Week 19: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview 2017/18

A battling performance in the IEFSA Cup against @TRKingston, but not enough points to score the upset. Oddly I was hanging in there in the tie until late on in the Liverpool game when Dejan Lovren assisted a Ragnor Klavan goal (both of these Defenders were @TRKingston players) against my Goalkeeper Nick Pope. That is two games in a row where Todd has got the better of my side.

As i said, if it wasn't for bad luck...

It’s back to IEFSA league action this weekend though, as I attempt to drag my side from the foot of the table. So, who has the IEFSA/Fantrax fixture computer saw fit to put my side up against this gameweek? Why its only third placed @RotoZdroik, who has already beaten me in gameweeks 3 and 10.

@RotoZdroik’s Team

The two highest scoring players on @RotoZdroik’s team have more goals between them than my whole squad. Both of them have nearly three times as many assists as my whole squad too. And to cap it off, they both cost less than five players in my squad. Leroy Sane of Manchester City in Midfield averages over 15 points per game. While up front, Manchester United Forward Romelu Lukaku is just back from injury and will hope to add to his ten league goals this season when he faces Stoke City on Monday night.

Lukaku back from injury, and back on the score sheet in the FA Cup

But even if those two players misfire this weekend, he can call on several other stalwarts to get him through the fixture. Hector Bellerin in Defence is a good accumulator of points. Steven Davis of Southampton in Midfield already has three goals to his name this season, as does Everton’s Gylfi Sigurdsson. In goals is Huddersfield’s Jonas Lossl, who has achieved seven clean sheets so far this season.

What I Need To Happen

It looks like @RotoZdroik will be able to get a full set of starters in his team and will be scoring points all over the field. My side on the other hand will be struggling once again this week. If Tammy Abraham, (my top scorer believe it or not) is absent this week, that will mean no scoring player for the Forward position. This will force me to look into the abyss of the unclaimed player pool for a goalscorer that everyone else has inexplicably passed by.

Will Joe Allen stay put, go to West Ham, or, retire and move to Celtic?

Mark Hughes has been shown the door at Stoke City. Hopefully this will free up the criminally underused Joe Allen. The Welshman has been a transfer target of West Ham United this January according to reports. Maybe a move to the Hammers would revitalise his fantasy scoring seeing as West Ham score more and concede less than the Potters. Wherever he ends up, his head better be right for Stokes vital clash against Manchester United this coming Monday.

Predictions

Only one from three for the IEFSA Cup games midweek. This was after a rather disappointing showing of five correct from nine during the last gameweek. Things are only going to get harder to predict as we enter squeaky bum time in the season. Remember to follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter for all the latest action.

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

@TRKingston over @nikarg

@FuzzyWarbles over @TAMc10

@jwl_15 over @EPL_MOstradamus

@FantasyYIRMA over @wrigavin

@SportsByGotti over @RotoWireAndrew

@cjradune over @FPL_MNOP

@BenDinnery over @nealjthurman

@jasonuk17 over @TomSunderland_

@jforquer11 over @DFS_Hambazaza

Week 18: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview 2017/18

Welcome to the last preview of 2017. And, thankfully we can sign off on a high note, as my rag-tag bunch actually followed up their defeat of @EPL_MOstradamus last weekend with a cup victory over @FantasyYIRMA in midweek. Two wins in a row is rare enough, but not as rare as a Tom Ince goal, which is what we had to thank for keeping our cup dream alive. The IEFSA/Fantrax fixture computer has had enough of my team scraping victories and has decided that now is the time that we should play highest scorers and table toppers @TRKingston. Todd has scored a frankly ridiculous 750 more fantasy points than my side so far this season, and has won his last eight games while opening up a six point lead at the top of the IEFSA Premier. The last time we met @TRKingston walked away with the victory by twenty points. If the teams are even that close once again, I guess I can take it as some kind of moral victory.

Joyous scenes as we knock @FantasyYIRMA out of the cup

@TRKingston’s Team

In a rare bit of good luck, the West Ham and Spurs game has been moved to Thursday January 4^th. This means I will be without Serge Aurier this week, but Todd will have to make do without his hottest player at the moment, Marko Arnautovic. The Forward has five goals in his last five games. This means @TRKingston will have to rely on Richarlison or Joselu up front. He could well play both if each of them make their teams starting lineups for what looks like two favourable fixtures. Joselu and Newcastle are at home to Brighton. While Richarlison of Watford (the more likely of the two to play) has a home game against bottom club Swansea.

