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Football

17th Mar 2016

Fantasy football cheat sheet: Sigurdsson, Shelvey and Salomon to steal the show

S-S-S

Darragh Murphy

You can keep your MSN, we’re putting our faith in a triple S selection.

As we reach the business end of the season, upsets and surprises are piling up on us. Particularly last week when this dopey author told you to get rid of Graziano Pelle, who went on to score a brace against Stoke.

But you’re sound so we’ll forgive and forget (to be fair, he hadn’t scored since November before that).

Onwards and upwards we go and here are our selections for gameweek 31 and, for the folk who flip out when our selections don’t come good, Fantasy Football is a game. Don’t go getting worked up about it, ye silly geese.

Three players to sign

Manchester United v Swansea City - Premier League

Since the turn of the year, only Sergio Aguero has outscored Gylfi Sigurdsson in the league and that’s a stat that we can hang our hats on this week.

There was a period there before Christmas that Swansea looked in genuine danger of going down.

But whatever Francesco Guidolin has done in south-west Wales, it seems to have worked a treat with his marauding midfield wonder.

Nine goals for the season and one in each of his last two games leads you to believe that Sigurdsson will flourish against an Aston Villa side that has conceded 57 goals this season.

Newcastle United v West Ham United - Premier League

Newcastle and Sunderland love nothing more than bringing in a new manager the week before the Tyne-Wear derby.

It’s worked so often for the Black Cats in recent years but we think Rafa Benitez is the man to swing that trend in the Magpies’ direction.

There are very few players in black and white who can hold their heads up high this season but, since his move from Swansea, Jonjo Shelvey is one of them.

He has yet to really put on a shining performance at St. James’ Park but we think the scene is perfectly set for him – a new manager to impress, a set of fans to win over in a local derby and the start of a survival bid – all in one game.

Bristol City v West Bromwich Albion - The Emirates FA Cup Third Round Replay

You may not have noticed (because it is only West Brom) but Salomon Rondon has been on an absolute tear as of late.

The Venezuela international had flattered to deceive since signing at the start of the season but he’s finally coming good.

In his last six league games, Rondon has scored four times so he quite literally is in the best form he’s been in all season.

West Brom are not exactly a freescoring side but they should be able to penetrate Norwich, whose Premier League status is looking perilously close to coming to an end.

Three players to sell

Arsenal v Sunderland - Premier League

It’s March so of course Arsenal are capitulating.

They were embarrassed over two legs against Barcelona and made to look like rank amateurs by Watford in the FA Cup.

They’re having a nightmare and there doesn’t seem to be much respite in sight against an Everton side who have scored at least two in each of their last four games in all competitions.

Roberto Martinez has set his side out to score. They may concede but they almost always score.

Against a shaky Arsenal side with Petr Cech still injured, we’re ditching Gunners defenders at an alarming rate.

Rochdale v Stoke City - FA Cup Fourth Round

Bojan, as decent as he’s been, has definitely not lived up to the hype that surrounded him when he arrived at the Britannia.

He was OK at the start of the season but has had to suffer through niggles forcing him out of the team since Christmas and hasn’t registered more than two points in a gameweek since St. Stephen’s Day.

He’s just wasting space if you’ve decided to persist with him in your side.

Crystal Palace v West Ham United - Premier League

This, quite simply, comes down to the fact that Crystal Palace are at home and Leicester are away.

Both counter-attacking sides love playing away from home because it allows them to soak up the pressure and catch opponents’ on the break.

Palace are rock-bottom of the Premier League form table, lower even than Aston Villa which should be some sort of crime.

If Palace were away we’d give them some hope of stopping the Foxes freight train but at Selhurst Park, we don’t hold out much hope of anything other than a comprehensive Leicester win.

THEY’RE GONNA WIN THE LEAGUE!!