Week 17: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview 2017/18

The IEFSA Fantasy League on Fantrax lets you use one goalkeeper and eight outfield players in any given gameweek. So, imagine me rubbing my hands after the early game of Gameweek 16 when my bitter rival @TAMc10 started off by shipping three goals against his goalkeeper and getting a red card in the shape of Wilfred Ndidi. I smelt blood in the water, and swiftly moved to make sure I had enough players playing to scrape together the 90 odd points I was sure I needed for victory. In came Alex Iwobi and out when Gareth Barry (Barry scored a goal against Manchester United); Ciaran Clark of Newcastle was sent packing and in came Sebastian Prodl of Watford (Clark as I guessed, didn’t play. Prodl shipped four goals at home to Huddersfield). Prodl was joining his Watford teammate Kabasele at the back, and my trio of defenders was completed by Steve Cook of Bournemouth. The Cherries let in four goals against Liverpool, though mercifully Cook was only on the field for one of those. Two more of my players didn’t get any minutes and I slumped to an embarrassing fifty-point defeat.

Barry scores, but not for my side

This week the IEFSA/Fantrax fixture computer has me facing @EPL_MOstradamus, one of the few sides I can claim a victory over earlier in the season. He also lost last time out, but with a score that would have comfortably beaten my side. It looks like he will be out to exact revenge.

@EPL_MOstradamus’s Team

His three highest scorers face tricky away ties this week, which means I may have a slight chance! Roberto Firmino goes to Arsenal who have one of the best home records in the league. Charlie Daniels will have to head to Man City, who have the best overall record in the league. While Heung-Min Son faces a trip to high flying Burnley.

Firmino could outscore my whole side 

My side has 11 goals to @EPL_MOstradmus’s 22. As I always say, goals win games. I’ll be hoping that his in-form players have a bit of an off week, while I can perhaps sneak one in off of Tammy Abraham’s elbow or something. His side have also registered 21 assists, compared to my sides paltry four.

What I Need To Happen

Iwobi was actually one of my highest scoring players last week, so perhaps he can keep his place against Liverpool on Friday night. Although if he spent the whole game shadowing Firmino, I wouldn’t be against that. Steve Cook will be looking to regain his place for Bournemouth meaning I can perhaps drop Prodl and go searching to bolster a different part of the team. Watford seem to be on a downward slide at the moment and I wouldn’t fancy them to keep a clean sheet. Maybe I should look to offload Christian Kabasele also!

Iwobi will find the Liverpool Midfield more of a handful this week

Zlatan scored in the league cup midweek, and I am desperate in my need for him to stamp his authority on the league side. Manchester United play Leicester City in the late game on Saturday. And when I say late, I mean late. It will kick off at 7:45. Which is a ridiculous time for all us sushi and prawn sandwich eating fans forced to get up at four am to watch it!

Predictions

Only four correct predictions last week as the ‘crazy’ Christmas fixtures play havoc with sides and therefore my normally sage-like predictions. With all the fixtures coming thick and fast, there are also midweek games which means the IEFSA Cup comes around again. It’s the quarter finals and my side will play @FantasyYIRMA, but more on that in a post during the week. Please follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to keep track of every match-ups' scores.

Here are this week’s predictions. Good Luck Everyone.

@RotoZdroik over @nikarg

@jwl_15 over @TAMc10

@TRKingston over @FantasyYIRMA

@FuzzyWarbles over @wrigavin

@SportsByGotti over @TomSunderland_

@jasonuk17 over @jforquer11

@cjradune over @nealjthurman

@BenDinnery over @FPL_MNOP

@DFS_Hambazaza over @RotoWireAndrew

Week 16: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview 2017/18

Sometimes you ride your luck a little bit, you get the rub of the green, the bounce of the ball, and no amount of IEFSA/Fantrax ‘scoring’ can prevent an upset victory. One such victory occurred last weekend when my side topped the high flying @FuzzyWarbles by a score of 105.3 – 102.6. I had clung onto the lead going into the Manchester Derby on Sunday, knowing I had one player to play (whoever might take the field out of Zlatan, Rojo and Lindelof. It was Rojo who started), yet @FuzzyWarbles still had Aguero to play. But the skillful Argentinian was sitting on the City bench. As the game was going on, Rojo was booked and taken off injured at half time. My lead was slim. If Aguero was summoned to the fray I was surely looking at defeat. City were always in the lead though and were never chasing the game which might have improved the chances of Aguero seeing some action. Ninety minutes came and went, Aguero went unused, and the three points were mine.

Aguero has often sat out the easier games this season

I don’t have time to celebrate that victory though as my team will be thrown straight in against @TAMc10 in a fierce relegation six-pointer. Both our sides have four wins and twelve points. The only thing separating our sides at the moment is fantasy points scored. Oh and @nikarg in ninth place. The last time we faced each other was in Gameweek nine, where @TAMc10 beat my side by over 70 points! I’ll be hoping for something closer this weekend.

