WORLD U/17 CHAMPIONSHIPS: SPAIN 3 - UNITED EMIRATES 1

A quick summary, the Spanish National U-17 Team defeated the UnitedEmirates Team 3- 1 in its U-17 WOLRD CHAMPIONSHIP group clashthat secures them a place in the next round. The Spaniards controlledthe game with goals from ISCO, BORJA & CARMONA, while theopposition team scored:Details:Spain 3: Edgar; Aurtenetxe, Muniesa, Koke, Blázquez (Dalmau, min.65);Sarabia (Edu Ramos, min.80), Sergi Roberto,

REAL MADRID: COACH PELLEGRINI DAYS ARE COUNTED?

The President of Real Madrid Florentino Perez wants him out, orthat is the unsaid rumour circulating through the Sports media.Real Madrid Director General Jorge Valdano insists that he stays,naturally was Valdano who recommended & brought the man to theClub. Coach Manuel Pellegrini has lost the authority & control ofthe dressing room, the catalyst being a series of bad decisions thathe is paying

SPANISH CUP 2009-2010 WEDNESDAY RESULTS

A total of 9 games were played tonight in the SPANISH CUP withsome surprise results. Here are the results & scorers(photo: At Bilboa lament the bad night_marca.com)2ºDivision Madrid team RAYO VALLECANO "whipped" ATHLETIC DEBILBAO 2-0, thus the former has all the advantage for the 2º leg game.The scorers were SUSAETA (4th min) & PACHÓN (19th min)GETAFE 2 (ALBIN 60th m & GAVILÁN 70th min) -

Week 11 Break

Apologies to all readers but I am not going to be able to write a preview this week due to work commitments. Normal service will resume after the weekend with hopefully more time to discuss and review all the fantasy news from around the league.
- Chris -

VIDEO: ALCORCON 4 - REAL MADRID

See the ridiculous on video. The whole World is "baffled", but Alcorconplayed a great match & deserved the win. Watch how the Real Madridplayers - Drenthe, Guti... - don´t run, plus that the weakness of RealMadrid are its flanks - right side & all the Clubs know it...Note: YouTube may withdraw this video, if so, SFS will attempt to substitute it when possile

SPANISH CUP 2009-2010 TUESDAY RESULTS: SURPRISE 4-0 DEFEAT BY REAL MADRID TO ALCORCON

Link below to 2º leg return games results - 10.11.2009http://spanishfootballsports.blogspot.com/2009/11/spanish-cup-2009-tuesday-return-games.htmlFour games tonight of the 1ºst leg ties in the SPANISH CUP with anearthquake surprise that will have tremours felt across the World; thedefeat of Real Madrid to a 2ºB Division team.Ridiculous, humiliated, defeated, disappointing, scandalous, outrageous,

MANCHESTER UNITED INTERESTED IN DIEGO LOPEZ

The story has been quietly sounding for some time. Spanish sportsdaily “Sport” has published today that MANCHESTER UNITED isseriously thinking in 27 year old VILLAREAL & Spanish Internationalgoalkeeper DIEGO LOPEZ as the substitute for current keeper VANDER SAR.The English daily “The Sun” publishes that Manchester United wouldbe willing to offer 16M€, a sum that seems low to which SFS is

SPANISH CUP 2009-2010 - SFS FLASHBACK: REAL UNION 3 - REAL MADRID 2

REAL MADRID begins the long road for the 2009-2010 SPANISH CUPtonight against 2ºB Division team ALCORCON (Madrid). Thefavourites for this game are Real Madrid but Spanish Cup ties can beawkward & dangerous.Here is a SFS Flashback. It was the 2008-2009 season & Real Madridtravelled to the then 2ºB Division side REAL UNION de IRÚN in their1ºst leg clash & lost 3-2. A huge surprise with the 2ºleg

U/17 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2009:SPAIN 2-USA 1

The Spanish U-17 National Team got of to a good start against USAwith a well fought 2-1 victory in the U/17 World ChampionshipGroup E opener being held in Nigeria. The match had to be stoppedtwice due to cuts in the power that shut the lights, this added 15 minsmore of "tension" to the official 90 minutes.The win was full of merit & praise for the Spaniards who foundthemselves down with 10 men

FOOTBALL HUMOUR FROM BARCELONA

Some good hearted humour from Barcelona based Sports daily"Mundo Deportivo" via its cartoon section - "Pelotazos". They areenjoying their moment; the cartoon doesn´t need any translation:To the Real Madrid fans, easy, there is a long, long, long way to gobefore this season finishes

MAY GOD HELP ATLETICO DE MADRID

Something is serious very wrong when ATLETICO DE MADRID officialsallow – yes, allow – two of its most extreme & radical fans ( "FrenteAtletico") into a closed training session yesterday to speak face to facewith various players.Here is the pre-situation. New Coach Quique Sanchez Flores calls atraining session for Sunday morning with his new team at the “VicenteCalderon” Stadium; a get together

VIDEO: IBRAHIMOVIC FREE KICK GOAL AGAINST ZARAGOZA

Due to popular demand, SFS posts the ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC freekick goal from yesterdays FC Bareclona 6-1 win over Real Zaragoza.The Swede has already 7 goals in the Spanish Liga. Enjoy this"cracker":

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2009/2010 - ROUND 8 SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS

Here are the results, scorers & images of the seven games playedtonight in Round 8 of "La Liga".VALENCIA CF travelled to ALMERIA & managed to wrap the game upafter the home team found itself with 10 men in the 63rd min with ared card to Alves. Valencia won 3-0 with all the goals coming in the2ºhalf starting with DAVID VILLA (54th m), PABLO HERNANDEZ(74th min) & JUAN MATA (87th min).Almeria looked

VIDEO OF FERNANDO TORRES GOAL AGAINST MANCHESTER UNITED

He´s one of Spanish Football´s favourite sons working overseas, exAtletico de Madrid, Spanish International & now Liverpool FC number9. FERNANDO TORRES was fundamental in todays 2-0 victory overarch rivals Mancheter United. Here is the VIDEO of the goal Fernandoscored to "open the can" :Babel scored Liverpool´s second goal in the 96th min.

MOTO GP - MALAYSIA 2009: ROSSI WINS NINTH CHAMPIONSHIP & SIMON WINS IN 125CC

SFS congratulates VALENTINO ROSSI for his 9th World Championshipafter finishing 3ºrd & ahead of rival Spanish rider Jorge Lorenzo togive the Italian an unbeatable lead with only one race left this season.The "Old Chook" (chicken) laided his ninth "golden egg" as shown onthe podium while he celebrated.However, Australian Casey Stoner took the race with Spanish riderDani Pedrosa coming in

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2009/2010 - ROUND 8 SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS

Three games played tonight in Round 8 of "La Liga" with very little goalsbeing scored. Here is a brief summary of results, scorers & images.ATLETICO DE MADRID sacked its Coach Abel yesterday & new CoachQuique Snachez Flores has a worst team than expected in front ofhim. Atletico draw 1-1 against MALLORCA with the latter down to9 men & managing to equalize in the last minute.Atletico played a "

REAL MADRID: STEVEN GERRARD ON THEIR AGENDA?

