IEFSA Fantasy League Week 25 Preview

Another really tight affair last week saw me squeak a win by only 0.7 points over @nealjthurman. The win was pretty much singlehandedly earned by two goal Marko Arnautovic. That result leaves my still in ninth, with 12 wins and 12 losses. My team gets a chance to perhaps move up a place this week if they can overcome @BenDinnery. Ben’s team might sit four places below me in the league, but he has won his last two games and has actually outscored my side over the course of the season so far.

This weekend will see most of the Premier League teams play their third game in seven or eight days. These leads a lot of managers to rotate members of their squads, as well as the increased likelihood of some players picking up knocks that may keep them out of the starting eleven. My side has been fortunate in not picking up any new injuries, but @BenDinnery doesn’t have any new red flags to worry about either.

@BenDinnery’s Team

The weak link in his team has probably been his goalkeeper. Newcastle seem to pack it in after they concede their first goal and this has effected the points Rob Elliot has been able to gain. The Toon do host Bournemouth this Saturday though and it will be a game that Steve McClaren will be determined to win. At the back he has three defenders who like to get in among the goals. Ivanovic, van Dijk and Kolorov have all scored twice this season, with Ivanovic and Kolorov even providing a couple of assists each. With those two players having a couple of winnable home games this weekend, it could be a very profitable Saturday indeed.

His midfield has been quiet of late, with Mark Noble’s goal against Norwich three games ago being the only bright spot. It’s up front where @BenDinnery’s team has been helping him gain victories of late. Diego Costa has put his early season funk behind him and has scored eight goals in his last ten games. He also has Saido Berahino in the OF position, and with Tony Pulis seemingly abandoning his defence first approach recently (the Baggies last two games have involved 9 goals!). Berahino has played the full ninety minutes in those two games, while also contributing a goal in a win over Crystal Palace.

What I Need To Happen

I was lucky to get the win last time out, especially since I didn’t have a full roster of players playing. Nyom of Watford found himself on the bench again, in what I hope is just a rotation issue. But I will have to keep an eye on the lineups for the Saturday evening kick-off, where Watford entertain table toppers Leicester. My only defender with a favourable fixture is probably Angel Rangel of Swansea, as they host Norwich. The Canaries don’t travel very well, so a trip to Wales could see them camp inside their own box for ninety minutes!

Chelsea (along with 12 other teams) are eyeing a European place again

 

Further up the pitch things have been looking a lot brighter of late. Memphis Depay has been getting more game time, while not exactly pulling in more points it has to be said. Arnautovic has rediscovered his scoring boots, but will face a Chelsea side who have yet to lose under Guus Hiddink in the league this season. My main goal threat will have to come from Andre Ayew and Georginio Wijnaldum again. Ayew as I’ve mentioned will be facing a timid Norwich side. And Wijnaldum saves all his goals for Newcastle’s home games, so will be expected to get back on the scoresheet this weekend against the Cherries.

Predictions

Ouch! Only two correct predictions from seven last week, as everything became a bit unpredictable thanks to a lot of squads missing players because of the league cup final. @wrigavin picked up another win though to move six points clear at the top of the table. Remember, as always, you can follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter for the latest action, and you can also follow me, @GarryIrwin for all the latest overreaction!

@FuzzyWarbles over @GalinDragiev

@cjradune over @RotoWireAndrew

@RotoZdroik over @wrigavin

@DanRiccio590 over @nealjthurman

@Smokey_Loogy over @TomSunderland_

@DFS_hambazaza over @FantasyYIRMA

@nikarg over @SportsByGotti

IEFSA Fantasy League Week 24 Preview

I’m still amazed that I pulled off the victory over @SportsByGotti in the last gameweek. A really tight matchup saw me get the victory by a paltry 0.4 points. It was pretty much a race to the bottom though as both teams posted barely over 30 points. My star man was Moreno as Liverpool went and embarrassed Aston Villa six nil. What angers me though is that I left a lot of points sitting on the bench. This week though, most team’s benches will be filled with players who won’t have a fixture to play. The League Cup final between Man City and Liverpool has taken those two team’s players out of contention this week, as well as Everton and Newcastle United’s squads.

My squad will be missing three players as I prepare to face @nealjthurman this week. @nealjthurman is only three points and one place below me in tenth. His side won last time out thanks to a Matt Ritchie goal and  a couplke of Giroud and Fabregas assists. Ben Foster also kept a rather surprising clean sheet away to Everton. All this helped him to 48.9 points. This week will see him missing two players, so let’s have a look at his squad.

@nealjthurman’s Team

His two missing players have been solid performers for him this season. Ayoze Perez of Newcastle has five goals, while Gerard Deulofeu of Everton is his top assisting player with eight. This leaves him with only one Forward option in Olivier Giroud, while his OF options leave him looking at either Chris Brunt of West Brom or Ben Watson of Watford. Both those players are starters for their respective clubs, although Brunt has been playing more as a left back of late, limiting his usually productive attacking play.

