Fantasy Premier League 2016-17 : Players to pick for gameweek 9

10/20/2016

After the gameweek 8 match between Manchester United and Liverpool turned out to be a less-than classic affair, gameweek 9 excites us with the prospect of United travelling to Chelsea on Sunday. With last week being good for Arsenal and Tottenham players, we look at the picks for gameweek 9.

The past gameweek turned out to be a dull affair as the big fixture of the week between Liverpool and Manchester United ended up being a goalless draw. Elsewhere, Chelsea thrashed defending champions Leicester City 3-0 after another brilliant display by Diego Costa, who has now scored 7 goals in the league. Manchester Citywere held to a frustrating draw against Everton, as Maarten Stekelenburg saved two penalties for the Merseyside Blues which helped his team grab a point.

Gameweek 9 sees Manchester United travel to Stamford Bridge as they face Antonio Conte’s Chelsea. Elsewhere, Manchester City will look to bounce back after two dismal league results with a win against Southampton. Arsenal will hope to continue their winning streak as they host Middlesbrough at the Emirates Stadium.

Fixtures

Saturday 22 October

Bournemouth vs Spurs

Arsenal vs Middlesbrough

Burnley vs Everton

Hull vs Stoke

Leicester vs Crystal Palace

Swansea vs Watford

West Ham vs Sunderland

Liverpool vs West Brom

Sunday 23 October

Man City vs Southampton

Chelsea vs Man Utd

Picks for Gameweek 9

Forwards

1. Romelu Lukaku(9.4): The Belgian has been in sublime form after Koeman’s arrival at the club and has already racked up 6 goals. With an away fixture to Burnley, there is a high probability that the forward will again find the back of the net.

2. Diego Costa(10.2): Chelsea forward Diego Costa is on a roll, and has been giving returns consistently ever since the start of this season. The forward is a big-game player and this makes him the ideal choice since Chelsea plays Manchester United this gameweek.

3. Christian Benteke(7.7): The forward didn’t have the best of outings against West Ham as he bottled a penalty. However, there is no denying his quality and goal scoring ability. Benteke should have a good time against Leicester City, who are a shadow of their previous self.

Midfielders

4. Theo Walcott(7.8): The Englishman’s stellar form has turned heads in the Premier League. With 5 goals and 2 assists, Walcott has been one of Arsenal’s best players this season. The fans will be hopeful of another great performance from him, as Arsenal play Middlesbrough this gameweek.

5. Marko Arnautovic(7.2):Stoke City have not been at their best this season, and are struggling in the bottom half of the table. They play Hull City this gameweek, who after a good start have conceded left, right and centre. Arnautovic is a solid bet for this matchup as he is one of Stoke City’s key outlet in attack.

6. Son Heung-Min(7.7): The Korean did not start the last gameweek and was given rest by the manager after the international break. The fans will be hopeful that Son is back to his best after West Brom held Spurs to 1-1 draw in the last gameweek. Son, who won the Player of the Month award should start upfront for Tottenham.

7. Michail Antonio(7.2): After a solid start in the league where Antonio scored 5 goals in as many games, the player lost his luster and gave minimal returns for the next 3 games. However, a fixture against Sunderland may just be the one which sees Antonio return to form as Sunderland are in horrendous form and sit last on the points table.

Defenders

8. Ashley Williams(5.0): The backbone of the team, Ashley Williams in defence is a solid choice as the Everton play away to Burnley, a team which has only won once in their last 6 games.

9. Jose Holebas(4.5): The Watford player has now scored twice for a team and cannot be taken lightly. A fixture against Swansea City, who have just won once this season, makes Holebas a good pick for your defence.

10. Jan Vertonghen(5.6): The Spurs centre half has been giving decent returns and is the cheapest way into Tottenham’s back four. The player is part of a team who have been performing brilliantly as a defensive unit.

Goalkeeper

11. Petr Cech(5.5): The goalkeeper makes it to our team for the third time in a row because of his fixtures and reliability. Cech is the lowest priced player if you’re looking for a player from the defence of the red side of North London. A fixture against Middlesbrough makes Cech a safe option for the coming gameweek.

Differentials

• Salomon Rondon(6.7): If Liverpool’s defence continues to leak goals, there is a strong chance that Rondon will be the player who finds the back of the net for his team.

• Junior Stanislas(5.5): The players heroics earned him a massive haul of 21 points as he scored twice and assisted his his teammates as many times against Hull City. The player is moderately priced and is selected in a mere 0.6% of all teams.

• Joel Ward(4.9): Crystal Palace face defending Champions Leicester City who have scored only once in their last three games. Ward could be a good gamble considering his pick percentage stands at a lowly 1%.