I will get into the GameWeek 27 Fantasy implications below, but first I will get through my thoughts for the Premier League games to be played this weekend and then the one game to make up during the week.
Burnley v Arsenal Pick: The opening game of the Premier League weekend will see a rested Arsenal head to Turf Moor as a considerable favourite to beat Burnley.
On recent form you can understand Arsenal being favoured, but Burnley have not been playing badly themselves and I don't think they will be willing to roll over as easily as Leicester City did against The Gunners last weekend.
This should be a stronger Arsenal team taking to the field against Burnley compared with the one that began last Sunday and they are well rested ahead of an important Europa League tie next Thursday. Mikel Arteta will have seen the results go in favour of his club over the last week and Arsenal will want to at least finish in the European places in the Premier League which means finding some consistency in the English top flight.
It has not really been evident all season and the away record underlines the issue with Arsenal having won 6 and lost 6 of their 13 away League games played. They have been difficult to predict from week to week, but they should have more in the tank than Burnley who put in a huge effort in their 1-1 draw with Leicester City on Wednesday and who have played twice since Arsenal last took to the field.
Burnley's poor home record against Arsenal can't be ignored and the visitors will be motivated by the revenge factor having lost at home to this opponent earlier this season.
Either way it will likely be a tight game and goals have been hard to come by at Turf Moor this season, both for Burnley and their visitors.
Recent games between these clubs at Turf Moor have tended to be low scoring too and I do think Arsenal's erratic form could lead to another one. While they have been scoring goals, Arsenal have not always created the best of chances and will need clinical finishing to get the better of Burnley here, although defensively Arsenal have looked a little stronger of late.
My feeling is that the away team may do enough to win here, but I don't think there will be a lot in it. A low scoring game is the most likely outcome of this game with Burnley struggling for consistency in the final third, but largely being pretty good defensively and it would not be a surprise if this is the ninth time in 10 games between these clubs at Turf Moor that we see fewer than three goals shared out.
Sheffield United v Southampton Pick: The 1-0 win over Aston Villa will be seen as a hugely positive result for Sheffield United, but there is still a long road to tread towards safety and it is the longest of long-shots.
They will be feeling pretty confident going into this fixture, but Phil Jagielka's sending off has left Sheffield United with very few options in defensive areas. That will likely put some pressure on their forwards to score the goals that may be needed to secure a positive result and this is a big opportunity for Southampton to earn something to reverse their negative trend.
Amazingly Southampton have picked up a single point from the last 27 available in the Premier League and they would be foolish to believe they are out of a relegation battle. If Fulham have won on Thursday the gap to the bottom three will feel far too close and Ralph Hasenhuttl knows his team need to find a break or two very quickly.
In reality they haven't been playing badly of late, but it has been a switch from earlier this season when Southampton were earning points out of games they were perhaps undeserving of doing. Now the opposite has been happening with Southampton deserving more than they are getting, but continuing in their current vein should see a reversal of form.
Injuries have not helped Southampton so they won't be sympathetic to Sheffield United's issues, but there are going to be a couple of key players returning for them this weekend. That could prove the difference on the day as Southampton look to reverse the slump they are in and I think they are capable of doing that as long as they continue to attack with the verve they have been.
Kyle Walker-Peters return is hugely important to the balance of the team, while Southampton are a big threat from set pieces. I expect they will find the hosts a little tired after the effort put into their last game and I think Southampton take advantage as they look to move away from any late relegation problems.
Aston Villa v Wolves Pick: It isn't easy to predict what you are going to see from Aston Villa and Wolves from game to game and that has been underlined by the recent results and performances from both teams.
There have been times they have ridden their luck to earn positive results, but others when they have perhaps deserved a bit more than they have gotten and a derby game makes things a little more cloudy.
The feeling is that Wolves are still struggling defensively, but Aston Villa may be missing Jack Grealish again and showed how much they can miss him in the loss at Sheffield United. Without his creativity you do wonder how Aston Villa are going to go about breaking down Wolves, although defensively they have largely been in control in recent games and should be able to contain the Wolves threat.
