton) and Hatem Ben-Arfa who both recovered from long-term injuries. Two fantasy players to watch.

Game of the Week: STOKE CITY v MANCHESTER UNITED

Phil Jones is a versatile beast.
Strong and determined.

Pretty surprised to feature here? Too bad but this is the most anticipated one in my opinion as the sentinel of Britannia will try to hold the trident of Red Devils.

Stoke suffered a 0-4 defeat away to Sunderland last week, but at Britannia Stadium it's going to be a different story. The Potters are still yet to concede any goal at home in local fixtures including the Carling Cup tie against Tottenham where they won by penalties.

On the other hand, Man Utd continued their to record their best league opening for tens of years as they beat old-time rival Leeds 3-1 in the Carling Cup encounter. Michael Owen scored a brace but it will be too much for him to knock both Chicharito and Berbatov out to start with Rooney.

A classic sword and shield encounter. Tony Pulis' team might be able to shock us, but most probably it will be Sir Alex Ferguson's side to extend their record run of 6 straight league victories. United players will continue to shine.

Prediction: STO 0-1 MUN
Pick: Rooney, A Young, Jones
Drop: STO defence except Begovic


Fantasy Game of the Week: CHELSEA v SWANSEA

Hopefully not another
miss of the century.

Manchester City are facing tricky Everton, while both Arsenal and Liverpool are not in their very best form despite racing rather easy oppositions. So let's stick with Chelsea - the team who host themselves at Old Trafford even though they lost it.

Scott Sinclair will face his old club but it will be too much for him to lead Swansea sinking Stamford Bridge. Maybe a surprise goal, but certainly not a victory.

Another sign for Torres resurrection - he's spectacular last week despite the miss of the millennium. I believe this time it's not false positive though compared to the first gameweek - as long as it's the pack of fast players like Ramires, Mata and Meireles who will be pairing up with him.

Shouldn't be too hard for Chelsea, so start your Torres, Mata, Meireles, Ramires and Bosingwa if you own them.

Prediction: CHE 3-0 SWA
Pick and Captain: Torres
Pick: Mata, Meireles, Ramires, Bosingwa
Drop: SWA defence except Vorm


Pick and Drop
Pick and Captain:

1. Suarez - Liverpool are more consistent at Anfield. Perhaps the last chance for Suarez to prove himself.
2. Van Persie - The Gunners will learn from their mistake and improve on.
3. Adebayor - On fire and cannot be stopped.
4. Best - A differential captain pick if you're willing to risk.

Pick:

1. Man City players - Not an easy game against Everton, but home advantage should bring them through.
2. Wright-Phillips, Barton - Should be able to get something at home.
3. Gervinho - Should get a lot of chances.
4. Van der Vaart - Returns to take set pieces.

Drop:

1. WIG defence - I can't see a clean sheet against Adebayor and Van der Vaart.

Transfer Traffic

Green light (buy):

1. Adebayor - Expect huge bandwagon soon.
2. SWP, Barton - Two productive players from QPR.
3. Aguero, Agbonlahor, Best - Productive players at different tiers.
4. Jones - Can play everywhere in defence and hence less rotation fears.

Yellow light (watch):

1. Torres - Looks like he has discovered his form...
2. Ben Arfa - Returned and should be under your radar.
3. Holden - Will provide good supplies for Bolton in the center of midfield.
4. Enrique - Short of clean sheets and you should be prepared for a contingency plan to sell him.
5. Gerrard - Might bring direct impact to Liverpool's play.

Red light (sell):

1. ARS defence - Too mistake prone.
2. EVE players - Tough series of fixtures.
3. Klasnic - 3 match ban.
4. Moses - Not performing.

Gameweek 6 Dream Team

Krul

Bosingwa -- Kompany -- Enrique

Arteta -- SWP -- VDV -- Mata

Suarez -- Adebayor(C) -- RVP(VC)

Subs: Kenny -- Cabaye -- R Taylor -- Jones