@TAMc10’s Team

An Alexis Sanchez goal and assist, as well as a Shane Duffy clean sheet, did the damage that day. He will be hoping for more of the same, Sanchez plays against Newcastle at home and Duffy hosts low scorers Burnley. He can also call on the return recently of Forward Callum Wilson of Bournemouth. The Cherries entertain Liverpool on Sunday, and Klopp’s side have been known to leak the odd goal or two when playing away from home. @TAMc10 may be streets ahead come Sunday though. In fact, he could be out of sight by the time the Saturday three o’clock kick-offs are in view.

If Duffy scores against Pope, @TAMc10 is almost assured of three points

The early kick-off is between Leicester City and Crystal Palace. Normally I would have the ever-reliable Luka Milivojevic in my side, but after collecting his fifth yellow card of the season, he will be suspended for this game. That leaves Tate with two players playing where he can build up a sizable lead. Under the right conditions of course. Kasper Schmeichel will be keeping goal, averaging nearly 17 points per game. While Wilfred Ndidi will be bossing the Midfield scoring an average of over 13 points per game. I expect to be 30 points down before my first player has even laced up his boots.

What I Need To Happen

I need Palace to halt this winning streak that Leicester have been on lately and come away with a victory. Yes, it looks again like I will have to hope that my opponent has a bad day at the office rather than that my players will run up an unbeatable score. The vast chunk of my players are playing with sides struggling in the bottom half of the table, and if they are not, they are not an automatic choice to get into their teams starting eleven. Now would be a good time for managers to start rotating their squads for the busy Christmas New Years games. Fingers crossed some of my squad get rotated into teams, rather than out.

Sanchez is due a good game. Please be due a good game!

If I am within spitting distance of @TAMc10 after Saturdays and Sundays games, I could have three players gaining me points in the Monday night fixture between Swansea and Everton. This includes my top scorer, 4 goals, in Tammy Abraham. My top Fantasy Points scoring player is my Goalkeeper Nick Pope. The Burnley stopper has kept seven clean sheets, and if he can do so again against Brighton, then my side may have a fighting chance.

Predictions

Seven from nine last weekend in what was a very entertaining round. @nikarg scored a week high 164 points, which got him the win and kept my side on the bottom of the table.  I only managed to correctly prediction one of the four midweek cup ties. So, the less said about that the better. The magic of the cup eh?

Here are this week’s predictions. Good Luck Everyone.

@TRKingston over @jwl_15

@EPL_MOstradamus over @FantasyYIRMA

@FuzzyWarbles over @nikarg

@RotoZdroik over @wrigavin

@cjradune over @jforquer11

@FPL_MNOP over @nealjthurman

@RotoWireAndrew over @TomSunderland_

@BenDinnery over @jasonuk17

@DFS_Hambazaza over @SportsByGotti

Week 11: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview 2017/18

For all those following @THE_IEFSA on Twitter, you will have seen a brief rundown of how all the teams in the league are doing with a third of the season completed. My side was encouraged to find some attacking talent in order to improve. But do they not see that I have Swansea’s top scorer Tammy Abraham in my team! I also have Crystal Palace’s second highest scorer of the season! Milivojevic has 33% of all Palace’s goals this season. In addition to all this, in Ciaran Clark, my side also boasts Newcastle United’s joint third top scorer! So, with that slightly optimist take on how my squad is doing, let’s check in on who they face this gameweek.

You asked for goals.. step forward Tammy Abraham

Ooooh it’s @FantasyYIRMA. A side that was described in @THE_IEFSA recap as a Top 2 side languishing with a 5 - 5 record. A side that is sure to climb the table soon. To make sure this prediction sticks, the biased IEFSA/Fantrax fixture computer pits him against my side this weekend. YIRMA has won his last three fixtures after a run of three defeats. Those defeats were to sides that had to post the highest points totals that gameweek in order to get the win. If my side has to have any chance, it looks like they will have to score more points than they have ever scored before!

@FantasyYIRMA’s Team

His side has scored 21 goals, spread across eight players. Top scorer Jamie Vardy has six, and Wayne Rooney has four. If needed, he could also call on Daniel Sturridge in the Forward position. With Rooney missing out on the Europa League game on Wednesday, he should be fresh for the fixture against Watford. It’s then up to @FantasyYIRMA to play Vardy or Sturridge away to Stoke or West Ham respectively. In Midfield most of the goals have come from Tottenham’s Dele Alli, who has contributed three. Mesut Ozil has chipped in with one, and Robbie Brady has only contributed one assist but does average nearly 12 points per game.

