Weekend Football Picks and Fantasy Football 2020 (June 17-22)

It's BACK!

There were times in this long lockdown period when I believed the Premier League may struggle to return to action, but the Bundesliga paved the way for the other top European Leagues to follow suit.

La Liga and Serie A are both due to start either just before the Premier League or on the same weekend as the English Division and it will raise some questions about the premature ending of the French top flight.


Without a doubt things have yet to really improve to pre-Covid levels and there are still far too many people suffering, but the return of football will be a boost for some. I know I've been having some very difficult days with the routine of every day blending into the next, while also losing a very close loved one in a period where it is very difficult to mourn them in the manner they deserve.

I know there are plenty suffering more hardships than myself so this is far from a 'woe is me' post, but we are all going to be dealing with things in different ways. Different things and events affect each of us individually so there is no need to criticise anyone who may look to have it all, but who is suffering mentally from the restrictions we are all dealing with in our every day lives.


I do hope anyone reading this has been coping as well as they can and have been looking after themselves as much as has been possible. Football won't help everyone, the return of sports in general won't be the vaccine to the pandemic we are all coping with, but at least it gives many a chance to focus on something other than what has become the mundane activities of day to day life.


The return of the Premier League also means we have the return of the Official Fantasy Football game and I will have my thoughts on that below.

That follows my opinions on how the first twelve League games will go which can be read before I get into the Fantasy Football opinions and how to play things before the big restart.

I will add my thoughts from the remaining four Premier League games to be played before the next GW on Thursday.


Aston Villa v Sheffield United Pick: The Premier League is BACK!

Not many would have predicted that Aston Villa's 4-0 hammering at the hands of Leicester City in early March would be the last time the Premier League would be in action, but we have all had to come to terms with the pandemic raging across the world.

The governments have yet to gain a complete control of the virus, but Europe has begun to edge towards normality and that means the resumption of Leagues in Germany, Spain, England and Italy.

The two opening games of the Premier League season are games that had to be pushed back due to Aston Villa and Manchester City participating in the League Cup Final.

Opening up the resumption of play is a key game at the top and bottom of the Premier League when Aston Villa host Sheffield United in an empty Villa Park. A win for the hosts will take them out of the bottom three, while a win for the visitors would take them into the top five and I do think it will be important that both teams push forward.

Dean Smith and Chris Wilder both seem very keen on getting going and believe the players are fully behind the restart. There are some unknown factors as we don't know how the empty stands will really affect the players, while the long lay off will have drained some momentum in the legs.

I do think the empty stands won't help those teams who have struggled to defend like Aston Villa have throughout the season. They are not playing a team who have created a lot of chances away from home, but Sheffield United have enough going forward to hurt their hosts who will have had to have a big change in quality to become much tougher to score against.

Aston Villa have posed a greater threat going forward at home though and I do think Sheffield United's underlying stats suggest their lack of goals being conceded is more of a mirage than an indication of how they are playing.

Both teams should have chances to hit the net and the draw is not really a positive result for either considering fixtures that are remaining on the schedule. That should mean both teams are pushing for a win in a game where they should both score and backing at least three goals to be shared out is the play for me.

5 of the last 6 Aston Villa games here in the Premier League have ended with at least three goals shared out. That is not the case in Sheffield United away games, but their last 4 visits to Villa Park have all ended with three or more goals shared out too.

Some potential tiredness in the legs over the ninety minutes may leave more spaces for attackers to exploit and so looking for three or more goals in this one at odds against it the selection.

Manchester City v Arsenal Pick: On the face of things you would think the Arsenal squad has a lot more motivation on the restart of the Premier League than Manchester City.

The hosts are almost guaranteed to finish in the top four and their biggest fight may be making sure they can compete in the Champions League next season by overturning the two year ban handed out by UEFA. There are two chances of Manchester City winning the Premier League this season- fat and no and fat has left the building after losing 2 of their last 4 League games.