Every time this happens, @TRKingston gets about twenty fantasy points

His midfield has a very heavy Manchester City influence. On a good day he could put three Sky Blue players into his starting line-up. Fernandinho, David Silva and Ilkay Gundogan have eight goals and 12 assists between them. The majority of these have come from Silva though and he is the only one who is an injury worry going into a game against Crystal Palace. In Defence he has another City player in Nicolas Otamendi, who he will probably pair up with two of the three Liverpool players in his squad, Matip, Lovren and Klavan.

What I Need To Happen

With facing so many Liverpool and Manchester City players this week, if both those sides could have a bad day at the office, or at least see a good chunk of their players rested and rotated, then I may have a fighting chance. Of course, I will need the players in my squad to play from the start for their clubs also. Unfortunately, the big signing of my squad looks to have wasted his opportunity to get some valuable minutes. Last time out Zlatan only lasted the first half of a game against Burnley. Even with the fixture pileup over the New Year, this looks to have been the big Swede’s last chance at getting into the Manchester United starting line-up.

Who'll get to the World Cup first? Steve Cook with England? Or Benik Afobe with DR Congo?

My search for goals will have to come from some unlikely sources to have any chance of victory this weekend. Tom Ince has finally gotten off the mark, so could this be the start of a run where he gets so many goals he propels himself into the England squad for the World Cup?? Speaking of the World Cup; What if Tammy Abraham also starts scoring so many goals that he will have to on the plane to Russia also! And what if Steve Cook started defending so well that…….. I think I need to lie down…..

Predictions

Five correct and four incorrect last weekend, which is an improvement on the week before, but nothing to get too excited about. The midweek cup fixtures saw two correct predictions from three games. I surely would have had a clean sweep if @FPL_MNOP had put in two goal ‘difference maker’ Jesse Lingard like I had told him! I’ll be hoping to improve on these figures this weekend. To follow all the action don’t forget to hop on over to Twitter and @THE_IEFSA. Here are this week’s predictions.

Good Luck Everyone.

@RotoZdroik over @TAMc10

@FantasyYIRMA over @nikarg

@FuzzyWarbles over @jwl_15

@wrigavin over @EPL_MOstradamus

@jasonuk17 over @SportsByGotti

@BenDinnery over @cjradune

@TomSunderland_over @nealjthurman

@jforquer11 over @RotoWireAndrew

@DFS_Hambazaza over @FPL_MNOP

IEFSA Fantasy League Cup Quarter Final Preview

My side comes into this midweek cup fixture high in confidence after defeating @EPL_MOstradamus in Gameweek 17. For once it wasn’t my side that was struggling to get numbers onto the pitch, and thanks to having an extra player earning points I came away with a 25-point victory. That win doesn’t move my battlers off the bottom of the table though, as both the sides in eight and ninth also won. The two of those sides are on a bit of a win streak, as the IEFSA/Fantrax computer proves itself to be trying to keep my side rooted to the table.

A Joe Allen goal and assist helped was crucial for all three points last weekend

The quarter finals of the IEFSA Cup has thrown up the following interesting fixtures.

@GarryIrwin vs @FantasyYIRMA

@FPL_MNOP vs @nikarg

@BenDinnery vs @wrigavin

@jforquer11 vs @jwl_15

Let’s have a look at each match-up.

@FPL_MNOP is the lowest ranked team still left in the competition, currently sitting in ninth in the IEFSA Championship. @nikarg is ninth in the IEFSA Premier and has one win more than his opponent this season, and has scored 140 more fantasy points. @nikarg will be relying on Eriksen and Mahrez, but @FPL_MNOP has the talents of Hazard and Wijnaldum in his team. He also has in-form Jesse Lingard. So, I’m going to back @FPL_MNOP to cause an upset here and reach the semi-finals.

Lingard could be the difference maker in this tie

@BenDinnery is top of the Championship and looking good for a promotion spot. He has been hit by injuries lately though, with both Ryan Bertrand and Wilfied Bony sidelined. He will have lean on the scoring of the West Ham United trio of Andy Carroll, Andre Ayew and Pedro Obiang. @wrigavin is currently in fifth in the IEFSA Premier but suffering through a four-game losing streak. He does have Harry Kane in his team though and with all the injuries to Ben’s side I expect @wrigavin to pick up the win.