FantasyYIRMA has a Vardy party most weeks

His highest scorer though has been his goalkeeper David De Gea. In fact, it was largely thanks to    De Gea in Gameweek 2 that YIRMA managed to get one over my team by a measly five points. The Spaniard averages over twenty points a game and has kept eight clean sheets in ten games. In front of De Gea, @FantasyYIRMA has a back-line that are no strangers to finding the net. Nacho Monreal has two goals this season, as has Jamaal Lascelles. Jonny Evans is the man bringing up the rear at the back, with only one. That came from his only shot on target this season. Evans is probably as deadly as Sergio Aguero, if only Tony Pulis would take the handbrake off his team.

What I Need To Happen

Nick Pope has been on a one-man mission to keep the scores of these matchups respectable of late. Last weekend he scored over 30 points, meaning my side only lost by 20 points to @RotoZdroik. Did I mention my side also got their second highest total of the season in Gameweek 10 too. Things really are looking bleak. If goals are needed, Zlatan Ibrahimovic can’t return soon enough to guide my side to safety. Seeing as this weekend won’t see the return of the Swede, Tammy Abraham will have to be the one who scores the goals that fire my side to victory. The youngster will be up against Brighton at three o’clock on Saturday. The Seagullls against the Swans is one of the highlights of the Premier League and Bird Watching Magazine calendars.

A battle as old as time.... but who will win this weekend?

My side is facing another injury crisis. Micheal Keane is still side-lined for Everton with a foot injury. Renato Sanches is nursing a thigh injury and the game against Brighton is perhaps too soon for him. Ciaran Clark is still waiting on a recall to the Newcastle side, meaning it looks like I will struggle to get three defenders onto the field this weekend. Without a full roster playing, I will just be cannon fodder to the big guns of @FantasyYIRMA, which will delight the Fantrax computer no end!

Predictions

Two predictions wrong last weekend, as ruining the slate were @BenDinnery and (of course) @FantasyYIRMA getting big wins. This weekend in the tie of the round my previous weeks conqueror @RotoZdroik will get the opportunity to upset table toppers @FuzzyWarbles, and a chance to prove he didn’t just raise his game against my side!

Here are this week’s predictions. Good Luck Everyone.

@TRKingston over @EPL_MOstradamus

@FuzzyWarbles over @RotoZdroik

@jwl_15 over @wrigavin

@TAMc10 over @nikarg

@SportsByGotti over @RotoWireAndrew

@cjradune over @SmokeyLoogy

@jasonuk17 over @TomSunderland_

@BenDinnery over @neajthurman

@DFS_Hambazaza over @jforquer11

Week 10: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview 2017/18

The lowest score in the IEFSA Primary League last weekend leaves my side looking up from the bottom of the table. My opponent @TAMc10 scored a rather good 161 points. Not the highest score of the week (that honour went to @jwl_15) but good enough to move him up to eighth place.

This gameweek the clear prejudice from the IEFSA/Fantrax fixture computer against my side continues, as I must face @RotoZdroik. Last weekend he lost a tight high scoring encounter, that surely must leave him a bit sore. I did score one of my highest scores of the season against @RotoZdroik in Gameweek 3, in a game I lost. My side has only managed to outscore Adam’s in one week so far this season. With this in mind, let’s look in on how my team is preparing for this match-up…

@RotoZdroik’s Team

A below par Sigurdsson performance cost Adam the win last week. The Icelander and his Everton side should have an easier time of things against Leicester on Sunday. They surely can’t ship five goals again can they? Now that Ronald Koeman has been shown the door at Goodison, Gylfi Sigurdsson might be deployed in his favourite position for a change, which would help @RotoZdroik. Another Everton player in his squad is Idrissa Gueye. The Senegalese midfielder was red carded last weekend but served his suspension in midweek and is available again. To complete his set of Toffees, we have Phil Jagielka at the back. With David Unsworth selecting the side at the moment, you would believe that Everton should improve at the back in the coming weeks.

"I heard Pep call us 'that Romelu Lukaku team'"    "I'll show him!"

The biggest providers of points for this side are from his top goal scoring Forward, his Midfield, and the man in goals. Between the sticks is Huddersfield’s Jonas Lossl, who averages over 17 points per game, Midfield trio of Steven Davis, Leroy Sane and Mario Lemina average double figures every game, while Forward Romelu Lukaku (thanks to his seven goals this season) averages over 18 points per game.

What I Need To Happen

If Lukaku can be shackled by the Spurs defence at Old Trafford in the early kick off that would be a great start for my side. If Serge Aurier found himself on the Spurs team-sheet too that would be fantastic! The rest of my Defence have tough fixtures this week. Michael Keane must head to Leicester. While Steve Cook, if he can get back in the Bournemouth team, hosts a free scoring Chelsea side.

Let’s pretend I give myself some hope this week with a full set of players starting for their clubs. To be able to give @RotoZdroik at least a token contest, I will need to score some goals. My top scorer Tammy Abraham is maddeningly inconsistent, but has to head to an Arsenal side who are no strangers to inconsistency. Maybe this could be the week they get plunged back into crisis on the back of a Swansea win and an Abraham hat-trick?