The English paper “The Sun” is not the most reliable source in theWorld, however the English side LIVERPOOL FC is not having it mostspectacular season so far in the Premier League. The cited mediasource, picked up here locally by “AS”, publish that REAL MADRIDcould make a 38-40M€ (or more) offer for STEVEN GERRARD fornext season.Why not? Steven Gerrard is one of Europe’s great attacking

REAL MADRID: YOUNG PROMISE JAVIER ACUÑA CALLED UP

Take note of this name, CARLOS JAVIER ACUÑA CABALLERO orJavier Acuña for his mates, as the 21 year old REAL MADRID B – side(“Castilla”) player has been called up to the A-team list to play RealSporting de Gijón tomorrow in its “Liga” Round 8 match.(photo: Acuña_as.com)The youngman arrived to Spain from Paraguay with just 16 years ofage, being a player of Spanish side CADIZ who transferred the

ATLETICO DE MADRID: COACH ABEL SACKED & NEW COACH QUIQUE SANCHEZ FLORES

ATLETICO DE MADRID Coach has been fired. The ex-Coach ABEL gave a brief press conference at 10.30 to announce the decisionwere not questions were allowed.According to a NEWS flash NOW in "Marca", the new Coach will beex-Valencia & ex-Benfica Coach QUIQUE SANCHEZ FLORES.We will need to wait to get a 100% confirmation but everythinglooks like that the said new Coach will be in charge for

Gameweek 10 Preview

Apologies for the lateness of the post this week, its been really tough to free time to write it so I'm afraid its a bit condensed. Hopefully be back to normal in a week or two.

Gameweek 10 Fixtures
Wolves v Aston Villa
Birmingham v Sunderland
Burnley v Wigan
Hull City v Portsmouth
Tottenham v Stoke City
Chelsea v Blackburn
Bolton v Everton
Liverpool v Man Utd
Man City v Fulham
West Ham v Arsenal

Two very appealing fantasy fixtures see Chelsea entertain Blackburn (3.67 GPG conceded) and Arsenal travelling to a struggling West Ham team (2.33 GPG conceded). A couple of clean sheet plays also look good with Spurs welcoming Stoke (0.50 GPG scored) and City getting Fulham (1.00 GPG scored).

Clean Sheet Rankings
1. Chelsea
2. Aston Villa
3. Tottenham
4. Man City
5. Sunderland

You have to love Chelsea this week in every facet of their game as they welcome a Blackburn side averaging just a goal a game on the road this season. Villa are statistically an ever stronger pick as they average just 1.00 GPG conceded on the road while Wolves have managed just 0.75 GPG at home. The pair of Collins and Dunne that have garnered much fantasy attention over the past few weeks should continue their successful run this week. Spurs and City are a couple of solid home picks against weeker opposition that have struggled to score this season away from home (Stoke 0.50 GPG and Fulham 1.00 GPG). Fulham are also coming off a big Europa League game against Roma and could be open for a let down against Hughes' men. Finally, Sunderland on the road doesn't scream great pay but Birmingham have managed just 2 goals in 4 home games this year while Sunderland's defense has been solid if not spectacular (6 goals in 4 games).

Captain Rankings
1. Didier Drogba
2. Cesc Fabregas
3. Frank Lampard
4. Robin Van Persie
5. Robbie Keane

I'm going to keep backing the Arsenal duo of Fabregas and Van Persie until they prove me wrong but this week they are topped by Drogba based on his favourable matchup. The Ivorian has 5 in his last 5 league games and 7 in 9 for the season and is rested having been suspended for the midweek Champions League fixture. Based on matchup I like the man I have criticised this year - Frank Lampard - to find the back of the net though I still don't condone him as a must own fantasy option. A home gain is too tempting this week and I could see a goal or even a brace for the English midfielder. Finally, I like Robbie Keane to step up in Jermaine Defoe's absence and have a big game against Stoke.

Again, apologies for the lateness and brief nature of this review. I promise full service including more weekly posts will be resumed as soon as possible. Until then, please continue to post below or tweet me any transfer or lineup issues.

EUROPA LEAGUE QUALIFIERS 2009-2010: MIXED NIGHT FOR SPANISH TEAMS

Tonight three Spanish Teams have participated in their respectiveEUROPA LEAGUE-CUP (ex UEFA Cup) Group matches with mixedresults.ATHLETIC DE BILBAO came back from a horror 1ºst half performanceto win 2-1 at home NACIONAL DE MADIERA. The latter started scoringvia MICAEL in the 43rd min. Then the Spaniards changed their playto take over & score via ETXEBERRIA in the 67th min & FRANLLORENTE in the

ATLETICO DE MADRID: LAUDRUP SAYS NO, CLUB A REAL MESS

Ex Barça & Real Madrid Danish International player & ex Getafe CoachMICHAEL LAUDRUP has said NO to an offer from ATLETICO DEMADRID to Coach the Team. The news has just come in from “Marca”& one may understand his disapproval seeing the mess the SpanishClub is in at this moment.(photo: Michael Laudrup/marca.com)But the reason for this post is another & it is to illustrate how littlediplomacy &

FC BARCELONA & REAL MADRID FOLLOWING BRAZILIAN U-20 "STAR"

The English paper “The Daily Mirror” publish that both FC BARCELONA& REAL MADRID are seriously following Brazilian U-20 International &International de Porto Alegre midfielder SANDRO GUIMARAES.(photo:sport.es)According to local sports daily “Sport” the player has English PremierLeague Clubs also following the talented Brazilian. It is speculated thatthe mentioned Spanish Clubs will make their

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFIERS 2009-2010: REAL MADRID 2 - AC MILAN 3 & CHELSEA FC 4 - ATLETICO DE MADRID 0 (VIDEO GOALS)

Both Spanish Teams tonight did the ridiculous, from Atletico de Madridit was expected but Real Madrid gave the image that quite frankly wasof a "disaster". Both teams lost in their respective Group D & Group CChampions League matches tonight.Let’s begin with REAL MADRID who allowed a poor & slow AC MILANto win 2-3 with serious defensive lapses & unexplained mistakes. Tobe honest, this AC Milan

TIZIANO CRUDELI - IF AC MILAN SCORES & WINS TONIGHT?

Imagine if AC Milan scores tonight a goal? More than one goal? If theyWin? Famous Italian Football commenter Tiziano Crudeli may reactlike this:Now this is passion! By the way, check the dude next to Crudeli.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2009-2010: REAL MADRID vs AC MILAN PREVIEW

SFS may have already put up this video in its SFS FLASHBACK section,however it is worth a repeat as tonight we have a spectacular RealMadrid vs AC Milan clash in Champions League at the mitical "SantiagoBernabeu" Stadium in Madrid.It was 1989; the semi final of the European Cup & AC MILAN won5-0 REAL MADRID in a game that still has left a deep mark on theSpanish Club in their recent history.Real

Week 9 Differentiators

The Juice scored a solid 53 points this week, hindered somewhat by the Benitez-like blunder of benching not just James Collins (10 points) but also Michael Turner (6), instead favouring Cole (0) and Assou Ekotto (1) at the back. A look down my local league showed a sight familiar from last year, but unexpected at this early juncture: consistency. Now this can mean one of two things:

• either everyone is suddenly making great individual decisions each week, or
• teams are starting to merge and its becoming harder to differentiate yourself.

I think we can safely say that option A is the likely truth. Up front, Drogba (32%), Bent (31%) and Torres (30%) have all cracked the 30% ownership barrier along with Fabregas (31%) and Sorensen (42%). Gerrard (28%) could well be there on return from injury while the likes of Shawcross (27%) Lennon (26%) are also knocking on the door. Injuries to Rooney, Torres and Gerrard along with the continuing struggles of Lampard could well see ownership of Drogba and Fabregas top 35% in the coming weeks.

So where does this all leave us? In a word: differentiation. Cheering for Darren Bent goals and Thomas Sorensen clean sheets, while nice to pad your box score will likely do little to gain on your opponents each week. Instead it'll be the assist from David Dunn (4%), goal from Kenwyne Jones (4%) or clean sheet from Alex Song (2%) to make or break the next portion of your season.

How aggressively you pursue differentiators depends on how much ground you have to make up. In short, if you are riding high in the league then it makes sense to stick with what you are doing and maybe pick up the odd quirky player to avoid your team going stagnant. If you are trailing though, the time to act is now. You need players who will chip away at that deficit from day one and sticking with the proven players and searching for transfer targets by points scored already is unlikely to achieve this.

