Dec 14

Gameweek 14 Preview

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Our @JWoodfield365 previews the first midweek gameweek of the season, with Shkodran Mustafi, Pascal Gross and the entire Chelsea team among the top GW14 tips. Thanksgiving may have been last Thursday, but this week FPL bosses give thanks for Gameweek 14, the first midweek GW of the season. Christmas really has come early as three GWs align in a nine-day period, but with greater fixture congestion comes greater responsibility. It goes without saying that vigilant checking for team news is paramount, but rotation is a looming presence yet again, and any acquisitions prior to Tuesday's 18:45 are likely best served for established starters rather than bit-part players. From only a quick glean of the GW14 fixtures, two fixtures immediately stand out:
  1. Arsenal v Huddersfield
  2. Chelsea v Swansea
Pity Huddersfield and Swansea, they will likely endure exhausting evenings on Wednesday. Arsenal have won all six league games at the Emirates; Huddersfield haven't scored away from home since the first GW of the season. Discount Gunners centre-back Shkodran Mustafi has returned clean sheet points in all but one of the six games he's played this season, while Aaron Ramsey, with two goals and three assists in five, is echoing his heroic form of 2013/14. Swansea, like Huddersfield, are struggling on the road, losing their last three, and rejuvenated Chelsea offer no respite. Eden Hazard is in ruthless form, with three goals in three assists in five. The Cesar Azpilicueta & Alvaro Morata partnership has already returned five assists and five goals so far, and against the lowest scorers in the league (7), the former has clean sheet potential; the latter potential to add to his eight league goals. Moving for any Chelsea assets now has the added appeal of their forthcoming fixtures, the Blues evading the top six until January. Fixture difficulty no longer seems to apply to Man City, but in the old world, the league leaders would too be perceived as having a fair run of fixtures. Two home games with Southampton and West Ham await, and after being benched against Huddersfield, the Pep rotation rules indicate Gabriel Jesus should start against Soton - he's already scored five home league goals this season. Raheem Sterling, fresh off a 13-point haul at the Terries, remains the cheapest way into Man City's attacking line at £8.1m, and having moved into third-highest point scorer, is offering considerable bang for your buck when afforded the playing time. One player losing his allure, however, is Romelu Lukaku. While the Belgian won't face a ban for an alleged on Gaetan Bong, Manchester United face Watford and Arsenal next, and despite my homage to the Belgian prior to GW12, his solitary goal against Newcastle is his only league goal in six. United were pedestrian against a competitive Brighton, and their fixtures don't open up attractively until GW17. Tottenham are another side with tricky, if not jarring fixtures. It's Leicester and Watford (both away) next for Spurs, who've gone off the boil in the league since demolishing Liverpool. They've scored just two goals in four games. Harry Kane's late equaliser against West Brom vindicated the 22.5% of owners who captained the enigmatic striker in GW13; there's a constant give and take with owning Kane. But Christian Eriksen is enduring an atypical spell of anonymity - the Dane hasn't delivered attacking returns in five games now, his last away return came at West Ham in GW6. A viable, considerably cheaper Eriksen replacement could be Pascal Gross (£6m). The German has been involved in eight of Brighton's 13 league goals, and his genius saw him scoop three bonus points at Old Trafford despite not earning an assist nor a goal. Brighton have two home games upcoming (v Crystal Palace in GW14); they haven't lost at the Amex Stadium since GW1 against Man City, and they've scored in every home game since. For games short of goals, though, look no further than Burnley v Bournemouth. The Clarets were denied a fourth clean sheet against Arsenal thanks to a stoppage time Alexis Sanchez penalty, while Bournemouth are riding a three-game clean sheet run of their own. It'll probably finish 4-4 now. Both teams have talented forwards for sure in Callum Wilson and Chris Wood, but their defences are in vigilant form. Asmir Begovic with three bonus points in three games is available at just £4.5m. Follow Jack for more FPL insight...

More FPL Gameweek Tips

Wondering who to pick as as your Gameweek 14 Captain? @FPLHolly discusses the best options in her weekly GW14 Captain tips article. Follow Us for more #FPL tips, picks and expert opinion. [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type="1_6" layout="1_6" spacing="" center_content="no" hover_type="none" link="" mer_position="all" padding="" dimension_margin="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" last="no" element_content=""][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]