If you look at the Leaderboard, Gameweek 12 is under October, hence this gameweek might actually be Week 13...I kinda gave up understanding the weeks after they started from Week 5, and considered internationals as a week. -_-"
For Picks of the Week, I'll look into the gameweek's matches & form a team using £55mil budget. This can be a useful guide for those who are looking for a short-term transfer, or for captaincy choices.
Note: This picks are only for this gameweek & may not represent good value in the long-run.
Sunderland are having trouble creating scoring opportunities, but their defence have held steady with only 8 goals allowed, 2nd best in Premier League after Arsenal (6). This week, the Black Cats host Aston Villa, who have yet to win on the road and only finding the net twice in five trips. This makes Simon Migolet an enticing pick.
WBA has an impressive home record with 4 wins and a loss against defending champions Man City. This week, they host bottom dwellers Southampton. Given Steve Clarke's emphasis on defence, I'm looking at Liam Ridgewell might have a chance to grab a clean sheet this weekend, especially since the Baggies have conceded goals in the past 5 games.
As mentioned in this week's Today column, Branislav Ivanovic will be eligible to face Swansea this week. The Swans made minimal changes in their midweek win against Liverpool, and with Ivanovic well-rested for the week, the Chelsea fullback will be bombing down the flanks to make amends for last week's red card against Man Utd.
Another player who is looking to atone for his mistakes is Tottenham's Jan Vertonghen. His own goal against Norwich caused Spurs to tumble out of Capitol One Cup. Against a Wigan team who are having trouble scoring away from home and with BAE still sidelined, the Belgian defender will remain in a more offensive fullback position against one of the weakest, yet most unpredictable teams in Premier League.
Stoke kept their 4th clean sheet last weekend despite my outside pick Marc Wilson being stretched off from a broken ankle (THE CURSE OF THE PUNDIT!). They travel to low-scoring Norwich this week, who only scored 7 goals in 9 games so far. Robert Huth had 2 headed attempts on target against Sunderland last weekend, and if he continues with such form, he's likely to open his account this week.
Gareth Bale has seen a 4% increase in ownership this week, after his last weekend's goal against Southampton. This week, they take on Wigan, who are never known for their tight defence. The Welshman would be a good choice for captaincy if the team does not have a certain Dutchman...
My next 2 picks are of high-risk nature. Firstly, QPR's Adel Taarabt can be relied for assist potential, though his last match against Arsenal showed a different side of him. His 6 tackles attempts was the most among QPR players, and his improved work-rate seemed to have secure his spot in the starting 11. Their opponent, Reading, isn't faring well either, hence this weekend represents one of the best chance for QPR to notch their 1st victory, with the Moroccan pulling the strings from midfield.
The other player I have in mind is a Chelsea midfielder....Oscar! The red-hot Juan Mata is rated doubtful for this weekend with a hamstring injury. Considering he played 120 minutes midweek, the Spaniard is likely to be rested for their Champions League tie against Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday.
Since Eden Hazard is (mis)classified as a striker, it's about time Oscar translate his CL form in BPL. He already made his 1st assist last gameweek, and if Mata is missing, he'll be the main link-up player between the midfield and Torres/Hazard.
I'll skip the descriptions for RVP and Tevez, as I've already discussed it on Today article.
Lastly, WBA's Shane Long is doubtful for Monday's match against Southampton, which will boost the chance of Romelu Lukaku being called into the starting lineup. He scored in last weekend against Newcastle, and with Southampton's manager insisted in sticking to their attacking principle, there'll be plenty of chances and space for Lukaku to exploit this gameweek.
0 comments:
Post a Comment