Fixtures Scan - November

As the November month will start in a few hours time, this shall be a short article whereby we look ahead at the next FOUR FIVE gameweek to see which FOUR teams have easy fixtures, and which FOUR teams might have a tough month ahead.

Best FOUR team fixtures

1) Stoke (@nor, QPR, @whm, FUL, NEW)

3 home games in the next 5, with 2 poor travellers (QPR & Fulham), and 2 relatively manageable away games to Norwich and West Ham. As I have stated, it's best to load Stoke defenders such as Robert Huth and Ryan Shawcross (both 3.6). If you're fancying a differential attacker, Peter Crouch (6.1) would be a good choice.

2) Manchester United (ARS, @avl, @nor, QPR, WHM)

Another team with 3 home games in November, with their toughest matchup against rival Arsenal this weekend. After which, the Red Devils will have a run of easy fixtures, travelling to relegation candidates Aston Villa & Norwich, followed by hosting QPR and West Ham. Picking the right Man Utd player will be tricky taking their Champ League fixtures into consideration, but as of now, Robin van Perise (8.5), Wayne Rooney (8.1), Antonio Valencia (5.1), Rio Ferdinand (4.9) and Patrick Evra (5.0) should at least feature in 4 league matches.

3) Newcastle (@liv, WHM, SWA, @sot, @sto)

There's 2 tricky away ties against Liverpool and Stoke, which are negated by 3 possibly high-scoring games against West Ham, Swansea & Southampton. Demba Ba have contributed to 8 of 11 Newcastle goals, scoring 7 and creating 1, while most attention from midfield might be on Hatem Ben Arfa (4.1), it's Yohan Cabaye (4.2) who is the best midfielder from Newcastle currently in TFL with 10pts.

4) Southampton (@wba, SWA, @qpr, NEW, NOR)

The Saints may be at the bottom of the table, but there's no doubt their attacking philosophy have led to goals on both ends. 3 home games against defensively-poor team, and a travel to fellow struggler QPR will be a crucial month for Southampton to pick up points. Adam Lallana (3.9) is the 3rd best TFL midfielder with a goal and 3 assists so far, and is a more secure pick compared to Ricky Lambert (5.9), who could be benched during away games.

Worst FOUR team fixtures

1) West Ham (MCI, @new, STO, @tot, @mun)

Kevin Tan may have won Manager of the Month for October using Kevin Nolan (3.9), but he might want to reconsider for this month after seeing the Hammers' schedule. Tough trips to Newcastle, Tottenham and Man Utd, and they won't have any home comfort either from facing Man City & Stoke. 

2) Aston Villa (@sun, MUN, mci, ARS, RDG)

The fixture against Reading will be a relief for the Villa fans at end-November, but their team will have to face a tricky away tie against Sunderland, followed by 3 Champions League participants (Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal). Avoid any Villa fantasy investments for now.

3) Fulham (EVE, @ars, SUN, @sto, @che)

Poor travelers this season, Fulham will have a tough run of away games against Arsenal, Stoke and Chelsea in November. With 12 of the 14 goals conceded in away games, the attacking output from John Arne Riise (3.7) and Chris Baird (3.5) are likely to be negated from their defensive frailties.

4) Liverpool (NEW, @che, WIG, @swa, @tot)

Luis Suarez (7.1) might be the only fixture-proof player in Liverpool, but one might want to rethink about other Liverpool investments. 3 away fixtures to Chelsea, Tottenham and Swansea, the team who defeated them midweek, while a tough home game await them this week in the form of Newcastle. 

Finally, a word of advice for TFL managers: Do note that there are 5 gameweeks this month, so USE YOUR TRANSFERS WISELY!