In GameWeek 9, the Premier League will have another Friday night fixture and that means the deadline for the Fantasy game is at 6:30pm on Friday afternoon. It is something to keep in mind as players will likely be scrambling to make decisions to cover up for the injuries that have occurred during the week.
Arsenal v Aston Villa Pick: The short turnaround between the Monday night Premier League game and the Friday night fixture at the Emirates Stadium is far from ideal for Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal team. They will have had a lot less time than Aston Villa to prepare for the game, but Arsenal may have a little momentum having scored very late in the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace.
That is still a result where Arsenal will feel they have dropped points, but they have been showing some positive signs in recent home games. A lack of goals has been a slight concern, but Arsenal have now managed 5 goals in the last 2 Premier League games at the Emirates Stadium and they are going up against an Aston Villa defence which has looked incredibly vulnerable.
It was a vulnerability that was clear to see in Aston Villa's 2-3 home loss to Wolves last Saturday and they also gave up some big chances to Tottenham Hotspur in a 2-1 defeat in North London earlier this month. Unsurprisingly this is a team that has created chances of their own going forward, but Aston Villa may not have it easy at an Arsenal team that have shown some sign of improvement from the early season form.
Aston Villa did the League double over Arsenal last season, but they are both fixtures in which Mikel Arteta will feel his team were hard done by.
The first goal is going to be important in this game with two teams that can lack some confidence, but I do think home advantage is going to be key for Arsenal. They have been much more positive performances in both the attacking the defensive third in recent games at the Emirates Stadium in favour of Arsenal and they will feel this opponent is one that will struggle to contain the chances.
Before the defeat a little under twelve months ago, Arsenal had won 3 in a row at home against Aston Villa and the belief is that they are playing the slightly more consistent football of the two teams. It won't come easy, but Arsenal may have just enough to secure a vital three points to keep the progression moving in a positive direction.
Chelsea v Norwich City Pick: Thomas Tuchel had made it clear that he wanted to see more from his team from an attacking point of view and he would have been much happier after the 4-0 win over Malmo in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.
However, the injuries suffered by Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner is a blow for Chelsea and both are expected to sit out this weekend. It will mean Kai Havertz is likely going to lead the line, but the German international scored during the week and he is more than capable of doing that for Chelsea.
They are also fortunate to be facing a Norwich City team that have struggled for goals since being promoted to the Premier League. The Canaries have yet to score away from Carrow Road, although the positives for the manager is that Norwich City have kept clean sheets in their last couple of League fixtures played.
Those have come against Burnley and Brighton and it will be much tougher to contain Chelsea, even with a couple of key forwards likely to miss out. Chelsea have been pretty effective getting forward at Stamford Bridge and they have scored at least three goals in 4 of their 7 games played here this season.
Chelsea have beaten the likes of Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Southampton here in the Premier League and they should be too good for Norwich City. I do think the manager will be demanding his team focus defensively to make sure they don't offer Norwich City much hope and the feeling is that the home team will be able to win this fixture with a clean sheet.
In the away games played this season, Norwich City have not really generated a huge attacking threat. Set pieces may be their best route to success in this one, but Chelsea are a solid team and well organised as they showed in their battling win at Brentford last Saturday.
It is unlikely that Norwich City will pose the same kind of threat as Brentford did and I think Chelsea should be able to secure a win to nil in this one.
Crystal Palace v Newcastle United Pick: Steve Bruce might not be the greatest manager of all time, but he should have been afforded a lot more respect from the Newcastle United faithful considering his success in keeping them in the Premier League over the last couple of seasons. The former Manchester United Captain has managed to do that despite being given very little financial support from the previous owner, but the fans have tired of Bruce and the inevitable Sacking was confirmed by the new owners this week.
It will be interesting to see how the players react to the news considering they will no longer have Steve Bruce as a shield for their own sub-par performances. Individual mistakes and poor decisions have hurt Newcastle United and that was evident again in the 2-3 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday.
The squad does look healthier going into this fixture and Graeme Jones has enough familiarity with the players to give Newcastle United a chance of a first victory of the season. They are a group that can be underestimated, but Newcastle United have pace and quality in the final third that will make them dangerous while a new manager is head-hunted.
