With Covid-19 cases ramping up throughout the United Kingdom, there is always a chance that there will be more postponements in the Premier League and there are already seven games that will definitely need to be re-arranged.
I will have some thoughts on how I believe the Premier League can try and put some of those games in the calendar over the next month and that is largely down to the fact that kicking these fixtures down the road could be really dangerous if there are more postponements and that feels inevitable at this moment.
You can read those thoughts below as we enter GameWeek 19 of the Fantasy Football season.
Wolves v West Brom Pick: There will be plenty of Wolves fans who will remember the last Black Country derby when they were embarrassed by West Brom in a 1-5 defeat at Molineux.
Much has changed for Wolves in the years since that defeat in February 2012 and the club is trending in a positive direction even if the results in the 2020/21 season have been largely disappointing.
Nuno Espirito Santo knows there is a transition period Wolves are moving through and the loss of Raul Jimenez to injury has been a major blow for the club. The players are not giving up, but losing their talisman up front has left them short of goals and Wolves are not defending as well as they have been in the previous two seasons.
That will be encouragement for struggling West Brom, but their own form has been disappointing. The Baggies have failed to spark under the guidance of Sam Allardyce and there are some suggestions that the expert in avoiding relegation from the Premier League may not even see out the month in charge at The Hawthorns.
He needs a result as much as the home manager does and I think West Brom will have benefited from having a few more days to prepare for this fixture than Wolves have been able to have. They should be organised and West Brom have to be respected for the fact they have earned draws at Manchester City and Liverpool in their last 2 away Premier League games, remarkable results considering the overall form of the team.
Since the draw at Anfield, West Brom have conceded nine goals in losing back to back home games against Leeds United and Arsenal. That is a major worry, but I think West Brom will look to make life much more difficult for a Wolves team that have looked toothless without Raul Jimenez leading the line.
Any derby game is going to see the form book thrown out of the window, but I do think the absence of fans takes a major piece out of these fixtures when it comes to the intensity of the match. The expectation is that this should be a low-scoring fixture as neither team have really been able to put things together in the final third as they would have liked.
Wolves could also be without key performers like Adama Traore and Daniel Podence and I do wonder if there is enough here for them to be such a short favourite.
Make no mistake, it is very hard to trust a West Brom team who have been hammered and looking completely out of their depth in home defeats to Leeds United and Arsenal. They were also beaten 0-3 by Aston Villa under Sam Allardyce, but the one away League game was that draw at Liverpool and I would be very surprised if The Baggies take another beating when Allardyce has had a week to work with the players on being defensively organised against a relatively weak attack that they will face.
Leeds United v Brighton Pick: This fixture has all of the makings of a very good game of football with both Leeds United and Brighton capable of playing an attacking game which will appeal to the neutrals.
I can't imagine either manager will change tact in this game with a vital three points on offer and the only surprise would be if we don't see goals.
However there is a disclaimer to that belief- both Leeds United and Brighton have been a little wasteful in the final third despite the football they have been able to produce and it may mean they are not taking advantage of the positions they are likely to get into.
Neither has really defended very well throughout the course of the season and even in games where they have managed to find clean sheets it has been down to wastefulness of the opposition.
The good news for those tuning is that both Leeds United and Brighton will likely be searching for more than a single goal and that should see an open game being produced on the day. The layers are well aware of that and I think goals will generally be offered at a short price when Leeds United are involved, but this looks like one of those fixtures when that price should be taken on.
Brighton did have a difficult game at Manchester City during the week and were 'only' beaten 1-0, but the home team had many chances to add to the single strike they managed. On the other hand Leeds United have had a week to prepare following the surprise defeat to Crawley Town in the FA Cup Third Round, and they also have another ten days before the next Premier League game which may mean they are able to outlast Brighton in this one.
I do lean towards the home win, but both teams can play their part in this one and I think there will be at least three goals shared out when two bottom half clubs meet on Saturday.
West Ham United v Burnley Pick: We might not be a the halfway mark of the Premier League season, but both Burnley and West Ham United have to be happy with what they have seen to this point. Both are on the right course when it comes to what they would have hoped to achieve in the 2020/21 season, but David Moyes and Sean Dyche will also be well aware that more work has to be done.
