Welcome to our Fantasy Premier League Defensive Analysis For Gameweek 31 article. NaturalFootyFan returns to pick out the clubs with the best clean sheet potential ahead of the weekend's fixtures.
Our Gameweek 30 defensive recommendations were very successful, with three of the four clubs we highlighted securing clean sheets.
In the opening match, Man City's toothless display saw them share the points with Norwich in a goalless draw. Relegation now seems inevitable for Aston Villa, as Tottenham eased to a 2-0 victory over The Villans. Meanwhile, our bonus pick Leicester City, held off a rejuvenated Newcastle in Rafa Benitez's first match in charge of The Magpies.
This is the first time since Gameweek 25, that Leicester have topped our form chart, adding another clean sheet to their tally last night. The Foxes continue to perform like serious title favourites, with their third textbook 1-0 victory in their last four matches… it's almost like they've done this before!
Liverpool have shown cutting edge in recent weeks, scoring for fun. However, it's their defensive displays which have caught our eye. A team effort is needed to execute Klopp's pressing strategy effectively, and it's clear to see that their players, most notably in defence, are beginning to move in-sync.
Watford have established themselves as a solid outfit in 2016, and sit comfortably above the relegation zone. Quique Flores will use their midweek FA Cup win over Arsenal, to inject confidence into his player's as they host Stoke City on Saturday. The Hornet's impressed in the reverse fixture, and have home comforts this time out.
Despite West Brom chopping and changing their backline in just about every match this season, Tony Pulis is an expert at grinding out results, and there's nothing that pleases him more than a clean sheet. With this in mind, and the fact that Norwich have scored just a single goal in their last four Premier League matches, The Baggies top our fixture ease chart.
Just look at the amount of big chances Newcastle have created to see why Sunderland make a rare appearance in our defensive analysis. This will be a meaty derby match, in which cards will come aplenty - even control freak Rafa Benitez is getting feisty sending out an “I'm coming to get you” warning to Big Sam.
Swansea complete the top three as they host a drained Villa side, who look to have already thrown in the towel. They have everything to play for, but the gap keeps widening every week, and worryingly their player's don't seem to bothered… yes Joleon, you too!
Swansea are unbeaten in their last six Barclays Premier League games against Aston Villa (W4 D2), winning the last four in a row. They are very strong at The Liberty - 86% of their clean sheets coming at home in the 2015/16 campaign.
Tottenham are a force to be reckoned with at White Hart Lane - conceding just 12 times at home all season. With Jan Vertonghen on the verge of a return, their defensive stability is further aided. Although Bournemouth have scored eight in their last three matches, they have stuttered when playing the top clubs.
In terms of Leicester this season, you may as well scrunch up your bookmakers predictions. According to them, Ranieri's men have a 43% implied chance of a clean sheet, the same percentage as in Gameweek 30… and you know what the outcome was then.
In Form Defences Ahead Of Gameweek 31:
First off let's take a look at recent form. The following table displays the top seven defences based on their number of clean sheets and average goals conceded in their last four Premier League matches:| Team | Clean Sheets | Goals Conceded |
|---|---|---|
| Leicester | 3 | 2 |
| Liverpool | 2 | 2 |
| Watford | 1 | 3 |
| West Brom | 2 | 4 |
| West Ham | 2 | 4 |
| Stoke | 1 | 4 |
| Tottenham | 1 | 4 |
Easiest Defensive Fixture In Gameweek 31:
The table below displays the top seven defences based on opposition goals scored and big chances created. Capital letters are used for home teams and lowercase for away teams. The data is taken from the last four Premier League matches:| Team | Vs. | Goals Scored | Big Chances |
|---|---|---|---|
| WBA | nor | 1 | 3 |
| sun | NEW | 2 | 1 |
| SWA | avl | 2 | 4 |
| sto | WAT | 2 | 9 |
| liv | SOU | 4 | 6 |
| NEW | sun | 5 | 4 |
| MCI | mun | 5 | 4 |
Bookies Clean Sheet Odds For Gameweek 31:
The table below displays the top seven teams based on the bookies odds to keep a clean sheet in Gameweek 31. The odds have been converted into implied chance percentage:| Team | Implied Chance % |
|---|---|
| Swansea | 48% |
| Tottenham | 44% |
| Leicester | 43% |
| Chelsea | 42% |
| Man City | 42% |
| Newcastle | 40% |
| West Brom | 40% |
Gameweek 31 Clean Sheet Verdict:
Based on our analysis and research methods we now have our top three recommendations based on form, fixture and odds. We have also thrown in a bonus, which is generally a side ranked high across all of our charts.
Here is our verdict and predicted backlines for Gameweek 31 - colour coded in terms of likelihood of starting (Green = Nailed On, Red = Rotation/Injury Risk):
Form: Leicester (vs. CRY)
Schmeichel
Simpson Morgan Huth Fuchs
Fixture: West Brom (vs. NOR)
Foster
Dawson McAuley Olsson Chester
Odds: Swansea (vs. AVL)
Fabianski
Rangel Fernandez Williams Taylor
Bonus: Tottenham (vs. BOU)
Lloris
Walker Alderweireld Wimmer Rose
Dier