Elsewhere in midfield he has been waiting for Leroy Fer to come to life in a Swansea jersey, but perhaps a trip to Tottenham is not the time to be looking for that to happen. At the back he has three defenders who all will be expecting to keep their opposition scoreless. Bellerin, Fuchs and Rose will surely not give up too many goals collectively this weekend, which will mean I will need my backline to match them cleansheet for cleansheet.

What I Need To Happen

Two of my three defenders play at home against sides not known for scoring too many goals away from home. Nyom of Watford will host Bournemouth, and Jonas Olsson, who picked up an assist last time out, will play against a recently goalshy Crystal Palace. My remaining defender is Angel Rangel, but as I’ve already mentioned, a trip to White Hart Lane is not to place to go if you are looking for points. Which means I don’t hold out much hope for my midfielder Andre Ayew to score a goal. But I may need him to score, because I’ll be missing my top scorer in Newcastle’s Georginio Wijnaldum this week.

Messi scored twice against Arsenal midweek, so Memphis should score......

But maybe, just maybe, I have an ace up my sleeve! Wayne Rooney has picked up an injury and will be missing for the next couple of weeks. Martial also went off injured in the Europa League on Thursday night for Manchester United. All this means that Memphis Depay has been getting substantial game time. Plus he seems to have been making the most of the opportunity. Admittingly the last two positive performances out of the Dutchman have come in games against Shrewsbury and FC Midtjylland. That and United will be playing Arsenal this Sunday, never the easiest of fixtures. If Memphis turns out to be more of a joker than an ace, then perhaps I can rely on Marko Arnautovic to score some goals when Stoke welcome a woeful Villa side to the Britannia at three o’clock on Saturday.

Predictions

Of the seven predictions in Gameweek 23, I managed to correctly predict a respectable five. This will will be extra difficult to predict because so many squads will be without key players. This won’t stop me from picking a winner in each matchup. Remember, as always, you can follow @THE_IEFSA on twitter for all the latest action, and you can also follow @GarryIrwin for all the latest overreaction!

@FantasyYIRMA over @FuzzyWarbles

@Smokey_Loogy over @RotoZdroik

@DanRiccio590 over @BenDinnery

@SportsByGotti over @RotoWireAndrew

@wrigavin over @TomSunderland_

@GalinDragiev over @DFS_hambazaza

@cjradune over @nikarg

Good Luck Everyone.

IEFSA Fantasy League Week 23 Preview

Last weekend my side was unable to topple @wrigavin from the summit of the IEFSA Fantasy League, and he remains three points clear of his nearest rival coming into Gameweek 23. My team struggled to an almighty 36.3 points as a goal and assist for @wrigavin’s RobertoFirmino put the gloss on an easy victory. An immediate reaction will be required from my players this week as they face a @SportsByGotti side which sits six points and only three places below them.

A number of his most dependable starters are red flagged to be missing this week, most notably Kevin De Bruyne, but he still has some more than capable reserves in which to call upon. My reserves on the other hand have usually been hugely disappointing when they have had to be thrown into the deep end of competitive Premier League action. None more so than Memphis Depay, who has developed some sort of bizarre footballing version of a reverse Midas touch. If he hadn’t been signed for so much money, he surely would have been loaded out to Preston North End or somewhere by now!

@SportsByGotti’s Team

Mike’s team could almost boast a whole starting eight of players who have gained over 100 points for the season. My side on the other hand would have to make do with only four such players. Recently he has been picking up more defensive points through the efforts of his goalkeeper, Swansea’s Fabianski, and his Southampton defender Cedric Soares. Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny has been his star at the back though, with three goals and nine clean sheets. In a normal season you would expect the Gunners to shutout the Foxes this Sunday lunchtime, but this has been anything but a normal season.

At the other end of the pitch, @SportsByGotti has mainly been relying on De Bruyne to get the goals (yet he still only has five). If we look around the fixtures this weekend in search of where the goals should come from, you would perhaps pick out Oscar at home as Chelsea host Newcastle, or if Nathan Redmond can find his way back into the Norwich starting 11, (and if you can’t get into the current Canaries side you should really be taking a look at your career!) perhaps their home game with West Ham will supply some goals.

Redmond & Gueye met on the pitch last weekend, but will battle on Fantasy turf this gameweek.

 

What I Need To Happen

If Newcastle can keep Chelsea quiet at Stamford Bridge it would be a bonus, as @SportsByGotti will have both Oscar and Willian looking to get on the scoresheet. But I wouldn’t want the Magpies getting too cocky, as I have Courtois in between the sticks and he’s due a much needed clean sheet. Only Courtois and Rangel will be playing at home this week for my defence, therefore clean sheet points will perhaps be thin on the ground.

