Fantasy Premier League Strategist

Good morning readers and welcome to the final Dirtsheet of the season! It’s hard to believe that yet another 38 gameweeks have flown by, but here we are, at the end of what has been a season which will be remembered for the performances of so many players, most notably Yaya Toure and Luis Suarez. As can be expected, both make the final Dirtsheet of the season.

For the final week, I’m focusing on players who should start at the weekend – these players have either something to play for or should play regardless of current league position. However, as we have seen many times before, the final day of the season is akin to a lottery. The one piece of advice that I will give everyone is to make sure your squad is healthy…today is not the day to have three players on your sub bench who will not play.

Best of luck to all my readers, I hope the Dirtsheet has been of benefit to you all in the 2013/2104 season!

Please use that fantastic RT button at the bottom to RT the Dirtsheet – every one is appreciated!

Without further delay, here’s the Dirtsheet for Gameweek 38!

THE DIRTSHEET: GAMEWEEK 38 (Formation: 3-4-3)

Hugo Lloris (TOT)
Opponent – Aston Villa (H)
The French stopper should start and is a solid bet for a clean sheet against Villa at White Hart Lane. Villa’s recent away form has been atrocious – just a single point and 2 goals from their last 6 games.

Marcos Alonso (SUN)
Opponent – Swansea (H)
I was so close to giving Alonso a run in the Dirtsheet last week, but he had to settle for a place in the differentials. His 17 points certainly left me ruing my decision not to transfer him in to my own team, but the Spanish left-back has done more than enough to warrant an inclusion in the Dirtsheet this week. He has 2 assists and 3 clean sheets in his last 4 games, and I think Sunderland will be eager to cap off a remarkable recovery by beating Swansea at home. Gus Poyet has hinted that he may make 3-4 changes for the game, but I think they will be more attacking-based changes.

Pablo Zabaleta (MCI)
Opponent – West Ham United (H)
A clean sheet and an assist in his last game shows the Argentine’s ability to return points at both ends of the field. City have one hand on the trophy but they will need to be wary of the threat posed by Andy Carroll and his West Ham team mates. West Ham will have nothing to play for and I cannot see City losing here.

Laurent Koscielny (ARS)
Opponent – Norwich City (A)
It’s hard to see Arsenal not starting without their French stalwart, and so I am selecting him after a run of 1 goal and 3 clean sheets in his last 3 games. Norwich are all but relegated, are in woeful form and I cannot see them troubling the Arsenal backline.

Christian Eriksen (TOT)
Opponent – Aston Villa (H)
Despite some strong performances in the last 2 weeks, Eriksen’s displays have not translated into FPL points. I expect that to change against a hapless Aston Villa who were rolled over by City on Wednesday night. The Dane has 44 points in his last 3 home games, a record that is tough to match over the last month.

Steven Gerrard (LIV)
Opponent – Newcastle United (H)
Liverpool fans will go into Sunday’s game fueled by equal measures of hope and reality. It’s highly unlikely that anyone but Vincent Kompany will be lifting the Premier League trophy this season, but that will not stop Gerrard leading his charges to what should be a comfortable home win. He has penalties and set pieces in his locker and will go into tomorrow’s game off the back of 2 assists last week.

Yaya Toure (MCI)
Opponent – West Ham United (H)
I expect Yaya Toure to finish the season in style against West Ham United. After recovering from injury, it took him mere minutes to get back in the scoring in GW36, and he served up 17 points in the double last week. That’s 2 goals and 3 assists in his last 3 games – returns that have epitomized his entire season. The Ivorian is a strong captaincy choice this gameweek. If you already have Yaya and are looking for other options, then the consistency of Samir Nasri could fuel a move for the Frenchman.

Eden Hazard (CHE)
Opponent – Cardiff City (A)
With all the rush to acquire the service of Manchester City and Liverpool players for the weekend, It’s not that hard to overlook the fact that Chelsea pay a visit to Cardiff – a fixture that could see plenty of goals for the London side. Mourinho “rested” Hazard last weekend and Chelsea look bereft of ideas until his appearance in the second half. I think Cardiff will attack Chelsea in an attempt to give their fans something to cheer about before they settle back into life in the Championship, but Chelsea will cut them to pieces on the counterattack.

Daniel Sturridge (LIV)
Opponent – Newcastle United (H)
Back in the starting lineup against Crystal Palace and back amongst the goals. Daniel Sturridge will play highest up the field on Sunday, and they will look to pressurize Newcastle from the first to the final whistle. I can see Liverpool scoring at least 4 goals, and Sturridge has a tendency to be heavily involved in all Liverpool goals.

Luis Suarez (LIV)
Opponent – Newcastle United (H)
If you have Suarez, then great. If you haven’t Suarez, then you have a tough decision to make over the next 24 hours. Should you bring in a player who has almost 300 points this season (but who’s recent recent returns has been less than his usual) or do you look towards a Manchester City striker? The simple fact is that Liverpool will be hurt and they will look to score a ton against Newcastle. I’m more comfortable having Suarez in my team than any other player.

Edin Dzeko (MCI)/Sergio Aguero (MCI)
Opponent – West Ham United (H)
I would bet that the vast majority of you have one or the other already. I would expect Aguero to start but, again, nothing is for sure. Dzeko represents perhaps the best option for those of you who have neither striker. His superior price, fitness and form means he is a more solid pick than his Argentine teammate. However, Aguero is on penalties and can conjure something from nothing. I am not sure if I would make a transfer to replace one with the other unless you are confident one is going to run riot today and the other isn’t. In these situations, I just stick with who I have in my team. Is there an argument for having both? I would think so, especially if you are not looking to double up on Liverpool strikers.

Suffice it to say, a number of the top teams will have a front three consisting of either 2 Liverpool and 1 City striker today, or vice versa.

The Captain – Luis Suarez (LIV)
Tough TOUGH call. City need to beat West Ham which means they could easily shut up shop at 2-0 and just keep the ball. Liverpool, on the other hand, need to absolutely destroy Newcastle. A draw would be enough for City as Liverpool would need to score 14. Will they? Of course not. Could they score 5 or 6? There’s a strong chance, and if they are winning, I cannot see them letting up unless shock news arrives from the Etihad with 20 minutes to go on Sunday afternoon. For me Suarez is the best choice.

The Clean Sheets
As I said today, anything can happen today! However, I’m looking to Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Spurs, Sunderland, Arsenal, WBA and Everton to return clean sheets.

The Unusual Suspects
Defender: Joel Ward (CPL)
Midfielder: Jordan Henderson (LIV)
Striker: Olivier Giroud (ARS)
Captain: Yaya Toure (MCI)

Please hit that retweet button at the bottom! Thanks!

And that’s a wrap! It’s quick, it’s informative and it’s helpful. It’s the Dirtsheet, and it’s here every Friday! Please share this on Twitter and Facebook! Every follower counts!