However there are two Cup competitions that Manchester City will be keen on securing and Pep Guardiola will want to make sure his players are in peak condition when it comes to the Champions League resumption. That might mean more rotation than you would see normally, but I also think Guardiola will want to make sure key players get enough minutes in the legs to build up to peak fitness.

The returns of Aymeric Laporte and Leroy Sane is a huge boost for the entire squad and I think Manchester City are going to be in good shape to deal with the break in play.

They won't have it all their own way against Arsenal for a couple of reasons- one, The Gunners were in decent enough form under Mikel Arteta, and two, the manager is very much aware of the strengths and weaknesses of this Manchester City squad and has had plenty of time to prepare his team for the fixture.

Unfortunately the defensive issues have yet to clear up if the 2-3 home loss to Brentford in a friendly game is anything to go by. That will always make it very difficult to beat a team like Manchester City and I am not that surprised that Arsenal have lost 6 in a row to this opponent and with all those defeats coming by two or more goals.

Playing in front of empty stands will be difficult for players, but neither squad is that unfamiliar with that feeling.

I do think that ultimately Manchester City have the deeper squad, the better quality and they have enjoyed playing against an Arsenal team that have not defended well enough and lost some of their attacking thrust.

Despite the positive run Arsenal had been on, the underlying stats suggest they are still giving up too many good opportunities. Unlike Everton and West Ham United, I expect Manchester City to be much more ruthless and I think they can win this game by a comfortable margin.

Norwich City v Southampton Pick: Being able to play for their Premier League future on the pitch is about all that Norwich City could hope for as relegation would be a huge blow to the club financially.

Daniel Farke has been working under some restrictions anyway with the season in the top flight a boost to a debt filled club, but a second season in the Premier League could see Norwich City begin to improve their squad. Some key players will be sought after at the end of this campaign, but it is much easier to hold out for the bigger fees if Norwich City are playing in the Premier League in the 2020/21 season.

There is plenty of work to do for Norwich City who are 6 points from safety, but they are going to be hosting three clubs who are currently 14th or lower in the Premier League table. Further home games with Everton and Burnley and a trip to Watford have to be seen as good ones for Norwich City fans, but the importance of this opening fixture against Southampton can't be underestimated.

A win will give Norwich City momentum, but a defeat could be hard to recover from if results go against them over the remainder of the weekend.

They actually go into the fixture as the underdog which says a lot about how well Southampton have played away from St Mary's as they have dragged themselves out of the bottom three. A 7 point gap to 18th placed Bournemouth looks a comfortable one, but Ralph Hasenhuttl will want his team to take a giant step towards safety on Friday.

The Austrian should be confident as Southampton have only won fewer away games in the Premier League than the current top four clubs. That has to be respected, although Southampton have remained an attacking threat with defensive vulnerabilities under Hasenhuttl.

Southampton have scored in all but one of their last 17 away games in all competitions, while they have scored at least twice in 5 of their last 7 on their travels. That will be challenged by a Norwich City team who have shown a bit more stubbornness at home compared to earlier in the season, but Southampton have to be confident of scoring here.

On the other hand The Saints have 2 clean sheets in their last 13 away games in all competitions. They went into the suspension having conceded at least three times in 3 away games in a row, and Norwich City have scored in 7 of their last 8 at home.

Unsurprisingly the layers have offered short odds on both teams scoring, but I don't think a 1-1 result will be accepted by either. It would suit Southampton more, but they have shown an attacking spirit under Ralph Hasenhuttl, while Norwich City should be looking to win games like this if they are going to avoid relegation.

Defensive mistakes have been something both clubs have struggled to avoid and the setting of playing behind closed doors might mean those at the back are perhaps not as concentrated as they should be.

Backign at least three goals to be shared out in this fixture like there were at St Mary's in the reverse fixture is the selection.

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United Pick: If this fixture had been played back in March as scheduled I think there would have been a lot of people comfortably backing the in-form visitors against an injury hit host.