As the old mantra goes, ‘Goals win games’. Now, I’ll be honest, I can’t even remember the last time one of my players found the old onion bag. In Wijnaldum, Arnautovic and Ayew, I had three players who were finding the net regularly up until the New Year. They each face tricky defences this weekend, so perhaps my best hope is that Idrissa Gueye scores his first goal of the season against Liverpool on Sunday. Although three shots on goal in 22 games means I won’t be rushing down to the bookies to put the house on it.

Predictions

Five from seven last time, out as both @TomSunderland_ and @DFS_hambazaza enjoyed highscoring weekends to gain victories against opponents far above them in the table. If you want to see a larger preview of these predictions, then please head over to FantasyYIRMA. And as always, follow myself @GarryIrwin and @THE_IEFSA on Twitter.

@BenDinnery over @nikarg

@cjradune over @DanRiccio590

@FantasyYIRMA over @TomSunderland_

@wrigavin over @FuzzyWarbles

@nealjthurman over @RotoWireAndrew

@RotoZdroik over @GalinDragiev

@DFS_hambazaza over @Smokey_Loogy

Good Luck Everyone.

IEFSA Fantasy League Week 21 Preview

I accomplished my revenge on @GalinDragiev last week as my team outscored his by nearly forty points. This was helped in no small part by half his team failing to show up! The most notable absentee was surely Raheem Sterling, who couldn’t then get in on all the points Manchester City were plundering against Crystal Palace. This weekend is set to be a tighter affair as I face off against the league’s in form team (5W) @FantasyYIRMA. Last week’s victory moved me up to ninth and I’ll need to gain another big points haul if I’m to keep my team the positive side of .500.

@FantasyYIRMA’s Team

@FantasyYIRMA has probably the best midfield in the league. All five of his midfield players have scored over 100 points. With two, Yaya and Ozil, quickly chasing down 200. Metut Ozil should be back from injury this week when Arsenal face an all at sea Chelsea. Ozil’s 16 assists this season is the same number as the rest of @FantasyYIRMA’s squad put together, and it’s five more assists than my squad have managed! Up front he has brought in Bournemouth new boy Juan Iturbe. The Argentinian is on loan from Italian club Roma and should get a few chances to open his account for The Cherries away to Sunderland on Saturday.

Iturbe averaged one goal every 13 games for Roma - 'The new Messi'

At the back @FantasyYIRMA has a couple of players playing against each other. He has Baines back from injury, which is a boost for him; couple this with Howard in goals, and if they shut out Swansea in the Sunday early kickoff a lot of fantasy points will be gained. On the flip side, he does have Ashley Williams for Swansea, but could choose to swap out the Welshman for either Kurt Zouma or Per Mertesacker, who might be a better pairing with Baines in the back three. Arsenal versus Chelsea is your main Sunday game, so if this is also a low scoring affair, @FantasyYIRMA could be tough to stop.

What I Need To Happen

It would be a miracle for my midfield to outscore the likes of Yaya Toure and Mesut Ozil this week. All my fit midfielders are playing away from home, and none have been very good all season on their travels. Perhaps it is up front where some goalscorers can keep me in the matchup? Arnoutovic is still an injury doubt though, as is Joshua King, while Memphis hasn’t started a game since the 26^th of December in a game in which he was subbed at halftime. All these players play at three o’clock on Saturday though, so at least I’ll be able to rotate in and out any one of them who do manages to start.

A Chelsea clean sheet would perhaps go a long way to helping me gain the victory. Any points gained by Courtois would surely be points that would only end up being given to Ozil if Arsenal were to score. Looking around the rest of my squad for clean sheets might be a bit tough. Nyom does have Newcastle at home, so maybe a shutout is a possibility there. Moreno travels to Norwich with Liverpool in the weekends first game, I think I’ll be able to tell how my weekend will go by how many points he can bring in.

Predictions

A number of topsy-turvy matchups last week, as I only managed three correct predictions out of seven. The bottom side @DFS_hambazaza picked up their second win of the season. And league leader @wrigavin was replaced at the summit by @cjradune. It’s getting very tight, but let’s try and predict this weekend’s games.

@FuzzyWarbles over @nealjthurman

@wrigavin over @RotoWireAndrew

@cjradune over @RotoZdroik

@DanRiccio590 over @GalinDragiev

@Smokey_Loogy over @nikarg

@DFS_hambazaza over @BenDinnery

@SportsByGotti over @TomSunderland_

Good Luck Everyone, and remember to follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to keep track of how each matchup is developing. As well as following me @GarryIrwin to see the tweets of a man who worries more about Bastian Schweinsteiger’s knee than is probably healthy.

IEFSA Fantasy League Week 20 Preview

Happy New Year everybody. After a short hiatus for the FA Cup and the IEFSA Fantasy Cup, normal service is resumed with a preview for IEFSA Gameweek 20. To get you up to speed, my team has somehow managed to get into the semi-finals of the IEFSA Fantasy Cup, but I did lose out to @cjradune in the league over the New Year which leaves me on nine wins and ten losses for the season. This weekend my squad of players will face off against @GalinDragiev (who has an identical 9-10 record). The last time we met in the league @GalinDragiev kicked my ass by scoring more than double my points for that week. I think some revenge is in order!