A new ownership has spoken about taking Newcastle United to the pinnacle of English Football, but relegation is not going to be part of the plan. That means there is pressure on the players with a January transfer window fast approaching, but they have shown little to believe the current squad is good enough to get out of trouble.
Games like this are winnable ones, but Crystal Palace will feel the same and this is a squad that looks to be enjoying their football under a new manager. Patrick Vieira might feel his team deserve a lot more points than they currently have on the board, but the football has been encouraging and they look capable of getting forward and scoring goals.
Mistakes have been costly for Crystal Palace so far and has led to some dropped points, but they have been scoring plenty of goals and this team love playing at Selhurst Park. The first goal is going to be important, but Crystal Palace have shown enough to believe they are going to be moving up the League table sooner than later, especially with a good looking fixture list coming up, beginning with this game.
I think you can make a reasonable case for both teams in this fixture, but Crystal Palace look to be playing with a confidence that is at a higher level than Newcastle United. Patrick Vieira's team are unbeaten at home in the League and they have created enough chances in those games to believe they could have earned more than a single win.
If The Eagles can get off to a flying start, they might be able to overwhelm the Newcastle United players who have uncertainty around their futures at the club. Last season Newcastle United did win here, but Crystal Palace can bounce back this time around and I think they can find a way to earn a victory.
Everton v Watford Pick: Until Newcastle United appoint a new manager, there will be rumours linking Rafael Benitez to the job at St James' Park and that is neither good for the manager, nor for his Everton team. I don't think that played a part in the 0-1 defeat to West Ham United last Sunday, but more questions will be asked if Everton are to drop points against Watford this Saturday.
Injuries are a bigger problem for Everton who are going to be without another key player this weekend with Abdoulaye Doucoure set for some time on the sidelines. The former Watford midfielder has had a big impact for Everton this season with a new role given to him, and his absence will be a blow for a team that could be without both of their first choice attacking players.
Everton showed they still have enough depth to beat struggling teams when they saw off Norwich City here last month and they are a clear favourite to beat Watford.
Claudio Ranieri will have another week to prepare his squad having only recently taken charge of Watford, but the 0-5 home loss to Liverpool shows how much work has to be done. His squad were badly outplayed in a narrow loss at Leeds United earlier this month, but Ranieri is likely to make Watford a little more organised and a little more stubborn.
That is if he gets the time he will likely need, but this Watford ownership has shown little patience in their time at the helm of the club. I am not sure Claudio Ranieri is really the right choice to get Watford moving up the standings either and they are a team that have given up some huge chances in recent games.
If Watford can frustrate Everton, they could get the fans to just make it a difficult atmosphere for the home players to express themselves. That may be the game plan, but Everton have shown enough at Goodison Park to believe they will find the goals to edge to the three points as they recover from the last setback on the previous Sunday.
Everton have shown they are still able to create chances without key performers in the line up and I think they will get the better of a Watford team that have considerable work to do if they are to get up to par defensively.
Leeds United v Wolves Pick: A couple of key players will be returning for Leeds United this weekend and they will need Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha to try and inspire the rest of the squad to put some consistency behind their performances and results.
Moving away from the bottom three as soon as possible will just ease any growing tensions that this second season the top flight is going to be a remarkably difficult one. There were some expectations of Leeds United to kick on from the 2020/21 campaign, but they have struggled for consistency and Marcelo Bielsa will want his team to start turning things around.
The fixture list does look kinder in the weeks ahead, but Leeds United cannot take anything for granted and will have to work hard to put the points on the board.
Wolves are the visitors to Elland Road this Saturday and they have done enough to suggest they are going to cause some major problems for Leeds United. Last Saturday Wolves came from 2-0 down to earn a deserved 2-3 win at Aston Villa and that is only going to give the entire squad a boost in confidence ahead of this next away game.
Bruno Lage has come in as manager and has promised to make Wolves a more attacking outfit and so far he has been rewarded with some strong performances. The club are moving in the right direction in the standings and Wolves will be confident with 4 away wins in succession behind them.
They have been scoring goals and creating chances in those games, but the more adventurous approach has left Wolves a little more open at the back. Those spaces have been exploited by teams at times over the last month, and Leeds United have enough quality to believe they can do the same here.
Both Premier League games were low-scoring ones between these clubs last season, but there were plenty of chances on display in both fixtures. Better finishing will make this a more entertaining game for those looking for goals and I do think there will be at least three shared out between the teams on the day.
