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The gap between Gameweek 7 and Gameweek 8 due to the international break might have given you countless sleeping nights with most of you quietly praying none of the players in your respective teams get injured. The rest of you probably prayed that the players you don’t have, get either an ACL or a metatarsal.
Either ways it has given all of us enough time to contemplate about your choices for this Gameweek and invariably getting back to square one.
This preview is in a new format:
Goalkeeper:
Artur Boruc of Southampton has been the biggest revelation of all goalkeepers and perhaps all players in the Premier League this season. 5 clean sheets in 7 matches is a phenomenal for a goalkeeper who was available at an initial price of £4.5 m. That run could end as The Saints travel to Old Trafford with United lying in wait, licking their wounds and trying to turn their season around.
The pick of the weekend therefore is Swansea’s Michel Vorm. Playing against a Sunderland side winless in their last 6 games, he is odds on to get a clean sheet.
Defenders:
Swansea playing struggling Sunderland could be negated by the injuries of Ashley Williams and Ben Davies. This is where cheap options like Angel Rangel and Chico Flores come in. Both offer something upfront as well so they could chip in with a goal or an assist if you’re lucky.
Arsenal’s Bacary Sagna having passed a late fitness test could start and his fellow Arsenal defenders could well thwart anything that Norwich throw at them.
Chelsea also have a relatively easy fixture as they welcome Cardiff to Stamford Bridge. Ivanovic looks like the safest bet with Terry, Luiz and Cahill all being victims of the rotation curse.
Leighton Baines, joint highest scoring defender longwith Swansea’s Ben Davies is always a threat with his set pieces.
Midfielders:
The usual suspects Hazard and Mata haven’t fired this season and the only sure thing at the moment is in the shape of Brazilian prodigy & Chelsea’s top scorer Oscar. Oscar has displaced Mata out of the side this season more often than not but after the Spaniard’s display on international duty this week, he could warrant a start.
Ozil & Cazorla have passed a late fitness test and it’ll be interesting to see if one of them sits out for the other or if Arsene Wenger can conjure up a system to fit both of them. Either ways, Aaron Ramsey should keep his place and should be persisted with.
United’s newest sensation in Belgian teenager Adnan Januzaj has done nothing to lose his place in the side with wingers Valencia, Young misfiring. Nani scored for Portugal in the world cup qualifiers and could make a strong case for a start.
Andros Townsend continues to impress for club & country and will most definitely keep his place.
Yaya Toure continues to be a big threat with his set pieces and basically because he is Yaya Toure. Samir Nasri seems to have got his confidence back having scored and assisted twice each this season.
Swansea’s Michu and Pablo Hernandez will look to take advantage of a hapless Sunderland side and you can expect a goal or two from these two mainstays of Michael Laurup’s team.
Everton’s Barkeley is a fantastic cheap acquisition.
Forwards:
On form, the 3 strikers pick themselves. Lukaku has 4 goals and an assist in his last 3 games. Sturridge has 6 goals and 2 assists in total. Aguero has 3 goals and an assist in his last 2.
Other strikers who make their cases are Giroud, van Persie and Loic Remy.
Liverpool’s other prolific forward Luis Suarez has scored 3 since his return and it’s just a matter of who you prefer between him and Sturridge.With Ozil, Cazorla, Wilshere and Ramsey providing service Giroud looks like a safe enough bet to replace one of the first 3 mentioned. Robin van Persie is fresh from his international exploits where he became his country’s all time leading goalscorer. Remy’s 5 goals in his last 3 games makes a big case for selection. West Brom’s Saido Berahino is a great cheap selection up front.
Vorm
Sagna- Rangel -Baines
Ozil- Michu- Nasri –Oscar
Lukaku- Aguero-Sturridge
Bench: Howard Ivanovic Lovren Januzaj
Make your teams here