@GalinDragiev’s Team

When his side beat mine in week 5 it was Alexis Sanchez and Riyad Mahrez who did the damage. In fact those two players outscored my whole team for that week! Thankfully neither of those two appear to be hitting their early season form in 2016. Mahrez and Leicester have struggled for goals over the last few weeks, while Sanchez hasn’t played for Arsenal in the league since November because of injury. This hasn’t hampered @GalinDragiev’s side though, because he has the more than capable Raheem Sterling as another one of his Forwards. Man City face a misfiring Crystal Palace at home this Saturday, and he would be expected to rack up some points.

If Sterling does find his way to goal, this could impact one of his Defenders. Pape Souré has been playing consistently for Palace, but has only gained 4.6 points over the last two game weeks in match-ups where the Eagles have lost. This will mean @GalinDragiev could more than likely swap him out with Southampton’s Jose Fonte. Fonte gained 8 points when the Saints beat Watford 2-0 during midweek. Plus their defence would be fancied to try for another clean sheet when West Brom visit St. Mary’s this weekend. A number of his other players have seen reduced minutes, or have been rested, over the Christmas/New Year’s period, so I expect him to be keeping an eye on the team sheets as they are announced on Saturday.

What I Need To Happen

I too will be eagerly anticipating those team announcements. My side has a number of red flags beside players. Bastian Schweinsteiger has been ruled out for Manchester United, while Joshua King missed out in Bournemouth’s last game. Most worryingly of all, one of my star performers over the last few weeks, Marko Arnautovic was subbed off midweek and is carrying a knock. To win in the IEFSA League it’s crucial to get nine starters on the pitch. I may have to do some juggling of players come 2:45 on Saturday.

Bastian Scheweinsteiger will be looking on from the stands this week

Everton blanked last time out against Man City. I’ll be hoping for the same when they visit Chelsea. Begovic and Courtois between them have only managed six clean sheets this year. For a side that managed so many shutouts last season, that is an abysmal return. Speaking of clean sheets, none of my main defenders, Nyom, Moreno, Rangel, have kept one since the tail end of December. Surely one of them is due to pick up some points this weekend?

As I look for goals, if Arnautovic is injured, I’ll be hoping Wijnaldum keeps up his impressive run of goals at home when Newcastle host West Ham, and that Andre Ayew can find the net when Swansea host Watford. As for hoping Memphis Depay can score a goal? I’ll just be happy if he, by some miracle, gets into Manchester United’s starting 11. They do have a tricky away trip to Liverpool to navigate. Chances could be at a premium, and I’m not expecting Luis van Gaal to look to Memphis to turn in a superstar performance at Anfield.

Predictions

Last time out I gave my predictions for the opening round of the IEFSA Cup. I managed to call 5 of the 7 ties. Let’s try for the full set of predictions this week. Remember to follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to keep track of all the winners and losers. Plus, follow me @GarryIrwin, who will hopefully be a winner this week.

@FantasyYIRMA over @DanRiccio590

@FuzzyWarbles over @BenDinnery

@Smokey_Loogy over @RotoWireAndrew

@RotoZdroik over @SportsByGotti

@cjradune over @TomSunderland_

@nealjthurman over @DFS_hambazaza

@wrigavin over @nikarg

Good Luck Everyone

IEFSA Fantasy League Gameweek 19 Preview: IEFSA Fantasy Cup

A Marko Arnautovic goal and an Alberto Moreno clean sheet helped me achieve the win over @TomSunderland_ just two days ago. That victory doesn’t move me up any positions in the table, and I still sit in 10th with nine wins and nine defeats to my name. As I mentioned in my previous post, this victory was crucial to keep pace with the leaders (is 15pts off top keeping pace?), as seven of the other teams in the Top 10 had victories also.

But Gameweek 19 offers us a little respite from the pain of looking at the league table, because this is the first round of the IEFSA Cup. Last season I lost in the final and I’ll be hoping for a similar run this year, but hopefully go just one better. With the quick turnaround in matches and my internet acting up (I live in Japan, it shouldn’t be like this!), this will be a quick preview.

In the First Round of the cup, I’ve been drawn against………

@DFS_hambazaza’s Team

I beat @DFS_hambazaza in Gameweek 16 thanks largely to Arnautovic gaining over ten points. His side may sit bottom of IEFSA with only one win, but his side will surely be up for the cup? Sergio Aguero is due back for Man City, and he is a player who could win a matchup all on his own if in the mood. So I’m well aware of the threat that @DFS_hambazaza poses over the next three days of Premier League fixtures.

