Gameweek 14 Advice – Deadline 28th November 6.45

Ah the time of year that managers hate but we all love. So much football jam-packed into just over a month of what is sure to be unpredictable mayhem! Starting at the unusual kick-off of 7.45pm (normally seen in the Champions League) we begin with Brighton vs Crystal Palace and Leicester vs Tottenham.

With 4 games on Tuesday evening and 6 on Wednesday evening we really are treated to a lot of football here, but it comes with it’s downsides as Fantasy Managers. Following action the previous weekend (24th-26th November), managers are sure to rotate heavily coming up to the festive period.

Now while Mr. Guardiola will be in his element with the massive depth City possess, we will not. So be warned, rotation this time of year is lethal – so keep in mind who’s a fringe player and who’s the first name on the team sheet.

Who’s got the cleanest sheets?

Starting from the back of your fantasy team lets take a look at the teams who I think will be totting up those lovely 6 points and who may deliver that special assist or penalty save to give them a huge return.

Starting off with the formation. Let’s be honest lads, the standard of defending in the Premier League is diabolical and it’s showing on European stages once again. So for me the optimal formation is 3 defenders (with a backup just in case) and either 4 or 5 midfielders with 3 or 2 strikers respectively. Looking back a couple of weeks ago it was hugely advised to have all 3 of your strikers be premium strikers with the likes of Morata, Aguero and Kane scoring for fun. Right now it seems like the free-scoring has switched to more consistent midfielders like Salah, Sane and the emerging Hazard. So for Gameweek 14 I will be giving advice for a 3-5-2 formation with a bench consisting of 1 backup striker that could come in for a midfielder or forward should one of our starters not play and 1 backup defender just in case. The remaining players can be the likes of the popular Rangel or Hunemeier and my personal favourite backup Rob Elliot (4.2m). Now onto the starting line-up and our 2 backup substitutes.

The obvious choice for our goalkeeper will be none other than the big man, Thibaut Courtois (5.4m). Playing at home against the lowest scoring team Swansea, who will also be missing their key goalscorer, Chelsea loanee Tammy Abraham. This can only indicate a walk in the park for the Chelsea defence to me and with several good fixtures ahead Courtois is looking a reliable man for those essential clean sheet points.

Goalkeeper Pick: Courtois (5.4m)

As pictured above Shane Duffy (4.6m) along with Lewis Dunk (4.4m) look a solid unit. Chris Houghton was always going to be playing a compact and disciplined set-up for their shot at surviving relegation, and it’s safe to say that they will be happy with their start to the season. Brighton have conceded 14 goals in 13 games, but let that not distract from their 4 clean sheets and the fact that Duffy has amassed 42 points (picking up 5 bonus points along the way). At 4.6m Duffy is a perfect rotational option at a minimum. With the potential to grab a set-piece goal, as he has done for Ireland in the World Cup Qualifiers, and amounting the most clearances and headed clearances in the whole league – a surefire way to nab 3 bonus points in a 0-0 draw – I would highly recommend getting Duffy in your team if you already haven’t. Playing a poor Crystal Palace side at home looks to be one of the few games that may yield some clean sheet points. Despite praising their defence I would veer away from the likes of Bruno (4.5m) and Bong (4.4m) as neither have the license to make forward runs as often as full-backs in more attacking sides. If you want to keep costs down as much as possible and really want to get a Brighton defender in your team, then I would go with Dunk (4.4m) over Bong (4.4m) as the latter is a rotational risk and Dunk, similar to Duffy, may gain some bonus points in a scoreless draw.

Defender Pick: Shane Duffy (4.6m)

After conceding only once on the road against a white hot Spurs side I can’t look past West Brom despite their recent change in managers. Their team will still be a compact defensive unit as seen before, despite the absence of their tactician Tony Pulis. Facing a low-scoring Newcastle side at home can only mean good things, right? With Rafa showing a lot of faith in Joselu, a striker who cannot seem to finish and the fans are frustrated with, I don’t see Newcastle scoring on Tuesday night. Without their main threat from set pieces (Jamaal Lascelles – injured) and their recent struggles to score with only 11 goals so far this season, there are a few options opening up in the West Brom defence. Johnny Evans (4.9m) is the standout pick here. Sure to start, a threat from set pieces from the best set piece specialist teams in the league and a defensive rock at the back. It’s no secret West Brom missed their best defender during his injury and the Manchester City transfer rumours didn’t help matters either with the centre-back missing their first 3 games. Yet to find their defensive strength they possessed last year, but I fancy a clean sheet here. If you really need to keep costs down Ben Foster (4.4m) would be a good budget option if you can’t afford to squeeze in a more reliable option. Again I wouldn’t bother with the 5m full-backs at West Brom as they rarely get any chances to attack.

