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 35 Fantasy Preview

Drogba: The man who took Barca down.

Overview
It's only 4 weeks away from the closing of the season with the battle getting more and more intense. It's five points separating the top two; the battle for fourth doesn't seem to be able to conclude before gameweek 38; 5 teams are still on a good race to escape from the relegation spots. It's just gotta be intense.

Game of the Week: Arsenal v Chelsea

Lampard continues to impress.

The team on form, Chelsea, will be looking forward to take the fourth spot for at two hours by taking down Arsenal at Emirates Stadium.

The Blues are the team on form now, marching on in both cup competitions (FA Cup and UEFA CL). They defeated the unbeatable Barcelona at home, something which was quite surprising.

Drogba who scored against Barca will continue to become the team's focal point in offence, supported by Mata, Lampard and co. Defensively Terry and Cahill will have to work very hard against #1 favourite for Golden Boot, Robin Van Persie. Do not expect clean sheets.

On the other side, RvP and Walcott are expected to cause many troubles again. Don't expect clean sheet for the home side as well, as Chelsea is on a truly astonishing form.

Prediction: ARS 2-1 CHE
Pick: Van Persie, Drogba, Walcott, Mata, Lampard
Drop: Both defence


Fantasy Game of the Week: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester City

Caveman back with
total demolition.

City will need to keep up the pace to continue to pressure against league leaders Manchester United.

The Wolves season has practically ended with more than two games difference from survival zone. This should become City's advantage, as the opposition's morale should be very low, not to mention Wolves have not won any of their last 10 league games.

Meanwhile, City seems to recover their early season form, scoring 10 goals in last two games. Ex-captain Carlos Tevez is certainly the shining man now, after scoring a whopping 19 fantasy points in City's 6-1 demolition over Norwich. Aguero and Silva have reactivated their fantasy scoring machine as well.

Should be an easy win and possibly a clean sheet as well for City.

Prediction: WOL 0-3 MCI
Pick and Captain: Aguero, Tevez
Pick: Silva, MCI defence
Drop: WOL team


Pick and Drop
Pick and Captain:
Yakubu - Norwich always give goals.
Dempsey - Just so good.
P. Cisse  - Extremely prolific.

Pick:
AST and BOL team - Gameweek double.
Rooney/ Valencia/ Young - Usual offensive prospects from United.
Ben Arfa - Brilliant lad.

Drop:
NOR defence - Unlikely to withstand Blackburn's offence.

Transfer Traffic
Green light (buy):
Gameweek 35 double gamers - Check the fixtures.
Tevez/ Aguero/ Silva - Sensational form.
AST and BOL team - Gameweek double.

Gameweek 35 Dream Team

 Krul

Lescott -- Evans -- Collins

Silva -- Walcott -- Ben Arfa (VC) -- Dempsey

Tevez (C) -- Yakubu -- P. Cisse

Subs: Given -- M. Petrov -- A. Hughes -- Wheather

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

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

Terrible Refereeing: Gameweek 21 Fantasy Review

Why must you @#%&ing steal the limelight every time Mr Phil Dowd?

Poor Decisions

Terrible refereeing ruined a lot of good games this gameweek. Tottenham conceded thanks to one "accused" corner kick, Jonathan Woodgate wasn't even booked for so many dangerous offences he had done, no more red card in Blackburn v Fulham game after Yakubu's despite so many more dangerous tackles than his, and most obviously, three legitimate penalty claims denied in Chelsea v Sunderland game. Three ****ing legitimate penalty claims denied, with one wrongly judged as diving. How can someone as pathetic as Phil Dowd officiate a Premier League game? So many game spoilers.

Aston Villa 1-1 Everton

Not a very surprising result, though Everton deserved more. The build up was impressive by the Toffees, but their finishing ability continues to take them down. Given was splendid too to stop them.

No strong impact from Donovan in this game, so you might wait and watch.

Watch: Donovan, Bent

Blackburn 3-1 Fulham

I feel bad for the 300,000 fantasy managers who brought in the Yak (I was almost one of them but sold him later fortunately) as he got a straight red. Bad luck. However, Blackburn somehow played better with ten men on the field. Dunn scored 13 points which almost tallied to all that he got this season (16 points) prior to the game. Great game by the ex-fantasy-goody.

