EPL MATCH PREVIEW Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham have home games in Gameweek 7, while Manchester City, Everton and Arsenal are on the road. Strap yourselves in for another Gameweek of potential upsets and frustration, as this week’s fixtures see another couple of tricky ties for the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Everton and Spurs. Fear not however, we are here to attempt to navigate you through Gameweek 7’s potential minefield. Hull City v Crystal Palace Not really a glitz and glamour tie to kick Gameweek 7 off and perhaps not one of too much fantasy football interest. Both sides have been pretty patchy so far this season and as a result cannot be trusted to reliably produce points here – probably best to avoid. Star Pick – Nikica Jelavic If you are tempted by this fixture then perhaps the safest bet is Hull’s poacher. The forward is pretty decent in front of goal when given the service. Leicester City v Burnley Burnley have not been at the races so far this season and it would be a bizarre decision to utilise any of their players. In contrast, Leicester have started the season very well, sometimes not always getting the result they deserve and therefore should have enough for the 3 points here. Burnley have only managed 1 goal so far this season and that was on the opening weekend – time to bring those Foxes in at the back for the week. Star Pick – Leonardo Ulloa The forward was written off before a ball was kicked as a dodgy signing unlikely to be good enough for the Premier League. It is safe to say he’s proved people wrong and looks a threat in every game at the moment. Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion This should be a routine home win for Liverpool to get back on track, but you just never know with The Reds at the moment. They are severely lacking confidence and look half the team without Daniel Sturridge leading the intensity from the front. Chances are they will squeak past The Bagies here, although with a shocking defence at the moment it appears a clean sheet isn’t on the cards. Star Pick – Steven Gerrard With Liverpool not firing on all cylinders they could be looking to the skippers set pieces to give them the edge. They scored a lot of goals from free-kicks, corners and penalties last season, all of which Gerrard will be involved in. Sunderland v Stoke City Sunderland are definitely the leagues draw specialist so far this season, drawing 5 of their opening 6 games. It is safe to say that another one looks likely this week in what is bound to be a low scoring game. As a result, both sides’ defenders could represent a decent shout for clean sheet differential points. Star Pick – Marc Muniesa The fullback has a good a chance as any to pick up a clean sheet as he looks nailed on to start after impressive performances recently. He enjoys a roam forward and provides an excellent cross for the likes of Peter Crouch. Swansea City v Newcastle United Swansea failed to win a game in September, wasting their impressive start to the season. However, forget the form of the Welsh side as it looks likely that they will return to winning ways this week. Newcastle are in a mess at the moment (yet again!!) and simply do not score enough goals to warrant any confidence that they will deliver this week. Odds are in the favour of a Swansea win and clean sheet. Star Pick – Gylfi Sigurdsson After having the dubious honour of being this season’s first bandwagon player, Sigurdsson sadly went off the boil slightly last month. A return to form looks likely this week and he should be set for at least a goal or assist. Aston Villa v Manchester City Normality has been restored at Villa Park recently, with Paul Lambert’s men flopping to consecutive 3-0 defeats in the last 2 weeks. City have been far from their magnificent best so far this season but should still have far too much for The Villains’, the only question is who will play and how many they will score. Star Pick – Sergio Aguero Obviously still a slight risk due to ongoing injuries and lack of full fitness, but simply a player that cannot be ignored. His goal ratio is bordering on ridiculous and as a result if there is a good chance he will play then he simply can’t be ignored. Manchester United v Everton This one should be an interesting affair, although don’t even think about clean sheets being a possibility. Both sides have been pretty poor at the back this season and so it isn’t advisable to use their defenders at present. The attacking talent speaks for itself and despite a quiet week in terms of fantasy points the likes of Radamel Falcao, Robin van Persie, Angel Di Maria and even Juan Mata in the absence of Wayne Rooney all look good prospects. One point definitely worth considering is the fact that Everton had to travel to Russia on Thursday and are likely to show a Europa League hangover – something to consider when thinking about selecting their players. Star Pick – Angel di Maria He was hotly tipped to have a big week against West Ham in Gameweek 6 and unfortunately didn’t pick up the points despite a decent performance. He oozes class and will return to his assist and goal form in no time. Chelsea v Arsenal Safe to say that Arsenal can only really improve on their performance in this fixture last year, although in reality it is likely that they will still fall short. Jose Mourinho is likely to attempt to stifle Arsenal here as he does with all big sides, the result therefore being that yet again Chelsea defenders could still sneak a clean sheet. It would be a surprise if The Blues didn’t dominate the game and therefore the usual suspects in midfield and up front remain a good bet. Star Pick – Diego Costa The forward has already proven that he is more than worth taking a punt on despite ongoing hamstring problems. Forget the opposition, Costa is in fine form and looks capable of scoring against anyone. Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton Spurs were also in Europa League action on Thursday and while this was at home, it is still another fixture and a disruption to preparations for what is a big game against an in form side. Spurs are not as strong at home as they should be and it is very likely that Southampton could turn the crowd early on. Probably not a game for clean sheets, with both sides likely to concede due to the attacking quality on show. Star Pick – Graziano Pelle The forward is in fine form at the moment and chances are this will continue against a generous Spurs defence. West Ham United v QPR A comfortable home win should be on the cards here as QPR simply haven’t really been at the races so far. The Hammers are no world beaters themselves but should have enough to win and possibly keep a clean sheet in the process. Star Pick – Diafra Sakho The forward has looked quite lively since securing a starting spot, scoring 2 and assisting 1 in his last 3 full appearances. Top clean sheet chances: Swansea City – Newcastle do not score enough goals and The Swans are fairly decent at home. Leicester City – Burnley haven’t scored since GW1 whilst Leicester have been playing well. West Ham United – The Hammers were pretty sound defensively last season (at times). QPR are not at the races at present. Top attacking point chances: Liverpool – They are not firing on all cylinders at present, but an early goal could ignite things. Manchester United – An abundance of attacking talent up against a shaky defence who have travelled to Russia. Manchester City – They have too much quality for most opponents and it could be a long afternoon for Villa if they concede early. Written by JOHNMATH
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 21:14:17 +0000