As we anticipated, last weekend was well and truly the weekend of the differential. The Sherwood revolution is in full throttle after Villa smashed home as many goals in the first half against the Black Cats (4) as they had in total previously this year.
Christian Benteke alone tallied up more points than Eden Hazard, David Silva, Alexis Sanchez and Sergio Aguero combined, whilst Jordan Henderson extended his goal scoring run to three in three; a run that surely must come to an end soon?!
The battle for a Champions League spot is set to continue this weekend when Manchester United visit Anfield for the next chapter in the meeting between England's most successful sides. In the past it's been known to decide league titles but this time around it could play a pivotal part in deciding who will miss out on Champions League football next season.
City will have a chance to redeem themselves following last week's humiliating away defeat to Burnley when they take on West Brom at the Etihad. A twist in the tale for the blue side of Manchester this week however, as they look to lead themselves into Europe having all but lost their chance of retaining the title.
Arsenal and Tottenham have ties against Newcastle and Leicester respectively where both will look to walk away with the win and make the most of inevitable dropped points at Anfield on Sunday.
Aston Villa and Tim Sherwood have back-to-back wins in the league and will look to get the better of Swansea on Saturday as they continue to rise up the table out of danger. Meanwhile Chelsea will travel away to Hull in the early kick-off on Sunday, where Mourinho will want a win to move closer to another league title.
Without further ado, here's our Fantasy Premier League tips for Gameweek 30
Goalkeepers [mks_col] [mks_one_half] With two of the most popular low budget keepers potentially side-lined this weekend, we imagine there's a few of you scratching your heads over who to place between your sticks. Ben Foster picked up a knee injury during West Brom's 1-0 victory over Stoke last weekend that has ruled him out for at least a month. Boaz Myhill will take over between the sticks and could be a good choice in the coming weeks. Elsewhere, the arrival of Dick Advocaat could mean that our favourite Romanian Costel Pantillimon will be subject to rotation with close competition from Vito Mannone. Papiss Cisse's suspension really has put the brakes on Newcastle's season and it seems as though the Toon Army will crawl across the 40-point landmark and look to rebuild next term. With Arsenal visiting Newcastle this weekend, fresh from a 3-0 home victory over West Ham you wouldn't put it past Arsene Wenger's men to make it five wins out of five in the league. For that reason the inform David Ospina should be cited by many, with the Columbian 26-year old now a regular starter for Arsenal following a poor run of form and a cigarette break for Wojciech Szczesny. Arsenal have conceded just three goals in their last five, and with confidence sky high following two consecutive clean sheets Ospina looks like Arsenal's number one for the foreseeable future. In midweek he had little to do against Monaco, and it would be surprising to see him tested time-after-time come Saturday. While David Ospina seems the best and most valuable option it is Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois who seems like the best option if you're willing to splash a bit of that cash at the back. Arguably one of the best goalkeepers in the league this year, Courtouis and Chelsea will travel to Hull on Sunday looking to remain six points clear at the top. Chelsea haven't conceded more than two goals in the league since their 5-3 loss against Tottenham at the beginning of January, and with one of the best defensive records in the league you should be quietly confident they'll add another clean sheet against a goal shy Hull.