Tottenham Hotspur had been conceding far too many goals and not scoring enough in the absence of key players like Son Heung-Min and Harry Kane. Jose Mourinho had overseen a limp exit from the Champions League and FA Cup, while Tottenham Hotspur were set for their lowest finish in ten years when ending the campaign in 8th place.

The suspension of play means those key players are back and a much stronger squad will also have benefited from working under Mourinho in what can only be described as a 'mini pre season'. It is an ageing squad in areas, but I would think Tottenham Hotspur will be improved coming out of the break and having a fuller squad also means they are in a position where they will believe they can bridge the gap to the top four.

This is a key fixture for Spurs- win and the Champions League race is on, but a defeat would leave them scrambling for a place in Europe let alone the premier competition.

Being at home will help against a Manchester United team who have been inconsistent on their travels all season. However they have played pretty well against the better teams in the Division and Manchester United looked to have found a groove before the suspension of play.

Like Tottenham Hotspur, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be boosted by the return of key players and both Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford look like they will be able to earn starts. Both impressed in friendly games and Solskjaer insists his team are ready to go on the resumption of play with winning silverware and a return to the Champions League the ambitions to fulfil.

Back in March I would really fancy United to win here, but I am a touch surprised they are clear favourites to win in an area of North London where they have not had a lot of recent success. Jose Mourinho should be well prepared to set his team up to take on Manchester United and Spurs have been bolstered by the return of big names.

Manchester United have improved and looked in good shape back in March, but they are still a team who will give up chances and especially away from home. The defensive issues Tottenham Hotspur have had all season are unlikely to have completely cleared up and this is another game where goals look likely.

I can see both teams hitting the net and both managers should be keen on pushing their teams ahead to win this fixture. It was 2-1 earlier this season and the same scoreline would not surprise me with my slight lean going towards Manchester United.

Playing in an empty bowl will be different, but I will back at least three goals to be shared out here.

Watford v Leicester City Pick: Both Watford and Leicester City will be thankful they can complete the Premier League season even though the hosts are in a more precarious position than their visitors.

A curtailment of the season might have suited Watford, but Craig Shakespeare was bullish in looking forward to the return of competitive football. That underlines the kind of attitude Nigel Pearson has instilled in his Watford squad and the enforced break has at least given his players time to return to full fitness.

Poor form would have been a concern with a single win in 8 games in all competitions, but that came in an impressive 3-0 dismantling of then unbeaten Liverpool. Playing at home has been important for Watford under Nigel Pearson and they have won 4 of their last 6 here in the Premier League. The Hornets blew a 2-0 lead over Everton in a 2-3 defeat which would have made the run even more impressive at home and they are not going to be intimidated by any visitor to Vicarage Road.

Anything they can earn from this fixture would be seen as a bonus, but Watford have to believe they can get the better of Leicester City even though The Foxes are chasing a Champions League spot. The home team have won this fixture the last 3 times it has been run at Vicarage Road and Leicester City were not exactly in top form going into the suspension.

Leicester City had lost at Burnley, Aston Villa (in the League Cup Semi Final) and Norwich City in recent away games. They are a team that have not been scoring as many away goals as they would like and Leicester City have failed to score in their last 2 away Premier League games.

Now they have to play at a ground where they have had little recent success and knowing Watford have scored at least twice in 5 of their last 6 League games here.

I do think the odds for the game have been influenced by the run of away successes layers saw in the Bundesliga on their resumption. Leicester City look far too short to win considering their away form going into the suspension of the Premier League and Watford have played well at Vicarage Road under Nigel Pearson.

With a stronger looking squad than the one he would have called upon back in March, I will look for Pearson to set his team up to earn a positive result here.

Brighton v Arsenal Pick: I am looking forward to seeing how the four teams who have played on Wednesday will cope with the quick turnaround into the next set of fixtures to come this weekend.

It could go either of two ways- one way is that the players will be tired and opponents can take advantage, the other is that the first competitive game will have given the players the chance to shake off some match rustiness and they can kick on from here.