And Steve Kean survives, again.

Watch: Dunn

Drop: Yakubu

Chelsea 1-0 Sunderland

Torres was spectacular. He attempted a terrific bicycle kick that hit the bar before being tapped-in by Lampard. He was brought down twice inside the penalty box but both offences were ignored and he was even being booked for "diving". Great performance this time around and he might be able to steal the place from Drogba if he continues such great play.

Gary Cahill has officially joined Chelsea and might become a  fantastic fantasy acquisition. If he can create more clean sheets at Stamford Bridge, he is a must buy.

On the other side, it was a good play by Sunderland, but the chances they had wasted made sure that they went home with nothing.

Watch: Gary Cahill, Torres, Sessegnon

Liverpool 0-0 Stoke City

The same story again at Anfield. Liverpool controlled the game but were unable to create good opportunity and unable to finish well. Certainly needs a goal poacher at the moment.

The defence was superb as usual and you must be silly to not own at least one of Enrique and Skrtel.

Pick: Enrique, Skrtel

Watch: Gerrard

Manchester United 3-0 Bolton

Should be much easier than what it was. Rooney was at fault for missing yet another penalty. He could have confidence crisis in finishing. Still, he provided two great supplies which then scored two goals for United. But seriously, if he didn't miss the penalty, he would be on a 15 point haul instead of only 6 now.

Evans racked up 6 points again with his superbly cheap price, while Scholes and Carrick's provided abnormal returns thanks to their rare goals.

It's still the same kind of crisis at Bolton anyway...

Pick: Rooney, Evans

Watch: Scholes

Drop: BOL players


Tottenham 1-1 Wolves
Great game by Hennessey to save several critical attempts. The corner was awarded by luck, but the execution was all their credit as Steven Fletcher continued to mark his importance. He has scored 6 goals in last 8 games and looks to be a direct replacement for Yakubu.

Adebayor continues to disappoint with yet another non-productive gameweek. His will not eligible against Manchester City as stated in the loan contract next week. A transfer dilemma for fantasy managers to consider.

Pick: Bale, Fletcher
Watch: Adebayor


West Brom 1-2 Norwich
Two big centre forwards Holt and Morison combined again for the winner while Surman scored a great goal. The Canaries are looking good to stay in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Roy Hodgson fails to find a solution to victory as their side got only one point from the last four games.

Pick: Morison
Watch: Holt
Drop: WBA players


Newcastle 1-0 Queen's Park Rangers
Quite a lucky win by Newcastle to be honest. QPR had pushed well and got several great chances which either got squandered or got saved by Krul and his rearguards. You should really spend some time reassessing this team for the next few weeks to see how they perform under Mark Hughes' reign.

Leon Best scored a wonderful solo effort, but otherwise it was defence that brought them the victory.

Pick: NEW defence
Watch: Best, Wright-Phillips, Bothroyd, Helguson


Swansea 3-2 Arsenal
Fantastic game by Swansea which outplayed the Gunners' through Barca-esque possession. The ball control was superb as Wenger couldn't find any clue to anticipate the precise passes. Nathan Dyer is the man in form, scoring 23 points in the last two games.

Arsenal's defence was signalling a huge alarm as they become the side which conceded the most away goals (25). In my opinion, they would need two extra defenders which they should get in this transfer window if they are to grab that Champions' League ticket.

Pick: Dyer, Van Persie, Graham, Sinclair
Drop: ARS defence


Wigan 0-1 Manchester City
Finally a win for City after consecutive cup defeats. It was a hard fought victory though, with Silva provided the assist for Dzeko's goal. It was indeed quite surprising to see Silva played almost a full match, plus an assist.

Aguero still couldn't find the blazing feet which scored crazily earlier this season, but hopefully the upcoming easy fixtures will help him.

Pick: Silva

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

Kick-Off: Gameweek 20 Fantasy Preview

BerbaTOP: 6 goals scored in his last 3 Premier League games.

Overview
Big shocker on the last gameweek with Manchester United lost to Blackburn at Old Trafford. Berbatov is charging with red hot form though, and looks as if he will win the golden boot if he starts all the remaining league games.

