Fantasy Football Tips for Gameweek 19 in the Premier League
It can be hard to keep on top of your fantasy football teams around this time of the year and with fixtures coming thick and fast it can often be a make or break period for the final stretch of the season. As usual, the WhoScored tipster has scoured the fixtures as the Premier League bids farewell to 2016.
HENRIKH MKHITARYAN (MANCHESTER UNITED)
Jose Mourinho’s bizarre stand off with summer signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan appears to be over and now Manchester United fans are set to see the best of last season’s highest rated player in the Bundesliga.
Having failed to score in any of his first nine competitive matches for United, the 27-year-old has now found the back of the net in each of his last three appearances for the Red Devils. Factor in two assists in a 4-1 cup win over West Ham at the end of November and Mkhitaryan has played a direct hand in five goals in his last five matches for his new side.
The former Borussia Dortmund ace was only on the pitch for less than 30 minutes in United’s 3-1 win over Sunderland on Boxing Day but that didn’t stop the versatile midfielder producing one of the best finishes the Stratford End has ever seen when he diverted Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s cross in with his heel.
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United host Middlesbrough on New Year’s Eve and will be confident of making it four straight league wins in a single-campaign for the first time since April 2015. Middlesbrough like to keep things relatively tight - Boro’s games have overseen the fewest goals in the Premier League this season (36) - and Mourinho will need the likes of Mkhitaryan to step up to the fore and unlock the Boro defence.
KIERAN TRIPPIER (TOTTENHAM)
The former Burnley right-back has become something of a forgotten man since he joined Tottenham in the summer of 2015 but Kyle Walker’s suspension means Kieran Trippier will be handed his first league start of the season on New Year’s Day when Spurs travel to Watford.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side arguably produced one of their best performances of the season when they beat Southampton 4-1 on Wednesday and Tottenham supporters will be hoping their side have hit form just at the right time as they face Watford and league leaders Chelsea in the space of three days.
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With Jan Vertonghen also suspended, Tottenham have been tipped to revert to a back three against Watford, which should give even greater encouragement to Trippier to bomb forward and play a key role in attack. Walker and Danny Rose are one of Spurs’ best offensive weapons and have contributed to eight goals between them, highlighting just how important the full-backs are to the way Pochettino’s side play.
Tripper is no slouch in this department, registering a staggering 14 assists from right back in Burnley's promotion campaign in 2014, which lead Spurs to pay £3.5m for his services the following summer.
NATHAN AKE (BOURNEMOUTH)
The on-loan Chelsea star was one of Watford’s best players last season and Bournemouth’s decision to take the versatile Dutchman on loan this term was seen as a shrewd one by Eddie Howe. However, Ake was forced to wait for his chance to shine for the Cherries and his performances over the last month really beg the question why he has has to wait this long to get a run of games under his belt.
Ake has only started six league games this season but Bournemouth have picked up as many wins (3) in that time than they have in the 12 games in which the 21-year-old has not started. In other terms, Bournemouth are twice as likely to win with Ake in the team. It’s not just in defence where the Dutchman has excelled, but he has also proven a threat at the other end of the field. In fact, only Callum Wilson (5) has scored more league goals than Ake (3) for the Cherries this season, while the Chelsea loan star is also their highest rated player (7.20).
Eddie Howe will be determined to end 2016 with a win and a trip to Swansea should give them as good a chance as any to do so. Swansea’s last six matches have overseen a staggering 29 league goals and the Welsh outfit have only been responsible for seven of those. Without a manager, the relegation strugglers could prove the perfect opposition for Bournemouth to secure a place inside the top 10 this year.
WILLIAN (CHELSEA)
The Brazil international was arguably Chelsea’s best player over the course of last season but things haven’t gone exactly to plan for Willian this season despite the fact his side are six points clear at the top of the Premier League. The tragic loss of his mother halfway through the first half of the season coincided with a remarkable return to form for Pedro and Willian has struggled to make a significant impact since then.
However, Pedro is suspended for the reception of Stoke City on New Year’s Eve which will assure Willian of another chance to impress in the starting XI this weekend. Chelsea haven’t enjoyed the best of times against Stoke of late, but given their current form - 12 straight wins in the league - they should have no problem dispatching Mark Hughes’ side on home soil, particularly as Diego Costa and N’Golo Kante are both available again following suspension.
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With Costa and Eden Hazard in sparkling form, there will be less pressure on Willian to produce the sort of match winning performances he managed on a regular basis last season, but he is still primed to add to his three goals and one assist in the Premier League as Chelsea have the chance to equal Arsenal’s record of 13 straight league wins in a single campaign.