Below are my favourite transfer targets, all of which are currently held by less than 5% owners:

Kevin Prince Boateng (5m 0.5%)
I very nearly ran a separate feature on Boateng such is my enthusiasm for this pickup. His chalkboard from this week against his former club Spurs were frightening in terms of balls played into the danger zone and more impressively shots on goal. In 5 games for Portsmouth he already has two goals, an assist and perhaps most encouragingly, 5 bonus points. Portsmouth have just 5 goals this year (none from strikers) but they have looked better of late and were unlucky in the end not to get a point on Saturday against Spurs. There should be plenty of bonus points to go around with no stars to take them all and with all 5 of his points coming in losses, Boateng has shown he can contribute even when finishing on the losing side. At 5m Boateng tops my buy list and I will be bringing him in myself this week. Portsmouth's fixtures could be better but when picking a bench player the schedule is only important when you plan to play him so if his good games matchup well with your starters' tough ones then this buy makes alot of sense.

David Dunn (5.5m 3.6%)
I have liked Dunn for a while and almost brought him in a while back when I used my wildcard. Allardyce has been singing Dunn's praises of late and he has been playing up front alongside the impressive Di Santo (see below). 4 goals and 9 bonus points in just 6 games is an incredible return and his 6.5 PPG is ahead of Lampard (5.6) and Gerrard (5.9). After weeks 10 and 11 Blackburn's fixtures are very favourable and Dunn looks set to be the main beneficiary in this period.

Kevin Doyle (5.4m 2.9%)
I really like Doyle and his performances this year have been solid to say the least (3 goals in his last 4). I would be higher on him apart from the fact I fully support having three premium strikers, so its hard to find a place for a solid but unspectacular player like Doyle. If however, you are dead set on keeping an expensive midfield or defense then Doyle could be the man to slot in up front. Wolves fixtures are bad for the next four weeks but then open up for the foreseeable future, at which point Doyle is a buy.

Kevin Davies (6.7m 3.5%)
Davies is quietly having a very nice season and with 42 points is currently 9th among strikers. He only has 2 goals but his 4 assists and 8 bonus points are very promising. Davies will play every week and is often given bonus points due to his effort and dedication when Bolton are involved in scrappy games (which is often the case). I think Davies is on the edge of being the third part of a premium forward line which can be started every week without rotation. The next three games are a bit tough but then like Wolves above, the fixtures open up and Davies should be clear to enjoy some consistent production. His 'tough' style and criticism from so-called experts make Davies an unsexy pick and he is a good solid way to gain ground on your opponents.

Franco Di Santo (5.2m 0.3%)
Like Doyle above, I am not sold on having strikers on the bench but if you want to play a 4-4-2 then Di Santo is an intriguing prospect to save some cash. He has looked very impressive in his short time at Blackburn, particularly against Burnley this week. Allarydyce has suggested that Di Santo will continue to play for now and he is a good option in the short term to bring off your bench.

Emmanuel Adebayor (10.1m 7.6%)
Although held by more than 5% of people, I would be remiss if I did not include him here. He is potentially a top 5 striker but is held by significantly less owners than the other top players at his position. City have good fixtures over the coming weeks and I like Adebayor as a great replacement for Torres and Rooney if they can't prove their fitness and will look to him myself when Drogba departs for warmer African climates.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFIERS 2009-2010 TUESDAY GAME RESULTS: FC BARCELONA 1 - RUBIN KAZAN 2 & STUTTGART 1 - SEVILLA FC 3 (VIDEO GOALS)

Surprise, surprise as Russian Champion RUBIN KAZAN defeated FCBARCELONA at the “Camp Nou” 1-2 with organization, discipline,counter-attack effectiveness & some luck in their Group F clash.The Russians scored in the 2ºmin with a RYAZANTSEV (see VIDEO below)missile that sent “shock-waves” through Barcelona & a message of whatwas to come. From here The Russians organized themselves in defenceto

KARIM BENZEMA IS FRUSTRATED & ANGRY WITH COACH PELLEGRINI...WELCOME TO REAL MADRID & SPANISH FOOTBALL

The Kid – a very appropriate term – has only 21 years of age.Frenchmen KARIM BENZEMA has jumped from a great Club in Franceto historically the “Best Club in The World”; you cannot get higher.Along with the “career promotion” you come with a 35M€ price tag& the expectations from half the world to become the next “GoldenBall” winner in the future. Can you imagine the pressure on the boy?Add to this

Gameweek 9 Wrap-up

Another interesting week is in the books, which seemed to follow the recent trends of striker goals and a clear scarcity of clean sheets. Drogba, Van Persie and Bent (sort of) all managed to find the back of the net, while the fortunes of the other big strikers were much worse with Torres and Rooney missing through injury, and Defoe being sent off against former club Portsmouth (having scored earlier in the day). Only Sunderland and Fulham managed clean sheets despite good prospects for the likes of Arsenal, Everton and United. It is becoming clear that until one of the big five or six sides can sustain a run of clean sheets the best strategy is to load up on mid price/cheap defenders and play them based on matchup.

Transfer Watch
Defoe owners will likely want to move early in the week as the Spurs striker is set to miss the next two gameweeks after his suspension. His price has already fallen in the past couple of weeks due to a run of three games without a goal. At the time of writing 27,000 net transfers out have already occurred and one would expect Defoe to fall to 8.7m before the week is done. Spurs' fixtures are okay when he returns so it isn't a no brainer to sell him but it would be tough to have 8.8m ride the bench for the next two weeks.

Steve Gerrard limped out of tonight's Champions league loss to Lyon with what appears to be a recurrence of his groin injury. If I haven't said it enough before, Gerrard is a major sell right now, especially in light of Torres' injury, Liverpool's terrible form and Sunday's opposition (MNU).

Richard Dunne and James Collins both found the net this week as well as earning bonus points which should give rise to a flurry of transfer activity. I have tipped this paid in the past (especially Collins) but beware, Villa's sees them travel three times in the next four weeks before a later run of trips to MNU, Sun and Ars. Ride the wave while you can but consider selling high on this pair in a week or two.

Cesc Fabregas's value increased by an astonishing 0.3m last week and is already up by another 0.1m this week. Gerrard's injury could accelerate this and I would not be surprised to see 11.2m by the weekend. Needless to say I still rate him as a buy, having scored again tonight.

I'm just running through the schedule strengths for the next few weeks and will post them asap. Hope your weeks went okay and as always continue to post your transfer thoughts and tips.

ATLETICO DE MADRID: SOMEONE SAVE THE CLUB, NOW!

ATLETICO DE MADRID is crumbling; the top level “battles ofdifferences in opinions” between the true owner in the shadows,Miguel Angel Gil & its President Enrique Cerezo has spread itsvile smells down the hall, through the office & into the dressingrooms. The Football Director Mr. Garcia Pitrach – in charge ofCoaching ,signings, selling & all Football matters – has done aterrible job & should be

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2009 - 2010 - ROUND 7 SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS

Seven games today from Round 7 of the "Liga" with the following results, scorers & images.ATHLETICO DE BILBAO were outplayed by a surprising REAL SPORTINGDE GIJÓN who shifted up a gear in the 2º half to do the damage. Theend result was 1-2 with two goals from Sporting player DE LA CUEVASin the 65th from a free kick & the 77th min, to see Athletic get aconsolidation goal via TOQUERO late in the

FRANCE FOOTBALL "GOLDEN BALL" 2009: 30 CANDIDATES OF WHICH 6 ARE SPANISH

The prestigious “France Football” magazine has made public its 30candidates for this year Golden Ball Award which prizes the “Best”Football Player in World for 2008-2009. The Spanish players are six& are in darker letter in the full list below:Andreï Arshavin (Arsenal)Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)Iker Casillas (Real Madrid)Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United y Real Madrid)Diego (Werder Bremen y

MOTO GP AUSTRALIA : JULIAN SIMON 125cc WORLD CHAMPION

Great news from Australia after the three categories of Moto GPhave been run with Spanish 125cc rider JULIAN SIMON proclaiminghimself WORLD CHAMPION for 2009.In the other categories not so much good news with Bautista fallingbehind in the 250cc title race & Jorge Lorenzo falling off his bikesaying goodbye to all chances for the GP title. Here are the results125cc1. Simon; 2. Smith; 3.