I'm dressing up as Tony Pulis this halloween

Predictions

A diabolical three from nine predictions last weekend, as a number of teams turned over their more fancied rivals. This Gameweek should be just as tough to call, with the game of the round being third and fourth (@jasonuk17  - @RotoWireAndrew) facing off in the Secondary League. To follow all the action, make sure you are tuned in to @THE_IEFSA and @GarryIrwin on Twitter.

Here are this week’s predictions. Good Luck Everyone and Happy Halloween.

@TRKingston over @nikarg

@FuzzyWarbles over @TAMc10

@jwl_15 over @EPL_MOstradamus

@wrigavin over @FantasyYIRMA

@SportsByGotti over @BenDinnery

@cjradune over @TomSunderland_

@jasonuk17 over @RotoWireAndrew

@jforquer11 over @SmokeyLoogy

@DFS_Hambazaza over @nealjthurman

Week 2: IEFSA Fantasy League 2017/18 Preview

Gameweek 1 was nothing short of a disaster. Joe Allen had a below par performance. Luka Milivojevic was hauled off at halftime. Big signings Lindelof and Gayle didn’t contribute any points. And finally Jonjo Shelvey got sent off for Newcastle on the way to a suspension and minus two points. The one upside was the performance of Michael Keane, who in his debut performance for Everton picked up a clean sheet and 24.1 points. @nikarg barely had to break into a sweat as he took all three points in our match-up.

There was good and bad on both sides, but Shelvey sees red #unfair

But don’t worry fans as there is a ray of hope on the horizon, in the shape of Gareth Barry. The 36 year old midfielder has recently signed for West Brom and will be playing in his 21^st Premier League season. The Baggies usually play with around six midfielders so surely he will get some minutes under Tony Pulis. Barry can also play at centre back if needed. I will probably need Barry to go straight into my side this week as the IEFSA/Fantrax fixture computer sees fit to pit my team against @FantasyYIRMA. Only four teams outscored YIRMA last weekend, unfortunately for him though, he was in a match-up with one of them. He will be determined to get his season underway with his first win.

@FantasyYIRMA`s Team

All bar one of his players scored double figures last weekend. He even had two goal Steve Mounie resting on the bench (his inclusion wouldn’t have altered the result). He also had two goals from Jamie Vardy and one from Wayne Rooney. His forward line has hit the ground running this season it seems. In Midfield Dele Alli earned over 20 points and Mesut Ozil over 15. Top this off with a David De Gea clean sheet and he can be very happy with his opening weekend performances, if not with the final result.

Mounie can't possibly score another brace can he??

Gameweek 2 will see his squad face some favourable fixtures. Vardy and Leicester City will host new boys Brighton on Saturday. Ozil will get to display his silky skills against the plethora of Champions League winning stars that currently ply their trade at Stoke City. Mounie continues his chase for the golden boot against Newcastle on Sunday; and Wayne Rooney gets a chance to add to the 11 goals he has scored against Manchester City in his career to date, when Everton head to the Etihad Stadium on Monday. @FantasyYIRMA will have a choice to make though, as he can only play two from Mounie, Vardy and Rooney. But that’s why YIRMA is paid the big bucks!

What I Need To Happen

A lot of my players could well find themselves facing off against those starting for @FantasyYIRMA. Joe Allen (the best player not to win the Champions League?) will be tasked with shackling Ozil and also causing problems for YIRMA`s defender Nacho Monreal. Summer signing Tom Ince of Huddersfield can hopefully have more luck this weekend when he comes up against Newcastle United and defender Jamaal Lascelles. In another game of attack versus defence, that will help determine the winner of our match-up; will see David De Gea face Tammy Abraham of Swansea. Abraham will hope to get his first goal for his new club after scoring 26 goals in all competitions for Bristol City last season.

West Brom love an aging star in the heart of midfield

Jonjo Shelvey being suspended until September will leave my Midfield relatively thin. Allen and Ince seem assured of starting places. Milivojevic will hopefully keep his place in the Crystal Palace midfield as they hope to bounce back from a poor opening result. West Brom might pick an unchanged eleven for their trip to Burnley meaning Barry will have to be content with a place on the bench. Of the five defenders in my squad, three of them didn’t play last weekend. The best chance of getting three players on the pitch is probably Jose Fonte of West Ham breaking into the team. With the Hammers shipping four goals at Old Trafford, if he can`t break into that backline soon, he won`t get in there all season.

Predictions

A solid start of five correct and four incorrect last time out. This week will hopefully go a bit better. To keep track of all the scores this weekend don’t forget to follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter. The big clash this weekend will see the top two scorers from last week going head to head. @FuzzyWarbles (171) and @RotoZdroik (182) is also a clash of Aguero v Lukaku.