Defenders Southampton still boast the best defensive record in the league and despite a poor February it seems as though they may be about to put recent miseries behind them and return to the kind of form that saw them sit in third over the Christmas period. A hard fought draw last weekend prior to a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace � giving Saints their 13th clean sheet of the season � gives us reason to believe their away tie against Burnley will result in a win. With Ryan Bertrand also offering decent attacking returns with two goals and two assists this season you must carefully decide whether or not to leave him out of your squads this Gameweek. Toby Alderweireld returned for Saints last week following his recovery from a hamstring injury, immediately taking a former FPLBet favourite Maya Yoshida's place; and with an inexpensive price tag he provides the cheapest way in to the Southampton backline. While West Ham and Sam Allardyce haven't been playing as well as they did in the first half the season, coming up against a Sunderland side who temporarily forgot that football is an 11-aside game last week will be a welcome relief for them and a chance to return to winning ways. Sunderland sacked manager Gus Poyet following their 4-0 loss against Aston Villa, where Tim Sherwood's side managed to score over a fifth of the goals they've scored all season. Despite a quick change at the helm with the introduction of former Netherland's boss Dick Advocaat, it seems hard to believe an away win following such a defeat will occur. Aaron Cresswell has been the most prominent West Ham defender this season, and despite an appalling blunder against Crystal Palace a few weeks ago we believe he's your best bet if you're backing the Hammers defence. After backing him last week and being rewarded with an assist, it'd be rude of us not to put our faith in Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic once more. Chelsea's defensive record needs no introduction, and until the fullback stops picking up goals and assists he's going to remain nailed on in our team. This weekend Chelsea face a Hull side who have scored just once in their last three matches despite two of those being against struggling Leicester and Sunderland sides. Following their Champions League exit to PSG last week Jose Mourinho's men have just one trophy left to fight for, and despite Manchester City struggling to keep up with the pace, the Chelsea boss will want the league wrapped up as soon as possible. Everton's season in the Premier League is certainly not living up to the clubs pre season expectations, but following the 3-0 win over Newcastle and their recent form in the Europa league we have reason to believe they will finish their campaign strongly. Leighton Baines is the best defensive provider this season with the highest number of assists (8) � partly due to his free-kick and corner-taking responsibilities � and taking on a QPR side who look like they may be plunging back down to the Championship should be a strong indicator to choose the England left-back. It seems as though Tottenham's leaky defence may ultimately cost them a Champions League place come the end of their campaign. They've conceded in all of their last six matches but with a chance to redeem themselves against a Leicester side that have been playing just one up top recently the weekend could mark a change of routine for Tottenham. Danny Rose has four assists and two goals this season for Spurs, and could provide more than just clean sheet against Leicester. However, his poor performance against Manchester United could see him dropped meaning that nailed on teammate Jan Vertonghen, who poses an aerial threat from corners, could be a less risky choice.
Midfielders The tie between Liverpool and Manchester United this Sunday could swing the balance for both sides as they continue to hunt a Champions League spot. Come Sunday Liverpool could be five points adrift of Arsenal and you'd like to imagine that with Liverpool's recent form, coupled with the addition of a home tie against United, Brendan Rodgers side will be slight favourites. Jordan Henderson's goal on Monday that rebounded off the England International and over the on-looking Lukasz Fabianski wasn't his best this season, but with three goals in three appearances Steven Gerrard's replacement has found some form and not to mention confidence. That confidence seems to be stemming through the whole Liverpool side and with Philippe Coutinho also impressing both will likely play an important part should Liverpool mark their sixth consecutive win. However, United's strong performance against Tottenham shouldn't be overlooked and with many managers inevitably struggling to choose a victor, it's hard to put your finger on where the points will come form. If Southampton are serious about hunting down the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and United for a chance to play in Europe's elite competition then their goal scoring form will need to improve fast. Besides employing Tim Sherwood for the remainder of the season to assist Ronald Koeman it seems as though there's only one man on the pitch that's likely to change their offensive fortunes. Sadio Mane has helped resume normal order for the Saints over the past few weeks. Since returning from the African Cup of Nations, the Senegalese striker scored the only goal in Southamptons 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, and last weekend won an important penalty that earned them a massive point away from home to league leaders Chelsea. This weekend Southampton face a Burnley side that lack defensive stability, creating the perfect opportunity for them to regain their confidence in-front of goal. Who knows, even Graziano Pelle might find the scoresheet… There was a time last season when Aaron Ramsey would have made your fantasy sides without fail week-in week-out. However, the 24-year old has spent the majority of this campaign in the shadow of his midfield counterparts Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla. Two goals in his last two appearances from the bench looks to have changed the fortunes of the Welshman, who will be eyeing up a return to the starting 11 this weekend. Despite an International break on the horizon Aaron Ramsey will no doubt be looking to feature for Arsenal as they take on a Newcastle team who are struggling under John Carver. Although they were quiet last weekend it would be wrong and immoral to conclude our midfield options without mentioning the likes of Eden Hazard and David Silva. Both have favourable fixtures this Gameweek and we'd be surprised if either didn't at least pick up an assist. It has to be noted that Silva may be more fatigued that Hazard come the weekend, with the Spaniard likely to get the run-around by Barcelona on Wednesday.
