Qualification for the Knock Out Rounds of those European competitions have been confirmed for a number of the Premier League clubs this past week which should mean more of a chance to rotate squads and ensure players are going into the next month in the best physical shape as possible.
Managers may bemoan the schedule, but the Premier League has sold itself to the broadcasters and so any complaints should be with their own clubs rather than those paying the big bucks which in turn gives the managers and the players the kind of money that they are on.
Over the coming weeks the Fantasy Football deadlines are going to be at weird times so it is something to make a note of- this week and the next Game Week are both set for a 6:30pm deadline on a Friday, but things will get more awkward as the festive period games come around.
I'll have a few words about the Fantasy Football plans for GW10 below- first let's get on with my views about the Premier League games to come over the next four days.
Crystal Palace v Newcastle United Pick: The Friday night offering from the Premier League may not be the most appealing for the neutrals as Crystal Palace and Newcastle United meet and that may be especially the case if Wilfred Zaha and Callum Wilson miss out.
The former is expected to be absent for Crystal Palace, but Wilson looks set to return for Newcastle United and that should at least give Steve Bruce's men a little more threat.
Both Bruce and Roy Hodgson are likely to set their teams up to be cautious defensively and I do think it is going to be a fixture where chances and goals are going to be limited.
It is perhaps no surprise that the recent meetings between these clubs have been tight and competitive and there have been seven total goals scored in the last seven between them. Both games last season ended 1-0 in favour of the home team and I can't ignore the likelihood of that being the scoreline again on Friday.
A clean sheet for one or both clubs can't be ruled out either, although Crystal Palace are not defending as well as Roy Hodgson would like. Even then I am not sure Newcastle United are going to be able to take advantage, while the home team are clearly not the same threat going forward without Wilfred Zaha.
6 of the last 7 between the clubs have seen at least one of the teams fail to find the back of the net and that looks the most likely outcome of this fixture too.
Brighton v Liverpool Pick: The late Wednesday evening kick off followed by the early Saturday lunchtime kick off has been bothering managers of clubs involved in European competition all season. This time it is Jurgen Klopp who will have to face that fixture having heard Ole Gunnar Solskjaer complain about the same situation earlier this season.
Ultimately they can't be annoyed at the broadcasters- the Premier League has been made the wealthiest League in the world by the money accepted from the broadcasters and so they have to dance to the tune being set by them too.
The players can't allow manager's complaints to affect their own performances and so there will be no excuses for Liverpool if they can't win on the south coast this weekend. They played at home on Wednesday so tiredness should not be a factor, while rotations were made to keep some key players fit to play.
Liverpool will have their attacking players ready to go and that is important against a Brighton team who have played better than their results would indicate.
For large portions of the season it has been the lack of goals holding Brighton back rather than their defensive organisation, but it is hard to believe they can contain Liverpool. With that in mind the best defence may be attack and Brighton have pushed both Chelsea and Manchester United in League games here already this season.
Graham Potter will recognise that the Liverpool defence is vulnerable and he has his attacking options available now Leandro Trossard is back from a knock. They should get forward and cause one or two problems for their visitors, and I do feel this could be enterprising game of football from both teams.
Liverpool have not been at their very best away from home this season, but the fixture list has not been that kind either. Draws at Everton and Manchester City will be seen as positive results and I do think they will have enough in the final third on Saturday to earn the points.
The approach from the home manager should mean Brighton are doing a lot more than simply trying to contain Liverpool and so the most likely outcome is an away win in a game that features at least two goals.
Manchester City v Burnley Pick: We have yet to really see Manchester City at their very best in front of goal, but that won't be much comfort to Burnley.
Pep Guardiola insisted the goals will come for his team after a narrow win at Olympiacos when Manchester City were wasteful in front of goal, but he may only have been saying that knowing Burnley were next up for his team.
That is no disrespect to Burnley, but they have been clearly second best when facing Manchester City in recent seasons. They have already lost 0-3 at home against this opponent in the 2020/21 season and Manchester Cit have beaten them 5-0 in 3 straight at the Etihad Stadium.
A well rested Manchester City team who have the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Ferran Torres and Sergio Aguero to come into the starting eleven should have too much for Burnley. While not creating as many chances as in previous seasons, Manchester City have been looking good at the back too and I do think they are going to have too much all around for Burnley.
Nick Pope is missing for the visitors which won't help and Burnley have not been scoring enough goals to believe they can threaten this Manchester City team.