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2009 - 2010 - ROUND 7 SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS (GOAL - VIDEOS)

Three games this Saturday afternoon & evening have been played inRound 7 of the Spanish League – “La Liga”. Here is a brief summaryof results, scorers & videos of some brilliant goals that were scoredtoday.Big surprise in the DEPORTIVO A CORUÑA clash with SEVILLA FC,the end result was a 1-0 victory for the home team. A thoroughlywell deserved win for Deportivo who put in a grand game

12 SPANISH PLAYERS CANDIDATES FOR "ONZE" TOP 11 TEAM 2009 (FULL LIST)

The French Football Magazine “Onze” has made public the 57candidates in which the public can vote to make up the “ideal”11 Team for 2009, Best Player for 2009 & Best Coach 2009.The notable news is that six REAL MADRID & up to 10FC BARCELONA players are included in the list, includingGuardiola as “Best Coach”. The number of Spanish born playersamount to an impressive 12 players.Voting is open till

Last minute news

Apologies for not getting this out sooner. I hope no bad decisions were based on a lack of decent information. Injury roundup from around the league:

Gerrard and Torres are both confirmed to be out (Football 365). For weekly replacements I still like the Arsenal pair of Fabregas and Van Persie. I also really like Adebayor's matchup against Wigan and he is a long term buy so might be a good fir for Torres owners.

Rooney is confirmed as being out (Football365). With his upcoming fixtures, Rooney is a sell rather than bench player and as with Torres I'd go with Van Persie or Adebayor to replace him.

Van der Sar is definitely back which spells the end of Ben Foster (Football365). I considered replacements earlier in the week here.

Michael Ballack will miss the Villa game after a tackle from teammate Yuri Zhirkov while on international duty (BBC). Is there anyone I tipped this week and haven't cursed!

Eduardo is out for the Gunners (BBC)

Lescott, Toure, Bellamy and De Jong all have knocks though reports suggest they could play (BBC)

None of these really effect my clean sheet picks though obviously Rooney is out of my captaincy picks.

Suspensions
Jamie O'Hara (ineligible)
Scott Parker
Kieran Richardson

THE VALENCIA CF (SPARTAN) MOTIVATIONAL VIDEO AGAINST FC BARCELONA CONTROVERSY

The VALENCIA CF sponsor wanted to utilize the upcoming gameagainst FC BARCELONA to promote its web & product, & on theway build up support among Valencia fans to vibe up this grandclash tomorrow.They elaborated this VIDEO, depicting Valencia CFas Spartan warriors ready to take on the enemy FC Barcelona inthe “Mestalla Stadium” (Valencia):Well it has created controversy, so much so that the “Anti

RCD ESPANYOL & RAÚL TAMUDO - PARALLELISMS WITH RAÚL GONZALEZ & THE TRUE NATURE OF FOOTBALL CLUBS

It is very rare for a low level Club, who continually struggles to stayout of the 2º Division,to have a player who has debuted with themwith a young age & has remained there all his playing career (except 2seasons in 2º Division Clubs, to later return).What this means is thatthe player (Spanish International) has refused numerous offers tobigger & better Clubs because he considers his present

Player Profile: Michael Ballack

A few fantasy owners (including me) have grown increasingly frustrated by the 8m midfield talent on offer, namely Wright-Phillips, Young, Cahill and Benayoun. Aside from Lennon (who himself is out of form a bit) no players in this price bracket have been consistent with huge weeks (Benayoun week 5) followed by several weeks of mediocre production.

Another option, held by just 5% of owners, is Michael Ballack (8.0) who traditionally has been an inconsistent fantasy performer during his time at Chelsea due to rotation and injury. This year though, Ballack has missed just one game (week 7) and has contributed 36 points in the other 7 games. His three goals are encouraging while his lack of assists (zero) does concern me a bit.

I like Ballack to score 10 goals for the season, adding a couple of assists and bonus points along the way. This kind of production isn't outstanding for a 8m midfielder but so long as he is playing every week he should average out at about 6 points, which is better than many of his fellow 8m players right now.

Chelsea's fixtures are very up and down over the coming weeks with a tough trip to Villa this week followed by tricky ties in weeks 12 (MNU), 14(@Ars) and 15(@MNC). That being said, in Chelsea's two toughest games this year (Tot, Liv) Ballack has averaged 5.5 points so we should not be totally put off by these tough games.

SFS FLASHBACKS: MENDIETA GOAL AGAINST FC BARCELONA

Next Saturday “La Liga” has en exciting match up; VALENCIA CF vsFC BARCELONA. These two Clubs have become fierce rivals overthe years & their games have always been intense, controversial &full of goals, some absolutely wonderful.SFS takes you back in time to a Valencia vs Barça match to relivethis absolute “cracker” from the then Valencia Captain GAIZKAMENDIETA…

SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAM WORTH 510M€

Futebol Finance asks the following question: What if someone wantedto buy the whole 25 players that make up the Spanish National Team,what will be the price? Following current market prices the figurewould be 510M€.But “Futebol Finance” goes further & asks the same question forBrazil (450M€) & France (440M€).Want to buy a good team?

ONE FOR THE REFEREE

Who says SFS does not give space to the referee?Could´nt resist.

MARADONA: "YOU CAN SUCK IT & KEEP ON SUCKING IT

Argentina won last night Uruguay 0-1 to go through directly to theSouth African World Cup next year. Argentine National CoachDiego Armando Maradona was in a different mood, a bitter moodas he lashed out at all the media & people who criticised his work at the post match press conference. Listen to what he had to sayaround the 1.12 min mark:Translated: …for those who didn’t believe & criticised…

ATLETICO DE MADRID LOOKING AT TOULALAN & EBOUE

ATLETICO DE MADRID is busy working to rectify the team weakness,something that should have been done pre-season. According toSpanish sports daily “AS”, the Spanish team is looking for a creativemidfielder & defender with two names being passed around aspossibilities.The creative midfielder is French International & Olympique de Lyonplayer TOULALAN & the defender in mind is Arsenal player

ROBINHO TO BE LOANED TO FC BARCELONA?

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Week 9 Preview

I'm jumping the gun a bit here as I'm sure the inevitable international injury bug will bite someone midweek but I wanted to give everyone a jump on the upcoming week as we look to come out strong from our week off. Four of the big five teams have good looking fixtures and with double gameweeks on the horizon, the next few weeks could be very important.

Gameweek 9 Fixtures
Aston Villa v Chelsea
Arsenal v Birmingham
Everton v Wolves
Man Utd v Bolton
Portsmouth v Tottenham
Stoke City v West Ham
Sunderland v Liverpool
Blackburn v Burnley
Wigan v Man City
Fulham v Hull City

United are the pick of the week as they welcome a Bolton side that have not won at Old Trafford in their last 6 attempts, conceding 18 goals in those losses. Historically, Rooney has done pretty well against Bolton and I like him this week should he bounce back from the calf strain that kept him out for England. The United defense also looks like strong selection to coincide with the probable return of Edwin van der Sar. Arsenal also like a solid play this week though Alex McCleish's side have only conceded 5 goals in 4 away games and their compact style could frustrate the Gunners. I still like Arsenal to win and Birmingham's 3 road goals suggest a clean sheet is on the cards, but I do not expect a 4 or 5 goal whitewash as we have seen in other games at the Emirates this year. The best fixture on paper comes at Villa Park as the Villains welcome Chelsea though in fantasy terms the game looks like it could disappoint as both sides would probably take a draw and there should be only the odd or two to go around.