Another big news is the return of the King of Highbury - Thierry Henry to Arsenal in a short 2-3 months loan spell. The French should play a big role in this period as both Gervinho and Chamakh will go to south of Europe for African Cup of Nations.

Gameweek Double
The replacement fixture of Tottenham against Everton will take place this week so remember to stock 3 Tottenham players in your team as they are playing both games this gameweek at home. The options at Everton are much less delicious though.

Game of the Week: MANCHESTER CITY  v LIVERPOOL

Soul restored for Liverpool?

Manchester City will continue to defend their top position in a tough game against Liverpool.

Thanks to Manchester United's shocking defeat City should still at top of the league despite losing to Sunderland. They will have stamina disadvantage though - Liverpool played two days earlier than them on last gameweek's fixture.

No injury problems for them so expect the likes like Silva and Aguero to be the key men of the team. Don't put too much hope on clean sheet though, as the captain of the other side - Steven Gerrard - is back and has provided significant impact against Newcastle on last game. Big man to watch.

Bellamy is on red hot form and has a point to prove to Mancini, meanwhile Carroll looks better on last game will high quality supply from Gerrard.

Tight game on hand. I'm predicting points loss for City due to their tiredness and Liverpool's tendency to play better against better sides.

Prediction: MCI 1-1 LIV
Pick: Silva, Bellamy


Fantasy Games of the Week: TOTTENHAM'S DOUBLE v WEST BROM & EVERTON

Assou-Ekkoto is one of the
silent performer at White
Hart Lane.

Well, both games are at home, so you certainly cannot afford to not have Tottenham players.

Bale is stunningly on form and thus should be your captain of the week although Adebayor could as well be one to take the armband. Van der Vaart is also a good choice but I will definitely give the priority to the former two.

I prefer a 2 (attacker) + 1 (defender) setup here so one should take either one of Benoit Assou-Ekkoto or Kyle Walker for this occasion. BAE is the more preferable one here as he's £0.6m cheaper than the latter and scores similar fantasy points.

Both West Brom and Everton have closed down their defences pretty tight lately, but 2 games on hand for a flying team is definitely enticing. All in for Tottenham players.

Prediction: TOT 2-1 WBA, TOT 1-0 EVE
Pick and Captain: Bale, Adebayor
Pick: Van der Vaart, Assou-Ekkoto, Walker


Pick and Drop
Pick:

1. Osman - The best performer of Everton for gameweek double.
2. Baines - Pretty pricey, but a good player to score from set pieces nonetheless.
3. Yakubu - On fire again.
4. S Fletcher - Will get plenty of chances in front of fragile Chelsea's defence.
5. Berbatov - In top form.

Drop:

1. STO defence - Blackburn might be on the relegation zone, but that's not the fault of offensive department.
2. BOL defence - Defence is problematic and is further complicated by Gary Cahill's almost certain departure.

Transfer Traffic

Green light (buy):

1. Berbatov - Scored 6 goals already in the last 195 minutes he had featured.
2. Bale/ Adebayor/ Van der Vaart/ Assou-Ekkoto/ Walker - It's gameweek double folks.
3. Yakubu - Has started to become the idol of Blackburn.
4. Bellamy - Should be getting Dalglish's trust after such fantastic performance.
5. Valencia - Continues to perform consistently.

Yellow light (watch):

1. Gerrard - The heart of Liverpool is making significant impact upon his return.
2. Ireland - Led the cast for Villa's famous victory at Stamford Bridge.
3. Nani - Continues to fire blanks.

Red light (sell):

1. De Gea - Lindegaard is obviously the better keeper currently.

Gameweek 20 Dream Team

Guzan

Assou-Ekkoto -- Baines -- Samba

Bale (C) -- Osman -- Valencia -- Silva

Adebayor (VC) -- Van Persie -- Yakubu

Subs: Vorm -- Moses -- Koscielny -- Brown

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

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 

Yak-Trick: Gameweek 14 Fantasy Review [Express Edition]

Yakubu's quadruple has earned Steve Kean vital three points.

Newcastle 0-3 Chelsea
Well Luiz's should have been awarded a red card in the early stage of the stage, and that have changed the whole complexion of the game.

