A juicy 141 point return was our reward for the major double gameweek of the 2015/16 season, as captain Sergio Aguero (4 goals, 6 bonus points) and Alexis Sanchez (3 goals, 5 bonus) both scored big. We head back to the realms of normality though this weekend with 6 teams not in action (due to FA Cup semi finals). Read on as we analyse the bookmakers’ offerings in an attempt to navigate you through the reduced Fantasy schedule that is Gameweek 35….

Defensive odds

Team Clean Sheet Odds Implied chance Tottenham 1.67 60% Man City 1.91 52% Southampton 1.91 52% Leicester 2.2 45% Arsenal 2.6 38% Liverpool 2.65 38% Chelsea 3.25 31% Bournemouth 4 25% Swansea 4.5 22% Aston Villa 5.5 18% Sunderland 5.75 17% Newcastle 7.5 13% Stoke 9.5 11% West Brom 10 10% Man Utd No fixture No fixture West Ham No fixture No fixture Watford No fixture No fixture Everton No fixture No fixture Norwich No fixture No fixture Crystal Palace No fixture No fixture

On the back of 4 clean sheets in 5 games, Tottenham top the bookies’ defensive rankings with a 60% chance of keeping a clean sheet when they host West Brom on Monday night. The Baggies have blanked in 4 of their last 7 away games, so the likes of Toby Alderweireld and Danny Rose, who both offer strong attacking threats (4 goals and 7 assists respectively), make our squad.

Ahead of their home clash with Stoke this weekend, Manchester City (52%) appear 2nd in the defensive rankings. 3 clean sheets in their last 6, allied with the return of captain Vincent Kompany from injury, bodes well for the Sky Blues defence, and with Stoke having nothing left to play for in the league, Aleksandr Kolarov, who has carded a goal and 2 assists in his last 4 outings, looks a solid pick. Joe Hart is an assured pair of hands between the sticks and joins his Serbian teammate in our XV.

Southampton (52%), Leicester (45%) and Arsenal (38%) complete the top 5 defensive prospects for this gameweek. Despite no clean sheet in 8, the Saints have a plum fixture away to relegated Aston Villa, the lowest home scorers in the top flight (12 in 17 games), so things look rosy for Ronald Koeman’s men. Virgil van Dijk has 3 goals to his name this term and makes our squad. 7 clean sheets in 9 at The King Power have seen Leicester maintain their title charge, and they’ll be hoping for another shutout on Sunday against a Swansea side with little to play for, and that blanked on their last road trip at Newcastle. Kasper Schmeichel completes our goalkeeping requirements here. Although their title chances are over, Arsenal are still involved in the battle for a Champions League place and will be looking to take a step closer to another top 4 finish when they travel to The Stadium of Light on Sunday. 3 shutouts in 6 away from home, allied with the fact that the Black Cats haven’t managed to find the net in their last 2 games on familiar soil, sees Gabriel drafted into our squad as a cheap and viable route into the Gunners’ defence.

Before moving onto our analysis of the bookmakers attacking odds, a quick look at the bottom rungs of the clean sheet ladder tells us that defensive assets from Newcastle (13% – away to Liverpool), Stoke (11% – away to Man City) and West Brom (10% – away to Tottenham) should be avoided this weekend.

Attacking odds

Player Goalscorer Odds Implied chance Sergio Aguero 1.72 58% Harry Kane 1.8 56% Daniel Sturridge 2 50% Roberto Firmino 2.43 41% Alexis Sanchez 2.48 40% Diego Costa 2.5 40% Graziano Pelle 2.5 40% Dele Alli 2.5 40% Danny Welbeck 2.65 38% Kevin de Bruyne 2.7 37% Leonardo Ulloa 2.8 36% Sadio Mane 2.8 36% Riyad Mahrez 2.88 35% Callum Wilson 3.25 31% Jermain Defoe 3.3 30% Josh King 3.6 28% Aleksandar Mitrovic 3.75 27% Alex Iwobi 4.1 24% Bafetimbi Gomis 4.5 22% Wahbi Khazri 4.5 22% Gylfi Sigurdsson 5 20% Jordan Ayew 5.2 19% Marko Arnautovic 5.5 18% Bojan 5.6 18% Salomon Rondon 5.75 17% Andros Townsend 7 14% Jack Grealish 9 11% Stephane Sessegnon 10.5 10%

Following a monster double-gameweek haul of 26 points, courtesy of a hat trick against Chelsea, a goal against Newcastle and 6 bonus points, Sergio Aguero is once again the man we turn to for our captaincy as he tops the bookies’ attacking rankings. A home tie against Stoke, who have conceded 10 goals in their last 3 games, looks profitable for the Argentine as he chases down Harry Kane in the race for the Golden Boot.

Speaking of Kane, he joins Sergio up front for our squad this gameweek with a 56% of finding the net against West Brom on Monday. 8 strikes in his last 6 appearances have kept Spurs firmly in the hunt for the Premier League title, and with his opponents having nothing to play for and winless in 5 (4 losses, 1 draw), the England striker will be confident of notching his 25th of the season. Fellow England frontman Daniel Sturridge (50%) completes our attacking triumvirate for Gameweek 35. With Divock Origi on the sidelines, Sturridge has the perfect opportunity to continue his recent good form (4 in 5) as Liverpool host Newcastle, with the Magpies the joint-worst away defence in the division (39 conceded in 17 games).

Roberto Firmino (41%) is our 1st midfield pick. Up against the same aforementioned Newcastle defence, the Brazilian, who has been involved in 11 league goals for Liverpool in 2016 (7 goals, 4 assists), will certainly fancy his chances. In spite of his recent return to form (6 in 6), we unfortunately have to go without Alexis Sanchez (40%) due to budget constraints, so we turn to Sadio Mane (36%). 3 goals in his last 4 is a signal that the Senegalese attacker is returning to his best form, and a visit to Villa Park, where the Villains have conceded 31 in 17 games, the worst home record in the league, looks ripe for further points for Mane.

Riyad Mahrez (35%) and Josh King (28%) complete our midfield quartet. Algerian sensation Mahrez has been involved in 27 goals (16 strikes, 11 assists) this season and will need to step up in the absence of the suspended Jamie Vardy this weekend against Swansea. Despite blanking in his last 3 games, Mahrez will be optimistic after he scored a hat trick against the Swans in the reverse fixture back in December. Josh King has 4 goals and an assist over the last 6 games and will be looking to continue his good form when the Cherries welcome Chelsea, who have registered just 1 clean sheet in their last 9 attempts, to Dean Court on Saturday. Alex Iwobi (24%) has 2 goals and as many assists in 5 appearances, averaging 6.4 points per game, and makes our bench for Gameweek 35.

Other viable options for our midfield include the aforementioned Alexis Sanchez, Dele Alli (40%), who has struck 3 times in his last 2 games, and Kevin de Bruyne (37% – a goal and an assist in 4), but the trio miss out on our recommended XV due to squad selection and/or budget restraints.

Team of the week