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GW9: Dos and Don'ts

Talk is cheap. Show me the Money.

West Ham v Brighton

The Hammers seem to be steadily improving as the season goes on and that is refreshing to see. They have kept 4 clean sheets in the last 6 matches in all competitions, with one of them being the crazy 2-3 againsta Spurs. Last gameweek they managed to get a draw in spite of playing a man down -although the way it happened should feel more like two points lost than one gained-. The visitors are having a hard time away from home and we cannot see them scoring in this one as they have only scored one away goal so far, at Bournemouth

DOs:

  • Fonte (4.9): Get those clean sheet points
  • Chicarito (7.0): We can see him being the one to break the Brighton bus
  • Gross (5.7): We wouldn't suggest getting him now, but he is definitely an investment for the future at the moment. Bench him if you have him.

DON'Ts:

  • Ryan. Can't see him keeping a clean sheet
  • Knockaert. Many jumped on the Knockaert bandwagon early in the season. Him scoring against Everton was his fantasy highlight. Stay away from the hype.

Chelsea v Watford

Just when you think Chelsea are about to hit full throttle, they dissappoint. It was them that Palace got their first win against; a landmark Conte will not be much proud of. A hard match -after a european classic- now awaits and it is hard to predict the winner, but we can see both teams scoring.


DOs:

  • Richarlison (6.2): Richarlison looks like the most gifted of Silva's gritty side and we're sticking by him
  • Hazard (10.6): Played his first full 90 minutes against Palace and score a brace against Roma. Need we say more?

DON'Ts:

  • Gomes. No clean sheet in Watford's last four league matches
  • Pedro. Huge "Stay Away" sign here. Hasn't completed a full 90 minutes yet and cannot even be considered a regular starter.


Manchester City v Burnley

Hurricane City to blow Burnley out of this world? Burnley is no Palace or Stoke, mind you. They have been one of the most consistent teams of the season, having already taken points off Spurs, Liverpool and winning at the Bridge. Will contintental hangover be an issue for City's match or will the Citizens touch double figures again? We expect an easy 2-0 win for City here and everyone can go home happy.

DOs:

  • Jesus (10.7): He is just on fire at the moment. You should get him at all costs
  • David Silva (8.6): The sneaky Spaniard is always involved in the build up
  • Any ManCity fullback. Walker (6.6) is a nice choice. With a clean sheet in the pocket and a possible assist, he is good value for money.

DON'Ts:

  • Burnely. Apart from a surprise goal from Wool in the last minutes of the game to make it 3-1, we cannot see any value for having Burnley players in your squad

Swansea v Leicester

We hate to blow our own horn, but we did predict Swansea's experience overcoming Huddersfield's excitement last week. Leicester were far from convincing at home against Toni's army. It is a great chance for the swans to get back to back victories and put aside any relegation concerns.

DOs:

  • Abraham (5.7): A great season so far from Tammy, we are backing him this week as well.
  • Carroll (4.5): Another gameweek to back Tom, this. A cheap option that can deliver you some surprise points.
  • Okazaki (5.6): Regardless if he starts or not, always a threat, in a good price.

DON'Ts:

  • Fabianski. We cannot see a clean sheet in this match
  • Vardy. He's been having a horrible season so far. At this price there is no reason to waste your budget.


Everton v Arsenal 

We are really looking forward to watching this one. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king, said Desiderious Erasmus, and for some reason we think this quote matches this encounter perfectly. Although Arsenal have revived from their intial coma at the beginning of the season, they are still shaky in form. Anything can happen, and we can see both teams scoring.

DOs:

  • Calvert Lewin (5.0): 3 straight starts for the youngster, and since the rest of the team is not setting the world alight, he can make the difference in your squad
  • Iwobi (5.1): Iwobi is starting to deliver on his initial promise, and we can see him involved in this one.

DON'Ts:

  • Gylfi. He has been disappointing so far, so maybe we need to give him some time to settle with his new team.
  • Lacazzete. Can't score away from home. Get rid.

Stoke v Bournemouth

In the wake of their possibly biggest loss they'll have this season will be decided to set the record straight against a declining Bournemouth. We are not afraid to predict a 1-0 win for Stoke as they'll look to keep a clean sheet in this one and see how to find a winning goal eventually.

DOs:

  • Zouma (5.5): The ideal anti.football player last week becomes the ideal defender to have this week. Fickle times eh?
  • Shaqiri (6.0): The swiss army knife is bound to score in bet365 stadium. Actually, given the name of the stadium, we urge you to put a tenner on him scoring first in this match (if you are a betting man, that is).