Despite Burnley's defeat to Manchester United during the week, both teams have been in decent form in recent weeks and I think it will be a fixture that both Burnley and West Ham United will believe they can earn a result from.
Burnley did the League double over West Ham United last season and kept clean sheets in both, but they have not been travelling as well as they have been playing at Turf Moor. A lack of goals is a major concern for the visitors and Burnley have not scored in 5 of their last 6 away games in the Premier League.
With that stat in mind you can see why West Ham United are favoured to win this fixture, but The Hammers have drawn their last 2 at home and those have come against Crystal Palace and Brighton. Both clubs are below West Ham United in the League table and West Ham United would have gone into both games as favourites, but failed to deliver.
Since bringing Craig Dawson into the line up, West Ham United have kept 3 clean sheets in succession and that includes 0-1 wins at Everton and Stockport County. David Moyes will be pleased to see those clean sheets and it may be important to this fixture and finding a way to the three points in this fixture.
Picking a winner won't be easy, but West Ham United and Burnley may both lean on their defensive capabilities to try and earn the points in this one. Burnley may not score a lot of goals away from home, but they have kept clean sheets in 4 of their last 6 away Premier League fixtures and I do think this is a game which will not produce a lot of goals.
4 of the last 5 between these clubs have ended with at least one of the teams failing to hit the back of the net and I think that may be the case on Saturday too. Set pieces could be important to both, but the two managers have usually prepared their teams to be effective at defending those too and so this feels like a tight fixture that may need a moment of magic to separate the two on the day.
Fulham v Chelsea Pick: The Premier League have made it clear that all twenty clubs have to be prepared for short notice changes in the scheduling as they look to work around the Coronavirus pandemic which continues to cause havoc.
The first West London derby of the season was originally set for Friday Night Football, but Fulham had a 'make up' fixture against Tottenham Hotspur placed in the schedule on Wednesday which means this game against Chelsea will be played twenty-four hours later than planned.
It shouldn't be a big issue for Chelsea, but Fulham manager Scott Parker has been anything but impressed with his team being forced to play games in quick succession. Scott Parker insists his team are still recovering from the Covid-19 outbreak which forced two Fulham postponements last month and the lack of time between games will stretch the squad.
A tough point was earned at Tottenham Hotspur, but Fulham were grateful for some wastefulness from the home team. Now they have back to back games against sides that finished in the top four last season and so it is a difficult balancing act for the manager if he is trying to keep players fit and ready to compete.
Fulham have definitely been a tough nut to crack in recent weeks with 5 consecutive draws played out, but I do think there has been an element of riding their fortune. Jose Mourinho believes his Tottenham Hotspur team should have beaten them comfortably on Wednesday, while the likes of Newcastle United and Liverpool created good chances to beat Fulham too.
You do have to think Chelsea will be well prepared with players returning from injury and giving Frank Lampard some solid attacking options. Like Fulham, Chelsea play twice in the Premier League over the next few days, but the team have had a week to prepare and I think they are going to be too strong for Fulham.
It is a concern for Lampard that his team have lost 3 away Premier League games in a row, but there is also an underlying feeling that Chelsea are creating enough chances to have deserved better results than they have managed. Frank Lampard will hope to see better defensive shape from his team, but again they have had time to work on that with the week between fixtures and I expect to see a good performance from The Blues.
Chelsea have won on their last 3 visits to Craven Cottage and I think they are likely going to extend that here as long as they show a touch more clinical finishing that Spurs did on Wednesday. Fulham won't make life easy and Chelsea will likely need to score at least twice to win here, but I think they will manage that and start moving back up the League table.
Leicester City v Southampton Pick: Go back to the end of October 2019 and it would have been very difficult to imagine Southampton would be capable of recovering from the embarrassing 0-9 home defeat to Leicester City without some major changes being made.
All credit has to be given to the Southampton ownership and board for sticking by Ralph Hasenhuttl and they have been rewarded in ways they could not really have imagined.
Fast forward almost fifteen months from that defeat to Leicester City and Southampton are now dreaming about European adventures over the coming months. They are flying high in the Premier League and have shown they can compete with the very best teams in the Division having beaten Champions Liverpool 1-0 in the last Premier League game.