@DFS_Hambazaza over @jforquer11

@jasonuk17 over @TomSunderlad_

@BenDinneryover @nealjthurman

@SmokeyLoogy over @cjradune

@RotoWireAndrew over @SportsByGotti

@jwl_15 over @wrigavin

@nikarg over @TAMc10

@TRKingston over @EPL_MOstadamus

@RotoZdroik over @FuzzyWarbles

Week 37: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview

A 20-point haul from 'Player of the Year' Joe Allen was enough to help my side to victory over @nikarg. That win means I am guaranteed a top five finish. With @RotoZdroik having wrapped up the title with a few weeks to spare, the next four teams are separated by only three points, with @TRKingston being the man in form after winning nine games in a row. That is a ridiculously good run, when you see that the second-best run in the league is only four wins, by my side of all teams!

Bournemouth players all crowd around Joe Allen asking to swap shirts

This week the IEFSA Fantrax fixture computer throws my side up against @TomSunderland_. Tom would have beaten my side in the last gameweek as he posted one of the highest scores in the league thanks to a Kasper Schmeichel clean sheet and a Marcos Alonso goal. @TomSunderland_ might not be able to rise out of the bottom half of the table with two games to go, but he will be out for revenge after he lost to my side in Gameweek 18.

@TomSunderland_’s Team

Alonso of Chelsea in defence has been averaging over 16 points a game for Tom this season. Chelsea have a favourable fixture against West Brom this Friday and he should get close to that average again, and he might even add to his six goals and three assists this year. Alonso is only Tom’s second highest averaging player though. In Midfield Philippe Coutinho averages just shy of 20 points per game. The Liverpool player travels to West Ham on Sunday, as the Reds try to cement a top four finish. Coutinho has 10 goals and six assists in 29 games so far in 2016/17.

Jermain Defoe checks the year on the clock as he scores against Hull

Elsewhere on @TomSunderland_’s team you have some solid performers. In Defence, Hull’s Ranocchia and Stoke’s Bruno Martins Indi get double points every week and should be fancied to do so again this week. Patrick van Aanholt of Crystal Palace will face Hull on Sunday, and a nervy relegation battle could conceivably end up scoreless, earning him lots of points. Tom’s top scorer is Sunderland’s Jermain Defoe. He has 15 goals this season and even managed to score last week. Which was a surprise to Tom, who had left him on the bench.

What I Need To Happen

Not many goals around last weekend as sides are winding down the season, or are trying to avoid defeat in an effort to scrape 40 points and probable survival. Tom has lots of good defenders, so an improbable goal-fest would surely only help my team. Gameweek 36 saw a last minute change in my Defence as I was forced to bring in Kevin Long who played for the injured Michael Keane. Keane may return for Burnley’s game  against Bournemouth though, so Long will be sent back to Free Agency, despite a commendable 12.6 points scored last week.

Kevin Long (28) queues up to play Rock, Paper, Scissors against West Brom

Superstar Joe Allen gets to roam the midfield against Arsenal this week. But as always, it’s goals that win games in IEFSA. With that in mind, I will look to my top scoring players to perform. This could be a struggle though as both my Stoke City players are some of my top scorers and will have to crack an Arsenal defence who have kept two clean sheets in a row. Joe Allen and Marko Arnautovic have six goals each. My top scorer is Chelsea’s Pedro. He is probably a rotation risk as Chelsea have three games remaining, but only need one win to secure the title. Henrik Mkhitaryan has four goals this year, but is an even bigger rotation risk with Manchester United throwing all their eggs in the Europa League basket. United also have a tricky fixture away to Spurs, who have the best defence in the league.

Predictions

A horrible week for predictions last week as only three ties were correct. Lots of upsets at this stage in the season. Who would have though Sunderland would win? Who though @RotoZdroik would lose! Lots of interesting ties this week, so make sure you are following @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to keep tabs on all the action. Here are this week’s predictions.

Good Luck Everyone.

@EPL_MOstradamus over @nikarg

@TRKingston over @nealjthurman

@FuzzyWarbles over @jasonuk17

@jwl_15 over @jforquer11

@RotoWireAndrew over @BenDinnery

@RotoZdroik over @SmokeyLoogy

@wrigavin over @DFS_Hambazaza

@FantasyYIRMA over @SportsByGotti

@TAMc10 over @cjradune

Week 31: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview

The instant Harry Winks went tumbling over the sideline during the Spurs v Burnley game never to return, I knew my chances of victory against @wrigavin were sunk. What made the defeat an ever more bitter pill to swallow, was that helping Gavin to a 13 point victory was dabber extraordinaire Jesse Lingard. A player I had discarded because he seemed so far down the Man Utd pecking order as to become fantasy irrelevant. But thanks to a combination of (list gleamed from Mourinho press conferences), injuries, an unfair fixture list, the international break, Russian hackers, and the earth`s rotation around the sun, Lingard found himself starting at the weekend against West Brom, and duly went huffing and puffing his way to over twenty fantasy points.

