Welcome back to another Fantasy Premier League article. Ahead of the weekend's action,
@Victory_Dan highlights his top 5 tips in preparation for Gameweek 22.
Can Leicester City knock Arsenal of their perch and reclaim top spot for the first time since the end of December. Arsenal currently lead the table due to superior goal-difference, however, with a tough trip to Stoke for 'The Gunners' - Leicester are in pole position to take advantage of any slip-ups with a win against bottom of the table Aston Villa.
Elsewhere Dimitri Payet marked his return with a fantastically converted free kick and Wayne Rooney brought a whole new meaning to the 'New Year, New Me' phrase, adding another 2 goals and an assist to his 2016 tally.
Here are our tips for Gameweek 22 - all information is relative to
FPL,
FantasyBet and
Mondogoal, who each bring their own style of Fantasy Football to the table.
Fixtures
| Date |
Home |
Vs. |
Away |
| 16/01/16 |
TOT |
12:45 |
SUN |
| 16/01/16 |
MCY |
15:00 |
CRY |
| 16/01/16 |
NEW |
15:00 |
WHM |
| 16/01/16 |
SOU |
15:00 |
WBA |
| 16/01/16 |
BOR |
15:00 |
NOR |
| 16/01/16 |
CHE |
15:00 |
EVE |
| 16/01/16 |
AST |
17:30 |
LEI |
| 17/01/16 |
LIV |
14:05 |
MUN |
| 17/01/16 |
STO |
16:15 |
ARS |
| 18/01/16 |
SWA |
20:00 |
WAT |
Clean Sheet Odds
| # |
Team |
Odds |
Implied Chance |
| 1 |
Tottenham |
1.91 |
52% |
| 2 |
Southampton |
2.05 |
49% |
| 3 |
Man City |
2.15 |
47% |
| 4 |
Arsenal |
2.45 |
41% |
| 5 |
Bournemouth |
2.50 |
40% |
To Score 2+
| # |
Team |
Odds |
Implied Chance |
| 1 |
Tottenham |
1.40 |
71% |
| 2 |
Man City |
1.40 |
71% |
| 3 |
Chelsea |
1.80 |
56% |
| 4 |
Arsenal |
2.00 |
50% |
| 5 |
Southampton |
2.00 |
50% |
Tip 1 - The return of Payet
Dimitri Payet is the player that takes West Ham to the next level. Skilful on the ball with great vision and an eye for goal, Payet returned to the starting XI with a bang in midweek, carding a goal, an assist and 2 bonus to net 11 points in the Hammers' 3-1 win away to Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
Following 2 months on the sidelines, Payet has continued right where he left off - an impressive debut season which saw him score an average of 6.2 points per game between August and November. This weekend he travels to the North East where a leaky Newcastle defence awaits. The Toon have conceded 38 goals so far this term, the 2nd highest in the league, and Payet himself notched 2 in the 3-0 win over the Magpies earlier this season.
Tip 2 - Goals expected at The Britannia
Stoke and Arsenal both subscribe to an attacking philosophy of football, and that is clear for all to see with the Potters and the Gunners being 2 of the most in-form attacks in the league over the last 6 games, scoring 11 and 10 goals respectively.
With attacking talent on show all round, Fantasy players could profit by picking at least 1 member from each contingent.
Bojan,
Joselu (2 in 3) and
Marko Arnautovic are the recommended picks from the hosts, whilst
Olivier Giroud, fresh from a midweek brace,
Mesut Ozil and
Alexis Sanchez (if passed fit) look likeliest to oblige for the away side. We recommend avoiding defenders in this one.
Tip 3 - More goals expected at Anfield
Liverpool and Manchester United lock horns on Sunday as they renew their long-standing rivalry. The last 11 league meetings between these 2 have seen an average of 3.1 goals per game, and with both sides conceding 10 in their last 6 (joint 2nd worst defences in the division on recent form), we certainly expect goals in this game too.
Roberto Firmino and
Wayne Rooney (4 in 3 in all competitions) both scored midweek doubles and look key to their respective sides challenges for the top 4. The last league meeting between these 2 back in September saw United run out 3-1 winners, with
Daley Blind,
Ander Herrera,
Anthony Martial and
Christian Benteke the scorers on the day.
Tip 4 - Role reversal as Leicester continue title charge
Leicester have built their season, and their unexpected title challenge, on a foundation of attacking football, underpinned by the goals of
Jamie Vardy (15) and
Riyad Mahrez (13). Between them, the pair have scored 74% of Leicester's league goals this term.
But lately, those goals have dried up as Leicester have managed just 1 goal in 4 games. However, The Foxes have been able to continue their charge for Premier League glory by tightening up at the back. After just 3 clean sheets in their opening 18 games, Claudio Ranieri's men have now registered a further 3 shutouts in their last 3 outings.
Robert Huth and
Christian Fuchs contributed with a goal and an assist respectively - both receiving bonus points last time out. A visit to the league's lowest scorers Aston Villa, who average just 0.8 goals per game, could furnish owners of Leicester's defensive assets with Fantasy returns.
Tip 5 - Southampton's defensive upturn at St Mary's
Despite inconsistent form overall, Southampton have improved at home lately, particularly from a defensive point of view. The Saints have kept clean sheets in their last 2 home league games against the strong attacking units of Arsenal and Watford.
This weekend they entertain a goal-shy West Brom. The Baggies are the 3rd lowest scorers in the league (scoring 1.05 goals per game), so
Virgil van Dijk, with his attacking prowess (2 goals this season), could prove a shrewd pick at both ends of the pitch.