Southampton have also been very difficult to beat away from home having not lost on their travels since the opening weekend. Draws at Chelsea and Arsenal show they can compete and Southampton have a very good recent record at Leicester City that will give the team confidence.
However it does have to be said that Southampton have not really been creating as many chances as they would have liked in recent games and they had played out back to back goalless draws and failed to score in 3 before the win over Liverpool which came courtesy of an early goal.
Now they have to face a Leicester City team who are playing with confidence even if they have not been as good at home as they have been on their travels. Despite the record, Leicester City should be respected and they have quality players capable of making a difference on the day, but even then they look short enough to win.
Defensively Leicester City have been pretty good even if the numbers don't bear that out in terms of goals being conceded. They have not given up too much despite conceding at Crystal Palace and Newcastle United, although surprisingly they have been a bit more vulnerable at home, perhaps because the onus is on them to get forward even in the absence of fans.
Games between these clubs in recent times have leant towards the visiting team with 5 of the last 6 Premier League games ending in an away win including all 4 over the last two seasons.
That will have some ready to back a Southampton team who have been better away than Leicester City have been at home, but my feeling is that this could be a tight fixture. Both teams have performed pretty well from a defensive point of view in recent games and there has been something lacking in the final third for Southampton which does make it hard to believe in them here.
It leads me to think this game will be another in the Premier League this weekend which sees at least one of the teams fail to hit the back of the net. I could see a 1-0 victory either way in this fixture with my narrow lean being towards Leicester City, but my main feeling is that this will be a game where one of the sides earns a clean sheet.
Sheffield United v Tottenham Hotspur Pick: Frustration with another lost lead will have not only afflicted Jose Mourinho, but many of the Tottenham Hotspur fans watching who feel the team is not being decisive in finishing off matches in recent weeks. I can put the result in the Fulham game aside as Tottenham Hotspur created more than enough chances to win that one, but dropped points against Crystal Palace and Wolves have come in matches where Spurs have looked to protect a lead than actually trying to extend it.
There isn't much point in Mourinho bemoaning players not following his instructions or the lack of quality to see out results- his tactics have long been criticised for this approach to fixtures and ultimately it is beginning to cost Tottenham Hotspur who have lost ground on the League leaders.
They can't afford to drop more points here against bottom club Sheffield United even though Chris Wilder has seen his team win back to back games in the Cup and League. The win over Newcastle United will have given Sheffield United a huge boost, but the fortune was playing a team with ten men and even then it was hard work for the hosts.
For all the effort and grit being shown by Sheffield United, they are simply not creating enough chances and that has really hindered them this season. Last year they weren't exactly an attacking powerhouse, but Sheffield United have lost their defensive strength which means they need to score more goals to earn results than they did in the 2019/20 campaign.
Teams have perhaps also gotten to grips with the Chris Wilder tactics too and I think it has seen the hosts come up short.
However Sheffield United have been largely competitive and that has resulted in a number of defeats by narrow margins. They had lost 5 in a row at home in the Premier League before the win during the week, but all of those defeats came by single goal margins and Chris Wilder will believe his team will have a chance of an upset here if Tottenham Hotspur continue to struggle in the final third.
Only twice in the last 8 Premier League games played have Tottenham Hotspur scored more than one goal and both of those games were at home.
Remove the wins at Southampton and Manchester United and it is a baffling stat to see Tottenham Hotspur have scored 5 goals in their last 6 away Premier League games. So while they should have a little too much quality for Sheffield United, it is unlikely that Spurs will blow this team away.
That will encourage Sheffield United to earn a result here, but I think Tottenham Hotspur are looking dangerous enough going forward to expose what has been a vulnerable Blades defence. It is unlikely to be an easy win for Tottenham Hotspur, but I think they will be able to earn the points in what will be a relatively low-scoring fixture.
Where others have found a way against Tottenham Hotspur late on, Sheffield United still look a little short of options in the final third and I think that shows up here. This time Spurs may be able to hold onto their lead, although I doubt Jose Mourinho’s team will be looking to chase the third or fourth goals here.
Liverpool v Manchester United Pick: This will always be the glamour fixture in England regardless of the League positions of Liverpool and Manchester United, but fans and broadcasters can't ask for much more than they will receive this weekend.