The managers will be hoping it is the second route their teams will take and Mikel Arteta will be looking for a big response from his Arsenal team who were beaten 3-0 at Manchester City. It was a difficult day all around for Arteta who lost two players to injury and another to suspension in a game Arsenal had started brightly, but were quickly dimmed by the hosts.

Now they have to get ready to take on something of a bogey team having not won any of their last 4 against Brighton and losing 2 of those games.

Back in March Brighton looked to be slipping into the bottom three as they had failed to win any of 10 games and also gone down to a 0-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in the last game here. Brighton had been unbeaten in 4 at home prior to that including 3 straight 1-1 draws, but Graham Potter knows his team need to turn a few of those draws into wins if they are going to avoid relegation.

The fixture list looks difficult over the last nine games for Brighton so this one looks very important. In the next six, Brighton face four of the current top five and an away game at Norwich City so Graham Potter will be looking for a big performance out of the gate.

His team have actually played pretty well going forward through the season, although the defensive record is something that Arsenal will feel they can take advantage of.

Both teams have scored the last 4 times these two teams have played each other and I do think Brighton will be able to create chances against this Arsenal defence missing key performers. Arsenal should be better going forward against a Brighton team who have conceded plenty of chances and I think this is a game where we will see at least three goals.

1-1 is perhaps the most dangerous scoreline against the selection, but that isn't a result that suits either party and so another 2-1 either way looks the most likely outcome.

West Ham United v Wolves Pick: This looks to be a big opening game for both West Ham United and Wolves on the restart of the Premier League and has implications at both the top and bottom of the table.

West Ham United were not in the best of form when the Premier League was suspended, but they did score three times in back to back games at the London Stadium. Only the continued poor defensive performances prevented West Ham United from winning both fixtures, but David Moyes has been given some unexpected time to turn things around for the team.

Playing in front of an empty London Stadium could be a benefit for West Ham United considering the irritation the fans feel towards the board. With a struggling team the last thing needed is the fans turning the atmosphere toxic and in that sense West Ham United might be able to perform with some freedom.

They are facing a Wolves team who have a real ambition of playing in the Champions League and who will be looking to put the pressure on Chelsea by winning twenty-four hours before the latter kick off for the first time since March. Throughout their time in the Premier League under Nuno Espirito Santo, Wolves have been a team who can beat any other on their best day, although they are perhaps still missing a touch of consistency in turning draws into wins.

Along with Arsenal, Wolves have the most draws in the Premier League as they perhaps struggle to score enough goals. However that was not the case in recent away games in the Premier League having scored three times at Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, and Wolves have scored in 11 of 13 away Premier League games.

The Hammers have one clean sheet in their last 12 games at home in all competitions so it would be a surprise if Wolves don't score here considering they have won 3 in a row against West Ham United since returning to the top flight. In the same token, West Ham United have scored in 12 of 13 home Premier League games and Wolves have a single clean sheet in 10 away League games.

West Ham United have not scored in 3 games against Wolves, but they look to have a fit squad and should have chances to snap that run here. David Moyes has had time to work on the defensive side, but Wolves do create chances too and I do think both teams will hit the back of the net.

Bournemouth v Crystal Palace Pick: In all honesty it would be a surprise if Crystal Palace are dragged back into the relegation battle having moved onto 39 points off the back of 3 consecutive Premier League wins before the suspension of play.

Roy Hodgson would love to get over the 40 point mark as soon as this weekend, but it is an absolutely massive game for Bournemouth as they look to climb out of the relegation zone.

Both teams have difficult League games to negotiate before the end of the season, but the importance for Bournemouth can not be underestimated. Eddie Howe's men were performing well at the Vitality Stadium when the Premier League was suspended and they do have a much stronger looking squad available to select from this weekend which will give them confidence.

Bournemouth will hope to pick up momentum immediately and they have been scoring goals at home which will further than confidence. They have scored at least twice in 3 consecutive League games here and Eddie Howe is hoping that his team will be stronger defensively with reinforcements returning that wouldn't have been available back in March.