Wolves have scored goals even when not creating too many golden chances and that makes them dangerous, but Aston Villa will be looking to bounce back from their poor last result. They have followed their last 4 Premier League losses with a victory in their next League game and I do think Dean Smith will get a reaction from his players.
It should be close and competitive being a derby, but Aston Villa may do enough to edge to the points.
Brighton v Leicester City Pick: Graham Potter must have been left scratching his head as to how Brighton have earned nothing from their last two Premier League games. Missed Penalties and some poor refereeing can be blamed, but Potter will surely be asking his players to look at themselves and find a little more composure to their play.
To be fair to Brighton, this is a team that have looked really good right up until the opposition penalty area, but the final ball or the finish has not been up to the standard of the rest of the football being played. It has meant the team have created some massive chances in their last few games, but failed to make them count.
In the last two games it would not be wrong to suggest that Brighton could have won by two or three goal margins each time with a little more composure in the final third. At this point of the season you have to wonder if this squad is capable of putting the finishing touches to the style Graham Potter has instilled at the Amex Stadium, but Brighton may not have a better opportunity to beat one of the top teams in the Premier League.
They are facing a Leicester City who have been hammered by injuries and likely need the international break at the end of the month to reset. The battling 1-1 draw at Burnley impressed Brendan Rodgers, but he knows his team need more if they are going to finish in the top four this season and any points dropped here will hurt.
Leicester City have struggled in the last three weeks though and they are hurt at the back which means teams have been able to create chances against them. I would be surprised if Brighton are not the latest to do that, although the key to the outcome of the fixture is whether Brighton can show more composure in the final third and score from the chances they will create.
Brighton do not have a good recent record against Leicester City, but again I say they will not have a better opportunity to change that. This looks like a fixture where the first goal will be hugely important considering the confidence of the teams, but Brighton have looked good enough to earn a big result and I think they can do that.
West Brom v Newcastle United Pick: The reports coming out of Newcastle United are extremely concerning for the fans who have seen their team slip into a relegation scrap over the last two months. Steve Bruce and Matt Ritchie had a bust up on the training ground days after the manager blamed Ritchie for not giving the right instructions to his team mates as a substitute in the 1-1 draw with Wolves last weekend.
That failure led directly to the equaliser for Wolves and the report has suggested the players no longer believe in Steve Bruce.
For now the management staff have remained behind Bruce, but injuries are piling up and if the players have downed tools a move is likely to be made to replace Steve Bruce sooner rather than later. The attack looks lightweight when you think the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin, Miguel Almiron and Callum Wilson are going to be on the sidelines and that leaves Newcastle United vulnerable.
They can't really afford to lose at The Hawthorns on Sunday and open the door to those below them to drag Newcastle United back into the bottom three. We will learn a lot about what the players think of the manager depending on their performance and West Brom have to feel they can take advantage if there is any element of 'downing tools' from the visitors.
Sam Allardyce will feel his side deserved more from the 0-1 defeat to Everton, but they had plenty of luck in their victory over Brighton last week. It may take a bit of fortune to decide the winner of this one too, but West Brom have to be encouraged by recent performances as they have created more opportunities than the likes of Manchester United and Everton despite not winning either game.
In this fixture West Brom may feel their own defensive issues are less likely to be exposed with the injuries Newcastle United are dealing with and Allardyce's team had kept clean sheets in back to back games before the narrow loss to Everton.
The first goal is going to be huge in this game and I think this is going to be a tight fixture with the players knowing exactly what is on the line. However I do feel the West Brom players are perhaps a bit more behind their manager than Newcastle United and it may lead to a victory for The Baggies that just gives them a glimmer of hope of avoiding the drop back into the Championship.
Liverpool v Fulham Pick: Both Fulham and Liverpool were beaten on Thursday by the same 0-1 scoreline and they will be looking to bounce back this weekend. At least Fulham have been in better recent form than Liverpool, but visiting Anfield will still be a test for the relegation threatened West London club.