A top of the table encounter between these old rivals and the two most successful clubs in English Football has not materialised in recent years. In that time Manchester United have not really reached the heights of their rivals across the city and a short journey down the M62, but this season there is a sense that something memorable is being put together by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men.
The 0-1 win at Turf Moor on Tuesday has maintained Manchester United's strong away record in the Premier League and this is a team who will feel they can create chances here. In fact the last time Manchester United were beaten away from home came here at Anfield twelve months ago, but that was a close game despite the eventual 2-0 win for Liverpool which was only secured after some key misses for Manchester United and with a Mohamed Salah goal deep into injury time.
Liverpool have to be respected with their very strong record at Anfield which stretches back a number of years. They have not been beaten here in the Premier League since April 2017, a run of 67 games, and Liverpool have won 49 of their last 56 League games here.
Those numbers are pretty incredible and this is a team who have found a way to win games even when not at their best, although West Brom did earn a 1-1 draw at Anfield in the last Premier League game here. That was played in front of 2000 fans, but Liverpool have since lost that advantage too and this is a team who have a defence that looks vulnerable.
Even if Joel Matip is back from injury, Manchester United should feel they can play their football here and cause problems for Liverpool. However they will challenged defensively too with Liverpool creating chances even if their finishing has let them down in their most recent Premier League games.
Like the layers I do think this is a fixture that will see both teams have chances to score, but I also think there is little to suggest either can keep a clean sheet. I genuinely believe Manchester United can earn some kind of result here with the way they have played away from home and they have scored plenty of goals on their travels.
It has been a long time since Manchester United won at Anfield, but this might be the most capable team of recent times. At the same time I do think Liverpool are more vulnerable than they have looked in three or four years and there looks to be a big opportunity in front of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team to open a gap on the current English Champions.
Any win may need at least two goals to be secured though and I think the best approach to this fixture may be backing a combined three or more goals to be shared out. I can't see Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane to continue misfiring in front of goal so this is a big test for Manchester United, but at the same time Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Edinson Cavani will arrive playing with a lot of confidence and can use their pace and movement to find spaces.
Both teams are likely going to hit the back of the net, although as a Manchester United fan I would very much take a 0-1 or a 0-2 win now.
However the feeling is that we are going to see plenty of chances created by both teams and it may result in one of the more high-scoring games between these rivals than has generally been the case in recent years.
Manchester City v Crystal Palace Pick: This is a congested season and so there are going to be times when there is very little recovery time between games and that is what Crystal Palace are dealing with on Sunday.
They had a tough away London derby at Arsenal on Thursday and now have to face an in-form Manchester City team. At least Crystal Palace will have nine days rest following this fixture so there is every chance they can put in another huge effort at the Etihad Stadium where they have won and drawn in their last 2 visits.
This Manchester City team look less likely to be exposed on the counter attack as they have looked in the last couple of years and that could be important in this fixture. John Stones and Ruben Dias are forming a very good partnership and the slight tinkering to the system has meant Manchester City have not really offered up a lot of chances for their opponents.
It does feel like people are beginning to notice how well Manchester City are playing from a defensive point of view, although the balance has been slightly lost as far as going forward is concerned. There have been some big wins for Manchester City, but they are not consistent in the final third without Sergio Aguero leading the line and that means Manchester City do have to work hard to ensure they are picking up the maximum points.
Manchester City have only scored 6 goals in their last 4 home Premier League games and those have been against Fulham, West Brom, Newcastle United and Brighton. None of those teams are particularly known for their strong defensive performances and underlines the point about Manchester City not being at their very best going forward.
Roy Hodgson will set his team up to be defensively well organised and so this has the feeling of being a tight game despite the amount of goals that have generally been produced when these teams have met at the Etihad Stadium.
There have been at least four goals shared out between the teams in the last 6 at the Etihad Stadium, but I think this fixture will be different. Crystal Palace have not scored in their last 3 away games in all competitions, while Manchester City have kept 4 clean sheets in their last 5 home Premier League fixtures.