Winks injury jinx sinks fantasy hopes methinks.

Winks was brought in after patience had finally ran out with the fortunes of Ibrahim Afellay. The Stoke City player was not in the starting lineup once again for the Potters trip to Leicester City, and in the end was never even summoned from the bench in a two nil defeat. With Kevin Mirallas not starting for Everton, my two other Stoke players woefully out of form (but at east playing games), Luka Milivojevic restricted on possession in a game against Chelsea, and Jack Wilshere being Jack Wilshere. I really needed to bolster my Midfield. Unfortunately with this injury, it looks like I’ll have to head back to the drawing board for the upcoming midweek fixtures. Fixtures where the IEFSA/Fantrax fixture computer pits my side against against @Smokey_Loogy. The fixture computer knows full well that @Smokey_Loogy would have beaten my side in Gameweek 30, even when using only eight players because his top scorer didn’t see any minutes!

@Smokey_Loogy`s Team

His top scorer is Troy Deeney. The Watford captain missed out at the weekend because of illness, but in truth, wasn`t really needed in a routine home win against Sunderland. Another home game, this time against West Brom should see the striker get a chance to add to his goal tally. @Smokey_Loogy could substitute in Divock Origi to his front line if needed though. The Liverpool player smashed in a goal a short time after coming on in the Merseyside derby for the injured Sadio Mane. If Mane does indeed miss time because of that injury, Origi could well be the player to take his place in Klopp`s side.

Mahrez coming into form when he faces my side. Coincidence?

@Smokey_Loogy`s other players to impress at the weekend were, Jordan Pickford of Sunderland, and his duo of Leicester players, Danny Simpson and Riyad Mahrez. Pickford picked up over twenty points despite conceding a goal, this is largely thanks to standing behind one of the poorest defences in the league. He`ll get another chance to rack up the save points when the Black Cats travel down to play Leicester City. Knowing my luck, all the shots that Pickford will face will be from Simpson and Mahrez.

What I Need To Happen

That dreaded word `rotation` will get bandied about this gameweek, as managers take on the thankless task of picking a team three days, sometimes four days, after having previously played a game. Squads will be stretched to breaking point. Unfortunately the rumours that Sunderland were playing someone who won a competition on the back of a cereal box in midfield, turned out to be a cruel April fool’s day joke. Or it actually turned out to be Darron Gibson, I’m not quite sure. With rotation in mind, I’ll hope that most of my players get rotated in, while @Smokey_Loogy has the headache of players being rotated out.

Koeman wants to run through the whole youth squad before starting Mirallas.

Seven of my players will be playing on Tuesday night, all involved in two games. Manchester United are at home to Everton, and fingers crossed, Mirallas, Baines and Mkhitaryan will be starters. In the Burnley game against Stoke, my Goalkeeper (Heaton) and Defender (Keane) will face off against my own Midfielder (Allen) and Forward (Arnautovic). Best case scenario here is probably a highly entertaining nil all draw, or narrow Burnley victory.

Predictions

@RotoZdroik stretched his lead at the top to 12 points, and he will be tested again this week when he faces fifth placed @EPL_MOstradamus. Last weekend saw seven correct predictions out of nine. As always, please follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to keep up with the winners and losers of each match-up. Here are the predictions for midweek.

Good Luck Everyone.

@wrigavin over @RotoWireAndrew

@FantasyYIRMA over @jforquer11

@FuzzyWarbles over @cjradune

@TAMc10 over @nealjthurman

@nikarg over @SportsByGotti

@TomSunderland_ over @DFS_Hambazaza

@RotoZdroik over @EPL_MOstradamus

@TRKingston over @BenDinnery

@jwl_15 over @jasonuk17

Week 18: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview

The Fantasy Footballing Gods came down hard on my team last gameweek in my loss to @nikarg, and they show no sign of letting up as we head into the Christmas fixtures and @THE_IEFSA and Fantrax’s clearly biased fixtures computer has me facing a resurgent @TomSunderland_. I would have beaten eleven other sides in Gameweek 17, but @nikarg’s third highest score of the week helped by an Ibrahimovic brace totally blew my side out of the water. That result put me down to ninth, with the only consolation being that most of the sides at the top of the table came unstuck too, resulting in only six points now separating second from fifteenth. With everyone in close proximity to one another a win over this festive season is even more vital. But to do this I’ll have to see off @TomSunderland_’s side, whose star players are slowly coming back from injury and into form.

I've never seen Santa and Zlatan in the same room together. Just saying...

