The festive season brought on a whole lot of football action and excited viewers across the world. There is no stopping the Chelsea juggernaut which won its 12th consecutive game of the season and the club is now 6 points clear at the top. Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal form the rest of the top 4 and all the three clubs won their respective matches as they continue to chase Chelsea, who have been phenomenal this season.
A fourth consecutive win for Jose Mourinho’s boys has brought some stability for Manchester United who are comfortably positioned at the sixth spot, 7 points above Everton who are placed seventh.
Boxing day action and the days that followed brought in all round entertainment but the number of fixtures is clearly taking a toll on the players. One last gameweek awaits us before we move on to the New Year.
Here’s a list of 5 players which could form a part of your Fantasy Premier League team for the coming gameweek.
#1 Sadio Mane
Summer signing Sadio Mane has played a huge role in Liverpool’s campaign this season. He has delivered the goods at crucial moments and has become an instant fan favourite in the short time that he has spent at Liverpool. Mane has been involved in 14 goals for the Reds consisting of 8 goals and 6 assists. Statistically, he has been Liverpool’s best player this season.
Liverpool play Manchester City who are definitely a top team but the Citizens have been punished repeatedly at Anfield. History favours the Reds at their home ground and it will be up to their attack to ensure that the tradition is carried forward. Mane’s work rate and pace will definitely cause Manchester City’s backline quite a few problems considering their form at the moment.
Next 3 fixtures: Man City(H), Sunderland(A), Man Utd(A)
#2 Tom Heaton
Burnley’s Heaton is the goalkeeper of our choice for the coming week. The goalkeeper who is also the captain of the team has been immense for the club till now. His goalkeeping heroics have earned him plaudits through the season till now and his stock looks to be on the rise. The keeper is often a bonus point magnet from his team and yet again earned 3 points in Burnley’s last fixture against Middlesbrough.
This weekend Burnley play against relegation-threatened Sunderland at Turf Moor. Although their home form was turbulent in between, an inspired performance against Middlesbrough assures us that Burnley at home will be a tough nut to crack for Sunderland.
Next 3 fixtures: Sunderland(H), Man City(A), Southampton(H)
#3 Diego Costa
The Spaniard is back into our FPL squad after missing one match after accumulating 5 yellow cards. Costa has been the game’s most consistent player with returns in almost every match in the season till now. The Chelsea midfield has been a cohesive unit which has ensured that Costa gets adequate service creatively. The new 3-4-3 system has further improved the Spanish international’s efficiency.
A fixture against Stoke City at Stamford Bridge looks like another win coming for the Blues who have won 13 consecutive matches. Costa’s incisiveness means that he can always be counted on as a captain and his consistency speak volumes about his quality.
Next 3 fixtures: Stoke City(H), Spurs(A), Leicester(A)
#4 Marcos Alonso
Chelsea’s defence has earned us a good haul of points over several gameweeks now and there is no reason to not trust them again. Alonso, in particular, has been a huge revelation this season and offers a good return not only because he is a part of a reliable backline but also because of his offensive abilities. The player has the knack of some good forward runs which puts him the middle of the action quite often.
Chelsea play their next game against Stoke City who do not quite have the team to threaten Chelsea offensively. It will be upto the Blue’s defence to ensure that the Stoke attack does not needle them in the wrong places and get Chelsea another win.
Next 3 fixtures: Stoke City(H), Spurs(A), Leicester(A)
#5 Alexis Sanchez
The Arsenal forward has not amassed a double-digit hall in his last 4 gameweeks and this coming fixture could just be the match where Alexis goes all guns blazing into the new year. Arsenal have a favourable fixture list coming up for them, with matches where the Gunners would definitely want to get all 3 points in the bag. The Chilean will have to be up for the task, as he is quite easily the biggest offensive threat from the Arsenal lineup.
The Gunners play their next game against Crystal Palace who are still adjusting to new manager Sam Allardyce. Sanchez should surely make the most out Palace's current status and score big against a team that is still in a disarray. Amid his contract talks, Sanchez will definitely leave no stone unturned to prove that he is worthy of a wage bump.
Next 3 fixtures: Crystal Palace(H), Bournemouth(A), Swansea City(A)
