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Today’s Fixtures:
Crystal Palace v. Huddersfield Town
West Bromwich Albion v. AFC Bournemouth
Brighton & Hove Albion v. Manchester City
Top Teams Have Little Competition, at Least on Paper
We’ve got three of last season’s top four teams playing today, and they’re all seeming mismatches. 4th place Liverpool travels to 17th place Watford, champion Chelsea hosts 16th place Burnley, and third place Manchester City visits promoted Brighton. The favorites will all expect three points, whereas the underdogs will be happy to nab a draw. As for fantasy considerations, we’ll all want clean sheets and plenty of goals, assists and bonus points from the Reds, Blues and Sky Blues.
Otherwise it’s all About the Home Sides
If the other fixtures were reversed, it would be a different story. But at these locales, the home fans will all look for joy via victory, and likewise we’ll hope to see fantasy points. The Swans conceded twice as many times as they scored on the road last campaign, while Bournemouth and Stoke City each avoided doing so by only a single goal. Huddersfield is one of the weakest promoted teams in recent memory, scoring less than a goal per road game and finishing -10 in road differential in the Championship! If you’re doing things by the numbers, Crystal Palace, Everton, Southampton and West Brom players should bring nice returns.
As we well know, of course, the wildly unexpected can — and usually will — happen! After all, it was only a year ago when Hull City won its first two games, including the season opener over defending champ Leicester City... before the Tigers fell back to earth and skidded into relegation.
On whom are you relying for fantasy glory among all of today’s games? Do you expect things to play to form? What surprises are you planning on? What’s your greatest fear? Join in the chat below!