A win on Monday would have been a huge boost for Burnley, but it is really difficult to imagine this fixture going any other way than a relatively routine home win.
Burnley have only scored a single goal in 6 against Manchester City and have failed to score in 5 of their last 7 Premier League games. I expect those trends will likely continue here as Manchester City secure an important three points and look to build momentum into the hectic December schedule.
Everton v Leeds United Pick: Carlo Ancelotti and Marcelo Bielsa arrived in England with big reputations and both have been tasked with reviving clubs who have not been reaching the levels that the fans would have been expecting in recent seasons.
Both Everton and Leeds United have been amongst the very best teams in England in recent enough memory and both have potential to at least return amongst the elite.
Leeds United fans might want to temper some of the enthusiasm for a top flight finish and the key for the club is simply consolidating their place back in the Premier League. There has been enough encouragement to believe they can do that, but Leeds United are still struggling for consistency in the final third as far as scoring goals is concerned.
The approach of their veteran manager means Leeds United will leave opportunities to be exploited at the back and the likes of Leicester City and Crystal Palace did that to devastating effect. While Leeds United were better against Arsenal, the visitors had their chances too and I think Everton will feel they can do the same.
Everton have missed some key players in recent weeks which have dented their confidence and their performance levels. They were much better against Fulham and Everton do score goals, although there has to be some concern that they have conceded at least twice in 6 straight Premier League games.
At home they have largely made up for that and I do think there will be opportunities for both teams in this fixture. The layers understand there are likely to be goals, but I would be surprised if they are wrong in this Premier League game between two teams that will want to get forward for much of the ninety minutes played.
West Brom v Sheffield United Pick: There is every chance that the losing manager from this fixture could be out of a job fairly shortly and the importance of the three points won't be lost on either Slaven Bilic or Chris Wilder.
It is hard to really have a good feeling about the direction this match will take- West Brom have struggled at both ends of the field, but the same can be said for Sheffield United and it may be the case of seeing which set of players is still behind their manager which makes the difference on the day.
Sheffield United are perhaps underachieving and arguably have deserved more than they have gotten in the early part of the season. The numbers suggest they will still turn things around, but the poor form has seeped over from the last campaign and I do think they need to 'prove it' rather than pointing at the underlying statistics.
The poor form from the end of last season was also something West Brom are dealing with which is a surprise for any team that is automatically promoted from the Championship. They did back over the line rather than really earn their own place in the Premier League and The Baggies have looked short of the quality needed to survive at this level.
Both clubs will want to get to the January transfer window in a better place and both managers may feel if they are in touch with the teams above them they can then bring in reinforcements to build the second half of the campaign.
At this moment I don't think either team can be trusted to earn a result and this one game I will be looking to analyse after the fixture is played rather than before.
Southampton v Manchester United Pick: Not many would have picked Southampton to be going into this Premier League game against Manchester United in late November sitting higher in the table than the 20 time former Champions.
It is all credit to the work done by Ralph Hasenhuttl, his staff and the players that Southampton have bounced back from a really poor start to the season to sit just outside the top four. They have looked good going forward and found the right blend defensively as Southampton have locked up 3 clean sheets in a row at St Mary's with three 2-0 wins in a row.
That makes them dangerous and Southampton have not missed a step without Danny Ings having beaten Newcastle United and then drawing at Wolves. Che Adams looks more comfortable at this level with a season under his belt and Manchester United could be short of defensive numbers which is something Southampton will look to exploit.
However it would be dangerous to not pay attention to the counter attacking ability Manchester United have and playing away from Old Trafford has seen the players rally for their better performances. Manchester United have won 9 of their last 10 away games in all competitions and have been scoring a lot of goals in those fixtures which makes them a threat to a Southampton team who do offer chances.
The Saints have been better defensively, but they have played West Brom and Newcastle United at home while picking up those clean sheets. They have also kept Everton quiet, but that was a team missing two of their first choice front three and Manchester United are much healthier and stronger than those three teams.
Games between these clubs have been competitive in recent seasons and I think this one will be the same. Goals have generally not been an issue when Southampton and Manchester United face each other with all 4 since Ralph Hasenhuttl took over on the south coast ending with both teams scoring.
3 of those 4 games have finished with at least three goals shared out and I think the attacking players on the field will help produce that here. I feel Manchester United may edge to the points, but it won't be easy and I think there will be goals at both ends of the field in this fixture which should be an attacking one for the ninety minutes.
Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur Pick: The big game in the Premier League sees the current 3rd placed side take on the leaders on Sunday afternoon and it is the chance for Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur to show they are ready to compete for the title over the coming months.