On recent form it is hard to look past another Manchester City clean sheet here as they continue to restrict opponents to very little in the final third. The pace in the final third and the set pieces that Crystal Palace will look to exploit makes them dangerous, but I think Manchester City have found a solid base to their game and I will look for them to win another game without conceding.
Arsenal v Newcastle United Pick: The games in the Premier League are being spread out so they are all receiving full televised coverage and it is Arsenal and Newcastle United who will be competing on Monday Night Football this week.
Neither team is playing at the level that either set of fans would have been expecting and there is some pressure on both Mikel Arteta and Steve Bruce.
Both Arsenal and Newcastle United are underachieving and coming off disappointing Premier League results which leaves them both in the bottom half of the table. There is a real concern for the home team that they will miss out on European Football this time around, while Newcastle United's form is seeing them slip back towards the relegation zone.
For now Mikel Arteta and Steve Bruce retain the support of the key decision makers at Arsenal and Newcastle United respectively, but this is a very important game for both. They need to find a way to earn the three points and that does put some pressure on the two sets of players who are not creating as many chances as they would like to see.
I think this fixture is likely going to be the same and similar to the FA Cup Third Round tie earlier this month- Arsenal had the majority of the play but Newcastle United had their opportunities too, but both lacked a consistent threat going forward.
With that in mind I do think this has the feeling of a fixture which could be decided by a single goal.
Arsenal have not scored in normal time in either of their last 2 home games, but have kept clean sheets in both, while Newcastle United have not scored in their last 2 away games and rarely created a threat.
The last 4 games between these clubs have seen at least one of the teams fail to score and I would not be surprised if one of the two fail to score on Monday.
West Ham United v West Brom Pick: Both of these Premier League clubs were able to earn important three points on Saturday, but David Moyes and Sam Allardyce have a short turnaround with their teams back in action on Tuesday.
There will be confidence that comes out of victories and the West Brom win at Molineux will certainly have their players believing that they can escape relegation. It was a battle, but The Baggies scored three times and came from 2-1 down to win 2-3 and it can be the kind of result which can begin to turn a season.
Sam Allardyce will be very happy to see three points produced, but he will be looking for better defensively. That has been his foundation for avoiding the drop throughout his managerial career in the Premier League, but West Brom continue to offer up too many chances.
I imagine it is something he will be working on ahead of this fixture, but there isn't much time for Allardyce and he will be looking for his players to try and frustrate West Ham United.
As positive as the results have been, West Ham United are not creating a host of chances themselves and so there will be a chance for West Brom to earn more points. However you have to credit David Moyes who has set his team up well enough to earn 4 clean sheets in a row and produce 1-0 wins in 3 games in a row.
He will likely rotate some of the players having had the limited time to recover between games, but West Ham United are playing with more confidence than we have seen for a while. They may not score a lot of goals or create a lot of chances, but West Ham United have looked pretty secure defensively and will feel they can restrict West Brom as long as they deal with the crosses and direct style in front of them.
I expect David Moyes to have worked on that with his players and this could be a tight game with both managers capable of setting up their teams to be tough to beat. Goals have been scored at both ends of the field when West Brom have played in recent away games, but that run looks set to come to an end here with the way West Ham United have been approaching fixtures.
It is still hard to rule out the visitors defending well enough to earn a result, but I would not be surprised if one of these teams fails to score here. Both managers will be well aware of how the other will want their team to play and I think that should mean they give their players the knowledge to deal with what they see.
Set pieces are likely to be crucial to the outcome of the fixture, but the feeling remains that there won't be a huge amount of goals shared out.
Leicester City v Chelsea Pick: Two clubs who will believe there could be at least one opening in the top four for them will meet on Tuesday and it is an important three points on the line for Leicester City and Chelsea.
Last season Brendan Rodgers and Frank Lampard's teams competed for top four spots until the final day of the campaign, but Leicester City came up short as Chelsea and Manchester United edged them out.
That came at the end of a season in which Leicester City had overachieved for large portions, but that experience will also have aided this squad as they look for an even stronger 2020/21 season. Brendan Rodgers has big ambitions for himself and this club, but so far Leicester City continue to churn out the results they need to stay in touch with the leaders of the Premier League.