No Cup upsets this week please

What I Need To Happen

Aguero looks likely to play against Leicester City, if he is kept quiet that would make my life a whole lot easier. I’ve been talking about a number of my players being due a goal or two over the last couple of weeks. So if one or two of them could step up for their respective clubs this Monday that would be great. I’m looking at you, Ayew, Wijnaldum and, dear oh dear…. Memphis Depay.

Looking further ahead, and the need to get a full squad of players playing week in week out, I’ll be looking to aquire another defender of the free agent list. Carl Jenkinson may have gotten 45 minutes for West Ham last time out, but baring a long term injury to one of the fullbacks, he doesn’t look like getting back into the Hammers back four any time soon.

Predictions

Gameweek 18 = 7 from 7

What more needs to be said? When you’re good you’re good! Let’s try and replicate this feat with this week’s cup games. Remember to follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter for all the ups and downs of cup action. Plus, follow me @GarryIrwin for all the corresponding downs and ups!

@cjradune over @BenDinnery

@wrigavin over @DanRiccio590

@Smokey_Loogy over @GalinDragiev

@RotoZdroik over @FuzzyWarbles

@nikarg over @nealjthurman

@FantasyYIRMA over @TomSunderland_

@SportsByGotti over @RotoWireAndrew

Good Luck Everyone!

IEFSA Fantasy League Week 15 Preview

I gambled last weekend and it didn’t pay off, as a result I took my second heaviest defeat of the season. Unfortunately, because I hoped that Memphis Depay would use any minutes he got against Leicester City to good effect, I left Schweinsteiger on the bench, who then goes and scores. I also left Fabian Delph (goal) and Joshua King (assist) on the bench. With these players in my starting line-up I could have overcame @RotoZdroik and the goals his team got from Lukaku and McArther.

This week I’m pitted against the most in form team in the league in @Smokey_Loogy. He has managed to rattle off five wins on the bounce. Thanks again fixture gods!! It is a tough matchup because his team is built on scoring goals. One of his Forwards has more goals than my three forward players combined. Plus, the rest of his team ain’t too shabby either.

@Smokey_Loogy’s Team

Up front he can play both Watford forwards, who are bang in form at the moment. Ighalo and Deeney have 12 goals and five assists between them. They are at home on Saturday against a Norwich team yet to keep a clean sheet on the road this season, so they will be fancied to get on the scoresheet again. @Smokey_Loogy has four Crystal Palace players in his squad. Yannick Bolasie averages the most points per game for his side with over 7. Palace travel to Everton for a three o’clock kickoff on Saturday too. A tricky fixture, but you never know what Alan Pardew has up his sleeve and Palace have a pretty good away record.

Will Alan Pardew have his head in his hands at Goodison this week?

His defensive options all average over 5pts a game. He could well go with two Palace defenders, but would he be confident that they could keep Lukaku, Barkley and others quiet? He probably has more confidence in his Liverpool players. The Reds travel to lowly Newcastle United on Sunday. Jürgen Klopp has turned Liverpool into one of the form teams in the Premier League. Mignolet in goals should be fancied to frustrate the Toon, while Philippe Coutinho (if fit) is a constant threat at the other end of the pitch.

What I Need To Happen

If Norwich could somehow keep Watford’s two hot strikers from scoring this weekend that would be great. If Newcastle could upset the form book and overturn Liverpool, with perhaps Wijnaldum getting on the score sheet, that would also be great. Everton are surely too hot for Palace to handle at the moment, so a nice boring  1-0 Toffees win would be good in that match-up, as long as Seamus Coleman doesn’t score!

As for my side? Well…. Who to pick? My selections were all wrong last weekend, but should I stick with some of those players? Memphis will surely get some proper game time now that Wayne Rooney has been ruled out with injury. Schweinsteiger was Man Utd’s player of the month for November, so should surely be starting for my team in a game at home to out of sorts West Ham. Chelsea have finally started to keep some clean sheets and will be expected to do so again at home to Bournmouth; so I would anticipate Begovic to gain some points. While leaving Joshua King on the bench for my side.

Which player to play in my remaining M and OF positions? Delph may start for Man City against Stoke, but should I be playing Arnautovic in that game, as the Potters are the home team? That game is the early kick-off, so it could set me up for the remaining games, or, it could set me back.

Predictions

Four correct and three incorrect last week. Some games were mighty close, while others were less so. @nealjthurman would have beaten my side last week, but he ended up losing to @Smokey_Loogy by nearly 30 pts! Gulp! How are you supposed to predict games when that kind of thing is going on! Regardless, I’m going to try again this week. Remember to follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to keep up with all of these matchups and also to follow me! @GarrryIrwin.