They are facing a stubborn Crystal Palace team who showed their resiliency and experience in winning 3 games in a row by the same 1-0 scoreline. All of those teams beaten are below The Eagles in the standings and Roy Hodgson will be expecting his fully fit squad to head to the south coast and look to pick up from where they left off.

This is a team who play counter attacking football which works well away from home and Crystal Palace have scored in 5 away Premier League games in a row. Before the clean sheet at Brighton, Crystal Palace had conceded 5 away League games in a row too and I do think the two teams will perhaps offer up a more entertaining Premier League game for the fans to enjoy than it would seem on paper.

It is a fixture that will be played on national, free to air television, the first time a Premier League fixture has been broadcasted in such a way. Ratings should be high enough with that in mind and both Bournemouth and Crystal Palace can hit the back of the net in this one.

Newcastle United v Sheffield United Pick: The mistake made by the technology cost Sheffield United two points on Wednesday and that could be huge over the coming weeks as Chris Wilder's men chase a first ever European campaign.

Wilder will be looking to keep the spirits up in the squad with some big things to achieve over the coming weeks and the game in the legs might aid Sheffield United this weekend.

It has to be part of the reason The Blades are favourites to win at St James' Park especially when you think of how stubborn Newcastle United were in the lead up to the suspension of play. Steve Bruce will be boosted by the return to fitness of the majority of the squad and his team have had 4 clean sheets in a row at home which suggests they could be difficult to beat.

Form isn't really relevant with the three month break between games, but Newcastle United were playing pretty well in friendly games as they prepared for the restart.

Both of these teams have shown they can be well organised without offering a really consistent attacking threat. That has shown in the results and the lack of goals scored in their home/away games respectively, something the layers are very much on top of.

The last 3 games here finished goalless and I do think one of the teams will likely fail to find the net in this one. Again the 1-1 could be the problem score, but Newcastle United have had 4 clean sheets in a row at home and Sheffield United have 3 clean sheets in their last 4 away from home in all competitions including in the goalless draw with Aston Villa on Wednesday.

At the prices I think backing one or both to fail to hit the net is reasonable.

Aston Villa v Chelsea Pick: It was largely a much improved performance from Aston Villa on Wednesday compared to how they were playing going into the suspension of football back in March. However the goalless draw with Sheffield United is a game in which Dean Smith expected a bit more from his team and Aston Villa also needed a huge slice of luck to keep a clean sheet.

For the majority of the game they did defend better than they have through the course of the season, but playing this Chelsea team is a different test to Sheffield United. While The Blades have scored 13 away goals, Chelsea have scored 29 and the squad looks in good shape to chase a Champions League spot on the resumption of play.

Frank Lampard's men have the advantage in the race for a top four place, but there is work to do for a club that have made some big moves in the transfer market already. The likes of Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner are going to offer a lot more attacking options for the team so the current faces in the squad will be looking to show Lampard what they are going to be able to offer in the coming years.

Chelsea had been in decent form going into the suspension and looked very good in crushing Queens Park Rangers in a friendly game. That doesn't make up for competitive action, but Chelsea do play with some freedom under Frank Lampard and they should challenge an Aston Villa defence that had a surprisingly easy day for much of Wednesday.

At the same time Chelsea have not been convincing defensively and that should encourage Aston Villa to try and get forward. They created the better chances against Sheffield United, although the lack of a real goalscorer might prove costly when the season draws to a close.

I do think Aston Villa can cause problems though and that makes Chelsea look plenty short to win this one. A more open game is expected than the one we saw between Villa and Sheffield United and much of that will be down to the approach Chelsea take to fixtures.

3 of the last 5 Chelsea away games in the Premier League have ended with three or more goals shared out. While there wasn't much goal mouth action here on Wednesday, I do think that will change on Sunday and will look for plenty of goals to be the outcome of this one.

Everton v Liverpool Pick: There were suggestions that the third Merseyside derby of the 2019/20 season would have to be played away from Liverpool, but Goodison Park has been confirmed as the venue.