Forwards Any striker who has seven goals in his last eight appearances deserves a mention. Combined with his flamboyant midfield and easy fixture against struggling Newcastle it'd be no surprise to see Olivier Giroud not only be selected, but also take the armband for many sides this weekend. Arguably in the form of his career Giroud's ability to hold up possession and provide lay-offs to teammates has led to him picking up points from assists and not only his goal scoring form. His goal against AS Monaco means that like Aaron Ramsey he's also scored in his last two in all competitions. In the league his form is equally as impressive having netted four in four, meaning you'll likely pay the price should you choose to leave him out against a side like Newcastle. Manchester City look out of the race for the title but following a poor run of form they've managed to find themselves in a top four dog fight that's going to ensure football fans will be drooling until the end of the season. Sergio Aguero is arguably the player that could make a difference for City and Manuel Pellegrini over the coming months, as the City boss looks to keep hold of his job at the Etihad. West Brom boast quite a defensive record but an injury to Ben Foster may unsettle their defence with an inexperienced Boaz Myhill standing in. You should also remember than until Diego Costa headed home last weekend, Aguero was joint top goal scorer in the league, despite drawing blanks in his last two appearances. If you walked in the bookies a few weeks ago and bet on Villa scoring four goals in one game this season you'd have probably got a fair few stares and sniggers in your direction. But former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood managed the impossible at Sunderland and did so all before half time. With two wins in succession and a three-point gap between them and the drop-zone they'll now begin working their way in to safety. For that reason it only seems fair to give Christian Benteke and Gabriel Agbonlahor honourable mentions this Gameweek ahead of their tie against Swansea. Benteke will be the go-to choice out of the two, leaving cheaper option Agbonlahor as a solid differential despite the fact he's picked up a similar amount of points over the last few games. It was almost disturbing when Harry Kane made it to full-time without netting at least a goal at Old Trafford. His record of late has been impeccable and despite that defeat to United the 21-year old still has eight goals in seven Premier League appearances. With one last chance left before the International break to prove to Roy Hodgson that he deserves a place in the England starting line-up against Italy, he'll be looking to impress as Tottenham take on Leicester at White Hart Lane. Nigel Pearson was 'effing and blinding' at journalists after last weekend and the Leicester boss may throw another tantrum if Harry Kane and Tottenham have their way. Romelu Lukaku also deserves a mention with Everton picking up a 2-1 win over Dynamo Kiev and a 3-0 win against Newcastle last week. The Belgian powerhouse was heavily involved in both games tallying up two goals and assists across both games. This weekend he faces relegation candidates QPR and will be looking to finish the season strongly.
Goalkeepers [mks_col] [mks_one_half] With two of the most popular low budget keepers potentially side-lined this weekend, we imagine there's a few of you scratching your heads over who to place between your sticks. Ben Foster picked up a knee injury during West Brom's 1-0 victory over Stoke last weekend that has ruled him out for at least a month. Boaz Myhill will take over between the sticks and could be a good choice in the coming weeks. Elsewhere, the arrival of Dick Advocaat could mean that our favourite Romanian Costel Pantillimon will be subject to rotation with close competition from Vito Mannone. Papiss Cisse's suspension really has put the brakes on Newcastle's season and it seems as though the Toon Army will crawl across the 40-point landmark and look to rebuild next term. With Arsenal visiting Newcastle this weekend, fresh from a 3-0 home victory over West Ham you wouldn't put it past Arsene Wenger's men to make it five wins out of five in the league. For that reason the inform David Ospina should be cited by many, with the Columbian 26-year old now a regular starter for Arsenal following a poor run of form and a cigarette break for Wojciech Szczesny. Arsenal have conceded just three goals in their last five, and with confidence sky high following two consecutive clean sheets Ospina looks like Arsenal's number one for the foreseeable future. In midweek he had little to do against Monaco, and it would be surprising to see him tested time-after-time come Saturday. While David Ospina seems the best and most valuable option it is Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois who seems like the best option if you're willing to splash a bit of that cash at the back. Arguably one of the best goalkeepers in the league this year, Courtouis and Chelsea will travel to Hull on Sunday looking to remain six points clear at the top. Chelsea haven't conceded more than two goals in the league since their 5-3 loss against Tottenham at the beginning of January, and with one of the best defensive records in the league you should be quietly confident they'll add another clean sheet against a goal shy Hull.