A win on Tuesday might have a few more people paying attention to how well Leicester City are playing, but Rodgers won't be out there looking to impress anyone. Instead his focus is improving the players day by day and making sure Leicester City extract every ounce of potential from his decent squad.
They dominated Southampton on Saturday and deserved their win and I do think Leicester City won't be worried about facing Chelsea in their current form. Even the late goal to win at Craven Cottage won't have covered up some of the lack of confidence we have seen from the players and Chelsea need to pick up their consistency if they are going to return to the Champions League.
That is the minimum aim for Frank Lampard with the amount of investment made at the club in the summer, but Chelsea have not really been at their best of late. Even then they are creating chances and Chelsea will have been boosted by the clean sheet earned at Fulham, even if it was partly down to facing a ten man team for the majority of the fixture.
It sounds like Jamie Vardy will be available for Leicester City and I do think that will be key for the hosts who should create chances. However I also think Chelsea will be able to do the same and there may be more goals in this fixture than has generally been the case when Leicester City and Chelsea have met in recent seasons.
6 of the last 7 between these clubs have ended with two or fewer goals shared out, but the Premier League fixture between them at the King Power Stadium last season did end 2-2. A tighter FA Cup Quarter Final was played out, but that was played in June shortly after the League resumed following the three month suspension.
I do think both teams have shown enough going forward to believe there will be chances created in this one and neither Leicester City nor Chelsea have looked that good defensively of late. Both Everton and Manchester United have scored two goals in recent League visits to the King Power Stadium, but Chelsea have also been conceding goals on their travels and I think at least three will be seen here.
Fulham v Manchester United Pick: This is an important game at the top and bottom of the Premier League table, but you do have to favour Manchester United to leave London with an important three points.
That does not take anything away from Fulham who have been hard to beat under Scott Parker over the last month and were only undone by Chelsea on Saturday largely because they had been reduced to ten men. Even then Fulham showed enough to believe they can get themselves out of trouble inside the bottom three of the Premier League and this is a team who will look to get forward and pose problems for the current League leaders.
In recent weeks Fulham have drawn with Liverpool here and also managed to pick up a point from a hastily arranged away game at Tottenham Hotspur. All credit has to be given to the team for those results, but Fulham have not scored in their last 3 games at Craven Cottage and now face a Manchester United team who have been strong away from home all season.
Manchester United have really gotten used to beating those teams they should in the 2020/21 season and it is the foundation for their current position in the Premier League table. This is a team who can score goals and I do think they will create chances against Fulham, although the final score will depend on how clinical they are in the final third.
On Sunday Manchester United may feel better finishing would have resulted in a win at Anfield, but they should feel less tense about winning at Craven Cottage. The club have won their last 4 visits to this part of West London and I do think it is hard to ignore the amount of chances that Fulham are still giving up even if they have largely avoided punishment for them.
There is a big FA Cup tie coming up for Manchester United this weekend, but this Premier League game is more important so I expect a very strong team to be selected. Players like Paul Pogba are driving the team forward at the moment, but I do think Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes are not that far away from finding some of their own better form.
I expect Manchester United to be too strong for Fulham who have invested a lot of energy in their last two games. Having an extra day of rest will help, but perhaps not enough for this fixture and I will back the visitors to find a way to cover the Asian Handicap on their way to another three points.
Manchester City v Aston Villa Pick: This is a fixture that was originally supposed to be played on the opening weekend of the 2020/21 season, but Manchester City's late participation in the Champions League meant a postponement was offered by the Premier League.
It has perhaps not come at an ideal time for Aston Villa who have been affected by a Covid-19 outbreak which has reportedly been the worst of any Premier League so far this season.
However it is unlikely that Aston Villa will be offered another postponement having played as many as three game fewer than the majority of the Division. The training ground was reopened on Sunday and Dean Smith has spoken about the staggered return of players which should mean Aston Villa have a much more recognisable team than the one that was beaten by Liverpool in the FA Cup Third Round.
Even then it is a very difficult test for the visitors despite the very strong away form in the Premier League. Aston Villa were beaten 2-1 at Manchester United in their last fixture in the League, and they are not likely to get a lot of joy from this Manchester City team who have won 8 in a row in all competitions and who have been limiting teams from creating any sort of chances against them.
