Week 23 Preview: 5 Questions

1. Is Tim Krul priced at £1.97 and away to Hull City "too good" to pass up this Game Week?

Logically, the early game of the weekend should be an unpredictable affair. Hull City, however, has not scored in 10 out of the last 15 matches. On top of that, they are missing Abel Hernández and Nikica Jelavic, and have an array of defensive injuries. So what is not to like? Well, the manager-less Newcastle (although the news from St James' Park is that the team is set to confirm John Carver as head coach until the end of the season) isn’t exactly playing well, but should be boosted by the return of Davide Santon in defense. The Magpies, also, have a decent run of games coming up: @ Hull, Stoke and @ Crystal Palace. So, will any of you pundits have the Dutch national in goal when Saturday comes round?

2. Can Eljero Elia continue his fantasy scoring run?

The new lad Eljero Elia scored twice against Newcastle as Southampton moved back above Manchester United into third place. Many managers, therefore, brought him in at the barndoor price of £4.64. Elia, however, is not known as a goal scorer only netting 4 times in 66 appearances for Werder Bremen. With Southampton facing the Swansea team without the suspended Gylfi Sigurdsson on Sunday, will Elia be in your Starting 11?

3. Is this the week when Theo Walcott and/or Mesut Ozil start for Arsenal?

The pair came back from lengthy injuries and scored in the fourth round of the FA Cup against Brighton. Walcott, priced at £4.26, played 70 minutes before being replaced by Alexis Sanchez while Ozil, priced at £5.44, played 80 minutes before being replaced by Francis Coquelin. Arsenal has arguably the best match-up of the weekend, home to Aston Villa.  Santi Cazorla, however, has been the best player for Arsenal and Alexis is irreplaceable on the wing. So which one from the pair will start this weekend and who will he displace from the starting line-up?

4. Can Leicester City build up on its FA Cup momentum and defeat Manchester United for the second time this season?

The Saturday clash between the two teams looks like a total mismatch on paper. For a team currently in fourth place, Manchester United has played some downright unimpressive football, however. The 0-0 fourth round FA Cup tie against League Two side Cambridge United further reinforced that notion. On Saturday, the Old Trafford will welcome Leicester City, a team that defeated Manchester United in September. Unlike the United team that could not beat a team 76 league places below it, the team from Leicester defeated Tottenham on Jeffrey Schlupp's late winner and will have a much needed boost of confidence going into Saturday's game. The questions that beg to be asked then are: how many United players will you have in your Starting 11 and do you think that Leicester has a real shot of causing another upset?

5. What type of a game do you expect to see at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, and will any of you be benching your discounted Chelsea and City players?

I always anticipate the games between the top two teams with trepidation. They are very seldom the entertaining and high scoring affairs, but more of the strategic games of chess where an unlikely player ends up scoring an odd goal. Could the game between the Number 1 and Number 2 this weekend be different? Manchester City has scored 1 goal in the last 3 games. The return of Sergio Aguero has not reaped the predicted offensive explosion. Chelsea, on the other hand, has also been quiet after the dismantling of Swansea. Both sides previously met in September with the game ending in a 1-1 draw. Something tells me that this will be another tactical affair with either team looking not to concede. I am also concerned with tempers flaring and unnecessary yellow cards. Hence the questions: will you be starting all your Chelsea and City players, or will the likes of Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas and David Silva be placed on the bench for this high stakes match up?