Gameweek 8 Clean Sheet Analysis For Fantasy Premier League

Which clubs have the best chance of keeping a clean sheet in Gameweek 8? Once again NaturalFootyFan looks at recent defensive form, fixture difficulty and the bookies odds in an attempt to answer this question.

Following the trend of previous gameweeks, and in fact the 2016/17 season as a whole, clean sheets came at a premium in Friday and Saturday's fixtures. Only Chelsea managed to secure a shutout as they knuckled down on Hull City away from home. However, Sunday was the complete opposite with 75% of matches ending with a clean sheet for at least one club. Leicester and Southampton shared the points in a goal-less encounter, while Tottenham put an abrupt end to Man City's 100% win rate with a convincing 2-0 victory at White Hart Lane. Arsenal, ranked as the number one team to keep a clean sheet in Gameweek 7 according to our statistics, were rarely tested at the back and even snatched a 92nd minute winner versus Burnley. With a distinct lack of clean sheets so far this season, we are hoping that Gameweek 8 will be the turning point - not just for our chart predictions, but also for FPL defensive potential. How is the data calculated? Every team has been rated on a scale of 1 to 20 (1: best in the league, 20: worst in the league) based on form, fixture and odds. We've then totalled these findings and colour coded them so you can clearly visualise which clubs have the best clean sheet potential in Gameweek 8. All statistics have been taken from the last four gameweeks, as we feel this provides a fair comparison with the likelihood of each club having two home and two away fixtures.

Gameweek 8 Defensive Potential: Form Vs. Fixture Vs. OddsObservations from table:

First things first, it is rare that a club's accumulated total is a single digit, so as you can see from the table, Southampton are massive favourites for a clean sheet this weekend. Ranked second for form and fixture and first in odds, their total (5) is the lowest we've seen all season. The Saints, who are looking to build on six consecutive clean sheets in all competitions, take on a goal-shy Burnley side who have scored fewer goals (5) than any Premier League team over the first seven gameweeks. Everything seems to point to a comfortable Southampton victory in which they dominate possession and pin Burnley inside their own half for the majority of the game. With this in mind, Matt Targett will have plenty of opportunities to join attacks on the left flank so is worth considering for FPL and Daily Fantasy contests. He is expected to replace Ryan Bertrand who picked up an injury over the International Break. Virgil Van Dijk is a popular pick with his aerial presence and it's well known that he enjoys a wander up the field now and again. The big Dutchman is one of the most technically gifted centre-halfs in world football and won the man of the match award on seven occasions last season. Despite winning just one of their last five Premier League meetings with Swansea, Arsenal are ranked second in our table. Just like Southampton, they have defensive form on their side having secured four clean sheets on the bounce in all competitions. Their opposition will be itching to get out there and impress their new coach, but The Gunners will have other ideas with a +5 goal difference in their last two matches at the Emirates. Bob Bradley likes to think of himself as a tactician and his first train of thought will be to steady the Swans shaky defence. They are without a clean sheet since the opening gameweek, so might attempt to soak up the pressure and hit Arsenal on the break. Shkodran Mustafi is an interesting option in FPL in that he's more affordable than Laurent Koscielny and Hector Bellerin, yet offers a real goal-scoring threat with six goals in two seasons while at Valencia. Bournemouth's favourable fixture versus Hull at home allows them to sneak into the top three ahead of Spurs. Their opposition have hit a slump in recent weeks, with eleven goals conceded and just two scored in their last three Premier League outings. Eddie Howe has done a great job in the top flight and has set the foundation for the Southern club to become regulars in this division. They have also started with seven or more English players in each of their last 13 Premier League games, which is a good sign for their youth setup. Adam Smith is our go-to guy for FPL returns with an attractive mix of attacking and defensive contributions. Despite his budget price tag, the fullback is ranked eighth in the overall bonus points system for defenders. 10% of player's currently own the Englishman and this percentage is increasing every week, so if you want to invest in a Bournemouth defender then now is the time with upcoming fixtures versus Hull (H), Spurs (H), Middlesbrough (a), Sunderland (H) and Stoke (a). Thanks for reading and fingers crossed for some clean sheets this weekend! [alert type=yellow ]

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