Kane is chasing Shearer's goals record. How many this holiday season?

@jforquer11 is fifth in the IEFSA Championship with ten wins this season and is firmly in the hunt for promotion in what is a tightly contested league. He has lots of good players in his squad, but the problem he has is that many them are never assured of a starting spot for their teams. Willian has featured in 19 games this season but only for 967 minutes. Anthony Martial has 815 minutes in 18 games. While Bernardo Silva of Manchester City has only 480 minutes in 17 appearances. @jwl_15 (fourth in the Premier) has the same issue, with Okazaki, Gabbiadini and Mkhitaryan not getting as many minutes as he’d like. Looking at this weekend’s fixtures, I would give @jforquer11 the nod in this one, but only just.

If Okazaki plays he could win it for @jwl_15

My side and @FantasyYIRMA feature in the only all IEFSA Premier clash. (further proof of a bias against my side?) YIRMA is lying in fifth in the table with seven wins. He has also scored almost 400 Fantasy Points more than my side this season so far. He has the strongest side left in the cup. In fact, he really should be higher up in the league table with the squad he has! Rooney and Vardy have 18 goals between them. In Midfield he has Mesut Ozil, Ashley Young and Dele Alli. A group that has 10 goals and 12 assists between them. In reality, @FantasyYIRMA should walk this one. But being the cup….. you never know….

Jamie Vardy scores against Manchester United at the weekend

Good Luck Everyone, and Happy New Year wherever you happen to be celebrating it.

Week 9: IEFSA Fantasy League 2017/18 Preview

My side achieved their highest points total of the season in Gameweek 8, but unfortunately ran into the team who posted the highest total of the round in @TRKingston. That defeat leaves my side bottom of the table with only one win in eight games. There were a few silver linings in that defeat though. Tammy Abraham netted a brace in a Swansea win over Huddersfield, while Nick Pope kept up his good form with over twenty points against West Ham. The writing was on the wall for my side though when Ciaran Clark didn’t make the Newcastle line-up and I was forced to play with a man short.

Probably harder to miss from there. But they all count.

This week the IEFSA/Fantrax fixture computer has thrown up a very interesting match-up. My side will be playing the side directly above them. The only thing separating our sides are points scored. And while I would have beaten his side last weekend, he has outscored me every other Gameweek apart from the opening weekend. For the winner, a chance at perhaps climbing up to eighth in the table. For the loser, rock bottom, and a long season ahead. Which side am I playing you ask…

@TAMc10’s Team

A number of fresh injury and rotation worries for @TAMc10 going into this Gameweek. But perhaps the return of both Alexis Sanchez and Shinji Okazaki are imminent, as each of their sides look to bounce back from disappointing results. Shane Duffy went off inured in Brighton’s last game, and with them playing Friday night against West Ham, maybe it’s too soon for his return. Either way, @TAMc10 will know in plenty of time in order to reshuffle his pack and perhaps bring in Laurent Koscielny if needed. It would be a particular blow for Tate if Duffy was to miss out as he has been his highest scorer this season.

The Leicester players get a second manager sacked in two seasons

@TAMc10 could field a whole side of players with fixtures away from home. The only players on his roster who would benefit from some home comforts would be Atsu at Newcastle and Sandro at Everton. With Atsu the more likely of the two to get into the starting lineup. Tate could call on Mark Noble on Friday night too. The West Ham midfielder actually has a higher points per game average than Atsu. If he is put in the Friday night starting eleven for West Ham, that’s definitely something for @TAMc10 to ponder over. In goals will be the Leicester City keeper Kasper Schmeichel. The Foxes have not been enjoying the best start to the season, and just sacked their manager, but the Dane still averages over 17 points per game. Leicester will be traveling to Wales to face Swansea on Saturday, putting Schmeichel in direct opposition to my Forward Tammy Abraham.

What I Need To Happen

I will need Abraham to continue his goal scoring exploits, as he looks like the only player capable of finding the net in my squad at the moment. My second top scorer, Ciaran Clark, should earn a recall to the Newcastle defence, and I’m basing that on nothing more than the fact they let in two goals from Manolo Gabbiadini last time out. My next biggest goal threat is Joe Allen, who has registered one assist this season. He looks to be returning from his head injury suffered during the international break, and his Stoke side badly need him after they were mauled by Man City in his absence last weekend.

Nick Pope recently signed a new three year deal with Burnley.

