Gameweek 9 Preview of Fantasy Premier League, courtesy of Bet365.
Massive game to kick off this weekend’s football, as Jürgen Klopp makes his Premier League managerial debut. The excitable reaction to Klopp’s appointment from the red half of Merseyside was predictable, but it’s a real coup for Liverpool to persuade him to cut short his managerial sabbatical when bigger clubs would surely have been approaching him in the summer. He faces a tough assignment in his first match in charge though, with a trip to White Hart Lane to face a Tottenham team who’ve found some form. They’re unbeaten at home in the Premier League this season, and demolished Man City 4-1 in their last game at the Lane. Liverpool have just 1 win from their last 9 away games in the league, and are likely to be without captain Jordan Henderson and big money singings Roberto Firmino and Christian Benteke due to injury, so those expecting Klopp to instantly work his magic may be in for disappointment. With this in mind Spurs’ Bamidele Alli (£4.9m) and Christian Eriksen (£8.3m) are players to look out for this weekend. Eriksen has 3 assists and 2 goals from his last 4 matches, and is always a danger from set pieces. Alli has forced his way into the starting line up and indeed the England squad with his performances this year, and he has a goal and 2 assists from his 414 Premier League minutes this season.
Chelsea will be looking to get back to winning ways after a disastrous few weeks, and there can’t be many more inviting fixtures for them to do this than Aston Villa at home. Villa have lost their last 4 Premier League games and since the opening day win against newly-promoted Bournemouth have gained just 1 point from 7 matches. In the last 6 seasons Chelsea have won their home matches against Aston Villa by an aggregate score of 24-8, and both teams have recorded only 1 clean sheet each this season in the league, so goals should be on the cards. Eden Hazard (£11.3m) scored in both games during the international break for Belgium, and has 2 assists and a goal in his last 3 Premier League matches. Plenty of Fantasy Managers will be putting their faith in him this week, especially those with funds freed up from the sale of the injured Sergio Agüero. A cheaper option to consider though is Willian (£6.8m). He has scored Chelsea’s last 3 goals, and also bagged a brace for Brazil in their World Cup Qualifier this week against Venezuela.
Manchester City have more injury concerns than most after the internationals, with Kolarov, Touré, Silva and Agüero all major doubts. Even without those City should be too strong for Bournemouth at the Etihad. Wilfried Bony (£8.2m) is expected to lead the line, and will almost certainly get chances to score his first goal of the season, so could be a good temporary option up front. Kevin De Bruyne (£10.3m) is the obvious choice in midfield. He’s scored in each of the three matches that he’s completed 90 minutes in for City in the Premier League, and they’ll be looking to him for creativity in the absence of David Silva at the weekend.
Elsewhere, another game that promises goals is Everton v Manchester United at Goodison Park. The Toffees are undefeated in their last 7 games in all competitions, but haven’t kept a clean sheet at home yet this season. United have also had problems at the back recently, with only 1 clean sheet in their last 5 league games. There are plenty of attacking options to consider for this match; for the home side Romelu Lukaku (£8.3m) has 3 goals and an assist from his last 2 Premier League games and Ross Barkley (£6.9m) has been in fine form so far this season, whilst for the visitors Juan Mata (£8.9m) has racked up 50 Fantasy Football points already and Anthony Martial (£8.4m) has made an instant impact.
In the evening kick-off Alexis Sánchez (£11.12m) will be looking to carry on his fine form as Arsenal travel to Watford. Sánchez has 5 goals from his last 2 league games, following up a hat trick at Leicester with a brace against Man United. Those performances helped him to a Fantasy Football total of 36 points from the 2 matches, and few would bet against him scoring at Vicarage Road. Theo Walcott is also in good shape, and is finally getting regular games at the focal point of the Arsenal attack. He has 2 goals and 2 assists from his last 4 Premier League games, and at £8.6m could be a great addition to your midfield. For the home side Odion Ighalo (£5.3m) has adapted well to life in the Premier League and scored again in the 1-1 draw at Bournemouth to take his total to the season to 5. He has the fourth-highest points total of any attacker in the league, and at the price is well worth a look.
In addition here is Bet365‘s weekend betting preview:
The international break is almost at an end with a mouth-watering selection of fixtures announcing the return of league football in style this weekend, and bet365 are offering a host of fantastic betting and Live Streaming opportunities!