It's good to see Drogba returning with a decisive opener, while Lampard will definitely considering his future knowing that his time with the Blues is coming short.

On the other side, Demba Ba continues to be threatening. Superb. However, 2 of their back four are now injured - might be a big hit to their rock solid defence. Nonetheless, Krul will still be magnificent despite that.

Pick: Krul, Ba, Sturridge
Watch: Drogba
Drop: Lampard, Luiz


Blackburn 4-2 Swansea
No one could have expect 4 goals from Yakubu. Splendid. A great result that come at right time.

Given forthcoming fixtures, he's a good short term pick.

Pick: Yakubu


Man City 5-1 Norwich
Aguero should really did better. While his goal was a brilliant magic, the chances he squandered had frustrated a lot of fantasy managers. Maybe it's the right time to jump across the ship for Van Persie.

The points distribution are really too widespread this time around, making City players less attractive.

Watch: Aguero


QPR 1-1 West Brom
Helguson was once again the scorer for QPR. Pretty amazing given that he was only the Neil Warnock's third choice at the beginning of the season.

On the other side, Long scored again. Very prolific at such young age.

Pick: Helguson
Watch: Long


Tottenham 3-0 Bolton
The flanks are functioning fantastically for Tottenham at the moment. Bale and Lennon are simply too swift to handle. Could have won by 7-8 goals if not for Jaaskelainen's greatness.

Gary Cahill was unlucky anyway to concede such an terrible red card decision.

Pick: Bale, Lennon
Drop: Cahill


Wigan 0-4 Arsenal
Nothing too surprising. Van Persie continues to dominate the offence, and Vermaelen's offensive ability as a centre back is just supreme.

Pick: Van Persie, Vermaelen, Walcott
Watch: Gervinho, Arteta
Drop: WIG players


Aston Villa 0-1 Man Utd
Hernandez was injured - the only striker with his scoring boots on is down. Bad news.

The win was yet again unconvincing and I really wonder how possibly can they continue to pick up points with such terrible form.

Drop: MUN offence


Everton 0-1 Stoke City
Disappointing result for Moyes. It does wonder me why were Everton trying non-stop to attack via crosses when Stoke players are all so tall.

Drop: EVE players


Wolves 2-1 Sunderland
Fantastic acting by Larsson but he inability to score the penalty has brought a calamitous result to Martin O'Neill's debut.

Fletcher and Doyle played together again finally and the results? Perfect.

Pick: Fletcher


Fulham 1-0 Liverpool
Lucas out for season, two shots reflected off the frame (again), Spearing sent off, Suarez investigated for his middle finger... Nothing's really going for Liverpool.

At this stage, the Reds still didn't managed to play like a team with free-flowing passes. Pretty hard to believe they can achieve their Champions League aspirations.

Watch: Murphy
Drop: LIV offence

Full-Time: Gameweek 5 Fantasy Review

Like brothers?

38 goals from 10 games this week. Great feast for Premier League fans especially the Man Utd-Chelsea encounter. Dramas here and there!

Man Utd 3-1 Chelsea
Extremely entertaining game with lots of goals, lots of dramas and most importantly, lots of MISSES! What are the odds of Rooney missed a penalty and Torres missed an open goal attempt after that? Unbelievable.


MUN: Not the most convincing victory at Old Trafford, but 3 points are 3 points and no complaints about that. Smalling's goal was offside, but he won't get that chance if he was not courageous enough to run and bang the ball with his head; Nani's goal was offside when he received the ball, but to be left so open by Chelsea's defender to score such a magnificent shot - you can only blame Terry and co for that. Phil Jones was very determined to get the ball - which he indirectly helped Rooney to get the third goal for United. Applause.

In overall the team looked very confident and determined despite the fact that it was Chelsea who were actually having the edge in the game. Clear title favourites. The central midfield is still weak, but the strength of the flanks will overcome it easily.

What interests me is when will United lose their first game, and how will the young players react with it. Big confidence hit, and the title race may be wide open; otherwise expect the young blood of Red Devils to march their way to 20th.

Pick: Nani, Rooney, Young
Watch: Smalling, Jones


CHE: Torres resurrected? Quite close. The pack of faster players really had positive impact on him. Much better runs, better courage, better skills. Too bad the miss did flaw his performance by a lot.

