Gameweek 11, and several promising fixtures for FPL lay ahead of us this weekend. MNF is also back as Spurs face a currently managerless Aston Villa.
Chelsea vs Liverpool
The Blues’ promising start to last week collapsed on Saturday when they faced West Ham. It wasn’t just the result which transitioned into anger among Chelsea supporters but Mourinho’s decreasing care, it seems, towards his team’s worrying position in the league. He as well as an assistant coach and Matic were all sent off in Chelsea’s defeat and that is exactly what Liverpool would have wanted with Klopp still searching for his first win as Liverpool gaffer. Much of the action in their 1-1 draw came late on. The Reds through Benteke’s bullet header had seemingly sealed the win only for Mane to equalise. Pool’s defence is still looking a shambles and yet again Daniel Sturridge didn’t make an appearance because of injury. In all fairness to Klopp he hasn’t had much to work with but the board of Liverpool know that JK is one of the best managers in the world who can make something out of nothing.
Star Man – Willian (6.8m)
Although he only picked up the single point vs WHU, the Brazilian provided speed and excelled on the counter. With an excellent free kick at his disposal and having won over a starting spot this season, at his price and calibre he is an excellent differential.
Prediction – Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool
Crystal Palace vs Manchester United
The home side were narrowly defeated last Saturday in a 1-0 loss, leaving Palace without a point for over two weeks. Elsewhere, Man Utd participated in a stalemate derby that surprisingly did earn the team several positives including their defensive performance. This seems to be anyone’s game but I feel that United’s stretch of form will continue especially in defence by not allowing Palace to dominate in the attack.
Star Man – Phil Jones (5.2m)
The Reds’ defender has proved himself as a part of LVG’s team. However many have opted for his higher priced defensive partner Chris Smalling, when recently, Jones has done just as good a job. With a few good fixtures coming up, he may be one to look out for.
Prediction – Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester United
Manchester City vs Norwich
It’s not the result they would’ve wanted, but City’s standard this season hasn’t been damaged by their 0-0 draw in the Manchester derby. A third straight defeat for Norwich has left them vulnerable for City to take advantage and possibly another high scoring win. I can’t see any sort of fight back from the Canaries. For the first time in weeks City have had serious competition in Arsenal, who are currently level with them on points. Norwich do have an exciting midfield but in comparison to the sky blues they are no match.
Star Man – Wilfried Bony (8.3m)
With main striker Sergio Aguero out with injury, Bony has been given a chance in City colours recently. At a price of £8.3, he will be able to claim a decent score especially in his next two fixtures (Norwich & Villa) Bony will shine against considerably weaker teams. Whilst the striker evidently is not of the quality of some City players, with the service he is being provided, Bony is bound to score a decent amount.
Prediction – Manchester City 4-1 Norwich
Newcastle vs Stoke City
Newcastle came crashing back to reality in their defeat to Sunderland. Back in 19th with lost momentum they face a Stoke side who haven’t lived up to their transfer business during the summer. While not predicted to be in any danger of relegation, they could be challenging for a top 8 spot yet they haven’t had any stand out performances as of yet. Similarly I believe Newcastle do carry quality through the likes of Perez and Wijnaldum however a weak defence has come back to haunt them.
Star Man – Ayoze Perez (5.1m)
Perez has become a nailed on starter since mid September and while he may have a few mediocre scores, as an individual and with the right support, the forward is a great alternative to have. I expect him to score or assist in this game.
Prediction – Newcastle 1-1 Stoke City
Swansea vs Arsenal
Currently level on points with Man City at the top of the league, Arsenal have become serious title contenders after a miserable start to the season. Their striker dilemma seemingly has been solved with Walcott (as long as he is not out for too long with the injury he picked up last night!) generally starting as a centre forward but Wenger is also efficiently using Giroud when needed, such as in last week’s victory against Everton. Swansea also picked up a win, exhibiting a good midfield display from Ayew and Sigurdsson. However, Arsenal in their current form should be able to overcome the Swans. I feel that the Welsh team have more to prove in this Premier League campaign but it won’t come this week.
Star Man – Mesut Ozil (8.6m)
One of the best performers in the league at the moment, Ozil has proved better value recently than his similarly priced midfield counterparts. A rise in FPL selection for the German has been due to his recent performances resulting in 30 points in the last 3 games !