As mentioned, Nick Pope has been a bright spot over the last number of weeks, as Burnley are flying high in seventh. The Clarets have only lost one game and conceded six goals in the first eight games. Unfortunately, it looks like that run will end abruptly with a trip to Manchester City this weekend. City scored seven in their last game and could have Sergio Aquero returning to their side to boot. I may have to lean on my defence for points this week if the goals dry up. Serge Aurier is back from suspension for Tottenham which could help. (Though I wouldn’t hold my breath on him getting back in the Spurs first team right away)

Predictions

The only thing ruining a perfect round of predictions last weekend was a tie game. A tie game!! @jasonuk17 and @SportsByGotti couldn’t be separated, probably in an effort just to spite me. I wouldn’t put it beyond either of them! Remember to follow this week’s games, keep tabs @THE_IEFSA on Twitter and also @GarryIrwin for a closeup look of a fantasy managers slow mental breakdown.

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

@TRKingston over @jwl_15

@EPL_MOstradamus over @FantasyYIRMA

@FuzzyWarbles over @nikarg

@RotoZdroik over @wrigavin

@cjradune over @jforquer11

@SmokeyLoogy over @nealjthurman

@RotoWireAndrew over @TomSunderland_

@jasonuk17 over @BenDinnery

@SportsByGotti over @DFS_Hambazaza

Week 7: IEFSA Fantasy League 2017/18 Preview

As the old saying goes, ‘one step forward, twelve steps back.’ That’s precisely what happened last weekend, as @FuzzyWarbles gave out a 65-point shellacking to my side. All the optimism that had been around in the build up to the gameweek evaporated in a haze of red cards and injuries. Unfortunately, that haze tends to stick around for a while so this week we are not in the best shape as we prepare to face @EPL_MOstradamus. After a poor start to the season Chris has rattled off four wins in a row and probably won’t have to exert himself too much to make it five. The IEFSA/Fantrax fixture computer will see to that!

Aurier's tackle on Carroll may have been from behind (VAR needed)

Serge Aurier only lasted seventy minutes against West Ham before receiving his marching orders for an incredibly boneheaded challenge that earned him a second yellow card. The $45 spent on him the week before looks like as sound an investment as those AOL Time Warner shares I bought back in the day. He will find himself suspended this gameweek meaning I will have to bring in another defender; but all my defenders are injured! Well that’s a lie, Ciaran Clark is fit, but has to face a free scoring Liverpool side. A team with only one defender has pretty much no chance of victory in IEFSA, so I might be forced to look at Free Agency if my side are to compete in this one.

@EPL_MOstradamus’s Team

My side are not the only ones to suffer the injury jinx. Chris recently lost his Forward Christian Benteke and Defender Benjamin Mendy. @EPL_MOstradamus does have the squad depth to be able to absorb those injuries though. Firmino will lead the line, against my only defender no less! while Charlie Daniels should be a more than capable deputy for Mendy at the back. Daniels already has a goal and assist this season and gets to face a rather shaky Leicester City at home on Saturday. Apart from those changes, it looks a pretty settled side. Manuel Lanzini is still side-lined with a knee injury, and Heung-Min Son will likely sit on the bench for Spurs, and therefore Chris, during the early kick-off.

Firmino may outscore my whole team this week!

Looking around for where the points will come from; Firmino is an obvious candidate, as are Harry Maguire and Nathan Redmond, who average over 16 points a game each. Solly March of Brighton averages over 13 points per game, but has to travel to an Arsenal side who like to hog the ball at Sunday tea-time. In goals will be Ben Foster of West Brom. The Baggies are usually a good bet for a clean sheet at home and they face a kind fixture against Watford on Saturday at three o’clock. Even when conceding two goals to the Gunners last time out Foster still managed 15.2 points.

What I Need To Happen

@EPL_Mostradamus might be down to the bare bones nine players to fill his roster, so perhaps if a few managers where to start tinkering with their formations or starting elevens then now would be an ideal time. The Aurier suspension leaves me in quite a bind. Steve Cook is still recovering from injury, so will perhaps remain on the bench for Bournemouth. Michael Keane looks like he won’t recover in time to take part in Everton’s next fixture. Victor Lindelof played 90 minutes in midweek for a Champions League game and is probably still out of the starting line-up when the Premier League rolls around. This paints a far from rosy picture of my prospects this weekend.