This has been a ground on which Liverpool have not tasted defeat for some time, but 6 of the last 7 at Goodison Park have ended in draws. A win might be enough for Liverpool to win the title on Sunday if Manchester City have lost to Arsenal on the opening day of the resumption of the Premier League, but Everton have played well under Carlo Ancelotti and will believe they can extend the wait for a few more days.

The 4-0 loss at Stamford Bridge would have sapped some confidence, but Everton have largely played well under Ancelotti. At home they have been particularly strong and only a slight bit of misfortune has prevented Everton from putting a run of 5 consecutive wins together prior to the suspension of play.

That suspension might be good news for Liverpool who had been running on fumes before it came about. While they were very unlikely to blow the huge lead in the Premier League, Liverpool did exit the Champions League and the FA Cup and they had also seen their unbeaten run in the Premier League come to an end at Watford.

Liverpool have lost 3 away games in a row in all competitions and they did not score in any of those fixtures at Atletico Madrid, Chelsea and Watford. The players should have had time to just recharge the batteries for the final run in though and that makes them dangerous, even if Liverpool are perhaps not as strong as their overall points tally would suggest.

Beating Everton here won't be easy if the home team are able to pick up from where they left off in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United. The hammering at Stamford Bridge was as poor a performance as Everton have had under Carlo Ancelotti, but I think there will be a big reaction out of the suspension.

I was intrigued with the prices for under 2.5 goals and backing one or both teams to fail to score- both are strong odds against shots.

The last 5 at Goodison Park have all ended with less than three goals shared out and both teams have scored in only one of those fixtures.

Everton have also proven to be a stubborn team for their local rivals to get the better of and having the chance to back the home team on the Asian Handicap with a full goal start looks the best play. A narrow defeat returns the stake, while the performances under Carlo Ancelotti could see Everton help snap the recent trend of low-scoring Merseyside derbies at this ground.

The home team should be ready to give a huge effort to stop Liverpool celebrating at their expense, although the absence of fans is a blow to the home team. Even then I will back Everton with the full goal start on the Asian Handicap here.

Manchester City v Burnley Pick: This has been a bad match up for a number of clubs in the Premier League, but Burnley have really struggled to cope with Manchester City since Pep Guardiola took over at the Etihad Stadium.

Burnley have been outscored 19-2 in 5 meetings here and were beaten 1-4 at home earlier this season. The three month lay off might have just slowed Manchester City and Guardiola has been concerned about the fitness levels, but they seemed to shake off any rust by impressively dismissing Arsenal on Wednesday.

Even in the best of times this would be a difficult test for Burnley, but you do have to wonder if they will just lose some defensive discipline in their first game back. They will be worked by Manchester City and that can tire out any legs looking to build up fitness, and even the changes that are likely to be made by Guardiola are unlikely to weaken this team significantly.

This has been a very good season for Burnley who look set for a fifth consecutive season the top flight. It will be their longest streak in the top flight since twenty-four seasons came to an end in the early 1970s and all credit has to be given to Sean Dyche.

That credit won't be dismissed regardless of how this tough game goes and Burnley will know anything they can get out of this one is a bonus. Without Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood those chances are harder to envision and even scoring here will be difficult if Manchester City control the game as well as they did against Arsenal.

The home team should win and I imagine that comes with a clean sheet too.

MY PICKS: Aston Villa-Sheffield United Over 2.5 Goals

Manchester City - 1.5 Asian Handicap

Norwich City-Southampton Over 2.5 Goals

Tottenham Hotspur-Manchester United Over 2.5 Goals

Watford + 0.5 Asian Handicap

West Ham United-Wolves Both Teams to Score

Bournemouth-Crystal Palace Both Teams to Score

Everton + 1 Asian Handicap

Brighton-Arsenal Over 2.5 Goals

Newcastle United-Sheffield United Both Teams to Score- NO

Aston Villa-Chelsea Over 2.5 Goals

Manchester City Win to Nil

Fantasy Football GameWeek 30+

The Official Fantasy Football game is back and there is no doubt that we are all going to be facing unprecedented times.