@TomSunderland_’s Team

Philippe Coutinho might still be side-lined for Liverpool, but Tom did welcome back Southampton’s Jay Rodriguez recently with two goals away at Bournemouth. This should sort out his Forward position as his other two players eligible for that slot, Martial and Stuani, have only managed to start seven games each this season. In Midfield he could also welcome back another player from injury this week in the shape of Leicester City’s Danny Drinkwater, and when the midfielder plays he averages nearly 17 points a game. The remaining Midfield spots will more than likely be taken up by a combination of Spurs and Saints players; two teams who face each other in the Wednesday night kickoff. Sissoko of Tottenham, with Ward-Prowse and Hojbjerg of Southampton making up a formidable trio if Tom needs his team to get back in the tie come Wednesday evening.

@TomSunderland_ will be wearing his Southampton Christmas jumper this week

He may not even need them though, as he has three of the most in form Defenders in the game making up his backline. Marcos Alonso averages 18 points per game and has been collecting clean sheets for fun at Chelsea recently. While, both Seamus Coleman and Patrick van Aanholt have been racking up to points thanks to their goal scoring exploits, despite playing in two teams struggling to find form. In goals he will rely on Leicester stopper Kasper Schmeichel. The Dane has only two clean sheets in nine starts, but does welcome an out of sorts Everton side at three o’clock on Boxing Day.

What I Need To Happen

That old adage that goals win games means I’ll be hoping that Tottenham can find a way to stop Rodriguez from finding the back of the net again this week. With potentially three Saints players in Tom’s side, a nice boring, but with lots of yellow cards, nil all draw, would do very nicely. Speaking of goals, if my players could find some in the fixture between Leicester and Everton, that would be great. At the back, hopefully the ball ends up at Leighton Baines’ side of the pitch rather than Coleman’s. If Kevin Mirallas could find a way to place the ball in the net that would be great; yet if he could find a way into the Everton starting eleven first that would be a bonus.

I do have a dilemma up front as Pedro did not start last time out for Chelsea, while Arnautovic is still out through suspension. Should I bring back in Fabio Borini, what with Sunderland making a daunting trip to Old Trafford? And if I do, that surely spells the end for Claudio Yacob. But can I afford the jettison the West Brom man when I’m unsure of the chances of a starting spot for Lingard, Mkhitaryan, Mirallas, Wilshere, etc? Regardless of who starts, it looks like I will have to fall back on Joe Allen to dig my side out of whatever hole they have dug for themselves. The Stoke City midfielder heads back to Liverpool on Tuesday with a point or two to prove, and will hopefully pick up about forty fantasy points in the process.

Predictions

Five correct and four dead wrong predictions last Gameweek. Getting more right than wrong is a positive I guess, and I’ll aim to end the year on a high with a clean sweep of correct predictions. Here goes! Remember to follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to keep track of the ups and down of each match-up.

Good Luck Everyone, Plus, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

@EPL_MOstradamus over @nikarg

@TRKingston over @nealjthurman

@FuzzyWarbles over @jasonuk17

@jwl_15 over @jforquer11

@RotoWireAndrew over @BenDinnery

@RotoZdroik over @SmokeyLoogy

@wrigavin over @DFS_hambazaza

@SportsByGotti over @FantasyYIRMA

@cjradune over @TAMc10

IEFSA Fantasy League Week 27 Preview

It’s a proper IEFSA Fantasy League week of fixtures this week. Last week I managed to gain a cheeky win thanks to an Arnautovic goal despite having only four players playing! This leaves me on thirteen wins and thirteen losses, a model of middle of the road consistency.

This week I will face @DanRiccio590, who himself sits comfortably in midtable, just one place and three points above me. So this really is a massive game for my squad. Win and things start to look up. Lose, and there are three or four teams waiting behind me for any kind of stumble. Last weekend’s FA Cup affected fixtures left @DanRiccio590 nursing a loss. But if our two sides met then, Dan would have been celebrating a victory.

@DanRiccio590’s Team

Dan has a quality squad that has been unlucky with injuries and inconsistencies of form. Eden Hazard has struggled to find the form that saw him be crowned last season’s player of the year. He is injured for this weekend’s fixture though as Chelsea host West Ham. He does have a fit and inform Hammer though in Dimitri Payet. It looks like he will only have Payet, Antonio (both West Ham) and Imbula (Stoke City) to fill his three midfield positions this weekend, as Shaqiri is due to miss another game for the Potters with injury.

Up front he will be hoping that Graziano Pelle’s recent glut of goals was not a once off, because his other forward options are the injured Connor Wickham, and the out of favour Wilfried Bony. Remember him! He probably wouldn’t want Bony to play anyway as he has a Man United duo in Smalling and De Gea aiming for some clean sheet points when the Red Devils head to battle local rivals Man City.

