The final weekend of Premier League season is upon us and as far as success in a mini-league goes, this one is make or break. Our second set of Fantasy Premier League tips for this week come in the form of five carefully researched, thought-provoking statistics that will no doubt shape your team for Gameweek 38.
BAD OMENS FOR HULL, BUT GOALS AT THE KC A SHOO-IN
Poor old Steve Bruce — his woeful record against his former employers is already well documented, but worse still is the Tiger's recent home form against the Premier League's top sides. This season alone, they've slumped to a 2-3 defeat against Chelsea, a 2-4 reversal against Man City, and a 1-3 loss to Arsenal. The smart money then, is on a gallant and high-scoring near miss from the Tigers — particularly as in their last seven games against United, SIX have seen the Red Devils scoring 3 goals or more. All that makes the likes of Ashley Young, Wayne Rooney (7 in his last 4 vs. Hull) and Hull's free-kick expert Robbie Brady smart picks this weekend.STOKE AND WALTERS TO SEND STEVIE PACKING WITH ANOTHER LOSS?
Liverpool's season is limping to its conclusion and we think this weekend could see yet more pressure heaped on Brendan Rodgers. Stoke have a great recent record against Liverpool at home (3 wins and 2 draws, 1 defeat), but of greater interest to Fantasy managers is the man who has caused the Reds' back line, Jonathan Walters. The Irishman has four in his last three against Gerrard & co., making him a real serious contender for a spot in your line up in GW38.CHELSEA THE KINGS OF BOUNCE-BACK-ABILITY
Chelsea's 3-0 defeat to West Brom was their first Premier League defeat since the 5-3 New Year's Day shellacking by the Harry Kane Hotspurs but as we wrote at the time, Chelsea have a brilliant habit of following PL losses with wins and clean sheets. Here's the proof — after losing to Newcastle in December, Chelsea hit straight back with a 2-0 win at home to Hull, while at the tail-end of last season, 1-0 defeats against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace were followed by 6-0 and 3-0 wins over Arsenal and Stoke respectively. Oh, and they also notched a cheeky wee 2-0 win at Anfield directly after a home loss to Sunderland. Does anyone remember that? Anyway - all this makes sticking a Chelsea defender in your backline the best idea since pre-sliced bagels.LOOKING FOR CHEAP CLEAN SHEETS? LOOK AT ST JAMES' PARK AND BIG SAM'S HAMMERS
They might be away from home to a side still in serious danger of relegation, but we're tipping West Ham to bag clean sheet points this weekend, for two very good reasons. Firstly, because Big Sam is a former Newcastle boss and given the nature of his dismissal (acrimonious) and his grip on his job (loose) he'll be especially motivated to come away with a win. Even better, the stats are on his side too — in the last five games between the two side, there have been just SIX goals, including a pair of 0-0s, and two 1-0 wins for the Hammers. Get Aaron Cresswell or Winston Reid in your XI and you could reap the rewards.DEPARTING YAYA TO SAY TA-TA IN STYLE AT THE ETIHAD?
The ever-swirling rumours suggest that Yaya Toure could be set for a move to Italy in the off-season, and we're backing him to end the season — and maybe, just maybe, his City career — with an imposing performance against Southampton. In his last five games against the Saints, he's scored twice, assisted twice, and grabbed his share of bonus points into the bargain. He's expensive, of course, but he just might be worth the investment in GW38.
