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 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.

Fantasy Football: IEFSA Fantasy League Week 9 Preview

After a break for a week to accommodate international matches, we are back to the bread and butter of the Premier League for Gameweek 9. Unfortunately that butter will have to be spread pretty thinly as the international games has wreaked havoc on fantasy squads up and down the land. My squad unfortunately is no different. There are injury flags staring out at me from the computer screen like dogs begging to be let outside. Let me go, let me run in the field of waivers out back, let me be free!! I just might..... I just might swing open the door and let them go. But then there will be that nagging fear….. who do you let in?

Courtois and Delph were already on the sidelines for me, now they appear to be joined by Toivonen, Schweinsteiger and Nyom. To cap it off, Louis Van Gaal appears to have lost patience with Memphis Depay and rumours abound that he might not get the start this weekend against Everton. My opponent this week, @FantasyYIRMA must be licking his lips in anticipation of this match-up. He is coming off the back of three straight victories and has relatively few injuries to worry about. My team is fresh from a rather limp defeat in Week 8 and currently sit 12^th with a lowly .375 win percentage.

@FantasyYIRMA’s Team

Starting out at the back, I don’t think any of my defenders would get picked ahead of his five defenders. Two from the Chelsea backline, along with any one from Williams, Mertesacker, or Lescott should see him in line to rack up clean sheet points. Chelsea have been off form to start the season, but if they can’t keep Villa quiet at home then surely some of those Blues players will be given the footballing equivalent of a P45 by Mourinho. I’m also looking for Chelsea to keep a clean sheet because I have their goalkeeper. But perhaps if that happens it would do me more harm than good!
In Midfield he has two fantasy studs in Yaya Toure and Mesut Ozil. With Man City and Arsenal expected to pick up wins this weekend, these players are sure to be in the thick of it. James Milner as the third in his midfield is another solid player who might just shine in new Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp’s pressing game. Up front @FantasyYIRMA will look to Cameron Jerome to score the goals, and with Norwich playing Newcastle, goals are a real possibility. He also has youngster Kelechi Iheanacho to call upon. With Aguero one of the bigger casualties of the international fixtures, it is quite possible that Iheanacho will see more game time. If not from the start, then surely from the bench.

What I Need To Happen

Depay to start! Plain and simple. I need Memphis to start proving why he is so highly thought of. He may have had a rather embarrassing time with the Dutch squad this past week, but he is due a good performance, or, at least, a half decent one! I have three Villa players in my squad (I know, I know!) and because of injuries, I will have to play two of them. So a spirited showing at Stamford Bridge would be good, yet having Begovic in goals means I’d probably rather they didn’t score. But as I mentioned earlier, if they don’t score @FantasyYIRMA will gain most of the points.

Will Memphis be getting the thumbs down this weekend?

 

If Memphis is firing blanks again, then my goals will have to come from elsewhere. My main goal threats this week will be from Andre Ayew and Georginio Wijnaldum. Swansea host Stoke City. The Potters have only kept one clean sheet away from home this season, and that was to Villa! Newcastle have yet to keep a clean sheet at home in any competition, I will need Wijnaldum to step up if Jerome does get among the goals for Norwich on Sunday.

Predictions

A number of very close contests last gameweek and I only managed to predict 3 from 7. It was an improvement over the previous week, but it’s still not very good. Maybe it will be easier to predict this weekend with all the injuries going around? We’ll see. As usual, if you want to keep track of what’s happening in the league then simply follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter. Also, follow me on Twitter, because if I’m within sight of picking up the win, I won’t shut up about it! @GarryIrwin

@BenDinnery over @DFS_hambazaza

@DanRiccio590 over @GalinDragiev

@FuzzyWarbles over @nealjthurman

@wrigavin over @RotoWireAndrew

@cjradune over @RotoZdroik

@nikarg over @Smokey_Loogy

@SportsByGotti over @TomSunderland_

Good Luck Everyone.