There will be some encouragement from the fact that Liverpool have not won any of their last 7 home Premier League games and have been beaten in 5 in a row here. The likes of Burnley and Brighton, two fellow relegation rivals of Fulham, have both secured narrow wins at Liverpool over the last two months and Fulham have also been pretty difficult to beat in recent weeks.
A lack of goals is concerning for Scott Parker, but his team will look to make life difficult for a Liverpool team that has struggled for chances let alone goals at Anfield. At some point you would have to feel that Liverpool will get things turned around, but further defensive problems have come out of the 0-1 defeat to Chelsea and Fulham have some pace in the final third which will make them dangerous.
Much will depend on how much Fulham believe they can secure a positive result here- if they believe they are a Premier League club that can survive at this level I do think Fulham will have their opportunities against a Liverpool team that have lost a lot of confidence.
However, if Fulham don't believe in themselves there is every chance Liverpool can get back on track as their top four ambitions look to be slipping.
Liverpool's own confidence has to be in a poor place with the lack of chances they are creating and with their top strikers all looking a little fatigued both physically and emotionally. A big Champions League game is coming up, which may take away some of the focus, and Liverpool do give teams a chance to get at them.
An early home goal could make life very difficult for Fulham if they have to come out and take risks, but the longer the visitors can stay in this the more chance they have of becoming the latest team to earn a positive result at this ground. Fulham's last away Premier League defeat came at Manchester City when they were 2-0 down inside thirty minutes, but they have since earned a point at Tottenham Hotspur and won at Everton.
I would be disappointed for Fulham if they are blown away here even if they were to lose and I think the visitors could cause enough issues for Liverpool to have chances for bonus points this weekend. The lack of goals is the major concern for Scott Parker's team, but they have created enough to believe they can do the same here against a Liverpool team that could be down another couple of defenders on Sunday.
Manchester City v Manchester United Pick: The last time fans were allowed into a Premier League Stadium in Manchester was almost exactly a year ago to this date.
That game at Old Trafford saw Manchester United win the derby 2-0 against Manchester City, but twelve months on the fans are still waiting for a chance to return. The second Manchester derby of this season will be played on the same weekend, but this time it will be played at the Etihad Stadium and Manchester City are trying to stamp their authority on the destination of the Premier League title.
In reality it doesn't matter what the result of the fixture is with Manchester City 14 points clear and with 11 League games left to be played by their nearest rivals. Even a defeat won't be a setback for the Champions elect, but Pep Guardiola will still be demanding a big performance from his players who have won 21 straight games in all competitions.
Both West Ham United and Wolves have scored here over the last week and Manchester United will be encouraged by that. However it is hard to know what to expect from Manchester United who have failed to score in all but one of their Big Six games in the Premier League this season and who created next to nothing in recent away games at West Brom and Crystal Palace.
Defensively Manchester United have at least been better in those big games, but they will have to work very hard to keep this Manchester City team at bay. Teams have created some decent openings against Manchester United and I do think Manchester City have found their rhythm going forward, but the poor recent home record in the Manchester derby has to be a slight concern for the Premier League leaders.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was convinced Manchester United were not in a title race when they topped the table in January, but now the suggestion is they want to push Manchester City all the way. The horse has bolted as far as that is concerned and there is a real concern that Manchester United are slipping into a top four battle thanks to some poor recent results.
There have been elements of fatigue in the play and I think Manchester United are going to find it very hard here. They have won their last 2 visits to the Etihad Stadium which is encouraging, but I would not be surprised if one of these teams failed to score on Sunday with the likelihood being that that team is Manchester United.
The last 4 Manchester derby games have ended with at least one team failing to find the back of the net and this fixture feels like it will follow suit. Manchester United have failed to score against Chelsea (twice), Arsenal (twice), Manchester City (twice) and Liverpool so far this season and the chances are they won't move the scoreboard in this one either.
Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace Pick: After a long run of poor results the feeling was that Tottenham Hotspur could soon prioritise the Europa League over the Premier League in their bid to return to the Champions League. That may still be the case in the weeks ahead, but back to back Premier League victories while teams above them slipped up have brought Spurs back in contention for a top four finish.