The win over Manchester City was a very big one for Tottenham Hotspur last week and they have shown they can be perfectly set up to produce the goods on their travels too. Those results will be encouraging to Jose Mourinho and keeping a clean sheet in beating Manchester City will really have him believing his can help Spurs move to the next level after their achievements under Mauricio Pochettino.
I do think Tottenham Hotspur had to ride their luck at times in the win over Manchester City and in recent games they have perhaps had the fortune on their side. It is a positive winning games when perhaps not at your complete best, but Tottenham Hotspur are going to have to be very good to beat this Chelsea team.
Frank Lampard's team are flying at the moment as they continue to score goals but also look a lot more balanced defensively. Injuries are clearing up which is giving the manager plenty of options and they do look like they have goals from many areas which makes Chelsea very, very dangerous.
Unlike Tottenham Hotspur I do think Chelsea have yet to really have a stand out win with their biggest game ending in a home defeat to Liverpool. A draw at Manchester United was a decent result, but Tottenham Hotspur have won at Old Trafford and beaten Manchester City so perhaps will feel they have proved their credentials a little more than their hosts.
I am not sure that is going to matter though and especially not when you think Chelsea did the Premier League double over Chelsea last season as Frank Lampard got the better of Jose Mourinho. It should be a really good game, but my feeling is that Chelsea are perhaps going to be the more positive and that may lead to the points.
Tottenham Hotspur should be very dangerous on the counter attack, but they have lost a key player in Toby Alderweireld and I am not sure they can continue to soak up the pressure and hope teams are not clinical in the final third. As good as Manchester City are, their attacking issues have been well documented in the 2020/21 season but that is not a problem for Chelsea who have been scoring goals for fun over the last month.
I expect this will be a tough, competitive fixture, but my feeling is that Chelsea are going to nick the points at Stamford Bridge. I think they are going to have the better chances and with Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and Kai Havertz likely going to be involved that they won't be as wasteful as the likes of Burnley, West Brom and Manchester City have been against Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal v Wolves Pick: The last game on Sunday in the Premier League comes from the Emirates Stadium as mid-table Arsenal and Wolves look for a positive result to take them further up the League standings. Both managers have to be a little disappointed with their current positions, but they will also feel their current teams are a work in progress.
It would be a real surprise if this is a fixture which produces a lot of goals as both Arsenal and Wolves have been struggling for consistency in the final third. Neither is creating a lot of chances and that has meant a lack of goals being scored too.
Arsenal have failed to score in their last 2 Premier League games at home and have ended on the losing side both times. They have improved defensively, but not enough to believe they are going to have a host of clean sheets and I do think that could be an issue for them going forward.
They are simply not getting forward in the manner fans have become accustomed to seeing and so Arsenal always feel a short price to win games for me.
On the other hand Wolves have hardly set the scoreboard alight and they have failed to score in 2 of their last 3 away Premier League games. They were clearly second best against Leicester City and West Ham United which does make it hard to believe in them, but Wolves are a tough team to break down when at their best and I do think the return of Conor Coady is a huge boost for them.
Wolves and Arsenal have played some very competitive games since the former returned to the Premier League and both games at the Emirates Stadium have finished 1-1. Late goals have secured those draws and I do think this one will be another fixture that could easily end with the points shared out.
A well rested Wolves team could potentially make it three wins in a row for the visitors in the Premier League on this ground, and I do feel backing the away team with the start is the way to go. It would be a disappointing result for Wolves to lose and I think they are solid enough to contain a goal-shy Arsenal which should be enough to secure a point at the very least.
Leicester City v Fulham Pick: Those teams involved in the Europa League look to make short work of their Group Stages because they are very likely to be given a Thursday-Monday-Thursday schedule in these Covid-19 times.
This week it is Leicester City being asked to do that, but the draw in Portugal on Thursday means they have secured their spot in the Last 32 of the Europa League. They are likely to win the Group and Brendan Rodgers will be pleased he got some rest in for some of his key players.
The goals conceded since the November international break is a concern for Leicester City, but they should not be expecting the same threat from Fulham as Liverpool and Sporting Braga have provided. While Fulham are showing some signs of improvement, they are still struggling for enough goals and they are conceding too many.
Away from home Fulham have shown some stubbornness of late, but Leicester City are a team who can be very dangerous going forward. I expect the home team to have too much in the final third even though they have suffered some disappointing results at home and only have a Penalty scored in 3 at the King Power Stadium in the Premier League.