My narrow edge is with Leeds United with Phillips and Raphinha likely to start, but Wolves will not be easy to see off and can play their part in what could be one of the more entertaining games in the League over this weekend.
Southampton v Burnley Pick: A narrow, but deserved, win over Leeds United means there are only three Premier League teams that are still searching for a win after Southampton's victory last weekend.
They created plenty of chances and Southampton were able to secure a 1-0 victory, although it does mean they have only scored twice at home all season. Adam Armstrong was taken out of the starting line up to try and reinvigorate the starting eleven and his replacement scored the winner last Saturday.
It will be encouraging for all associated with Southampton and they are strong favourites to secure another three points at St Mary's this weekend. However, you do have to wonder if the team have enough goals in the squad and I certainly think it gives Burnley a chance to spring a surprise.
Burnley were able to avoid their annual hammering at Manchester City last Saturday, and it was arguably their best performance against that club in a long time. They created some chances, but Burnley have not looked themselves from a defensive point of view and they have now conceded at least twice in all of their away Premier League games played this season.
That puts pressure on them up the other end of the field, but Burnley have looked a little more capable than Southampton in finding a consistent avenue to goal. Burnley have not scored in 3 of their last 4 Premier League games, but they have had a tough fixture list and Sean Dyche will be encouraged by the 2-2 away draw at Leicester City.
Last season Burnley blew a 0-2 lead here in a 3-2 defeat, but prior to that they had won 2 of 3 at Southampton. I think this fixture will be close and the first goal is going to be important, but Burnley look like they are capable of at least containing Southampton considering the struggles Ralph Hasenhuttl's team have had in putting the finishing touches to their football.
Southampton might struggle to score more than once in this fixture and that should mean Burnley have every chance of avoiding defeat. There has been some inconsistent performances from both of these teams, but The Saints look plenty short here.
Brighton v Manchester City Pick: When the fixture list was released in June, not many would have predicted this to be a match between two clubs occupying top four spots in the Premier League table.
4th placed Brighton will be hosting 3rd placed Manchester City at the Amex Stadium in front of the television cameras, but it is a big ask for the hosts to beat the defending Champions.
Graham Potter has to be very pleased with what he has seen from his Brighton team over the last two months, but the recent results have just seen the progress slowing. They needed an injury time goal to earn a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace and Brighton have followed up with back to back goalless draws with Arsenal and Norwich City.
Now they have to take a big step up in terms of level of opposition and Brighton will have to be better at both ends of the field if they are going to earn a positive result. They did beat Manchester City here in May, but Brighton were 0-2 down and had been playing a team reduced to ten men for over 80 minutes.
Barring something like that happening again, Manchester City should have too much for Brighton here. Like their hosts, Manchester City have been relatively strong defensively, but the difference is that they have shown a real cutting edge in recent games that could see them secure the maximum points.
Manchester City have enjoyed playing Brighton knowing their opponent will be trying to get the ball down and play their own football. Ultimately it is Pep Guardiola's team who have the superior players that can fashion the big openings and Manchester City have secured some comfortable wins over Brighton since the latter returned to the top flight.
The neutrals should enjoy the football on display, but Manchester City should have the quality at both ends of the field to wear down Brighton and secure a good looking win here.
Brentford v Leicester City Pick: This game has been pushed back to Sunday because of Leicester City's participation in the Europa League, but they have had an additional day to prepare with their Match Day 3 fixture moved to a Wednesday.
Leicester City are travelling back from Moscow so will need that time, but this is a confident team having scored eight goals in wins over Manchester United and Spartak Moscow. The chances being created in those wins are highly encouraging for Brendan Rodgers and the entire squad should be playing with more confidence.
Scoring goals has not really been a problem for Leicester City who have managed to hit the back of the net at least twice in 6 of their last 8 games in all competitions. They have also scored in their last 11 away Premier League games and will be encouraged by some of the chances that the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal have managed to create at this Stadium.
However, Brendan Rodgers had not been overseeing a lot of wins of late and that is largely because of the injuries that have decimated his first choice defensive options. They might be flying in the final third, but Leicester City have needed all of that attacking threat and that is because they have been struggling for clean sheets.