Defenders Southampton still boast the best defensive record in the league and despite a poor February it seems as though they may be about to put recent miseries behind them and return to the kind of form that saw them sit in third over the Christmas period. A hard fought draw last weekend prior to a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace � giving Saints their 13th clean sheet of the season � gives us reason to believe their away tie against Burnley will result in a win. With Ryan Bertrand also offering decent attacking returns with two goals and two assists this season you must carefully decide whether or not to leave him out of your squads this Gameweek. Toby Alderweireld returned for Saints last week following his recovery from a hamstring injury, immediately taking a former FPLBet favourite Maya Yoshida's place; and with an inexpensive price tag he provides the cheapest way in to the Southampton backline. While West Ham and Sam Allardyce haven't been playing as well as they did in the first half the season, coming up against a Sunderland side who temporarily forgot that football is an 11-aside game last week will be a welcome relief for them and a chance to return to winning ways. Sunderland sacked manager Gus Poyet following their 4-0 loss against Aston Villa, where Tim Sherwood's side managed to score over a fifth of the goals they've scored all season. Despite a quick change at the helm with the introduction of former Netherland's boss Dick Advocaat, it seems hard to believe an away win following such a defeat will occur. Aaron Cresswell has been the most prominent West Ham defender this season, and despite an appalling blunder against Crystal Palace a few weeks ago we believe he's your best bet if you're backing the Hammers defence. After backing him last week and being rewarded with an assist, it'd be rude of us not to put our faith in Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic once more. Chelsea's defensive record needs no introduction, and until the fullback stops picking up goals and assists he's going to remain nailed on in our team. This weekend Chelsea face a Hull side who have scored just once in their last three matches despite two of those being against struggling Leicester and Sunderland sides. Following their Champions League exit to PSG last week Jose Mourinho's men have just one trophy left to fight for, and despite Manchester City struggling to keep up with the pace, the Chelsea boss will want the league wrapped up as soon as possible. Everton's season in the Premier League is certainly not living up to the clubs pre season expectations, but following the 3-0 win over Newcastle and their recent form in the Europa league we have reason to believe they will finish their campaign strongly. Leighton Baines is the best defensive provider this season with the highest number of assists (8) � partly due to his free-kick and corner-taking responsibilities � and taking on a QPR side who look like they may be plunging back down to the Championship should be a strong indicator to choose the England left-back. It seems as though Tottenham's leaky defence may ultimately cost them a Champions League place come the end of their campaign. They've conceded in all of their last six matches but with a chance to redeem themselves against a Leicester side that have been playing just one up top recently the weekend could mark a change of routine for Tottenham. Danny Rose has four assists and two goals this season for Spurs, and could provide more than just clean sheet against Leicester. However, his poor performance against Manchester United could see him dropped meaning that nailed on teammate Jan Vertonghen, who poses an aerial threat from corners, could be a less risky choice.
