EPL, England, Fantasy EPL, Leagues POSTS

Back to league business

Published by Andrew Reilly on March 12, 2009

All Premier eyes will be on Old Trafford on Saturday to see if United can kill off Liverpools title dream or if Torres and Co will follow up their demolition of Real Madrid to reignite the title race but it’s a busy weekend for fantasy football fans. With the relegation battle still featuring over half of the league there are a lot of games that are too close to call but Everton should be confident of beating Stoke at home.

Buoyed by the winning goal in the FA Cup last weekend, Louis Saha will be looking to continue his goal scoring form to ensure he is in the team for the semi-final clash with former club Manchester United. There is no doubt that the loss of Mikel Arteta is a blow to Everton but Marouane Fellaini looks more than capable of providing the midfield nous to see the Merseyside club through. He may have massive hair and more bookings than goals but the Belgian star could be a worthwhile addition to your line-up as Everton relies heavily on their midfielders for goals. However, there is always the opportunity for a former striker to come back and haunt your club so Everton fans will be nervously watching James Beattie on his return to Goodison. Beattie has scored a number of vital goals for Stoke since his January switch and he may make enough of an impact to see the Potteries club survive in the Premier League for another season.

Another player who has been making the headlines of late, for all the wrong reasons, is Geovanni of Hull City. When Hull were flying at the start of the season, the Brazilian was a major influence on their play but it is fair to say he has waned in tandem with the team. After a recent outburst at being subbed, Geovanni appears to have knuckled down and a good performance at home to Newcastle will see him back in boss Phil Brown’s good books again. Newcastle are dangerously suspect at the back and Steve Harper, whilst being a solid goalkeeper, is not Shay Given. A home win at the KC Stadium will push Hull back to mid-table and relative security and may be enough to put Newcastle United into the bottom three if results conspire against them.

Newcastle have said that Michael Owen will return to the team this weekend so if you have the hit man in your squad, now would be a good time to reintroduce him to your line-up. Like Newcastle, Hull have some deficiencies at the back and there is no doubt that even a half-fit Michael Owen could cause some problems on Saturday. The striker has been unable to play consistently for a number of years now but he has still managed to weigh in with a number of goals for the Geordie club and it would be no surprise if he nets on his return to action.

If Arsenal beat Blackburn on Saturday, Aston Villa will be out of the top four for the first time in quite a while so their home tie versus Tottenham Hotspur will be a crucial match. Although hoping their strikers will score some goals to move the Midlands club back into the Champions League places, Martin O’Neill will be hoping for a shut out from Brad Friedel and the American stopper will be looking to keep Spurs, with Keane and Pavlyuchenko at bay. Friedel has easily been one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League and a top four finish would be a fitting tribute to his longevity and performances in the English game.

** Picture courtesy of Fabio Paoleri**

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