Aston Villa did play well against Manchester United, but they created a lot less in their 1-1 draw at Chelsea and this is a club that have struggled when visiting the Etihad Stadium in recent years. Dean Smith's team have been playing with confidence this season, but you do have to wonder how much the Covid-19 outbreak will have affected them and Manchester City are on a roll right now.
They can keep the clean sheets going and I will look for Manchester City to win with another one as they look for a fifth straight win to nil at the Etihad Stadium.
Liverpool v Burnley Pick: You have to believe that Liverpool will rediscover their form sooner rather than later and so being 3 points off the leaders is not a bad position to be in.
However you can't help but be critical of Jurgen Klopp's reaction to the goalless draw with Manchester United. Like many managers he is trying to disguise the issues in the Liverpool camp by taking aim at tactics other managers are using, but if he was frustrated by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United, Klopp has another difficult evening to come against Sean Dyche's Burnley.
At the end of the day Liverpool have not scored in their last 3 Premier League games and they were pushed much harder than they would have imagined by Aston Villa's youth team in the FA Cup Third Round earlier this month. Defensively Liverpool have been largely settled, but they are not taking the chances that are coming their way and there is a pressure to respond.
I do think eventually an opponent is going to take something of a hammering by Liverpool, but Burnley have drawn on 2 of their last 3 visits to Anfield. They will be looking to frustrate their opponents here, but Burnley have lost 3 of their last 4 Premier League games and all by the same 1-0 margin.
Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes will be looking to challenge the Liverpool centre halves more than they had been last Sunday, but Joel Matip could return to bolster the home team. With Alisson in goal Liverpool do feel confident in their ability to still keep teams out, but they have to rediscover their clinical edge in front of goal.
Chances are being created, but there does look to be a lack of confidence in the strikers which is a worry for the manager while Diogo Jota is on the sidelines. I still think Liverpool will end up being too strong for Burnley and they will take the opportunities when they are presented here, although they may need a bit of luck to just open the door and then push on.
The feeling is that a single goal may be enough to earn the three points and I think Liverpool will find a way to break through what is going to be another deep lying defence. Burnley may not have the same attacking threat as Manchester United though and Liverpool should find a way to the points as they look to keep in touch with those teams above them in the table.
Aston Villa v Newcastle United Pick:
MY PICKS: West Brom + 1 Asian Handicap
Leeds United-Brighton Over 2.5 Goals
West Ham United-Burnley Both Teams to Score NO
Chelsea & Over 1.5 Goals
Leicester City-Southampton Both Teams to Score NO
Tottenham Hotspur & Under 4.5 Goals
Liverpool-Manchester United Over 2.5 Goals
Manchester City Win to Nil
Arsenal-Newcastle United Both Teams to Score NO
West Ham United-West Brom Both Teams to Score NO
Leicester City-Chelsea Over 2.5 Goals
Manchester United - 1 Asian Handicap
Manchester City Win to Nil
Liverpool Win to Nil
Fantasy Football GameWeek 19
One moment ruined GW18 as far as I am concerned.
That might sound a little silly when coming up with 45 points despite knowing there was not a full eleven playing having kept hold of my Free Hit, but it could have been so much better.
The moment? Raheem Sterling blazing his Penalty over the bar which meant being down at least 11 points and possibly more as it would have also presented Kevin De Bruyne with his second assist as my Captain on the day.
It's frustrating when it could have been so much better, but I have seemed to be on the wrong end of these moments far too often in the first half of the season. However, things 'even out over the course of the season' so I am looking for a bit more luck to move up the Rankings like I would want to over the remainder of the season.
GW19 is a big one as it is a Double GameWeek for so many teams and again it would have been a possible Bench Boost week for my team until late postponements have changed my plans. The Leeds United-Southampton game has meant my team has moved from thirteen players on a Double down to nine players and now I feel it can be better used some time later this season.
I will likely still have eleven players who have two fixtures coming up and I will do that with a hit as I look to move Fabian Balbuena out... I will also replace Heung Min-Son as was going to be the decision I had hinted at when bringing in the South Korean earlier this month, and the minor hit should be balanced by having players that should get a minimum of three points over the next week.