Defensive Pick: Johnny Evans (4.9m)

A huge tip when choosing your defence is to “spread the risk”. That is to say pick defenders from differing teams as opposed to relying on one team delivering a clean sheet for two or three of your players to get points. This is highly risky and ill advised. So for our final starting defender I have decided to look at Arsenal. Yes those dodgy fellas. Facing the tied-2nd lowest scoring team in the league, Huddersfield and off the back of a huge win over derby rivals Tottenham, I can only see one outcome. On top of that Huddersfield have proven to be quite poor at defending set pieces and well also in every aspect recently after conceding four goals to Bournemouth in an embarrassing performance. Given his recent performances and his goal against Tottenham, Mustafi (5.4m) looks to be very promising for the next few games after solidifying his place in the starting XI and notching himself a goal from a sublime delivery from Ozil. If you’ve got a bit of extra cash I would be keen on Bellerin (5.9m) with his license to run forward and grab some attacking points or Kolasinac (6.1m) who similarly has proven that he can do the same.

Defender Pick: Mustafi (5.4m)

As the final defensive choice as a backup I would be looking at the Burnley backline with Tarkowski (4.5m), Ben Mee (4.7m) and Lowton (4.6m) all looking like good options as they face a low scoring Bournemouth side. Since this is merely a backup (albeit a good one) I would have to go with the cheapest starter.

Defender Backup Pick (2nd Sub): Tarkowski (4.5m)

With all of my main picks along with our bench fodders Hunemeier and Elliot that brings our total cost to 32.9m, leaving 67.1m for our midfield and strike-force.

Salah, Sané, Mané or Kané?

Now onto the hard part. This is what separates the men from the boys. With heavy rotation a certainty this will mean many of those “essential” midfielders and forwards may be rested for mid-week games.

Our first midfielder is surprisingly not one of the many premium priced forces that you may expect. Pascal Gross (5.9m) has to be the best bargain of the season so far. Sitting as the 3rd highest scoring midfielder in the game with 73 points, Gross is a talisman that every FPL should have, even as a backup. His price is set to rise once again so why not cash in? Playing a meek defence of Crystal Palace at home is surely tempting.

Midfielder Pick: Gross (5.9m)

My 2nd pick has to be the one, the only Eden Hazard (10.6m). With his more central role and new found freedom to move inside and even play up top alongside Morata, Hazard looks to pick up good attacking return against Swansea at the Bridge. Need I say more?

Midfielder Pick: Hazard (10.6m)

Facing a leaky Southampton defence at home, Manchester City seem set to destroy another team yet again. I can’t see a 5-0 win but I wouldn’t be shocked at the same time. With Van Dijks heart elsewhere and Forsters massive decline in ability I can only see one outcome. Now onto the hard part. Who will Pep start? David Silva (8.4m) is the only attacker that Pep has never rested or dropped all season. His creativity and license to run into the box make him a lethal threat, despite the bigger interest in the likes of Sané (9m) and De Bruyne (10.1m). With Sané nailed on to start every game due to Mendy’s injury (source: Pep – not reliable but it’s all we’ve got) he also possesses massive threat as the 2nd highest scoring player in the game.

Midfielder Pick: David Silva (8.4m) + Leroy Sané (9m)

Now onto my final choice. Despite massive temptation to pick the best FPL player Mo Salah (9.6m) I have to say, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was benched vs Stoke. Last year Klopp heavily rotated during this time of year and especially so vs Stoke away, starting Woodburn up front. I know, shocker. Considering that Mané (9.3m), Firmino (8.5m) and the recently fit Lallana (7.3m) were all rested against Chelsea I see all 3 coming back into the starting team with the possibility of Mané switching out to the right where Salah would normally play, Lallana moving to Coutinhos midfield position and Coutinho moving out to his former left-wing position. This would mean that Salah would be rested which I can see being a priority for Klopp given his comments on his fatigue during the latter stages of the Chelsea game. Facing a poor defensive side in Stoke, I can see the attacking set-up of Liverpool yielding some good returns.

Midfield Pick: Mané (9.3m)

With all 5 midfielders picked it’s time to move onto the forward line. Our total cost is now 76.1m, leaving 23.9m for our 3 strikers.

I’ve got to give it to him, a new league is a big challenge and he has risen to it. Despite blanking recently I can see Alvaro Morata (10.5m) scoring against Swansea at home. His areal prowess is second to none and his finishing ability is top notch, it’s just a matter of feeding him the ball and given the possession Chelsea are sure to have, I can see this happening frequently.

Forward Pick: Morata (10.5m)

With 5 midfield starters I would recommend investing in the middle of the park rather than relying on a return for an expensive front line. Spread the risk. With that in mind I would have another bench fodder that we hope we don’t need to depend on. Peter Crouch (4.8m) is the obvious choice with the forward featuring frequently as a substitute for Stoke. That leaves us with 8.6m for our final player. Personally I would go with Firmino (8.5m). The striker was rested against Chelsea and is sure to start against Stoke. With his ability to involve himself in most of Liverpools goals whether by assisting his teammates or scoring himself, I can see a return against Stoke. Also keep in mind he may be back on penalty duty after Salah missed his last and Milner is unlikely to start.

Forward Pick: Firmino (8.5m)

So with all that said and done I hope you’ve gained some foresight into Gameweek 14. If you really want to follow how my picks fare out then follow me on my Twitter page where I will be attempting to win the weekly prize with this very team. Best of luck with your teams lads! Here is what my picks look like (below).

Captain Choice: Hazard (10.6m)

Vice-Captain Choice: Morata (10.5m)