That has to be a concern for Brendan Rodgers, but a returning James Maddison is the key to unlocking teams and I think that is important for the home team who perhaps rely on the counter attack a little too much.
Leicester City do have 3 clean sheets in a row at home and Fulham have not found a consistency in the final third to suggest they can break that streak for The Foxes. However I do think they have a threat which means Leicester City will have to try and get forward to make sure there is not a late twist in the fixture and that should see them win a game which features at least two goals.
Late goals saw Leicester City beat Fulham 3-1 when these teams last met two seasons ago and I think a late one might be needed to secure the points in this one too.
West Ham United v Aston Villa Pick: The last game of the Premier League weekend has all the makings of a really good one with both West Ham United and Aston Villa overachieving early in the campaign.
West Ham United and Aston Villa are separated by a single place and a single point and I do think this fixture is going to be as closely contested as the two draws they played out last season.
Michail Antonio and Ross Barkley are big misses for both teams and perhaps takes away some of the attacking element they are bringing to the table. However West Ham United have shown they can cope without their talisman and Aston Villa created enough chances against Brighton last week to believe they will be able to cope.
Both teams are looking sharp going forward and they are dangerous from set pieces so I am expecting more goals than we saw when they faced each other in the 2019/20 season. There were chances created in both of those games, but I think West Ham United and Aston Villa have improved this time around which should mean better and more efficient attacking football being on display.
A 1-1 scoreline can't be ruled out, but David Moyes and Dean Smith will be targeting more than that so I don't think either team will settle. In recent games both have been creating plenty, but perhaps not looking completely convincing at the back and their opponents have the talent and quality to expose any issues.
An early goal would certainly get this fixture going and I think there will be at least three goals shared out and not only because I have three or four Fantasy players involved in this one either.
MY PICKS: Crystal Palace-Newcastle United BTTS NO
Liverpool & Over 1.5 Goals
Manchester City Win to Nil
Everton-Leeds United Over 2.5 Goals
Southampton-Manchester United Over 2.5 Goals
Chelsea - 0.25 Asian Handicap
Wolves + 0.5 Asian Handicap
Leicester City & Over 1.5 Goals
West Ham United-Aston Villa Over 2.5 Goals
Fantasy Football GameWeek 10
The Fantasy Football season is still one I am very interested in even though the way the Premier League have decided to broadcast the games continue to irritate me.
I would have much preferred the 3pm slot on a Saturday to feature a number of League games and they could have been broadcasted on the various channels Sky and BT Sport hold, but the one game per time slot does take away some of the enjoyment of the FPL game.
Now you have to really wait and see how the weekend shapes up whereas you could at least have a bit of a feel for any GameWeek on any given Saturday previously. We are going to have to deal with this situation through December as the fans continue to wait to return to Football grounds in any kind of number and my biggest fear is that the Premier League will look to use the Spanish model of scheduling League games going forward.
GameWeek 9 was not the best for my team, but I did mention a short term pain for a long term gain- it did not help that Jack Grealish did nothing as my Captain except get himself booked, but the return could have been a lot worse if not for the Chelsea clean sheet and both Diogo Jota and Che Adams bringing back some decent returns.
But what did I mean by short term pain? I removed Christian Pulisic in favour of Tomas Soucek and that means I have the spare cash to bring in a Manchester City player as I indicated I would last week.
Manchester City have not really played as well as they would have liked going forward, but they are capable of much more and the fixture list looks extremely positive over the coming weeks. Home games against Burnley, Fulham and West Brom can't be ignored and you would think Manchester City are going to get things turned around in the final third.
The bigger issue has to be Pep roulette- can you honestly predict which players will play the majority of minutes in that time? I would have thought Sergio Aguero would have been a good shout, but he is only recently back from an injury and instead the best assets look to be Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne.
Some have tipped up Joao Cancelo who has been playing well, but Benjamin Mendy and Oleksandr Zinchenko can play at left back so I am not sure about his playing time either!
Last week I suggested it may be time to take the first hit of the season to double up on the Manchester City assets with those fixtures in mind, but I am unconvinced now.
My decision is likely going to come down to KDB or Sterling coming in with Leandro Trossard, but it is one I will think about right up until the 6:30pm deadline. Whoever I pick is likely to go in as my Captain this week and the decision to hold Mohamed Salah last week looks to have been a correct one too.
Even now I won't rule out a hit, but again I will be thinking through the scenarios until the deadline is set to be hit.
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