@TomSunderland_ over @BenDinnery

@wrigavin over @DanRiccio590

@FantasyYIRMA over @nikarg

@cjradune over @FuzzyWarbles

@GalinDragiev over @RotoWireAndrew

@RotoZdroik over @nealjthurman

@SportsByGotti over @DFS_hambazaza

Good Luck Everyone

IEFSA Fantasy League Week 14 Preview

Two goals last week helped my team see off @RotoWireAndrew by nearly 30 points. Andre Ayew ended a recent barren spell, while Memphis Depay found himself on the team sheet and then on the scoresheet for Man Utd. That victory puts my side to 7-6 and up to the heady heights of 9^th! This week’s match-up is against a team three points and two places above mine.

Only nine points separate the top 11 teams in the league, so any victory is vital, especially at this stage of the season if you want to be in the mix for honours in 2016. Week 14 serves up a game between my side, off the back of two straight wins, and @RotoZdroik, who himself has rattled off three wins in a row. So far this season he has scored 28 more points than me overall, thanks to some of the star players he has lining out for him.

@RotoZdroik’s Team

In goals he has the third highest scoring goalkeeper in Heurelho Gomes of Watford. He has kept five clean sheets and made 40 saves so far. He is also one of only two goalkeepers to save a penalty this season. In defence he has two players who average more points per game than his goalkeeper; Eric Dier of the stingy Spurs backline and Man City’s Bacary Sagna. He has three other capable defenders vying for that third Defensive spot on his roster, but this week I expect him to stick with Damien Delaney of Crystal Palace, as they host Newcastle United on Saturday.

"I'm dropping you for Aiden McGeady"  *probably not going to happen

His other big star player, who is bang in form too, is Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian's 9 goals so far this season are only bettered by Jamie Vardy. This week Everton travel to the worst defence in the league at Bournemouth, where he will be fancied to add to his tally. He has plenty of other goal threats on his team too; Defoe has chipped in with four goals, Dier and Sigurdsson both have two goals each. Elsewhere in Midfield sits Arsenal’s Santi Cazorla, who has three assists but no goals so far, and will probably be extra determined to find the back of the net after doing everything but score against West Brom last weekend.

What I Need To Happen

Memphis Depay to keep his place. Although after a poor outing midweek in the Champions League, I’m in doubt as to whether Luis van Gaal will trust him in the top of the table clash against Leicester City in the Saturday evening kickoff. Bastian Schweinsteiger seems to have a more secure place in midfield. But I will probably put Arnautovic up front, Stoke travel to lowly Sunderland, and leave the flex OF position free until the teams are announced for the game at the King Power Stadium at 5:30.

The old adage of goals winning games will surely mean I need my side to outscore Lukaku. If Bournemouth could somehow keep him quiet that would be great. But if not, I will surely need Ayew to step up again; or perhaps Wijnaldum could rediscover his goalscoring touch as Newcastle battle to move out of the relegation zone. If not goals, then cleansheets could be the route to victory. I have two defenders playing at home, Moreno and Jenkinson, while the third travels to Aston Villa, who are the lowest scorers in the league.

Predictions

Four correct predictions last week. Not the worst week, but not really anything to write home about either. It just goes to further prove how unpredictable this league becoming. Anyone can beat anyone, but that won't stop me from telling you who is going to beat who this week! So without further ado,

@RotoWireAndrew over @DFS_hambazaza

@GalinDragiev over @SportsByGotti

@TomSunderland_ over @DanRiccio590

@FantasyYIRMA over @cjradune

@nealjthurman over @Smokey_Loogy

@nikarg over @FuzzyWarbles

@wrigavin over @BenDinnery

And please, don’t forget that to be able to keep up with all the scores in these matchups over the weekend, you simply have to follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter. Oh, and follow me @GarryIrwin!

IEFSA Fantasy League Week 13 Preview

I hadn’t much time to celebrate my tight victory in week 12 when the international break came and tried to cripple my defence. Nyom is a doubt for this weekend after he missed both of Cameroon’s World Cup qualifiers because of a mix up with documentation and travel arrangements. The Cameroonian FF could prevent him from playing if they wanted, but they will probably let it slide. On a far more serious note, Jordan Amavi will miss the remainder of the season after injuring his knee while playing for France. The left back has been one of the few bright spots for Aston Villa and his absence leaves my side with only three fit defenders, unless I bring in cover from the waiver wire this week.
This week I face one of the few teams that sit below me in the table (I’m still 11^th!), but @RotoWireAndrew’s two victories this season are a little harsh on his side. Andrew has had to face the most difficult fixture list in the league. He has the most points against at 668; compare this to @nikarg whose record is 8-4 and has conceded a much lighter 520 points. Andrew’s team has scored the most points of the bottom five and is surely best placed to make a run up the table.

@RotoWireAndrew’s Team

A spate of red flags and an Eric Lamela suspension has depleted Andrew’s options this week. But he does have a number of players with potential to turn in a star performance or two, and with goals being crucial to chances of victory in this league, Benteke and Wickham up front could well be due some goals.

