Fantasy Premier League 2016-17: Players to pick for gameweek 20

Fantasy Premier League 2016-17: Players to pick for gameweek 20

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Gameweek 19 saw almost all the big teams pick up points to open up a gap between themselves and the mid-table teams, with Chelsea winning their 13th match in a row after their victory over Stoke City. Chelsea are now one win away from equalling Arsenal's record of 14 straight wins in the league.

Liverpool won their highly awaited match against Manchester City at Anfield thanks to a single Georginio Wijnaldum goal to relegate the Citizens to fifth on the table. City's derby rivals, United came from a goal down and scored two goals in as many minutes to win and stay within striking distance of the top 4.

Tottenham Hotspur finally showed their true potential with a convincing win thanks to braces from Harry Kane and Dele Alli. Arsenal found their groove as well ousting London derby rivals Crystal Palace at the Emirates to go third on the table.

The next round of fixtures throw up some interesting ties with the match between Tottenham Hotspurs and Chelsea being the main event. Manchester United will travel to West Ham, while Liverpool and Arsenal face tricky away ties as well in the form of Sunderland and Bournemouth respectively.

Fixtures Gameweek 20

Middlesbrough vs Leicester City

Everton vs Southampton

Manchester City vs Burnley

Sunderland vs Liverpool

West Bromwich Albion vs Hull City

West Ham United vs Manchester United

AFC Bournemouth vs Arsenal

Crystal Palace vs Swansea City

Stoke City vs Watford

Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea

Picks for Gameweek 20

Forwards

1. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (11.6): Talk about being on fire. The Swede has been in form for quite a while now and that has seen his value rocket up to 11.6. He was unfortunate not to end the year with a goal against Middlesbrough, but you can be sure the enigmatic striker will want in on the new year against the Hammers.

2. Harry Kane (11.0): The Englishman's torrid time this season appears to be over after he put a man of the match performance against Watford at Vicarage Road. Two well-taken goals and a brilliant assist capped off 16 points for Kane. Next up for Spurs is Everton and based on yesterday's performance, it looks like Kane and Spurs are back to their best.

3. Olivier Giroud (8.5): This was a difficult choice because of the availability of both Sergio Aguero and Diego Costa, but I have opted for the Arsenal front-man. Arsenal's next four fixtures read Bournemouth (A), Swansea (A), Burnley (H), and Watford (H). With two goals in his last two games, coincidently his first two starts of the league campaign, Giroud looks to have hit a purple patch and capitalizing on this is a must for all managers.

Midfielders

4. Adam Lallana (7.6): This guy is just unstoppable right now and has been directly involved in six goals in the last five games for the Merseyside club. Lallana is just five points away from equalling his last season's tally and we are just halfway into the season. With Sadio Mane leaving for the African Cup of Nations, Lallana would be the man Liverpool will turn to during that period.

5. Paul Pogba (8.4): It appears that he can do no wrong right now. After just two goals and an assist in his first 14 games for the Manchester side, Pogba has two goals and two assists in the last 4. His winner against Middlesbrough was reminiscent of the United of old and if he can keep his form going the red devils have a real shot of getting in the top 4.

6. Raheem Sterling (7.7): A bright start to the season was followed by a drastic slump in form for the Englishman. However, in recent weeks he has shown the promise that earned him his £50m deal from Liverpool with a goal and three assists. The return of Sergio Aguero will also help the winger get some freedom to express himself better.

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7. Eden Hazard (10.4): The Belgian captain has been on top form recently with 15 points in his last two matches. What I still can't figure out is what happened last year because he looks every bit the player who won the Player of the Year award a couple of seasons back. Chelsea appear to be serious about breaking the most consecutive wins award and Hazard will play a big part if Chelsea get there in the end.

Defenders

8. Phil Jones (4.9): The Manchester United defender was rested for the Middlesbrough game after playing eight games on the trot as Mourinho showcased his bench strength. But with the kind of performances he has been putting up over the last month, you can be sure he will find a place in the starting eleven for the match against West Ham. At 4.9, he is an absolute steal.

9. Laurent Koscielny (6.3): The Frenchman has been the spine of the Arsenal defence for a while now and it appears that he is finally fulfilling the potential that he has been promising for a few years now. With an easy run in over the next month or so, he could be a constant provider of points considering the fact that he can chip in with a goal every now and then.

10. Joel Ward (4.8): Crystal Palace have a new boss and one who is brilliant at making his opponents work for a win in the form of Sam Allardyce. His defender Joel Ward has only missed three minutes of Palace's campaign this season and as they get ready to face a struggling Swansea next up, this is the closest you will come to guaranteeing a clean sheet this week.

Goalkeeper

11. Victor Valdes (4.5): While this might look like a very risky bet, it really isn't. At a price of 4.5, you get a player who plays in front of a very defensive minded team and has the ability to pull off wonder saves. Even though he conceded two against United in the last game, he ended up giving his managers 5 points.

Differentials

Cesc Fabregas (6.9): After the humiliating 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the league, Fabregas was benched for seven games. However, a recall, born out of necessity, in the game against Manchester City saw him show Antonio Conte his true brilliance. In the last two games, he has provided 15 points and since he is in just 2.2% teams, a great differential to have.

Matt Phillips (5.6): The 25-year-old Scot has already crossed his highest goal tally in the league and more importantly his FPL points this season. The left winger has played a part in every game bar one this season and looks very effective in the Tony Pulis system.

Patrick van Aanholt(5.0): The Sunderland fullback is one of the sound bets to have this season. After a brilliant display last season where he earned his managers 127 points, he has already scored 56 points so far scoring 3 goals - just one short of his tally for last season. He faces Liverpool next but the Merseyside club have had their struggles against the team from Wearside in the past. He was preferred to take a free kick over Sebastian Larsson a week ago.

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