Don’t let the mid-week fixtures disrupt your rhythm in the high-stakes world of FPL!
(L-R) Arsenal fullback Hector Bellerin, Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Liverpool winger Sadio Mane (Photos: Facebook)
Usually, the Premier League is played across the weekend, but this time round we have a rare delight— an entire round of fixtures that will be played in mid-week.
Even as our beloved footballers brace for a gruelling winter period, there’s another lot that are complaining about the ‘extra workload’: Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers.
For Gameweek 14 brings with it an added layer of uncertainty, as with mid-week fixtures, Premier League managers are bound to rotate their starting XI, to varying degrees.
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While it is next to impossible to predict the lineups accurately, The Statesman has the next best thing at hand to help soothe the dilemmas all the wannabe Pep Guardiolas must be under.
The indicators are:
Teams in BOLD are top 4 contenders.
Prices (in £ million) marked in Green indicates a rise in Base Price.
Prices (in £ million) marked in Red indicates fall in Base Price.
Team: Chelsea
Fixtures: Swansea (H), Newcastle (H), West Ham (A), Huddersfield (A) and Southampton (H)
Price: 5.4
Score: 56
Ownership: 12.9%
Why yes: It’s time to stock up on Blues players, just on the virtue of the extremely routine fixtures they have up ahead. Courtois’ price has fallen in recent weeks, but expect it to shoot right back up after back-to-back home games against sides that aren’t renowned for their forwards (Swansea and Newcastle).
Why no: Having a Chelsea defender like Cesar Azpilicueta (£6.9 m) and Courtois is an appealing proposition, but the Blues aren’t as tight at the back as they were last season. Plenty of cheaper alternatives around will give you a similar point haul in FPL.
Team: Brighton
Fixtures: Crystal Palace (H), Liverpool (H), Huddersfield (A), Spurs (A) and Burnley (H).
Price: 4.4
Score: 17
Ownership: 0.1%
Why yes: Brighton went down fighting (and somewhat unfortunately) against the mighty Manchester United at Old Trafford in Gameweek 13, which suggests the Seagulls are no pushovers. Bong is among the cheapest confirmed starters in FPL and the left-back is an excellent fourth/fifth option.
Why no: Crystal Palace may be rooted to the bottom, but they have shown signs of improvement in recent weeks and a side in the relegation dog-fight will not go down easily. Fixtures after Palace aren’t ideal.
Team: Arsenal
Fixtures: Huddersfield (H), Man Utd (H), Southampton (A), West Ham (A) and Newcastle (H)
Price: 5.9
Score: 50
Ownership: 9.6%
Why yes: Arsenal’s resurgence in recent weeks has been a pleasant surprise for many FPL managers (and the long-suffering Gooners!) and their resident speedster is a safe bet ahead of the visit of the Terriers. Bellerin, who’s playing as wing-back in Arsenal’s 3-4-3 system, is due a goal/assist soon. Arsenal are among the only two sides in the Premier League to boast a 100 per cent home record and should almost certainly beat Huddersfield comfortably.
Why no: Manchester United come visiting after the Terriers and that game will be a difficult one for the Gunners, no doubt. Bellerin is relatively expensive and his teammates—Sead Kolasinac (£6.1m) and Nacho Monreal (£5.6m)— are worthwhile options as well.
Team: Liverpool
Fixtures: Stoke (A), Brighton (A), Everton (H), West Brom (H) and Bournemouth (A)
Price: 9.3
Score: 36
Ownership: 7.4%
Why yes: Mohamed Salah (£9.7m) may be blowing everyone away, but Sadio Mane is Liverpool’s best offensive player by a country mile still. The Senegalese came on late in the draw against Chelsea and looks set to start against Stoke. The Reds have routine games ahead and Mane could be a massive differential in the coming weeks.
Why no: Salah’s goalscoring form makes him impossible to ignore and Philippe Coutinho (£8.8 m) is another in-form Liverpool player. While it is tempting to pick two of the aforementioned three (or all of them, for that matter!) in your FPL team, don’t forget that the Reds tend to struggle against the ‘lesser teams’.
Team: Tottenham Hotspur
Fixtures: Leicester (A), Watford (A), Stoke (H), Brighton (H) and Man City (A)
Price: 9.2
Score: 57
Ownership: 16.0%
Why yes: Spurs may be in a bit of a rut at the moment, but they have more than enough quality in their squad to turn things around. Dele Alli got an assist for Harry Kane’s equaliser against West Brom and the young midfielder is odds-on to be among the goals (or assists) when they visit Leicester. Spurs’ away record is seriously impressive and Leicester aren’t in the best of form themselves.
Why no: Spurs have plenty of alternatives and all of them are compelling. Harry Kane (£12.8m) is going to be a contender for the Golden Boot at the end of the season, while Christian Eriksen (£9.5m) and Heung-Min Son (£7.9m) are in fine fettle as well. Considering Spurs’ poor record at Wembley, having multiple Lilywhites players is not the smartest strategy.
Team: Brighton
Fixtures: Crystal Palace (H), Liverpool (H), Huddersfield (A), Spurs (A) and Burnley (H)
Price: 5.8
Score: 36
Ownership: 3.3%
Why yes: Murray’s been in outstanding form of late and the 34-year-old will be backing himself to score against a side that have one of the worst defences in the Premier League—Crystal Palace. An excellent third-choice forward at the least.
Why no: As mentioned earlier, Brighton have some extremely tough ties after Crystal Palace.
Team: Stoke City
Fixtures: Liverpool (H), Swansea (H), Spurs (A), Burnley (A) and West Ham (H)
Price: 5.5
Score: 45
Ownership: 5.2%
Why yes: This week’s wildcard pick. Stoke have already given Arsenal and Manchester United grief this season and the next big side in their crosshairs is Liverpool. Diouf specialises in scoring against top teams and with Liverpool’s defence in the shape it is in, the 29-year-old is highly likely to be involved
Why no: Technically Diouf is still a forward, but the Senegalese plays as a right midfielder in Stoke’s 4-4-2 system. Xherdhan Shaqiri (£6.0m) and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (£5.7m) play in slightly more advanced positions than Diouf. The Potters are under pressure as well, after stuttering in recent weeks and underdogs against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
PS: The Gameweek deadline is Tuesday, 6.45 PM GMT/ Wednesday, 1.15 AM IST.
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