Looking around his squad and he has a lot of names form the big clubs who usually turn in good average points per week.  Andrew is sure to miss his best performer this week in Theo Walcott though. The Arsenal man is still a week or two away from a return. His other Arsenal player is Monreal who averages nearly 6 points per game and is his top scoring defender. The Gunners face a rather goal shy West Brom this weekend, so a clean sheet is not out of the question. Another player who has a favourable fixture, so it would seem, is Pedro of Chelsea. He will be up against Norwich at home and will fancy improving on his 6.15 pts per game.

What I Need To Happen

Good news on the Memphis Depay front, as injuries to Martial and Rooney has left Luis van Gaal looking to his squad for goals. Memphis will need to take the chance any minutes afforded to him can provide. Watford away is a tricky fixture for most sides though; the Hornets have only conceded four goals at home all season. I’m hoping he’ll start in the early Saturday kickoff, otherwise I’ll have to rely on Ola Toivonen up front; and no one should have to write a sentence like that!

Are Goals imminent for Memphis Depay? Will he even start??



I cannot stress enough how important goals are in this league.  My two top scorers, Wijnaldum and Ayew have two home fixtures for their sides and I will be looking to them to spearhead my points tally for gameweek 13. If those two fail to shine, perhaps Stoke’s Marko Arnoutovic can add to his three goals this season when The Potters travel to Southampton. While goals are foremost in my mind, a clean sheet would not be unwelcomed, and Chelsea will be fancied to gain one at home to the Canaries for my goalkeeper Begovic.

Predictions

Gameweek 12 was a mixed bag of predictions. Four right and three wrong just goes to prove how tough it is to cement a victory in this league. The first 11 teams are separated by only nine points, while a quick glance at the form table shows that @FuzzyWarbles and @Smokey_Loogy are out in front, but only on the back of three wins each.
Here are this week’s predictions. Good Luck Everyone, and remember to follow @THE_IEFSA on twitter to keep track of all the Fantasy Football action.

@RotoZdroik over @DFS_hambazaza

@GalinDragiev over @Smokey_Loogy

@TomSunderland_ over @FuzzyWarbles

@cjradune over @BenDinnery

@SportsByGotti over @nealjthurman

@DanRiccio590 over @nikarg

@wrigavin over @FantasyYIRMA

IEFSA Fantasy League Week 12 Preview

No goals and no assists last weekend saw my team lose by almost 15 points.  This leaves me still sitting in eleventh but 12 points off the pace. It’s proving difficult for anyone to get momentum together. @wrigavin has seen a league best three victories on the trot propel his side to three points clear at the top of the league. In second place is this week’s opponent for my side, @DanRiccio590, Dan’s team has scored the most fantasy points of the sixteen teams in the league. He averages 57.6 points a week, so I can’t go another gameweek with no goals and only three shots on goal!

My players are losing form at just the wrong time. Gameweek 9 the team posted the highest points total, the following week a win was secured with the fourth highest total of the week, then last week a defeat was all but assured with a points total that would have only beaten three other teams in the league. Since the start of the season I would have beaten @DanRiccio590 only four times out of eleven weeks. The fantasy gods are clearly out to get me this year, it will take a herculean effort from my team to get a win this week, but are they up to it?

@DanRiccio590’s Team

From Goalkeeper to Forward, Dan’s squad is ridiculously good. De Gea plays in goals for the meanest defence in the Premier League, while Wilfried Bony currently leads the line for the team with the most goals. He has two players who have scored over 100 points this season, Payet and Pelle. At the back he has one of the most inform defenders in Chris Smalling.

Looking at his midfield, either side of the inform West Ham man Payet, he has two players who have yet to show what they can do in front of goal this season; Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Stoke City’s Xherdan Shaqiri. They face each other in Saturdays late kickoff. I’m hoping they don’t start a goalscoring stretch this weekend. Other players that make up his squad could easily come in and make a good showing if he needs them; Schneiderlin, Schlupp and Shawcross look to have favourable fixtures this week and I wouldn’t be surprised if they have increased their points average come Saturday night.

Another plus for Dan is that he only has to put up with one Aston Villa player, whereas I have to juggle three of them! Villa, who are bottom, host Man City, who are top, and if @DanRiccio590 is leading in our matchup by this game's kickoff on Sunday, I may not be able to turn it around if I have to cross my fingers for a big Villa win.

What I Need To Happen

As I’ve mentioned, I’ve three Villa players playing on Sunday afternoon. So, indeed I will be crossing my fingers that they can summon some of that new manager bounce with the appointment of Remi Garde. The Frenchman never finished lower than fifth after three years of managing Lyon. If he can replicate that with Aston Villa……. well, if he can replicate that with Aston Villa, he’ll have to be made a Saint, as that would be proof of some sort of divine miracle. If Garde is to be beatified by Christmas, he may need to beat Man City this weekend.

Remi Garde, Miracle Man?