I have been looking at bringing in a West Ham United defender (which would have been Balbuena before he suddenly lost his place in the team) and I think I am going to decide between a Chelsea or an Aston Villa asset for the midfield spot.
Both Chelsea and Villa have good looking fixtures, but there are question marks around both that are slightly concerning- I still don't believe Frank Lampard knows his best eleven and the Chelsea squad can be rotated, while the Covid-19 outbreak at Aston Villa has left us unsure as to which of the players have been most affected by the illness.
However it does feel like the best way to approach this week which will give me a solid bench to back up the team, although late postponements could leave my plans in tatters.
Those are some decisions to be made over the coming hours, but I have also been looking at the seven postponed games that are likely going to be fit into the schedule in the coming weeks as the Premier League look to avoid a backlog.
The teams that need to be most worried are Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur who have two games that need to be re-arranged, but who are also involved in the FA Cup with a good chance to make the Quarter Final and potentially needing a third game to be moved. Both managers know their teams are involved in Europe at the moment too which is really limiting the Premier League options, but UEFA have made it clear that they are not going to worry if matches have to be played on the same night as their main competitions.
It is a decision that makes the life of Pep Guardiola much easier than Jose Mourinho who has to navigate the extra Knock Out Round that comes in the Europa League and I do think it is very important for the League to try and help as much as possible.
What does that mean? I think Manchester City are likely going to play Everton in mid-February which will mean a double fixture in GW24, while I can see the League bringing the game against Southampton forward to GW26. That fixture against Southampton was scheduled for later in the season, but that is the same weekend as the League Cup Final and I do think Manchester City will be looking to complete as many games this side of the March international break as they can manage.
The Tottenham Hotspur fixtures are harder to arrange because one of those Manchester City games are likely to be played on the same night as the first half of the Champions League Last 16 ties in February. However that is a week in which Tottenham Hotspur will be playing in the Europa League Last 32 and so I can only see the Aston Villa vs Spurs game being played in GW26 to offer Spurs a double fixture.
Any early exit in the Europa League or FA Cup will give the Premier League more options when it comes to Tottenham Hotspur, but if not the Fulham vs Tottenham game set for League Cup Final weekend will be hard to place in the calendar. That is something I will look to address after the FA Cup Fourth Round ties are played and then again after the FA Cup Fifth Round.
Other games that need to be re-arranged are involving clubs that are not playing in Europe so it should be easier to manage- I can see the Leeds vs Southampton and Aston Villa vs Everton games being played on the same night as the Champions League/Europa League fixtures have been scheduled and that will at least open the door for the Premier League to arrange those Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur fixtures in GW26.
Over the next month I would not be surprised to see a schedule something like this:
DGW24: Everton vs Manchester City and Leeds United v Southampton
DGW25: Aston Villa vs Everton
DGW26: Manchester City vs Southampton, Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley vs Fulham.
Any of those teams exiting the FA Cup before the Fifth Round could open up potential for that midweek to also have a Premier League game or two played- both Leeds United and Aston Villa are already out of the FA Cup so there is a chance that there is another place for those postponed League games to go.
It is certainly something to consider with more postponements likely to come, but also to factor in a way to maximise your point grabbing capabilities from the Fantasy Premier League game.
Unfortunately it is one of those seasons where there are so many outside factors influencing things that you could make the best plans and yet there is nothing you can do if games are being forced to be postponed. It happens for the weather in most years, but Covid-19 is much more dangerous and hard to predict compared with the forecast and so teams may be forced into playing fixtures at relatively short notice, especially at a time when the fans are yet to return to the Stadiums.
I am going to keep those assets who should have had those Doubles for a few weeks at least in anticipation of games being scheduled before we get into GW27, but this is a season where it is more unpredictable than ever.
Even then I am glad to have all my Chips in my pocket because my hope is that the final few weeks will take a more familiar path and I will have an opportunity to take advantage of the blanks that are almost certain to come up. After the FA Cup Fourth Round we may have a better idea of the amount of games that will need to be postponed for the FA Cup Sixth Round, but that may also see some brought forward to DGW26 in a bid to reduce too many fixtures being left over for what is likely to be a very busy last two months of the season.
I will think more about that in the next thread which comes out a week on Tuesday.
