International football is over…..for another few weeks anyway. So welcome to Week Four of the English Premier League season and it’s all about United and City, Jose and Pep, Ibra and Aguer….oh sorry, he’s not playing.
What a way to get back into league football with a derby like this but, as usual with the English Premier League, the derby is not the be all and end all; there are plenty of other tasty fixtures this weekend.
Personally, I’m looking forward to the champions visiting Anfield for Liverpool’s first home game of the season due to the re-building of their main stand. Arsenal at home to Southampton on Saturday afternoon should be a decent game as will Chelsea’s visit to Wales on Sunday.
Free to enter £25 prize game
This column will concentrate on the weekly game and, as such, there is a free to join £25 prize game sponsored by The Press & Journal this weekend. I will select my team and punters are welcome to challenge me for the £25 prize….with free entry.
This game is exclusive to P&J readers and the details to enter are as follows:
· Password: PRESS
Formation
All of which means I need to select a fantasy football team that will take on all comers on Premier Punt this weekend.
Two weeks ago, VLADA985 stole my crown by winning the Press & Journal’s top prize in their £25 free to enter game on Premier Punt, the fantasy football gaming website. You can also download the Premier Punt app from the app store. Android users can download the app from the mobile website (www.premierpunt.com ).
I hope you enjoyed your moment of glory, mate, because I’m coming back at you this week. I switched from my usual 3-4-3 formation to a more conventional 4-4-2 last time and, predictably, ended up in mid-table mediocrity. The fact that neither of my two forwards, Aguero or Ibrahimovic, scored didn’t help matters. In fact, I was lucky not to lose points with the little Argentinian as he should have been sent off for an elbow on Winston Reid. He has now received a retrospective three game ban for this so be sure not to put him in your team this week.
Keeper
No clean sheet for my goalkeeper, Willie Caballero of Manchester City, last week so he’s dropped. I doubt if he will be selected for the derby game with United anyway as new signing Claudio Bravo will probably start. Instead this week, I’m going for Petr Cech at Arsenal who entertain Southampton at the Emirates.
Defenders
My only success two weeks ago was in defence where I went big on Chelsea keeping a clean sheet at home to Burnley, which they did. Having selected three Chelsea defenders, this earned me eighteen points which is decent.
This week I’m doubling up with two Arsenal defenders to go along with Petr Cech in goals. I’m selecting Bellerin and Koscielny. Southampton haven’t been scoring many this season and I suspect they won’t get too many on Saturday either.
Completing my back three is Ayala of Middlesbrough, a decent defender who looks as if he has settled into Premier League life with ease. Boro are at home to Crystal Palace who are struggling to hit the net, although new signing Benteke will score sooner rather than later. Hopefully not this weekend though.
Midfielders
I’m keeping Paul Pogba in my side this week as I can see him dominating Manchester City’s midfield on Saturday. Even though his price has gone up to £10.4m on Premier Punt, I reckon he’s still excellent value. He will also be my Vice-captain this week.
Alongside Pogba I’m taking Ross Barclay from Everton, Willian at Chelsea and Robert Snodgrass from Hull City.
After being dropped from the England squad for the World Cup qualifiers, I think Barclay will be out to show Big Sam what he’s missing. And where better to do it than away to Sunderland and former gaffer, David Moyes? Look for the boy Barclay to shine just behind the striker and maybe get a goal.
Chelsea are away to Swansea on Sunday and I expect another good performance from Willian, if selected.
Making up my midfield four is Robert Snodgrass from Hull City. “Snoddy” has had a great start to the season after being out injured for the best part of eighteen months. He capped it on Sunday night with a slightly fortunate hat-trick for Scotland against minnows Malta in Scotland’s World Cup qualifying group. Hull are away to Burnley – a game that, surprisingly enough, I’m really looking forward to.
Strikers
As stated earlier in this column, two weeks ago my strike force was underwhelming to say the least. I’m retaining the services of Ibrahimovic this week though. Was there ever a better stage for him to shine than a derby at Old Trafford? The big chap will also be my skipper for this weekend thereby doubling any points he collects.
I’m taking a bit of a risk by naming Marcus Rashford in my team this week as I don’t know if Mourinho will pick him in such a big game. Let’s face it, he’s not too keen on anybody under the age of twenty-five. However, with the form of Martial (substituted for France again midweek) and Rashford’s winner against Hull, not to mention his England U21 hat-trick during the week, it’s difficult to see why he wouldn’t start. Also in his favour is that I think Mkhitaryan is suffering from a knock and is struggling to be available for selection.
Wilfreid Bony would have been in the City squad for this game last season but has now been moved on to Stoke City. Stoke have struggled this season and are currently in the relegation zone but what they have been missing is goals and, at that level, Bony is decent. Stoke are playing Spurs at home and I’m taking Bony to make the difference for Stoke.
Remember, join the Press & Journal free to enter game on Premier Punt and show me how it’s done.