Ramires was good for some of the passes, but for beautiful pass by Torres - should he let it go and allow Sturridge to shoot instead of attempting a forceful shot, well much to improve on offence despite having numerous beautiful runs.

One thing to note though, Torres and Lampard are mutually exclusive players - they simply can't and won't link well. Torres needs players to play around him and Lampard's speed prohibits that.

In short, great job by AVB to dominate the play at Old Trafford - 22 shots, and I can see things to improve sooner rather than later for Chelsea to close down the leading duo.

Watch: Torres, Mata, Ramires
Drop: Lampard


Tottenham 4-0 Liverpool
Not the kind of result that fans expect, but no surprise as Liverpool played terribly bad. With or without the red cards I would still believe Tottenham will win.

TOT: Modric screamer is clearly on the list for goal of the season. Harry Redknapp will be glad that he actually kept him during the summer transfer window. Adebayor was wreaking havoc throughout the game and at £8.1m, he's a mega steal. I can see the Togolese's price to hike up to £9.0m or even £9.5m at the end of the season.

Surprisingly it seems that Adebayor's presence has powered up Defoe too, with the English scoring 19 points over the past two gameweeks when Adebayor played both games. Both are good, although I will definitely pick Adebayor on any day.

With Van der Vaart returned too, the tri-core (VdV, Modric, Parker) midfield line-up will definitely supply the front duo lots of ammunition for goals. Having at least one Tottenham attackers is simply a must for this moment.

Pick: Adebayor, Defoe
Watch: Van der Vaart, Parker, Modric


LIV: Pathetically weak throughout the game. Defence was nonsense, especially at the right flank where Skrtel was dominated totally by Gareth Bale. The red card was really, really expected with his frequent mistakes and terrible judgments. Charlie Adam way too reckless and impatient when defending - he needs to keep his cool. Lucas was helpless as Tottenham's attack was too quick - he had no backup.

Carroll still didn't find his way into the team - he acted more like a statue rather than a player. Suarez, once again, was helpless upfront. Dalglish and Comolli really shouldn't let both Meireles and Aquilani - the rare creative directors in midfield - to go.

Fans will be eager for the return of Steven Gerrard, and hopefully he will cure the current mediocre Liverpool at least by a bit.

Watch: Suarez
Drop: Adam, Skrtel, Carroll


Blackburn 4-3 Arsenal
Weird game? Arsenal led twice only to be let down by the worst defence of the league - they leaked 14 goals already.

BLA: It was Yakubu's day, really. The Everton outcast was influential he scored 2 important goals (the other 2 were own goals though). Solid striker which will also be the pivot of the Rovers' survival. He is a must if Rovers' can pick up their form and bang in some goals.

N'Zonzi had a good run which caused Koscielny's own goal, but he isn't historically productive so don't be hasty to make decisions about him.

Pick: Yakubu
Watch: N'Zonzi


ARS: Defence was once again a let down. I thought Mertesacker will turn the situation around but seriously, Koscielny is too big a tumour to be removed. He was at fault for at least 2 of the goals. Before Vermaelen's return or Wenger's decision to kick Koscielny into the reserves, avoid Arsenal defenders.


There's also problems offensively. While Arteta and Gervinho both got their first goal for their new club, Gervinho's selfishness is questionable. In fact he was scolded by captain Robin van Persie for his selfish attempt instead of feeding the ball to the Dutchman who was clearly unmarked. The ending would be much different if Arsenal led by 3-1 instead of 2-1 by half-time.

Pick: Van Persie, Gervinho, Arteta
Drop: Koscielny, ARS defence


Aston Villa 1-1 Newcastle
AST: Satisfactory performance. Given was influential again as he saved some of the tricky shots especially the long-distance cannon from Cabaye. Offensively it's yet again Agbonlahor who scored - he feet are on fire.

Pick: Agbonlahor
Watch: Given


NEW: St. James' Park has their new Carroll - Leon Best. In fact I'm torn between choosing Agbonlahor and him: Gabby is more clinical, but Leo is cheaper. Both are great third forward.

Cabaye was unlucky - he could have scored double digits on any other game with that kind of performance. Instead, it was Tiote who scored 7 points - I seriously cannot see that to repeat frequently.