Clean Sheet Rankings
1. Arsenal
2. Blackburn
3. Stoke
4. Fulham
5. Man United

I like the defensive matchups this week with the above 5 and even a couple of other teams (City and Spurs) having a decent shot at the clean sheet. On stats alone Blackburn are the best matchup having conceded just 1 goal a game at home this year as they welcome local rivals Burnley who have yet to notch an away goal this season. However, it is Arsenal that I like the best this week due to the likely gameplan Birmingham will employ (11 men, staff, fans, team bus behind the ball). The only way I see Arsenal conceding is either from a set piece or from a mental lapse after being in a comfortable lead. Stoke (1 GPG conceded) and Fulham (1.33 GPG) have been solid at home this year and will fancy their chances against West Ham and Hull respectively. Finally, the stats don't necessarily point to a clean sheet for United as they have been only okay at home (1.50 GPG conceded) while Bolton have been surprisingly good on the road (1.67 GPG scored). However, when you consider that Bolton's road trips have been to Hull, Portsmouth and Birmingham you realise that those stats might be misleading. United need to get their defense in order as soon as possible after shaky displays against City and Sunderland and only one clean sheet in the last 5 games. With Van der Sar expected to return I expect that to happen though I advise against bringing fresh United players in due to their fixtures in weeks 10 and 12 (@Liv, @Che).

Captain rankings
1. Cesc Fabregas
2. Robin Van Persie
3. Wayne Rooney
4. Tim Cahill
5. Aaron Lennon

I'm sticking with the hot Arsenal boys this week as they welcome a stubborn but ultimately overmatched Birmingham team. The Gunners have scored a frightening 14 goals in 3 home games and while I don't foresee another 4 or 5 goal drubbing, I do see them getting another 3 goals which should lead to decent production from Fabregas and Van Persie. Arsenal have no really troubling games until week 16 with Chelsea at home the only concern. This pair are therefore not just great plays this week but remain buy options ahead of the likes to Lampard, Gerrard and Rooney (after this week). Rooney looks like a good play this week before his schedule gets tough so I'd certainly hold him but would not be buying at this stage. Cahill has just one goal this year but has been getting chances and I like him against Wolves who have conceded a few goals from set pieces this year. At 8.2m Cahill is a good pickup and is in a range with the likes of Lennon, Ballack and Benayoun which allows you some flexibility in the future. Currently held by 6.4% of owners I really like Cahill going forward until week 16 when he goes to Chelsea before his bye in week 17. Finally, Aaron Lennon is my non-stud of the week pick largely due to his trip to Fratton Park. His form has fallen a bit of late but with Defoe back and Keane in good form I like Lennon to bounce back and give the Portsmouth full backs plenty of trouble this week.

Stay tuned in the week for a couple of transfer tips and player features aloing with all the injury news for the weekend.

WORLD CUP 2010: TWO SPANISH BASED PLAYERS (MESSI & FORLAN) CALLED TO DUTY FOR THEIR NATION

It is perhaps the most decisive & media attracting World Cupqualifying clash for sometime; the URUGUAY vs. ARGENTINAgame. The latter is in real danger of losing & having its World Cupparticipation at the mercy of a qualifying 2º leg game againstthe winner of the Oceanic team, while the former could haveits direct ticket to the World Cup if they win. What is certainthat a both to either will solve

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Check this amiable video. REAL MADRID organized a surprise visitfor the French forward KARIM BENZEMA. The Club brought in hischildhood Football idol, ex-Real Madrid & Brazilian InternationalRONALDO, for a meet & greet session & interview.Watch the face of Benzema light up as a Xmas tree when he seesthat the surprise is his all time idol:Sorry guys it’s in Spanish, but you can guess reasonable

Around the League

Welcome back fantasy fans, I hope everyone didn't suffer through the bye week too much (I hate Saturday afternoon at 3pm when there are no Premier League games). Nothing good can come of these international games and the best outcome is that no-one gets injured. A few players of note have not been so lucky though most look likely to avoid missing out this week:

Fernando Torres
Spain coach Del Bosque: "I told him (Benitez) that we will treat Torres as if he was at Liverpool. If the boy is well and wants to play, he will play against Bosnia. And if he has any problem, he will not play. It's that simple."Liverpool play three fairly tricky games through week 11 so it might be worth employing your 11.5m elsewhere. Adebayor and Van Persie have the best fixtures of the big five strikers in the next 6 games, with Liverpool being by far the worst.

Steve Gerrard
The Liverpool captain is said to be close to fitness for Wednesday's games against Belarus so barring any further setbacks, we should see him on the field against Sunderland. Regardless, the fixture issues above and my general dislike for the expensive midfielders this year makes Gerrard replaceable in my eyes.

Wayne Rooney
Rooney withdrew from the England squad but F365 report that it was purely precautionary. Rooney is a great play against Bolton this week though the fixtures after that aren't great and as with Torres I would consider a switch to Adebayor or Van Persie using the extra cash for a few weeks until United's fixture list improves.

Michael Ballack
Similar story to Gerrard here and the big German midfielder looks fine. Having been a rotation nightmare last year, Ballack has been sneakily consistent this year and deserves fantasy consideration having notched just 3 points less than the widely popular Lennon despite playing 190 minutes less.

Kolo Toure, Joleon Lescott and Nigel De Jong
All these boys look to be fit for Mark Hughes and should all have a chance to feature this week at Wigan which is the best fixture for the big 5 sides on the weekend.

Double Gameweeks

A few double gameweeks are confirmed now which might influence your transfers:

Week 11
Villa: Everton (A) and West Ham (A)
West Ham: Sunderland (A) and Villa (H)

Neither pair of games is particularly great though for a good side like Villa it is obviously advantageous to have them. I would consider these in my medium term strategy but I would not burn 4 points to bring in extra men for these games.

Week 13
Hull: West Ham (H) and Everton (H)
Everton: Man U (A) and Hull (A)
Fulham: Birmingham (A) and Blackburn (H)
Blackburn: Bolton (A) and Fulham (A)

Hull's pair of fixtures are great as West Ham (3 goals in 4 games) and Everton (2 goals in 3 games) have both struggled on the road. However, with just one clean sheet this year and only 4 goals in 4 home games this year it is tough to recommend many of their players. Steve Hunt (5.2m) is the obvious pick and is a nice bench option to bring in to start for the week. I'd love to pick Altidore but he hasn't proven he can establish himself in the first team yet. Fulham's defensive fixtures look excellent and are follow by a decent pair (Bolton (H) and Sunderland (H)) in the next two weeks. Schwarzer is a nice pickup for those looking for a short term replacement for Foster while at 4.7 Aaron Hughes looks the best value on the back line.

Week 17
Everton, Fulham, Hull and Stoke have no game this week.

Week 9 preview is on its way: it's great to have an interrupted run of games for the next few weeks with no more pesky international weeks.

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ARMENIA 1 - SPAIN 2 (VIDEO GOALS)

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The never ending sounds of drums - or sirens - from Englandcontinue to raise speculation concerning VALENCIA CF forward & Spanish International DAVID VILLA.This time English paper "TheDaily Mail" prints that MANCHESTER UNITED is preparing a 40M€ offer to convince Valencia & its striker. Manchester Manager/CoachAlex Ferguson has insisted that negotiations begin & be sped up.The strategy is to

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ARSENAL Manager & Coach Arsene Wenger has ordered that young19 year old Spanish International & current Arsenal FC player FRANMERIDA have is contract with the Club renewed & extended.According to local Spanish daily "Mundo Deportivo" it is planned thaton the 28th of October both player & Club will sit down to discuss theissue & the player will find out what are the plans for his future. The

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REAL MADRID crack CRISTIANO RONALDO now sings. Watch thisimpressive VIDEO:It´s part of a marketing campaign for a bank. However, after listening perhaps the player should stick to playing Football & leave the tunesto the professionales.