Jose Mourinho will be looking for his team to keep the positive run going after wins over Burnley and Fulham this past week. They were fortunate against Fulham who played well in the second half and had a harsh goal disallowed, but Tottenham Hotspur will be pleased with the clean sheets in both wins too.
Tottenham Hotspur have won 3 in a row at home and have kept clean sheets in each, while Jose Mourinho has picked strong, attacking line ups in the last couple of League games. That might be a change in policy for the manager as he looks to guide Tottenham Hotspur up the Premier League standings and a similar line up here will cause all sorts of problems for Crystal Palace.
Roy Hodgson will organise his team, but Crystal Palace have not really produced a huge attacking threat. Even then they have produced results thanks to a bit of luck as teams have not punished them defensively as they perhaps should have, but it will be hard to contain Tottenham Hotspur on their current form.
Wilfred Zaha is edging towards a return, but he may not be risked here and so the onus will be on Tottenham Hotspur to get forward and create chances. They should be able to do that at home and Tottenham Hotspur have every chance to build some real momentum towards the North London derby next weekend when hosting the next two games in the Premier League and Europa League.
I expect Tottenham Hotspur to have the better of this game and they can beat Crystal Palace for a sixth time in a row at home in the League. The home team should have learnt from the mistakes of allowing Crystal Palace to stick around and steal a point from when they met earlier this season, and I do think Spurs will have the chances to end up securing a victory by a comfortable margin as they edge a little closer to the Champions League spots in the Premier League.
Chelsea v Everton Pick: Two teams chasing a top four spot meet on Monday and they will believe there will be an opportunity to take advantage of what could likely be a couple of slips from the teams above them.
Both Chelsea and Everton secured valuable 0-1 away wins on Thursday in their last Premier League fixtures and there will be a confidence in the way both are playing to take into this game.
Thomas Tuchel has really gotten Chelsea playing efficiently and they are a team that creates chances, but offers up very little going the other way. You would think a team like Everton could test that having scored at least twice in recent away games at Old Trafford and Anfield, but Carlo Ancelotti's men have perhaps been overachieving in some games and their away record may be much better than it should be.
They can create chances, but Everton have not looked that secure at the back and it is the main reason I would give Chelsea the edge. While the home team have been pretty solid defensively and giving up very little, Everton look like a team that will be 'easier' to break down.
My feeling is that Chelsea may nick the points and another clean sheet can't be ruled out, but Carlo Ancelotti could make this a tactical battle. Everton have not been at their best defensively when facing the best teams in the Premier League and in the last few weeks they have conceded at least three goals against Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, but Chelsea look like a team that is still learning the attacking side of the game under Tuchel.
Like the game on Thursday, this may not be as high-scoring as some suggest and I think the two managers will be looking to cancel the other team out before moving forward and looking to nick the points.
West Ham United v Leeds United Pick: There has been so much to like about the Leeds United performances in the 2020/21 campaign and Marcelo Bielsa continues to stand by his philosophies.
The system and the style have been eye-pleasing to say the least, but Leeds United don't have the same quality as some of the other teams in the Premier League and that has perhaps contributed to the inconsistent results. There is some serious talent in the squad, but you can't really rely on Leeds United to perform to a high level week after week and that is largely down to average players overachieving.
It sounds harsh, but I think the next step for the development of the club is going to be bringing in some higher quality players than those who took the club out of the Championship. The second season back in the top flight will be a big test for Leeds United without some investment in the squad, but this is a team that can cause problems when finding their best.
They will need that at the London Stadium against a West Ham United team who will feel hard done by in their 2-1 defeat at Manchester City. David Moyes has to be proud of the level of performance they produced at the Etihad Stadium and West Ham United are playing with a confidence that has rarely been seen in this part of London in recent seasons.
Defensively they have been well organised, but West Ham United have found some quality in the final third to make the difference. Jesse Lingard and Michail Antonio have found their groove together and West Ham United should be able to expose Leeds United on the counter attack in this game.
