Another international break is around the corner but we still have this weekend’s action to look forward to. Fantasy managers will be looking for some FPL insight and our friends over at Fantasy Yirma never disappoint. Here are their selections for Gameweek 25. Meanwhile, do remember that Gameweek 26 includes double games for both Liverpool & Swansea, although neither team will feature in Gameweek 27. We have also included some picks from UltraFantasyFootball and FPLAddicts!
Gameweek 25 preview: Gareth Bale to sting The Hawthorns?
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The closure of the January transfer window may excite manic Sky Sports News presenters, the Twitter rumour-mongers and Harry Redknapp, but Fantasy bosses are often better off just sticking to what they know.
At this point of the season – pretty much exactly two-thirds of the way through – you’ll know who you can rely on in your team, who you’ll be keeping an eye on bringing in and who you desperately need to get rid of. New arrivals into the division shouldn’t alter that.
Of course there are those new players who can arrive into the Premier League and immediately take it by storm – Papiss Cisse last season anyone? – but the bedding in period often needed by foreign imports makes adding any deadline day signing to your team a risk. At least this weekend anyway.
No, it would be better to go with the tried and tested ahead of an intriguing set of games, and there aren’t many players in the division this season who have proved their worth more than Tottenham’s Gareth Bale (£9.8m).
The Welshman’s fine solo goal at Carrow Road on Wednesday night was a 10th Premier League strike of the season, and with eight of those 10 coming in matches away from White Hart Lane – in which he can make more use of the space afforded to him – then the winger will be the man to watch when Spurs visit West Brom on Sunday afternoon.
The Baggies have only won two of their last 11 in the league, and so whilst you don’t want Bale running at you at the best of times it is likely to be especially tough for Steve Clarke’s men to cope with the confidence of the winger here. Bale could score big.
Elsewhere, the headline match of the weekend is probably the last one, as Manchester City welcome Liverpool in a contest which the hosts will need to win after dropping points at QPR last time out.
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Sergio Aguero (£10.9m) returned to the team there and should definitely be considered here, but even though Liverpool are facing a tough game the eagle-eyed Fantasy bosses will have noted that they have a Double Gameweek coming up next time around which brings home matches against West Brom and Swansea. Luis Suarez (£10.5m) is only going to see his price go up. More on him next week…
Reading’s Adam Le Fondre (£4.7m) might be a slightly less talked about forward than Suarez, but he proved more than his worth with the two late goals which earned a point against Chelsea in midweek, and at home to Sunderland he’ll be backed by many to find the net again. If you need a cheap forward to supplement your big boys then there are few better options at the moment.
Defensively, the scope for clean sheets doesn’t look all too great this weekend, but although QPR’s match at home to fellow strugglers Norwich will be full of new Rangers players introducing themselves to one another, it might just see the home side keep it tight at the back.
After the 3-0 loss at home to Liverpool before the turn of the year, Redknapp’s boys have kept back-to-back clean sheets at Loftus Road against opposition of the calibre of Tottenham and Manchester City, as well as shutting out Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
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The Canaries should offer little to be worried about then, and after playing 90 minutes in each of QPR’s last four games the on-loan Manchester United defender Fabio da Silva (£4.2m) could just be worth considering if you need to add a cheap defender to make room elsewhere.
At the other end of the scale Leighton Baines (£7.5m) is the game’s most expensive defender and he’ll be looking to follow-up his brace against West Brom when Everton entertain Aston Villa, but the Blues have only kept two clean sheets at home all season and so Christian Benteke (£6.5m) shouldn’t be discounted for the visitors.
Finally and not too far away at Wigan, the hosts will hope that the increasingly effective Franco di Santo (£5.3m) impresses as they host Southampton on Saturday.
That’s if no-one else has signed him by then of course…
@Mark_Jones86
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Top 5 picks from Ultra Fantasy Football:
- Steven Gerrard ( Value 9.5 selected by 7.1%): Gerrard doesn’t seem to tickle the fancy of many FPL managers this season and I know why. He’s old Liverpool hadn’t been playing well and there were better options in midfield ahead of him. However I Don’t believe that to be the case any more as he has now scored 6 and assisted 11 this season leaving him above the likes of Bale, Silva, and even Hazard with 129points. The fact that he has only been selected by 7.15% of you makes him a great differential in midfield and with Liverpool’s form vastly improving this man has me really thinking.
- Jose Enrique, (value 5.7 selected by 3.2%): Enrique has had a mixed season so far but that’s mainly been down to injuries and nothing else. He returned Wednesday night albeit from the bench to take up a covering role in front of Johnson (value 6.4 selected by 4.3%). Rodgers has done this quite a bit this season with Enrique when he’s been fit ,and although city might be to soon for the Spaniard he’s certainly one for the Watch list for GW26.
- Pablo Zabaleta (value 6.1 selected by 10.7%) : If you’re worried about Mancini’s squad roulette then don’t, Zabaleta has started all but 4games this season, three of which he was injured for. He has four clean sheets in four games and has received 33points in those four games also.
- Matija Nastasic (value 5.6 selected by 1.3%): He didn’t play in Tuesday nights game against QPR but I would imagine that was more down to resting him for the Liverpool game on Sunday more than anything else. He has played almost every game this season and has been preferred to Lescott for much of those games. With eight clean sheets to his name he is a reliable defender who will pick you up clean sheet points more often than not.
- Olivier Giroud (valued at 7.9 and selected by 2.9% of managers): After last nights game he has now scored five goals in a week and three in two games in the Premiership. He is the most in form striker in the league at the moment without doubt, and coming up against a Stoke side who have uncharacteristically been leaking goals like a faulty pipe he is sure to add to his season tally, the fact that Stoke are such a physical team won’t make any difference as Giroud is a superb in the air.
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Who’s your captain?
The good folks at FPLAddicts share their top Captaincy picks for GW25:
Top 3:
1. Van Persie – Ok, I won’t pump him up as much this week 
He couldn’t handle the pressure! Expect him to bounce back on Saturday though, Fulham are leaky and he will be hungry for more goals. How many times can he hit the post/crossbar, honestly… Don’t captain him at your own peril.
2. Walcott – He is a very good shout this week against Stoke. They have some weaknesses at the back right now, especially out wide. Cameron and Wilkinson usually struggle against pacey wingers, remind you of anyone? Whether he gets the striker role or not, he is in such a vein of form that it doesn’t matter. If I wasn’t to captain RVP, this would be my first port of call…
3. Mata – Finally it’s Mr Consistent who gets a gig at number 3. He delivered again last week and aside from a minor ankle complaint, which he has personally shrugged off he should be good to go again this week. Very safe option for those without wanting a risk but not owning RVP. Probably won’t go ballistic, but will produce for you week in, week out.
The Punt:
Fellaini – This one has been hotly debated on twitter. On one hand, Fellaini could push back up forward with Gibson returning, bringing back his goal threat and murdering Villa. Or he could sit in his preferred position deep, allowing Anichebe, Jelavic and co. to do the goal scoring and helping Everton to a clean sheet. Not much use to us fantasy managers! Personally I reckon option 2 is more likely, hence I wouldn’t be keen on captaining him. However I own him and still hope for a goal, but I reckon the chance of him smashing it are unlikely. Although I guess that’s why he’s a punt, big upside if all goes well!
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You should also check out our other recommended Fantasy Football sites:
TOKNOWTHEGAME.COM 
Cheers mate
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