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The big Liga Clubs made their appearance today in the SPANISHCUP draw that gave the following match ups:Alcorcón-Real MadridC. Leonesa-BarcelonaMarbella-Atlético de MadridAt. Ciudad-SevillaAlcoyano-ValenciaPuertollano-VillarrealRayo Vallecano-Athletic de

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ATLETICO DE MADRID has sent its Football Director Garcia Pitarchto South America to follow (spy) Argentina in its two World Cupqualifiers. The main player on the list is 21 year old VELEZ centraldefender NICOLAS OTAMENDI (below), although a defensivewinger is also a position that needs strengthening.Other names (non Argentine) being thrown in the air are 21 year oldright back VAN DER WIEL, 27

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Foster no hope

With Van der Sar's return to the reserves tonight, and Foster's continued struggle between the posts for the first team, it is likely that the English World Cup hopeful will see the end of his extended run and be replaced for gameweek 9 after the international break. At 5m he has provided decent fantasy value over the past 8 weeks and is currently held by 8% of fantasy managers. We are not seeing a massive amount of selling yet so there is no rush to act, but his owners will want to move him on assuming Van der Sar proves his fitness as 5m is too much for a 'keeper to warm your bench. The question is therefore who to get to replace him. I am not a fan of expensive keepers as 'save' points are the great equaliser that makes 'keepers from lower teams almost as valuable as the big boys. Add to that the strong performances of Birmingham, Burnley (at home) and Stoke this year and bargains can clearly be found.

Last season 11 'keepers were within 36 points of each and were lead by the cheapest of them all - Mark Schwarzer. This season has started in a similar vein with 15 'keepers separated by just 14 points and the top 4 including three 'keepers available for 4.1m or 4.2m. I outlined previously that I am an advocate of the 'keeper rotation strategy which calls for picking two players whose schedules compliment each other. This allows for favourable matchups to be played and avoids 4m sitting on your bench and never being used (as is the case if you spend 6m on, say, Petr Cech).

I will therefore suggest my favourite 'pairs' of players which will hopefully involve Foster owners making just one transfer (as they will likely hold one of the other players). I have only considered players available for less than 5m so Foster owners can pick them up straight away regardless of their monetary position. Based on who you already own, I would therefore recommend:

Thomas Sorensen
No less than 39.8% of owners currently hold Thomas Sorensen and with good reason. He leads all fantasy goalkeepers with 36 points and is second only to Vito Mannone in PPMS (1.098) after leading all players in that category last season. I will get to Mannone later but seeing as his sample size is just three games we can basically say that Sorensen has presented the best value so far this season.
Sorensen owners will want to grab a keeper who fulfils two key attributes: playing on a good defense and having good fixtures when Sorensen does not. If for example Sorensen gets Portsmouth at home (0.5 GPG) then there is little value in the fact that Myhill welcomes West Ham (0.75 GPG) as you will still play Sorensen anyway. The key games over the next 10 weeks for Sorensen owners are therefore weeks 10 (@Tot), 15 (@Ars) and 17 (no game). In these weeks Bolton have by far the best fixtures (Eve, @Wol, WH) with opponents averaging just 0.72 GPG in those three weeks. Sunderland (0.94 GPG) and Birmingham (1.00 GPG) also provide nice synergy with Sorensen. Of those three teams, Birmingham has the strongest defense and with two opponents (Sun and Bla) coming to St Andrews where they are very strong (0.75 GPG conceded) I think Joe Hart makes the most sense here. Needless to say, if you own Joe Hart then Thomas Sorensen makes sense in exactly the same way.

Brian Jensen
With 11% of owners holding Jensen he is the third most selected budget 'keeper behind the aforementioned Sorensen and Hart. Burnley's fixtures on paper look good but I would only be willing to play 'the beast' at home and so we are looking for a complimentary 'keeper with good fixtures when Burnley go away from Turf Moor. This rules Sorensen out due to his off week in week 17 which coincides with Burnley's game against free scoring Arsenal. Hart is also out as trips to Arsenal and Liverpool coincide with Burnley's trips to Blackburn and City. The best option is somewhat ironic in that it is Blackburn - Burnley's great rival - that provides him. Paul Robinson has been much maligned over the past couple of years but as fantasy 'keeper he has some value, highlighted by his 5 point haul this week despite conceding 6 to Arsenal. Robinson is a good shot stopper and should rack up the save points while his opponents in the four games we want to bench Jensen average just 0.375 GPG.

Short Term Solutions
A few budget keepers have risen to prominence in recent weeks due to injuries to their team's original number (indeed that's how Foster got his gig). I am of course talking about Mannone and Cudicini, who have both performed well since inheriting the gloves due to injuries to Almunia and Gomes. Arsenal didn't keep a clean sheet with Almunia between the sticks but have kept 2 in the 3 games with Mannone and could have kept one at the weekend, having conceded two freaky goals (one of which was probably Mannone's fault). Wenger has indicated that Mannone is the long term answer but Almunia is due to return in gameweek 9 rendering Mannone worthless in fantasy terms for time being. Cudicini is a different story as Gomes has returned from injury but Cudicini has kept his place. He only has one clean sheet in 7 appearances and Spurs defense has looked a bit shaky but 5 of the next 6 games look good and for 4.5m Cudicini can provide good value. Redknapp has suggested that the job is Cudicini's to lose for now so he might be a useful stop gap for those looking to ditch Foster and tho aren't convinced by any of the options above.

FC BARCELONA & CESC FABREGAS: 2010 ELECTIONS

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U/20 FIFA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: SPAIN 1 - ITALY 3 - SPAIN GO HOME

SPAIN lost 1-3 to ITALY in the last 16 round of the U/20 FIFA WorldChampionships in Egypt after a brilliant group phase & go home.The Spanish team started slow & without rhythm, & then lost BOITAin the 28th min to a red card. With Spain down to 10 men, theItalians took over & exploited the advantage to score two quickgoals via MUSTACCHIO & MAZZARINI to knock out the Spaniardsearly in the 2ºhalf.

REAL MADRID: CASILLAS & GUTI ARGUE ON FIELD - PROBLEMS IN THE DRESSING ROOM?

Hi guys, glad to be back from New York City. SFS has been awayfor 5 days & since Madrid lost its 2016 Olympic bid to Rio & REALMADRID lost 2-1 to SEVILLA FC to highlight the “problems” theMadrid team has in its defence & a “dependence on Ronaldo” whodid not play that game due to injury.In fact, Real Madrid was outplayed (saw the game from NYC) & thedefeat has created tensions within the team that

Gameweek 8 Wrap-up

Plenty of goals this week with only one clean sheet going into Monday's clash at Villa Park. The game of the weekend came at the Emirates with Arsenal hitting 6 against Blackburn, who themselves looked useful in the first half. Fabregas was incredible (getting a goal, 4 assists and 3 bonus points) and that performance should end any doubt there was over my ranking of him in line with - if not ahead 0f - Gerrard and Lampard this season. With Van Persie able to contribute goals, assists and bonus points, he also showed his fantasy class and that he can rightfully be considered alongside the top tier of strikers in the Premier League.

Prediction assessment
My predictions were pretty mixed the clean sheet rankings being rendered useless by the fact that only two teams kept one, one of which was Portsmouth on the road which not many would have predicted. The other was Chelsea which I did get - much to criticism of a few readers - which really wasn't all that surprising. Chelsea are very tight at home and have still only surrendered one goal in six games in all competitions. Ancelotti played a very narrow team including Deco and Ballack in place of wide men like Malouda, Kalou or Cole. Liverpool failed to capitalise on that and Chelsea dominated the middle of the park and stopped Gerrard running the game. Arsenal's fixtures look better over the next few weeks but I would rank Chelsea as the best team defense right now, way ahead to United and Liverpool at this point.