Another small miracle this weekend would be to see Memphis Depay on the team sheet for Man Utd against West Brom. The Dutchman is just back from a slight injury and perhaps he will given some minutes at the weekend. I won’t be sending players out against @DanRiccio590 on a perhaps though, so Arnautovic will more than likely be leading the line for me. This is problematic though, as I have Begovic in goals for Chelsea, so it’s a case of wanting a nil all draw with lots of shots and lots of saves in that matchup. Though if Arnautovic was to break out and score 5 goals, I might see that as acceptable.

Goals are what my team needs. If you don’t score you might as well chalk another one down in the Loss column. With this in mind, I’ll need my top scorers Andre Ayew and Georginio Wijnaldum to find the net for their respective sides. Neither scored last time out, so at least one of them is due surely!

Predictions

4 from 7 last week. It’s getting harder and harder every week to call winners in each of these matchups. @wrigavin is top with the longest winning streak of three matches, but he faces fifth placed @Smokey_Loogy this week, and he is after winning two games in a row. Regardless, I’m going to try and call the winners this week again! Good Luck everyone, and remember to follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to stay abreast of all the action.

@nealjthurman over @BenDinnery

@GalinDragiev over @FantasyYIRMA

@FuzzyWarbles over @DFS_hambazaza

@nikarg over @RotoWireAndrew

@TomSunderland_ over @RotoZdroik

@wrigavin over @Smokey_Loogy

@cjradune over @SportsByGotti

IEFSA Fantasy League Week 10 Preview

I’ll admit, I was a little worried going into last week’s match-up, but thanks to a Wijnaldum four goal haul, I managed to win with something to spare. If the Newcastle player had not posted any points last week, I still would have got the win against @FantasyYIRMA though. The thing is, I can’t exactly be relying on that to happen each and every gameweek. Some of my other players will have to contribute too. So I find myself worrying this week yet again. Memphis Depay didn’t get a single minute of game time against Everton and only got ten minutes in Man Utd’s midweek Champions League game. Will LVG throw him back in for the Manchester derby? That game is on Sunday, so I may just keep one roster spot for my two Man Utd players, Memphis and Schweinsteiger, and hope at least one of them starts.

This week I face @BenDinnery. Despite the victory in Gameweek 9, my side still sit in 12^th place. One place below me is Ben’s team, with two victories from nine games. Even though I have twice the number of wins, I’ve only managed to score 8.5pts more than him so far this season. Clearly he has had the tougher set of fixtures (until now!) to deal with.

@BenDinnery’s Team

Ben splashed out the big bucks to land Diego Costa and he will be hoping he continues scoring with a game away to West Ham this weekend. His other forward option isn’t too shabby either in West Brom’s Saido Berahino. Between the sticks he has the Newcastle goalkeeper, and with Tim Krul injured for the foreseeable future, that means Robert Elliot holding the fort. Newcastle concedes just over two goals a game on average and head into the Tyne-Wear derby on Sunday at noon. That is a game where anything could happen.

In Midfield he has three solid players who start every game for their respective clubs. Howson, Noble and M’Vila have scored or assisted in eight goals this season. They all play at home this weekend too, so Ben will be expecting some points there surely. At the back his standout player has been Man City’s Kolarov. The other players who will make up his three at the back are Skrtel, Van Dijk and Hangeland. Liverpool and Southampton play each other so he may choose one or the other. But Hangeland may lose his place to a fit again Delaney for Palace, so Ben may have to play both at Anfield.

What I Need To Happen

Memphis to somehow find his way back into Van Gaal’s good graces and back onto the team sheet. Maybe he has got the kick up the backside he needed after sitting out the last number of games. But I wouldn’t hold my breath on that. If (when?) he doesn’t play I’ll need goals from my midfield. Arnautovic has been on form for Stoke recently as they won three games in a row. At home to Watford is a good chance to extend that run.

Tim Sherwood is not afraid of losing, in fact he's quite good at it!

I still have three Aston Villa players in my squad (I know, I know!) so if they could maybe show up this weekend at home to Swansea and fight to stay in the Premier League that would be great. If somehow Tim Sherwood’s powers of motivation fail once again and Swansea get the upper hand, I will need Andre Ayew to be involved. At the back, it would be nice if Chelsea could keep another clean sheet. West Ham haven’t been at their best when playing at home, so there is every possibility Begovic could shut them out.

 Predictions

The league got a lot tighter after last weekend’s results. Any of five teams could claim top spot come Monday morning, while any of four teams could be propping up the table. The rest could all move between sixth and twelfth.
5 from 7 predictions last week. Which was an improvement over the last couple of weeks. Let’s try for the full set this gameweek!

@FantasyYIRMA over @DFS_hambazaza

@FuzzyWarbles over @GalinDragiev

@TomSunderland_ over @Smokey_Loogy

@cjradune over @RotoWireAndrew

@DanRiccio590 over @nealjthurman

@nikarg over @SportsByGotti

@wrigavin over @RotoZdroik

As always, make sure you follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to keep up with all the action. And Good Luck Everybody.