Sometime in the last century Gareth Barry played for a side called Aston Villa (ask your grandfather)

If we try to find the positives, you could say that Tammy Abraham scored last week and should perhaps force himself back into the Swansea eleven. Gareth Barry reached a record 633rd appearance in the top flight since football was invented in 1992, so there’s that…

Ummm…. Nick Pope kept a clean sheet recently…

Moving on…

Predictions

A more than respectable seven from nine in last weekend’s predictions. Can we do any better this time out? Follow @THE_IEFSA to find out. Also follow @GarryIrwin on Twitter also to keep up to date on all the goings on of my hobbled together WorstSquadInIEFSA™.

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 @SmokeyLoogy

@RotoWireAndrew over @DFS_Hambazaza

Week 4: IEFSA Fantasy League 2017/18 Preview

Three matches and three defeats. And while performances have improved week on week, I can tell the fans are getting restless. I’m not sure how long it’s acceptable to be rooted to the foot of the table, but thanks to the IEFSA/Fantrax fixture computer we may just find out. Firstly, I’m not sure how I lost my match-up last week when @RotoZdroik’s biggest threat to goal was a Lukaku missed penalty?? I had two goal scorers, as Tammy Abraham got off the mark for Swansea, and late signing Ciaran Clark netted for Newcastle. But lose I did, which leaves me bottom of the table with zero wins and the lowest points scored in the two divisions of IEFSA.

Ciaran Clark clearly delighted to have signed with my team this week

When times are tough you can always count on the IEFSA/Fantrax fixture compiler to give you a little kick. This week I will have to face @jwl_15, who would be undefeated if not for an Aaron Ramsey horror show against Liverpool two weeks ago. What makes this worse is that his star man is a player I let go at the end of last season!! And I’m not talking about Jack Wilshere (though he does have him too!).

@jwl_15’s Team

That star man of course is Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Last season he managed a total of one assist and barely a paltry ten points per game. In only three games this season, he has five assists and averages over 26 points per game. (anyone who points out I seem to have replaced the Armenian with Jonjo Shelvey, -2.1 ppg, will immediately be blocked on Twitter!) As has been mentioned, he also has Ramsey in midfield, who is usually good for a decent haul of points, last gameweek aside. Partnering them he has the workhorses of the Chelsea and Liverpool midfield's in N’Golo Kante and Jordan Henderson.

How many assists can he provide this season?....or this weekend?

Up front @jwl_15 has Southampton’s Manolo Gabbiadini who recent got off the mark and will be looking to score again at home to Watford on Saturday. He could also play Andre Ayew, but seeing as West Ham don’t play Huddersfield until Monday night, @jwl_15 may not have the luxury of waiting on the Ghanian’s fitness until then. But seeing the numbers my side has posted so far this season, he probably could afford to! At the back it looks like Cedric Soares, Southampton, Stephen Ward, Burnley, and Mamadou Sakho, Crystal Palace. Between the sticks will be Swansea’s Lukasz Fabianski. Putting him in direct opposition to two of my star players!

What I Need To Happen

Well, I’ll need both of these star players to make the first eleven for a start! It’s Newcastle who travel to face Fabianski and Swansea, but seeing as the Toon won 3-0 last time out without Shelvey or Dwight Gayle, I won’t be holding my breath. As I mentioned earlier, Ciaran Clark was a late signing who came good for me last week. He was brought in after I gave the heave-ho to Jose Fonte after he failed to make it back into the West Ham side. Looking around my squad, there are a few names under pressure to perform. Joe Allen is not his usually box-to-box self and is averaging a woeful, by his standards, nine points per game. Big signing Tom Ince has yet to trouble the oppositions net. While Victor Lindelof has yet to even feature in a Premier League game.

Abraham may have scored but are his other stats letting the side down?

Times are getting desperate. If a heavy defeat is suffered this week, I could be forced to abandon the whole squad that was carefully assembled during the draft. I will need to replace them with grafters. Players who are ready for a scrap. Who can play dirty for ninety minutes and get you all those much-needed tackling and accurate passing points. Tammy Abraham has 26 accurate passes in three games. 26?!? My goalkeeper has more! If, as I presume, he’s generally around for the kick-offs, that’s a quarter of his passes. Wholesale changes could be on the horizon if results don’t improve. If there is no reaction this week I will have no qualms about replacing an expensive signing with….. checks Free Agency list…… squints….. Solly March?