Prediction – Swansea 0-2 Arsenal
Watford vs West Ham
A sensational start to the season for the Hammers continued in a 2-1 win over Chelsea. Every single player worked to their maximum capability and it will be a challenge for Slaven Bilic to pick his side against Watford as players such as Mauro Zarate who put in amazing contributions could still be rotated for the likes of Victor Moses. They have overcome the league’s biggest teams and their opponents this week are Watford, who have just picked up momentum themselves through a win and Troy Deeney’s first league goal. West Ham’s third London derby in three weeks
isn’t particularly easy as Watford have strikers Ighalo and Deeney as well as a cheap but effective defence.
Star Man – Mauro Zarate (5.3m) & Dimitri Payet (8.3m)
I would’ve gone for only Mauro Zarate however even though he has his best game in a West Ham shirt he is still a rotation risk, showing the depth in the West Ham squad. However if he does start, Zarate is full of skill and bursts of energy and is a steal at his price if you want a 3rd striker.
Payet has been my star man countless times. He has rose in price by 0.8 since the start of the season and it’s not hard to see why. A midfielder who has scored 5 goals and 3 assists is just too good to miss out on.
Prediction – Watford 1-3 West Ham
West Brom vs Leicester City
High flying Leicester are on track to battle it out for potentially a spot in Europe this season, encouraged by Jamie Vardy’s 10th Premier League goal of the season in a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace. On the other hand, West Brom are currently bang in the middle of the PL table which, respectively, I don’t think represents their performances. Their defence has been without problem, consecutively keeping clean sheets, and at times have displayed an array of attacking ability. While WBA may look to their defence to ensure a draw for this game, there is a possibility that Rondon and Berahino could even pull a win out of the bag. Saying that, Leicester have proven themselves to be one of the hardest teams to face this season.
Star Man – Jamie Vardy (7.2m)
Unstoppable is the only word to describe the Leicester striker. With 10 goals now to his name, opposition have labelled the front-man as an established threat and despite the amount of defenders put on him, it seems Vardy’s non league tactics have earned him the spot as top scorer. Centre backs hate his energy and he thrives on it!
Prediction – West Brom 0-1 Leicester City
Everton vs Sunderland
Sunderland and Sam Allardyce have proved a match so far due to their similarity in style and what Big Sam would call ‘finally being appreciated by the fans’. It hasn’t been the best few weeks for Everton as they have faced some challenging fixtures but Martinez will hope that his team with a win in this match can climb to the top half of the table, somewhere I think that Everton should easily be and even challenging for Europa League much like Leicester and West Ham.
Star Man – Ross Barkley (6.8m)
21% of FPL players own the English midfielder and with some decent fixtures and an already proven FPL score this season I think that number will continue rising. After several weeks of blanks, Barkley is back in business with a goal and should be able to pick up the assists with Lukaku in front of him.
Prediction – Everton 2-1 Sunderland
Southampton vs Bournemouth
The Saints have had a good string of games leading them to claiming 8th in the league. They have shown creativity in all positions. Their defence has been vital as well as the enthusiastic midfield in front of them. Against Liverpool, the likes of Cedric and Van Dijk put in some amazing last ditch tackles which meant the match resulted in a 1-1 draw. Bournemouth suffered another large defeat and without their star players such as Wilson they are in danger of dropping down into the relegation zone, currently in 17th. It will be a hard battle for the Cherries as Southampton will be able to capitalise on their weak defence.
Star Man – Sadio Mane (7.9m)
Mane will serve his ban from his sending off against Liverpool during Southampton’s Capital One cup game, therefore, will be eligible for their game vs Bournemouth. The midfielder showed desire which lead to the Saints grabbing a goal back and making it 1-1. At a reasonable price Mane is set to score high once again. Along with the midfielder, I want to also praise Cedric, Tadic and Pelle who are all great FPL options to have.
Prediction – Southampton 3-0 Bournemouth
Tottenham vs Aston Villa
It could be Tottenham’s smashing over Bournemouth that kick starts their Champions League search. Going forward, Spurs showed every aspect of a good attack. Through the midfield, Dembele, Lamela and Eriksen all provided for Tottenham’s main man resulting in 5 goals scored. Spurs will be relishing facing a managerless Aston Villa, who sacked Tim Sherwood after a 2-1 defeat to Swansea. The state of Aston Villa is a major dilemma; several managers couldn’t do the job leading to their dismissal. With or without a manager, it looks like Villa are in for a shaky season.
Star Man – Harry Kane (9.2m)
Who else could it be? The striker bagged a hat trick last week giving us just a glimpse of the Harry Kane that we saw last season. If he’s doing well then it’s safe to say that Tottenham are doing well. Kane is Spurs’ outlet and with the service he is receiving along with his individual quality, Tottenham have got their mojo back at just the right time before 3 massive London derbies.
Prediction – Aston Villa 1-2 Tottenham
By Allan Smith