They did that when these two met at Elland Road and I think West Ham United will edge to the points here before big games against Manchester United and Arsenal to come. Overlooking Leeds United would be a big mistake, but David Moyes won't allow that to happen and I think a team that is creating chances without giving too many big ones away can earn the victory on Monday evening.
Manchester City v Southampton Pick:
MY PICKS: Burnley-Arsenal Under 2.5 Goals
Southampton - 0.25 Asian Handicap
Aston Villa 0 Asian Handicap
Brighton 0 Asian Handicap
West Brom - 0.25 Asian Handicap
Fulham + 1.5 Asian Handicap
Manchester City-Manchester United Both Teams to Score- NO
Tottenham Hotspur - 1 Asian Handicap
Chelsea-Everton Under 2.5 Goals
West Ham United
Fantasy Football GameWeek 27
I had to take two hits last week after missing the deadline ahead of GameWeek 25, and that means the 105 points earned in GameWeek 26 hasn't quite broken the triple digit mark when including the negative points to open the week.
It was still a strong week, although I have yet to really push my Overall Ranking in the way I would have liked and the decisions now become more critical with games running down.
Last week FOMO stopped me picking Richarlison ahead of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and I was punished for that with the Brazilian scoring twice and picking up significant bonus points while DCL did pretty much nothing barring missing a good opportunity in the win over West Brom.
I do still have a couple of Chips under my belt and I also have the second Wild Card to go, but the plan looks pretty simple- I am going to be using my Free Hit Chip in GW29 and that means my next two transfers are really geared towards shaping my team for at least the remainder of the month.
At this stage I am still not sure whether I will be using my Wild Card ahead of GW30, which is right out of the international break, or whether I will wait until GW31. The Triple Captain Chip is seen as a major one, but I always feel it is the least valuable of the three Chips we begin the season with and I still feel there will be at least one good opportunity to use it with Aston Villa's game against Everton and Tottenham Hotspur's game against Southampton to be rescheduled.
There is a small chance that there isn't a DGW left for any team in the Premier League, but that's a very small chance and so the TC Chip is still expected to be maximised.
My transfer is pretty simple this week and that is removing Ross Barkley from the team (of course he will start this week having earned about 20 minutes across the Double GameWeek).
There are some decent midfield options at this price range and I think the decision will come down to a few names that stand out- I didn't think I'd ever admit this, but Jesse Lingard is one name, although mot being able to play in GW28 is putting me off slightly.
Southampton are on the DGW this week, although one of those is at Manchester City, while Mason Mount looks to have won the trust of Thomas Tuchel and has been in very strong form for Chelsea.
If he had returned to the team a little earlier, Diogo Jota could be a difference maker with a home game against Fulham followed by a trip to Wolves, but I do wonder if he will be risked for both fixtures having only just recovered from a long-term injury.
My decision on the Wild Card will very much depend on how the FA Cup Quarter Finals are completed and where the fixtures are likely to be placed in the calendar. I will have further thoughts on that in next week's thread where I will hazard a couple of guesses as to how the Premier League may solve the dates in which to put the fixtures that need to be rescheduled.
That will have a big impact on the Wild Card because it will also mean the chance to potentially use the Triple Captain Chip and it has to be remembered that both cannot be used in the same GameWeek.
The Captain selection is arguably the most difficult part of the week- the Manchester City double makes their assets very appealing, but who can really predict which of the players are going to play twice.
I am very, very tempted to go with Ruben Dias with the two home games to come and the Portuguese international looking like the first name on the Manchester City team sheet these days. However the return of Nathan Ake brings up some issues and you would think that Pep Guardiola will want to give Dias a rest at some point having been involved in the majority of fixtures this season.
The game against Southampton looks a good chance to do that, and that clouds the selection here.
Ilkay Gundogan and Raheem Sterling both were given long rests in the last DGW just passed, but the options at Manchester City are frightening and it is a hard choice, but one that could make a huge difference over the coming week.
Some will feel the single GameWeek players are as good a choice- Harry Kane at home to Crystal Palace could be very intriguing, but I think the focus has to be on the DGW that is going to be played.