What I Need To Happen

As I have Courtois in goals, I will need West Ham to be kept quiet at Stamford Bridge. If two of his players are shut out, it will go a long way to me getting the three points. Clean sheets could be crucial this week. Unfortunately most of my defenders will be playing at different times this weekend and this mean a lot of scrutiny of lineups come three o’clock on Saturday. Three defenders play at home in games that are surely ripe for clean sheets. Olsson of West Brom will host Norwich. Nyom of Watford will entertain Stoke. While Angel Rangel of Swansea will welcome Aston Villa to Wales in the Saturday evening kickoff. Swansea will not have a better opportunity to keep a clean sheet for the rest of the season.

Still unbeaten in league, but what have they to play for now??

 

If I’m looking for goalscorers, my best bet is probably in Georginio Wijnaldum when Newcastle play Sunderland in the early Sunday game. Wijnaldum saves his goals for home games and he has been saving up a lot lately, so surely a goal or two are due. Normally I would also look to Andre Ayew to bag a goal. Especially since the Swans are hosting a hapless Villa side this week. Unfortunately Ayew has an ankle injury and will miss the game.

Predictions

There was no post last week because most of the sides were missing players. To make up for that, here is an in-depth look at each of the fixtures in the IEFSA this week. Don’t forget to follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to see how each team is doing. And to also follow me, @GarryIrwin, to find out what, specifically, my team isn’t doing!

@DFS_hambazaza V @FuzzyWarbles

@FuzzyWarbles will be looking to bounce back from last week’s defeat when he faces bottom of the table @DFS_hambazaza. He will be sweating over the fitness of Nicolas Otamendi as Man City host an often goalshy Man Utd. But will probably look further up the pitch in that game for points as he has Silva and Mata in that game. @DFS_hambazaza is pretty much reliant on a bumper game from Sergio Aguero again, but I can’t see him getting too many against Man U when LVG parks the Fellaini bus at the Eithad.

@RotoWireAndrew V @nikarg

Baba Rahman, Benteke, Remy, Walcott, Pedro, Navas. This sounds like a list of players you would rarely put in your fantasy team until they actually did something consistent on the pitch. Unfortunately for Andrew, these players make up the bulk of his squad. @nikarg can keep pace with the leaders here thanks to players like Rondon and Eriksen.

@TomSunderland_ V @RotoZdroik

Six wins on the trot has seen @RotoZroik move up to second in the table.  A number of his players have red flags next to their names and are doubts for the weekend. This could see him shuffle his pack and introduce some players from the bench. Tom’s side on the other hand is relatively injury free. He doesn’t have many superstar performers though (Kante, Drinkwater and Schlupp for Leicester are playing well, but not huge point getters) so perhaps wont have enough to upset the inform side this week.

@GarryIrwin V @DanRiccio590

The fixture computer shows it’s continuing bias against @GarryIrwin by making him face a team which contains two of the most inform players in the league at the moment; Payet of West Ham and Pelle of Southampton. Garry will have to play this fixture without one of his top scorers in Andre Ayew too. This all points to @DanRiccio590 picking up the win.

@wrigavin V @Smokey_Loogy

This is the matchup of the weekend as leader @wrigavin face off against third place @Smokey_Loogy. Both sides got back to winning ways last week, but who will pick up the crucial three points this week? Looking at the two squads and the fixtures of each player, my opinion would probably fall on the side of Harry Kane, @wrigavin, over deeney and Ighalo of @Smokey_Loogy.

@nealjthurman V @BenDinnery

Now that Arsenal’s season is virtually over, it’s probably around the time that Olivier Giroud starts scoring goals again. He loves midtable teams and dead rubber games, and Arsenal versus Everton ticks both those boxes. Of course if he does @nealjthurman will be very happy. @BenDinnery on the other hand will be without Diego Costa due to suspension and will be reliant on Patrick Bamford to get the points. Norwich strikers seem to have some sort of hoodoo over them and I can’t see him getting off the mark away to West Brom.

@GalinDragiev V @FantasyYIRMA

Last week’s loss has dropped YIRMA back to sixth. In a desperate effort to get back into title contention he looks like he will deploy Divock Origi upfront when Liverpool head to Southampton.  Origi has two goals this season, but that’s twice as many goals as his other forward Emmanuel Adebayor. With all these crucial stats in mind, it will more than likely be his midfield of Alli, Toure and Ozil will get him over the line this week. @GalinDragiev could cause an upset if Raheem Sterling or Adam Lallana start justifying their high transfer fees. But between you and me, they won’t start doing that this week.

@cjradune V @SportsByGotti

@cjradune is the other team still in the title race. He has been having a Vardy party for most of the season, though the party has been dying down somewhat of late. There should still be enough partytime left to overcome @SportsByGotti. @SportsByGotti’s team has suffered a weird affliction where if his top scorer got to five goals they would go down with a crippling injury (De Bruyne, Wilson, Redmond). His current top scorer has four, Diafra Sakho, will probably not want to score this week. Plus, Sakho-Party, doesn’t quite have the same ring to it.