While scoring in 11 away Premier League games in succession, Leicester City have conceded in all of those games too. The Foxes have conceded at least twice in 6 of their last 8 games in all competitions as well and Brentford have shown an attacking threat that makes it feel like they are going to cause plenty of problems here.
Better finishing and a less inspired Edouard Mendy would have resulted in Brentford earning a positive result against Chelsea last weekend. They have enjoyed playing teams that may give it a go and Brentford have scored at least two goals when hosting Arsenal and Liverpool here, and I do expect the team to play with a positive attitude in this one too.
Leicester City did win here 1-3 in the FA Cup last season and I am expecting goals in this one too. Both teams should hit the back of the net, or at least have plenty of chances to do that, and I think the attacking instincts of the two managers will mean at least three goals are shared out on Sunday afternoon.
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur Pick: There is no love lost between these London rivals and both West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur fans will be going into the fixture with some confidence in their own team.
Despite some of the negative headlines, Tottenham Hotspur are as high as 5th in the Premier League table. They are still a work in progress under a new manager and Tottenham Hotspur have had some inconsistent performances throughout this season, but the 2-3 win at Newcastle United has moved them back into the top five.
West Ham United also had an important away win in the Premier League last Sunday and they are also moving up the standings. Unlike Spurs, West Ham United won a European tie on Thursday and David Moyes clearly has faith in his squad that secured the win over Genk with some key players earning rest.
They have played well for much of this season and West Ham United continue to be a dangerous team going forward. David Moyes will be pleased with the back to back clean sheets since the October international break, but they have not always looked secure in their defensive third so West Ham United will need to be efficient in their attacks.
I expect them to cause problems for Tottenham Hotspur who have been conceding plenty of away goals. The win at St James' Park will be encouraging, but Tottenham Hotspur are still finding their way under Nuno Espirito Santo and some of their attacking performances have been underwhelming.
Tottenham Hotspur have quality in the attacking areas that can't be dismissed, but I do think West Ham United can back up the win they had over this rival last season.
My one concern with West Ham United is the fact they have lost both Premier League games played after playing in the Europa League. Both defeats came at the London Stadium as West Ham United conceded in the final few minutes to Manchester United and Brentford, but they played well enough to deserve more in both games.
That is encouraging enough to think West Ham United can be on the right side of the Asian Handicap and I do think the favourite can edge to the victory in this live game.
Manchester United v Liverpool Pick: This remains the biggest game in English Football and the world will be tuning in when Manchester United host Liverpool in a huge game for both clubs.
Both are coming in off impressive 3-2 Champions League wins during the week, although they were earned in different ways. Manchester United had to show some resiliency and a huge belief to overturn a 0-2 deficit in the win over Atalanta at Old Trafford, while Liverpool blew a 0-2 lead at Atletico Madrid before rallying for a 2-3 victory of their own.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has just eased some of the pressure that has been building on him, but he isn't out of the woods just yet and Manchester United need a big performance for the manager. They can't afford to allow Liverpool to get into the kind of lead that Atalanta were given on Wednesday and Manchester United have to find a balance that makes them more solid defensively, while also bringing an attacking intensity to the field.
Manchester United should have some success going forward because Liverpool have not really convinced at the back. Atletico Madrid created solid chances against them and Brentford did the same in a recent Premier League game and I do think Manchester United are capable of causing problems, especially at Old Trafford with the fans behind them.
The worry for Manchester United has to be the amount of goals Liverpool have been scoring and especially with the really weak defensive performances of the last week. Liverpool have scored at least three times in 8 away games in a row and they have arguably the top player in the world in their ranks.
Mohamed Salah scored the fourth goal in Liverpool's 2-4 win at Old Trafford in May and I do think they are going to be very dangerous going forward in this one. There may be some issues at the back, but Liverpool have options in attacking areas and all three of their main forwards are in good form and should be well rested for the late Sunday afternoon kick off.
After the pressure that has been on Manchester United, you wouldn't write them off from upsetting many and beating Liverpool here. However, it is hard to imagine either of these teams winning this game without needing to score at least twice considering what we have seen from both at the back.
Both teams have scored in 7 of the last 8 between the clubs at Old Trafford and I do think that is likely going to be the outcome of this one. Neither manager will be overly content to take a point before kick off though and I think an attacking game will be the outcome with both managers likely to believe that going forward and scoring goals will cover some of the defensive vulnerabilities that have been on display.