DON'Ts:

  • Daniels. In four away matches this season, Bournemouth have not kept a clean sheet -and as inviting it is to bet on him scoring another worldie, we cannot but keep him on the naughty list.
  • King. 1 goal in 8 full matches is below average.


Southampton v West Brom

Although there is only one point separating the two teams, there seems to be a much different feeling between the two camps. The Saints could have been a tidy squad, keeping their sheets clean and perhaps making that extra step up the table. Out of their first 5 home games this season, they have only kept one clean sheet, with 5 points out of 15 gained. 5 goals scored and 7 conceded. Even Van Dijk's return to action hasn't helped a bit. The feisty visitors have managed to score in 3 of their 4 away matches this season, thanks to the attacking mastermind that is Toni Pulis. Foster and Myhill are doubtful, so we could see Palmer debuting.

DOs:

  • Gabbiadini (6.6): The great Gabby has been this blog's poster boy this season but hasn't really delivered so far. Coming back from a brace against Newcastle, we are rooting for him scoring against the Baggies.
  • Yoshida (5.0): He seems to be the reliable solution from Soton's defence line at the moment.
  • Krychowiak (5.0): Two straight matches with at least an assist. Can he keep it up? Perhaps doubtful, but he will not be much affected by the goals West Brom might concede, so why not wage on him?

DON'Ts: 

  • West Brom's GKs. With Toni's headaches around this position, who knows who is going to start?
  • Hegazi. With three points in his last 3 matches, the hype around him is all but gone now. We had warned against jumping on the bandwagon since the early days.

Huddersfield vs Man. Utd

Huddersfield started promising the season with 7 points in 3 games. Where they stand now after 8 games? Only with 9 points. Their good defence was just a matter of luck. They have not conceded too many goals but anyone can score against them as it seems. United is not really strong when they play away games. They beat  4-0 Swansea at the beginning of the season but in general they struggle to win against most of the teams away from Old Trafford. Mourinho can always complain for his injured players, even for those from last year aka Zlatan, but there are no excuses for failure for a team with the budgets of Utd or City. We expect a narrow in for United.

DOs:

  • Lukaku (11.8): Reliable player to beat any defence in England bar Liverpool's! 
  • Valencia (6.6): Utd will keep a clean sheet on this game and Valencia is one of our favourite players.

DON'Ts: 

  • Huddersfield defence. United will not have any problem to score against them
  • Huddersfield attack. One goal in the last 5 games. You read that right. Hopefully they are not envious of Palace's start to the season.


Newcastle vs Crystal Palace

Our favourite team of the year against Roy's laughing stock. We like Newcastle because we are suckers for Rafa teams. They have no exceptional material but they play nice tactical football, which is as pleasing to the eye of some as Joga bonito. They gave away 2 points against Southampton, but we believe that they will have an easy evening against Palace. Palace did the surprise against Chelsea, but they were statistically bound to get a win at some point. We give them no hope with Hodgson on their bench. We expect a 2-0 for Newcastle.

DOs:

  • Joselu(5.5): Contrary to many of our readers, we believe in him. A very cheap option for Newcastle's lone forward. If they score, it will probably be him.
  • Lascelles(4.7): Apart from the fact that Newcastle can keep a clean sheet, Palace is very vulnerable defending set pieces and Lascelles is a good header of the ball.

DON'Ts: 

  • Schlupp; 0 goals and 0 assists, 1 yellow card in all game he has played for Palace so far, a bit worse than Benteke he was injured at the last games.
  • Palace defence: They just concede goals in every game.


Tottenham vs Liverpool

Spurs is the model team of England. Not big spending during the transfer window, they use many young players, you enjoy watching them playing and they deliver results. It will be hard for them to compete for the league this season, but we can see them finishing in the top four. They managed to get a draw in Bernabeu during the week and their confidence should be very high. Liverpool destroyed poor Maribor, but their opponent resembled more a Sunday league team than a Champions League club. They will have the chance to prove their marvelous way of attacking against Spurs, since Pochettino rarely engages in extreme defensive tactics, but we consider that they will not manage to keep a clean sheet.

DOs:

  • Coutinho (9.0): He is the most reliable person at the attack of LIverpool to score or assist against any opponent and he gives extra points as a midfielder for his goals. Honestly, a world class player that transcends Liverpool to another level.
  • Eriksen (9.7): He is not a considered to be in the top player bracket -yet-, we never hear about him during transfer windows but he is the most influential player of Tottenham. This year, he has already accumulated 56 fantasy points. What else do you need to get him on your team? 

DON'Ts: 

  • Defences: Avoid both defences. We do not see that any of the the teams will manage to keep a clean sheet. If you just crave for a defender from this match-up, pick on from the home side. No explanation needed fro that.

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