Pick: Best, Cabaye


Bolton 1-2 Norwich
BOL: Klasnic got a red - that butt-hurted a lot of managers. N'gog grabbed the chance and earned the team a penalty. Unfortunately Bolton's next two games are tricky - Arsenal and Chelsea - won't bring too much good to the young French.

Martin Petrov scored through the spot, and is surely claiming the #1 fantasy spot at Bolton.

Pick: Petrov
Watch: N'gog
Drop: Klasnic


NOR: Holt started from bench - the captain is becoming less and less influential as the team won without him for majority of the playing time.

It's only the Canaries' first win, and is far too soon to deduce anything about any of their players yet.

Watch: Pilkington, Morison
Drop: Holt


Everton 3-1 Wigan
EVE: Slight disappointment from Tim Cahill as he only assisted one - not so solid captain choice. Vellios is receiving good reviews from football pundits - a superb steal if he starts.

Watch: Vellios


WIG: It's Di Santo who's the ace of the team instead of Moses who remained rather silent over these weeks.

Pick: Di Santo


Swansea 3-0 West Brom
SWA: Finally a victory. Luck was on their side this time as Sinclair fired 12 fantasy points. Those who remain loyal with him are well rewarded.

Also on the score sheet are Nathan Dyer and Leroy Lita - two cheap fantasy players. Not sure about their consistency though.

And Michel Vorm is as solid as ever. A season long hold.

Pick: Sinclair, Vorm
Watch: Dyer, Lita


WBA: Not their day. Long wasn't clinical enough to take the chances. Surprised to see both Dorrans and Brunt started on bench.

Wolves 0-3 QPR
WOL: Overwhelmed by QPR throughout the game. Form is starting to loosen out.

QPR: Faurlin's 10 points and 3 bonus points were both unexpected. As for the expected ones, Wright-Phillips (6 points) was once again influential in the win as well as Joey Barton (13 points). Both are superstuds from QPR.

Bothroyd once again failed to impress; instead it was DJ Campbell who scored for the strikers.

Pick: Barton, SWP
Watch: Faurlin, DJ Campbell
Drop: Bothroyd


Fulham 2-2 Man City
FUL: Good comeback. Good role played by Zamora. Still the ace of the team whenever he's fit.

Pick: Zamora


MCI: Overly defensive after the 2-0 lead. Silva, Dzeko, Aguero and Nasri are still the usual producers from the team.

Pick: Aguero, Silva


Sunderland 4-0 Stoke
SUN: Larsson scored 2 and created 1 as I suffered for selling him out of my team. He got only 1 bonus point though for such good stats. Instead it was Craig Gardner who got 3. The one that is more well-worthed to invest for long-term is surely Bendtner (5 points).

Pick: Bendtner, Larsson, Brown
Watch: Gardner


STO: Nothing much to say here as the team lost completely.

Everton 3-3 Man Utd: In Pictures

Can you believe it? Everton snatched a last minute draw in Goodison Park just now!!! Two goals in a minute! Such an exciting game! Now I'll bring you some narrative of the game in pictures:

Rooney out of the squad in order to protect him psychologically.
Out of form Valencia is out of the squad as well.

Goal (39th minute)! Steven Pienaar scored. Everton 1-0 Man Utd.

Darren Fletcher equalised (42th minute)! 1-1.

Vidic scored through a free-kick header (46th)! Man Utd led by 2-1.

Mr Silky Smooth scored through a beautiful counter (65th)! Man Utd 3-1 Everton.

Yakubu came on. Very effective substitute to give more control to Everton upfront.

Van der Sar performed numerous classic saves and looked too good for Everton to score before the arrival of stoppage time...

Tim Cahill scored with his trademark header with 20 seconds remaining! It seemed hard to change the tide nonetheless, but...

A big mess in United's penalty area and Arteta got a free shot. GOAL! Three goals apiece. United lost two points!

Jonny Evans again looked so shaky in United's defence. One of the main culprit for United's draw.

Despite the draw, I think Liverpool should worry a lot as United's attack is so silky and effective. A big tough test for Roy Hodgson and his squad.

P/s: The pictures used are only for illustration purposes.