Last updated on January 15th, 2021
Written by @IamtheMarkus. Follow him on twitter for regular FPL insights!
With the fixtures dropping in/out, it can be hard to keep track and take proper stock of the week’s events. Arsenal struggled with Palace as they typically do in recent years, for all of us predicting a Brighton mauling it was a rather bland affair with just the one goal from Man City.
Even if Sterling had not sent his penalty into row z / orbit it was hardly the goal fest many of us hoped for. That was the theme of the week with just the 8 goals scored across the 6 fixtures.
The next round starts Saturday with the first major double game week round. 15 fixtures in place for now, with a minor inconvenience of a blank for Everton and a couple of late changes to the schedule not all of our well-laid plans are still intact.
A number of popular assets have a pair of fixtures and so there are plenty of choices around, that’s before people start waving their chips about!! The chance for two cracks at the whip means I will not be considering Kane/Son or other single game week players for the armband this week, despite any good fixtures they may have.
TLDR
My © will be Salah
Vice – Sterling/Vardy (a close 2nd each but I can’t see Salah missing either game so maybe moot)
Bruno – TSB ~ 55% – LIV / FUL
No attacking returns against Burnley, with Rashford/Pogba doing the business (eventually) last week. A tough first fixture against Liverpool for the top spot is on Sunday followed by a continually improving/battling Fulham. Bruno is on 4 YC too, meaning he may be suspended by the time the Fulham game comes around should he pick up a booking on Sunday. Not for me this week.
Soucek- TSB ~ 15% – BUR / WBA
Everyone’s favourite 5th Midfielder has Burnley / WBA up next. A danger from set pieces and fun to own but probably not haul the way you want him too.
Salah – TSB ~ 39% – MUN / BUR
Three gameweeks without a return in a row. It’s an odd thing to see Liverpool so out of sorts in recent seasons. After an extended break and no doubt a lot of Klopping on the training ground it’s entirely possible we will see a bounce back from Liverpool & co with this pair of fixtures.
First up is this important game against Man United for the top spot, motivation should not be an issue here. Burnley, as we saw midweek again, will be tough to break down but typically Liverpool’s quality should see them past Burnley here too.
Vardy – TSB ~ 26% – SOU/CHE
Two home games approx. 72 hours apart. Normally this would be criteria to be a bit wary of joining the Vardy party. Having been rested for the cup and the Chelsea game being so important in their push for the top, barring any incidents, I would expect Vardy to play a big part in leading the line for both games.
For those that are not keeping Kane or have funds to spare, Vardy is a tempting one to bring in particularly with most likely opting for a Salah / KdB this week.
Sterling – TSB ~ 4% – CRY/AVL
I know, it’s not the Belgian wonder and off the back of a benching and penalty that ended up on the roof of the Amex stadium, it’s maybe an odd name to consider.
KdB looked pretty tired, IMO he’s in need of a bit of a rest. Whether he will get it is another topic. Raz will be keen to make amends for that and I expect him to be fired up for both these two games after a rest. These two fixtures will be marked as ones to win and we’ve no idea what condition AVL will be in after COVID and minimal training.