The fixture grabbing all the headlines at the moment is Tottenham v Liverpool, as Jürgen Klopp takes the reigns at Liverpool in what will be his managerial debut in the Premier League. The Normal One was welcomed to Merseyside with rabid anticipation by Liverpool fans and the German has promised the Anfield faithful a title in the next four years. The weight of expectation will be enormous for the former Dortmund manager, but whether he can deliver three points at the weekend using the current Liverpool squad is debatable. Tottenham are arguably one of the form teams in the league at the moment, beating first placed Manchester City in a 4-1 thriller recently. Liverpool are without captain Jordan Henderson and summer signings Christian Benteke and Roberto Firmino whilst Spurs are without Son Heung Min and a few periphery players.
Spurs are narrow favourites to take the win at White Hart Lane at 7/5 (2.40) and are unbeaten at home in the league this season, whilst The Reds are a touch longer at 15/8 (2.87). Many will be backing Daniel Sturridge to find the net again this weekend after scoring two goals against Villa recently and he’s 5/1 (6.00) to score first or last and 6/4 (2.50) to find the net anytime. Having forced his way into the Spurs squad and more recently the England team, Dele Alli has seen plenty of speculative backing to score this weekend, and he’s 10/3 (4.33) to do just that.
Chelsea will be looking to get back to winning ways after a disastrous few weeks, and are 1/3 (1.33) to break their duck against Aston Villa in a particularly inviting home fixture. Villa have lost their last four Premier League games and since their opening day win against newly-promoted Bournemouth have gained just one point from seven matches. In the last six seasons Chelsea have won their home matches against Aston Villa by an aggregate score of 24-8, and both teams have recorded only one clean sheet each this season in the league, so goals should be on the cards. Eden Hazard is 11/2 (6.50) to net first in the encounter, and scored in both games during the international break for Belgium with two assists and a goal in his last three Premier League matches. A slightly riskier option to consider though is Willian at 10/1 (11.00). He has scored Chelsea’s last three goals, and also bagged a brace for Brazil in their World Cup Qualifier this week against Venezuela.
Over in La Liga title heavyweights Real Madrid and Barcelona are both suffering injury crises and entertain Levante and Rayo Vallecano respectively. Bet365 will be Live Streaming all the action so you can watch the likes of Luis Suarez, Neymar and Ronaldo as they blitz through their competition at will. News from Spain this week is suggesting that Barcelona are in big trouble, with many of their key players facing time on the side-lines with injuries. Summer signing Arda Turan is still not able to play for the Blaugrana and it’s being reported that Barca will petition the Court of Arbitration for Sport to overturn their transfer embargo in a last-ditch effort to bolster their squad. In spite of this, they’re heavy favourites to dispatch Rayo with ease and are priced 1/7 (1.14) to take the three points on Saturday. Suarez and Neymar are both expected to start and both find themselves short-priced to score in the encounter, with the Uruguayan coming in at 2/5 (1.40) and Neymar priced at 4/11 (1.36). Los Blancos will be lining up without the likes of Karim Benzema, James Rodriguez, Luka Modric and centre back pairing Ramos and Pepe which may leave Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez with a selection headache on Saturday. Regardless Real are 1/12 (1.083) to come through on the day and 13/8 (2.62) to do so with Levante managing to notch a consolation goal.
bet365 are also streaming plenty of Bundesliga action this weekend with the highlight being Bayern Munich’s trip to Werder Bremen. Bayern’s season so far has been spectacular and many fancy them to lift the Champions League come the end of the season. The Bavarians will be keen to maintain their 100% start in the league and they are 1/5 (1.20) to do so, with the aggregate score from their last three trips to the Weserstadion 13-0. Thomas Müller has been in imperious form for Bayern this season, scoring 10 goals in 11 games in all competitions and he is 3/1 to score first on Saturday. Equally Robert Lewandowski is arguably one of the hottest properties in international football at the moment and his sensational performances this season have seen him net 16 goals in just 11 games in all competitions. With the mercurial Polish captain being in such staggering form, he is the favourite to open the scoring on Saturday at 2/1 (3.00).
All of the fixtures in the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Champions League are eligible for bet365’s fantastic Euro Soccer Bonus offer which pays a bonus of up to 100% on multiple bets placed with bet365. The excellent Bore Draw Money Back offer is also available on any football match with Bet365, which offers refunds on bets placed on certain markets are refunded where a match ends 0-0, ensuring that a bore draw is never the worst result for your bets!
New customers can take advantage of the industry-leading 100% deposit bonus, which allows customers to claim a bonus on their first deposit, and customers enjoying bet365’s mobile products can take advantage of the On The Move Bonus which matches the first qualifying bet placed on the premium mobile site with a bonus.
Whatever football you decide to bet on this weekend, bet365 is sure to offer a betting experience that’s unparalleled.
*odds correct as of 16:00 GMT 15/10/2015