My captaincy rankings were decent with Fabregas, Van Persie all contributing good or great games while Rooney and Lennon disappointed. Rooney was embarrassing against Sunderland and his petulant and childish behaviour should concern fantasy managers who paid 11m+ for his services. In his career he has been streaky when it comes to goals and the international weekend might be a welcome break. Note that United travel to both Liverpool and Chelsea in the next 3 weeks so it might be worth looking at moving Rooney after week 9's visit of Bolton (who Rooney normally does well against).

On the horizon
Defensively, City have pretty good looking fixtures with only three troubling fixtures (@Liv, Che and @Tot) between now and week 21. Richards was my pick there but with Zabaleta starting the last two I think Bridge becomes the best pickup at Eastlands. Zabaleta himself is 5m so might be worth a punt but I could see Richards back in fold at some point so I'd go with Bridge who should play every week barring injury. Aside from the week 11 trip to the Emirates I also like Spurs avoid the coming weeks, despite conceding two to Bolton this week. At 5.1m I think Assou Ekotto remains the best pick here, though if you jump on him quick you should be able to make a quick buck on Corluka (5.3) who will no doubt get the attention of other owners following his goal this week.

I love City's attacking fixtures with home games to Hull (week 14) and Burnley (week 12) looking particularly tasty. After his return tonight against Villa I think Adebayor is a buy and - along with Van Persie - is the pick of the premium strikers over the next 6 weeks. Ireland was benched tonight against Villa and is no longer worthy of fantasy consideration while Wright Phillips form concerns me (I sold him) and I think better options can be found. Everton also have good attacking fixtures and I like Louis Saha as a midprice option for those looking to differentiate themselves from Darren Bent. Blog poster dhs_media_ssharp has been singing the praises of Bilyaletdinov (6.5) and the chalkboard of his first league start shows why. Plenty of balls played into the danger zone, including corners which he is very accomplished with. Not a total steal at 6.5 but there is a gap in talent at that price range and with the upcoming fixtures I like the young Russian to contribute some fantasy points soon.

Market Watch
These tips are purely based on the ability to make cash rather than how much I like an individual player based on his schedule and all other factors

Buy
Thomas Vermaelen should hit 7m after his goal this weekend and I think he is fairly priced based on his superior outfield skills. I do not normally pick defenders based on the goalscoring but Vermaelen has shown he isn't simply a 'head the odd corner in' type of centre back. Defensively Arsenal's fixtures aren't amazing but good enough to consider Vermaelen, who should still give a small price rise if you move quickly.

Cesc Fabregas has already risen to 10.8 but I could see this hitting 10.9 or even 11.0 by the time the international break is over. Even a that price he is still considerably less than Gerrard and Lampard and provides better value. Still a buy option in my eyes.

Darren Bent has 5 in his last 4 and the goal at Old Trafford shows he can do it against the big boys too. Back to back bonus awards are also welcome and I would set a long term projection of 8m for Bent as managers continue to move over to putting their money in strikers.

Sell
Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard have net transfers out of fifteen and ten thousand and Lampard's price has fallen to 12.4m. The man himself insists the goals will come but until he hits the net from open play in the league I would follow this trend and move your cash into premium strikers before the pair's prices fall further.

As noted above, Wayne Rooney was poor this week and with a tough schedule to come some owners could switch to Drogba, Torres or Adebayor causing the England striker's value to fall a bit.

Saturday Roundup

Pretty quiet fantasy day today despite 15 goals being scored in 5 games. Goalscorers like Yebda (0.0%), Vennegoor of Hesselink (0.3%) and Fletcher (0.5%) ensured that most teams will have failed to score too many points, as will the fact that the only clean sheet was kept by Portsmouth, on the road! The only fantasy star to register a goal for the week was the impressive Darren Bent who was also credited with a man of the match award of 3 points. Having missed out through the first 6 games, Bent now seems to have got the pundits attention having notched back-to-back clean sheets, despite the fact that Cana or Cattermole were widely praised as the dominate players in the fixture. This added scoring category makes Bent even better and the fact he went to Old Trafford and scored makes him not only a guaranteed every week play, but also a captain candidate if the matchup looks good.

The biggest game in fantasy terms was Sunderland's surprise draw at Old Trafford which reaffirms my high regards for Steve Bruce's side. I am also further convinced that United hold very little fantasy value right now as the majority of their team is either overvalued or at risk of rotation. Having assumed Giggs would keep his place in the side and that either of Carrick and Anderson might be rested, I was shocked that all three missed out, and worse for fantasy owners, Carrick and Anderson came on and contributed nothing thus sentencing their managers to a 1 point haul. Of the United midfield I think only Fletcher warrants consideration, and even he is at risk of rotation due to Ferguson's hesitance to drop the Scottish terrier in midweek European ties. Up front, Berbatov has shown some signs of life but is grossly overvalued at 9.5m while Rooney's display of petulance and sulking today show why he isn't - and never will be - in Torres' class in both reality and fantasy terms.
The real surprise though is United's frailty at the back, which was underlined again today. With just three clean sheets this season (Birmingham, Wigan and Stoke) United defenders are not worth 6.7m+ as similar points hauls can be found from Villa (4.5m+), City (5.5m+) and Stoke (4.5m+) players. Foster is still okay value at 5.1m but there is no way he keeps his place when van der Dar returns and with Liverpool and Chelsea on the horizon it might be worth shopping for his replacement sooner rather than later.

Hopefully tomorrow will bring more fantasy excitement and I am relying on Arsenal - Song, Cesc and Van Persie (c) - to rescue me after a poor Saturday on which just 13 points were scored.

Pure Juice Shakeup

02 October 2009 (Manchester) -- Pure Juice manager Chris Glover is no stranger to controversy having ditched club captain Lampard back in week 5 and shockwaves have rocked Juice again with news that both Shaun Wright Phillips and Richard Dunne have both been sold and replaced by in-form winger Aaron Lennon and Arsenal defender/midfielder Alex Song.

"I feel like both lads give us something different and will help us in the long run to rack up a higher points haul", said Glover. "I was concerned with having Dunne and Collins from Villa and we really thought it was time to ride the Arsenal fixture list while the going is good".

There's no arguing about the Lennon pickup, though some pundits are suggesting that Song is not guaranteed first team football at the Emirates and therefore looks like a risk for the Juice boss:

"I think with Denilson out Song is a good prospect and we are sure he can do a job for us in the coming weeks".

Glover's decision to stick by his Chelsea defender Ashley Cole (and back him for a clean sheet this week) caused some controversy amongst the media and Glover will be sure to suffer a backlash should Cole struggle on Sunday.

Around the League

Lampard not worried by Blues' form (Football365) - Lampard isn't worried by his team's form, but fantasy owners should be worried by Frank's. Only one goal this season is a worrying total for a 12.5m player, though 4 assists in 7 games is a nice return. The great asset for midfielders though is that they earn more points per goal than strikers so assists and bonuses are unlikely to get it done and justify his lofty price. I am far from ready to write Lampard off who is still the man-to-beat as the best in fantasy, but at least for now, I will continue to say he is overpriced based on his form and Chelsea's fixtures which are up and down for the next few weeks.

Walcott back in Gunners mix (Football365) - Walcott and Bendtner are back though Eduardo is out for Wenger's men. I would imagine Bendtner will remain on the bench while Walcott has a chance to start in the front 3 alongside Van Persie and Arshavin. This brings into doubt the fantasy future of Rosicky and I would avoid both players until the situation clears up.