Neutrals are likely to enjoy the game a lot more than the fans who have to deal with a different kind of tension. I would not be surprised if this is the third game in a row between Manchester United and Liverpool that ends with three or more goals produced and that feels the obvious angle considering how open both have been in defensive areas.
MY PICKS: Arsenal to Win
Chelsea Win to Nil
Crystal Palace to Win
Everton & Over 1.5 Goals
Leeds United-Wolves Over 2.5 Goals
Burnley + 0.5 Asian Handicap
Manchester City - 1.25 Asian Handicap
Brentford-Leicester City Over 2.5 Goals
West Ham United - 0.25 Asian Handicap
Manchester United-Liverpool Over 2.5 Goals
Fantasy Football GameWeek 9
One of the main reasons that most long-term fantasy managers will tell you that shouldn't be planning too many transfers too far ahead is because you just never know when the injury bug will come in and hurt your squad.
The fixtures coming up for Chelsea meant most were going to be looking to double or, more likely, treble up with players from Thomas Tuchel's squad. Back to back wins this week will have only strengthened that, but I always wait towards the end of the week to make transfers and it is a policy that will have paid off.
My transfer this week was going to be used on removing Cristiano Ronaldo and replacing him with Romelu Lukaku, but the Belgian player and Timo Werner have both suffered injuries in Chelsea's win over Malmo on Wednesday. Both are expected to not only miss this week, but they could be out right through to the November international break and that means it is a transfer I am obviously no longer considering.
Injuries can change some plans, but it may open the door for other players to become fantasy options and the player who could most benefit is Kai Havertz.
The German international has not really been as involved as he would have liked for Chelsea in the early part of the 2021/22 season, especially after scoring the winning goal for the club in the Champions League Final at the end of the last campaign. However, Kai Havertz did manage to get on the scoreboard in the win over Malmo when coming on as a substitute and a midfield player in the Fantasy Premier League game is almost certainly going to be leading the line for Chelsea with games against Norwich City, Newcastle United and Burnley to come.
Kai Havertz can be a little inconsistent, but he should have every chance of securing some important points over the next three GameWeeks and my moves over the last month does mean I have the chance to upgrade one of my midfield options for the Chelsea player.
First I am going to be listening to the Thomas Tuchel press conference to get a feeling as to how long Lukaku and Werner could potentially be missing, but Havertz is an option as I have been looking to move on Said Benrahma.
West Ham United have a tough fixture list coming up so I am not keen on doubling up on their squad and still feel Michail Antonio is the key player for them from the underlying numbers. My initial plan was to remove Benrahma and once again bring in Bryan Mbeumo who has settled into the Premier League with Brentford.
The Bees are beginning to create a lot of chances and I do love how they use Mbeumo, but this may be a player that I look to target in GW10 rather than this week. I have yet to take a hit this season so that is a potential avenue to bringing him into my squad, but I will have a real think about whether that is going to be plan that brings in a return this week or whether it should be something I wait on.
I think those decisions will come down to the wire for me, but I am pretty happy with the shape of my squad going into GW9 so I am not sure I need to take the hit to bring in a player unless I feel it is going to be a long-term selection. The Brentford assets feel they can be longer-term picks, but I think the large part of the squad looks to be in decent shape.
The Captain choice is perhaps the hardest decision.
Going with my head the easiest selection has to be Mohamed Salah considering his form, his performances against the bigger teams he has opposed, and the fact that Manchester United look really messy at the back. Before the Romelu Lukaku injury I think he would have been the player I would have transferred in and given him the armband, especially as I hate Captaining anyone playing against Manchester United.
Realistically Salah is the best choice at the moment and I think he is someone you can set as Captain and leave on current form. It seemingly doesn't matter who Liverpool are playing and Mohamed Salah is also on Penalties.
His only real rivals this week for the armband would be Raphinha or Cristiano Ronaldo from my squad, although a more risky decision would be to give it to either of the Chelsea defenders I have or possibly even Joao Cancelo.
I am not in a position where I need to take unnecessary risks right now, but I have to make peace with my decision in the hours leading up to the deadline. Looking at the way I am going to set my team up ahead, I do think a hit could be the right move, but you can see my final decision and starting eleven at around 645pm on Friday.
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