Predictions

To send me general abuse for my team/signings/predictions follow me on Twitter @GarryIrwin. Though you should really direct your ire @THE_IEFSA who seem to find new ways to undermine my carefully thought out plans every week. Before the international break I managed a rather poor four from nine. Will it be any better this weekend? Let’s find out.

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

@RotoZdroik over @EPL_MOstradamus

@FuzzyWarbles over @TRKingston

@FantasyYIRMA over @TAMc10

@nikarg over @wrigavin

@SportsByGotti over @SmokeyLoogy

@RotoWireAndrew over @cjradune

@jforquer11 over @BenDinnery

@jasonuk17 over @nealjthurman

@DFS_Hambazaza over @TomSunderland_

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 32: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview

The trio of Mahrez, Redmond and Deeney combined for a total of over 75 points, and as a result my side suffered their second defeat in less than a week. This defeat drops my side down to third in the league and means I was not able to capitalize on the loss suffered by table topper @RotoZdroik. Though I suppose things could have been worse, as @Smokey_Loogy left midweek Liverpool goalscorer Divok Origi on the bench for our match-up. That recent run of results means that only three points separate the team in second from the team in eighth.

The IEFSA/Fantrax fixture computer have engineered a very interesting league table, and will try and send my side tumbling further down this weekend when I have to play a side who scored more points than mine in midweek, should have its best player back from injury, and will have three Man Utd and two Arsenal players, who are playing sides in 20^th and 16^th respectively. That side is managed by @RotoWireAndrew. Andrew’s team sits in 13^th place and is hoping for a late season push to rise up the table.

@RotoWireAndrew`s Team

Andrew spent most of his transfer budget on one man. Paul Pogba. The French midfielder has been recovering from a hamstring injury, but after a 45 minute run out on Tuesday, he seems poised to return to the Manchester United starting lineup. Pogba is Andrew`s highest scoring fantasy player, and the sixth highest player in the league overall. Pogba also has the third highest score per game average with 22.28 points. A total only beaten by Alexis Sanchez and Christian Eriksen. In comparison, my side`s highest scorer and highest per game average player, is Joe Allen. Helping Pogba out in Midfield for @RotoWireAndrew will be in form James Ward-Prowse of Southampton.

Only @RotoWireAndrew will have a bigger smile this week.

Another player on a positive run of late for Andrew is Theo Walcott. The Arsenal player has scored in his last two games, after having not previously scored since before Christmas. The 25.4 points Walcott scored against West Ham was his second highest total of the season, and you would be confident he could earn a similar score away to Crystal Palace on Monday night. @RotoWireAndrew will also have defender Nacho Monreal in that game. I could only have Milivojevic for that fixture, so I will probably need a sizable lead going into Monday.

What I Need To Happen

The only goal that Forward Fabio Borini scored in his 16 games this season came against Man Utd. Thankfully, Sunderland play the Red Devils again this weekend, but this time at home, meaning a Borini goal is bound to happen. Please mark your calendars for this occasion. With Pogba being back fit, he could impact the chances of my player Henrik Mikhitaryan getting 90 minutes at the Stadium of Light. Seeing United suffering a spate of injuries lately, it should have been the time the Armenian shone and repaid some of the $72 I paid for him at the start of the season. Unfortunately this doesn’t seem to have been the case and Mikhitaryan can't be assured of a starting spot.

Wilshere is not even Arsenal's Plan B (do Arsenal have a Plan B?)

I may have to search for goals in other areas. Normally, with two players getting to take on Liverpool, I would be licking my lips at the prospect of goals. Sadly, Stoke City have only scored one goal in their last four games and seem to be clueless as to who to play up front. At various times, Walters, Crouch, Bony, Berahino, Diouf, and even someone called Bojan, had a stab at being a striker. Most of the Potters goals have actually come from the two other players in my squad. Joe Allen has six goals and Marko Arnautovic has five. I will need them to bail me out this week once again. If not, Plan B, as always, will be Jack Wilshere.

 

Has his time at Stoke prepared Bojan for a Bundesliga relegation battle?

Predictions

Nearly a perfect set of predictions last week, only ruined by @EPL_MOstradamus upsetting leader @RotoZdroik! I’m going to say that the match-up of this gameweek is the tie between @FuzzyWarbles (19-12) and @wrigavin (18-13). Here are this week’s set of predictions. Plus, don't forget to follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to keep track of all the action.