Keane eyes top four finish (Football365) - Keane is in hot form and with Defoe out with a hand injury, the Irishman will play again this week at Bolton, likely alongside Peter Crouch. Keane is the natural replacement for Defoe owners who cannot raise sufficient funds to bring in Van Persie or Anelka, and want to cash in on Spurs' good looking fixture list.

Fergie faces midfield headache (Sky Sports) - Ferguson has hailed the performances of Anderson and Carrick in midweek suggesting the pair will retain their places this week. Oh wait, actually, he has also praised Scholes and Fletcher meaning that pair will play. Confused? The United midfield is a fantasy minefield and despite the form of Giggs I would only recommend Fletcher at this point based on his low price tag. At 7.1m and 6.9m Giggs and Carrick are just too expensive to have on your bench and look overpriced until a steadier lineup emerges.

Ade handed suspended ban (Sky Sports) - Good news for fantasy fans as one of the best value strikers returns this week after his 3 game ban. Monday's game at Villa is tough so I would give him that one to get back up to speed then bring him in the week after when 5 of the next 6 games look great. I still like Van Persie alot but Adebayor might jump Drogba in my striker value rankings based on the Ivorian tough fixtures in weeks 12-15. Coincidentally, Torres' fixtures improve from week 12 onwards so a good strategy (and one I will probably employ) would be to free up enough cash by week 12 and then bring in El Nino for Drogba.

Denilson injury rocks Arsenal as midfielder is ruled out for two months (Daily Mail) - While losing Denilson is not good news for Arsenal, it might be decent news for fantasy owners who are on board with Alex Song, a player I have liked for a while. Song was excellent against Olympiakos midweek and with Denilson out he should play every week from now on. Being classed as a defender gives him access to clean sheets (which Arsenal have a decent shot at in the next few weeks) while playing in midfield obviously gets him a bit further forward (though don't expect too many goals and assists). For 5.5, he is great value and I am well and truly on board in light of the Denilson injury.

Stay tuned throughout the day and up until deadline time tomorrow for any breaking news, or check out Twitter for the latest updates.

Gameweek 8 Preview

The dust has settled from the Champions League which brings to a close a mixed midweek for English sides. Liverpool were undone by a very impressive Fiorentina side while United's win was tainted by an injury to Michael Owen, though if any fantasy manager is sticking by the former England star at 7.9m, they need more help than I can provide in the next few paragraphs. Arsenal looked okay despite leaving it late to see off Olympiakos on Tueday, while Chelsea continued a poor weak with a mundane display against minnows Apoel. With all those distractions behind us its time to focus on the fantasy week ahead, and where better to start than at Stamford Bridge where Chelsea entertain Liverpool in the fixture of the week.

Gameweek 7 Fixtures
Bolton v Tottenham
Burnley v Birmingham
Hull City v Wigan
Wolves v Portsmouth
Man Utd v Sunderland
Arsenal v Blackburn
Everton v Stoke City
West Ham v Fulham
Chelsea v Liverpool
Aston Villa v Man City

The fixture of the week is undoubtedly the game at Stamford Bridge though the real fantasy points could be had at Old Trafford and Arsenal where the two football giants face sides that have struggled somewhat on the road this year. Liverpool looked very poor in Florence midweek and Martin Skrtel has not settled in at the back alongside an underachieving Jamie Carragher which has caused Liverpool to leak goals this year (10 in 7 games so far). I therefore really like Drogba and Anelka (who scored on Wednesday) this week, with Anelka usually good for a goal his former clubs (just ask Arsenal). With Torres in such hot form I am not thrilled about playing Cole or any of his defensive teammates this week, but unless you can transfer them out for United or Arsenal players they are still worth playing unless you have incredible depth. Mascherano should be fit for the game, which could thrust Gerrard into a more advanced position meaning Auerlio will miss out, unless he replaces Insua at left back. The other risk would be the inclusion of Babic or Riera ahead of Benayoun but I am going to stick with the Israeli and hope Benitez does too.

I am a huge fan of Steve Bruce and his Sunderland side but on the road this year they have only picked up 3 points in 3 games despite only face Bolton, Stoke and Burnley. Man United are a different proposition altogether and I love Rooney this week to get his 7th and maybe even his 8th or 9th League goals of the season. Carrick's midweek goal could allow him to keep his place in the team, though I would expect Darren Fletcher back with perhaps Anderson missing out. Fletcher (5.6m) is great value in the middle, while Giggs' (7.1) continuing form means we must give him some attention. I am not convinced the Welshman will start though having played 90 minutes on Wednesday so that is a risky pick for me.

Arsenal look like the other good source of fantasy points this week and I am still firmly behind Van Persie (10.1) after his goals last weekend and on Tuesday night. Fabregas is in excellent form in my eyes (and Wenger's) and I love him to score this week having been unlucky to miss out in midweek. With just one goal on the road this year, Blackburn are struggling for goals and the likes of Vermaelen and Clichy look to be a good play this week. Equally, Song (who is classed as a midfielder) was excellent against Olympiakos and I think he should hold his place in the lineup, providing good value for his owners.

Captain Rankings
1. Robin Van Persie
2. Wayne Rooney
3. Didier Drogba
4. Cesc Fabregas
5. Aaron Lennon

Arsenal have the best matchup and therefore have two players in the list this week. Van Persie and Fabregas are both in excellent form and I like them both to score or contribute heavily this week. Drogba is rested from midweek and showed against Wigan that he can score when the team is misfiring and I think he gives Liverpool huge matchup problems for the week ahead. As noted above I love Rooney this week and he in only number two because of Sunderland's superior defensive record on the road (1.33 GPG) compared to Blackburn (2.5 GPG). The wildcard pick of the week isn't much of a wildcard with his excellent performances so far this year but at 8.1m Lennon still provides tremendous value for money. Spurs have scored well on the road this year (2.33 GPG) while Bolton have conceded a few (1.66 GPG). J'Lloyd Samuel does not have the quality to contain the tricky winger and with Defoe, Keane and Crouch all firing this season the assists and possibly goals should continue to flow for Lennon.

Clean Sheet Rankings
1. Arsenal
2. Everton
3.Man United
4. Burnley
5. Chelsea

I love Arsenal this week on both sides of the ball and having conceded just one goal at the Emirates this year I expect a clean sheet against a Blackburn side that has scored just one goal on their travels. Despite his rapid price rise I think Vermaelen (6.8) is still decent value due to his ability to score goals in ways other than traditional centre backs. Clichy (6.3) has been in poor form this year and I like him to bounce back over the coming weeks and I think he is decent value at his current value. As noted above, Song (5.5) is playing in midfield but is classed as a centre back and he could be outstanding value if he keeps his place in Wenger's side.
Stoke have struggled on the road again this year while Everton are improving and I like Moyes' men to win this one fairly comfortably. Baines (6.3) due to his penalty duties and Distin (5.0) are the value picks here and both are great plays this week.
United's defense are looking better of late and should be able to contain Sunderland despite the impressive duo of Kenwyne Jones and Darren Bent. Vidic hasn't looked as good as last year but I think they'll get back on track with a comfortable 2 or 3 nil victory here. On a side note, Foster has been confirmed as the starter for that one.
Burnley and Chelsea round out the last and both might be surprise picks. Burnley have only conceded 1 goal at home this year and Birmingham have scored just twice on the road. I expect a very tight game here and would not be surprised by a 0-0. Chelsea meanwhile welcome a Liverpool side featuring the best striker in England, if not the world in Fernando Torres. However, Liverpool are not in the best form and despite scoring 7 on the road I am not convinced by them just yet. Chelsea have been very tight at home (one goal in three games) and I expect a close encounter in this one, with Chelsea able to shade it.

I will follow this up with an injury post but I wanted to get the rankings out there early in case anyone needs help with transfers. Why not post or tweet your lineup/transfer questions and I'll give any advice I can.