When the game came to an end three months ago I was positioning my team to make full use of the three Chips I had including the 'Triple Captain', and I had been focusing on what was likely to be at least two DGWs and potentially the extremely rare TGW for one team.

Things have changed significantly not only in our general lives but how I am going to approach the remainder of the season.

I have the three Chips as well as a WC to use, but effectively we are all going into GW30+ with an additional WC.

There are going to be different options depending on how many Chips you have left, but for someone in my position I can only really see one way to approach the next few weeks to close the season.

First off I am planning on building a team that will be loaded with those players involved in the DGW that is going to open the restart- those four teams Aston Villa, Sheffield United, Manchester City and Arsenal are effectively the only teams that will have DGWs through the remainder of the season barring something unexpected happening (rain outs, a Covid crisis affecting one or two clubs).

While we have all realised that life is precarious over the last three months, I have to play the game in the belief that things will go as smoothly as possible over the next few weeks.

That effectively means I can't see a better time to play my TC Chip even though there is always a possibility for another DGW to come around. The only concern with the use of five substitutions is that we won't get a full amount out of our TC as we might have done when the season was being played without the cloud of a pandemic hanging over teams.

The best play still looks to be a player from Manchester City who play both Arsenal and Burnley in this GW- they do play Burnley on Monday and then have to travel to Stamford Bridge on Thursday, and Manchester City arguably have the most attacking options in the Premier League that has only been bolstered by the return of Leroy Sane.

Even those concerns have to be put to the back of the mind- my personal opinion is not to use Sergio Aguero because I do think Gabriel Jesus will get his chance. With that in mind, I do like Kevin De Bruyne who should be given plenty of minutes over those two games, while I am looking at another couple of options in the midfield.

With the TC being used in GW30+, I am focusing on building an eleven or twelve team squad knowing I will be looking to use my WC or FH immediately afterwards. The most likely approach will be to play my WC in GW31+ and that will mean picking a GW in which I am going to use my FH.

The Bench Boost Chip is most likely going to be played by most in this upcoming GW, but it is largely by those who have already used the Triple Captain and will be maximising their Chip. That is not something I can do with the TC in mind, but I do think there are a couple of GWs that look like they could be productive for a deeper squad than the one I will go with to open the restart.

In GW30+ I am going to load up my squad with those that are playing twice over the next few days, although it is hard to know what the new rules regarding five substitutions are going to do. The deeper squads are perhaps going to be harder to judge, namely Manchester City this week, but the need to get minutes into the legs should mean the big names are out there.

The fact Manchester City are playing twice at home means it is easy to pick three of their players in the GW30+ squad and I also think it is a comfortable decision to do the same with Sheffield United despite playing away both times.

I think Aston Villa can at least push The Blades and have some momentum to take into their second game with Chelsea at Villa Park on Sunday, while the Arsenal options are perhaps hardest to select. An away game at Brighton looks winnable, but Arsenal have not travelled well this season and the game at Manchester City won't be easy.

Even then the potential of the DGW can't be ignored and so an eleven made up of the four teams looks the best way to go in GW30+ with the WC or FH to be used in GW31+.

That is something I will think about over the next few days, but for this week you can see my squad as it is (barring some late changes which are always a potential coming up to the 6pm deadline).

GK: Ederson (Man City), David Martin (West Ham United)

DEF: Enda Stevens (Sheffield United), John Egan (Sheffield United), Sokratis (Arsenal), Willy Boly (Wolves), Kayne Ramsey (Southampton)

MID: Kevin De Bruyne (Man City), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Pepe (Arsenal), Todd Cantwell (Norwich City)

FWD: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal), Oliver McBurnie (Sheffield United), Mbwana Samatta (Aston Villa).

Good luck to all on the resumption of play and let's hope people are keeping safe and there is a strong un to end the Fantasy game for the 2019/20 season.