Good Luck Everyone.

@Smokey_Loogy over @jforquer11

@FuzzyWarbles over @wrigavin

@FantasyYIRMA over @nealjthurman

@nikarg over @cjradune

@TAMc10 over @TomSunderland_

@EPL_MOstadamus over @SportsByGotti

@TRKingston over @DFS_Hambazaza

@RotoZdroik over @jasonuk17

@jwl_15 over @BenDinnery

Week 26: IEFSA Fantasy League Preview

Both my top scorers scored in the last gameweek to help my side to victory over @DFS_Hambazaza. Pedro and Joe Allen have six goals each this season, and thankfully both have fixtures this weekend. With the League Cup final on Sunday, four sides don’t have a match this gameweek. Man Utd, Southampton, Man City and Arsenal. That means four IEFSA managers will be without goalkeepers this week, while a number must start looking deep into their squads in order to find eight outfield players. Some managers have been hit harder than others. @RotoWireAndrew only has five fit outfield players, with only two likely to start for their clubs. But I’m not facing Andrew this week. No, the IEFSA Fantrax fixture computer made sure I was facing a side that could get a full team out, and one that scored the highest points total in the previous gameweek. That side is the in-form @SportsByGotti.

Joe Allen would be a late call up to Welsh Six Nations squad if needed

@SportsByGotti’s Team

Mike may be missing his highest scorer in Kevin De Bruyne, but he has many capable replacements. In fact, @SportsByGotti has the only team in league where every one of his outfield players has found the net. He has a very dangerous squad indeed. Outside of De Bryne, the goals have come for Mike in the shape of Matt Phillips of West Brom (facing Bournemouth at home this weekend), Willian of Chelsea (Swansea at home), and West Ham’s Michail Antonio (Watford away). Swansea and Bournemouth have the worst two defences in the league, so @SportsByGotti should be confident of returns in front of goals again this weekend.

Mike appears to have luck at both ends of the pitch. As his goalkeeper, Everton’s Joel Robles, gets to face one of the lowest scorers away from home this season, Sunderland. Everton are also the most inform team over the last eight games, and @SportsByGotti recently snapped up their exciting young Forward Ademola Lookman. The nineteen-year-old averages a shade over one goal every five games in his fledgling career, and guess what? He hasn’t scored in his last four appearances for the Toffees. I keep telling you the IEFSA Fantrax fixture computer has it in for me, but no one believes me!

Lookman could deal my team a big blow by keeping Mirallas out of the side

What I Need To Happen

After all I’ve mentioned it seems like wishful thinking that @SportsByGotti will be kept scoreless. My side will just have to go toe to toe and knock in an extra goal or two. One of my top scorers, Joe Allen, has to try and get past the Spurs defence though. Tottenham have only conceded five goals at home all season, and only one goal at home in over three months. Which probably means I shouldn’t rely on Marko Arnautovic or Ibrahim Afellay to be scoring too many goals either.

Four of my squad have red flags by their names at the moment, while a further four could be considered to be questionable as to whether they will get the start for their teams. I could pull the plug on the Ibrahim Afellay experiment and draft in a player from Free Agency. Mark Hughes seems to have pulled the plug on the Ibrahim Afellay experiment too. Deploying Ramadan Sobhi in his place of late. Do I dare drop Jack Wilshere, when he is just about to find that first goal of the season? Perhaps it would be best to just get rid of Jesse Lingard? Manchester United don’t have a fixture this week, and Lingard doesn’t seem to have a fixture most weeks.

Lingard does most of his dabbing on the bench these days

Predictions

More correct than incorrect was the positive to take form the predictions in the last gameweek, five to four. My tie with @SportsByGotti is clearly the glamour fixture this weekend, second facing third. Another match-up to keep an eye on is leader @RotoZdroik, trying to prevent a third loss in a row, against @cjradune. C.J. will be out for revenge in this one, having lost their last encounter by less than two points. Remember to follow @THE_IEFSA on Twitter to see how all these match-ups pan out.

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

@TAMc10 over @DFS_Hambazaza

@RotoZdroik over @cjradune

@FantasyYIRMA over @BenDinnery

@wrigavin over @jwl_15

@SmokeyLoogy over @jasonuk17

@TRKingston over @RotoWireAndrew

@EPL_MOstradamus over @jforquer11

@FuzzyWarbles over @TomSunderland_

@nikarg over @nealjthurman