Midfielders The tie between Liverpool and Manchester United this Sunday could swing the balance for both sides as they continue to hunt a Champions League spot. Come Sunday Liverpool could be five points adrift of Arsenal and you'd like to imagine that with Liverpool's recent form, coupled with the addition of a home tie against United, Brendan Rodgers side will be slight favourites. Jordan Henderson's goal on Monday that rebounded off the England International and over the on-looking Lukasz Fabianski wasn't his best this season, but with three goals in three appearances Steven Gerrard's replacement has found some form and not to mention confidence. That confidence seems to be stemming through the whole Liverpool side and with Philippe Coutinho also impressing both will likely play an important part should Liverpool mark their sixth consecutive win. However, United's strong performance against Tottenham shouldn't be overlooked and with many managers inevitably struggling to choose a victor, it's hard to put your finger on where the points will come form. If Southampton are serious about hunting down the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and United for a chance to play in Europe's elite competition then their goal scoring form will need to improve fast. Besides employing Tim Sherwood for the remainder of the season to assist Ronald Koeman it seems as though there's only one man on the pitch that's likely to change their offensive fortunes. Sadio Mane has helped resume normal order for the Saints over the past few weeks. Since returning from the African Cup of Nations, the Senegalese striker scored the only goal in Southamptons 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, and last weekend won an important penalty that earned them a massive point away from home to league leaders Chelsea. This weekend Southampton face a Burnley side that lack defensive stability, creating the perfect opportunity for them to regain their confidence in-front of goal. Who knows, even Graziano Pelle might find the scoresheet… There was a time last season when Aaron Ramsey would have made your fantasy sides without fail week-in week-out. However, the 24-year old has spent the majority of this campaign in the shadow of his midfield counterparts Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla. Two goals in his last two appearances from the bench looks to have changed the fortunes of the Welshman, who will be eyeing up a return to the starting 11 this weekend. Despite an International break on the horizon Aaron Ramsey will no doubt be looking to feature for Arsenal as they take on a Newcastle team who are struggling under John Carver. Although they were quiet last weekend it would be wrong and immoral to conclude our midfield options without mentioning the likes of Eden Hazard and David Silva. Both have favourable fixtures this Gameweek and we'd be surprised if either didn't at least pick up an assist. It has to be noted that Silva may be more fatigued that Hazard come the weekend, with the Spaniard likely to get the run-around by Barcelona on Wednesday.
Forwards Any striker who has seven goals in his last eight appearances deserves a mention. Combined with his flamboyant midfield and easy fixture against struggling Newcastle it'd be no surprise to see Olivier Giroud not only be selected, but also take the armband for many sides this weekend. Arguably in the form of his career Giroud's ability to hold up possession and provide lay-offs to teammates has led to him picking up points from assists and not only his goal scoring form. His goal against AS Monaco means that like Aaron Ramsey he's also scored in his last two in all competitions. In the league his form is equally as impressive having netted four in four, meaning you'll likely pay the price should you choose to leave him out against a side like Newcastle. Manchester City look out of the race for the title but following a poor run of form they've managed to find themselves in a top four dog fight that's going to ensure football fans will be drooling until the end of the season. Sergio Aguero is arguably the player that could make a difference for City and Manuel Pellegrini over the coming months, as the City boss looks to keep hold of his job at the Etihad. West Brom boast quite a defensive record but an injury to Ben Foster may unsettle their defence with an inexperienced Boaz Myhill standing in. You should also remember than until Diego Costa headed home last weekend, Aguero was joint top goal scorer in the league, despite drawing blanks in his last two appearances. If you walked in the bookies a few weeks ago and bet on Villa scoring four goals in one game this season you'd have probably got a fair few stares and sniggers in your direction. But former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood managed the impossible at Sunderland and did so all before half time. With two wins in succession and a three-point gap between them and the drop-zone they'll now begin working their way in to safety. For that reason it only seems fair to give Christian Benteke and Gabriel Agbonlahor honourable mentions this Gameweek ahead of their tie against Swansea. Benteke will be the go-to choice out of the two, leaving cheaper option Agbonlahor as a solid differential despite the fact he's picked up a similar amount of points over the last few games. It was almost disturbing when Harry Kane made it to full-time without netting at least a goal at Old Trafford. His record of late has been impeccable and despite that defeat to United the 21-year old still has eight goals in seven Premier League appearances. With one last chance left before the International break to prove to Roy Hodgson that he deserves a place in the England starting line-up against Italy, he'll be looking to impress as Tottenham take on Leicester at White Hart Lane. Nigel Pearson was 'effing and blinding' at journalists after last weekend and the Leicester boss may throw another tantrum if Harry Kane and Tottenham have their way. Romelu Lukaku also deserves a mention with Everton picking up a 2-1 win over Dynamo Kiev and a 3-0 win against Newcastle last week. The Belgian powerhouse was heavily involved in both games tallying up two goals and assists across both games. This weekend he faces relegation candidates QPR and will be looking to finish the season strongly.
