MX23RW : Thursday, March 28 16:55:45| >> :120:5254:5254:

Fantasy Football advice: Week 31

Sports Mole looks ahead to the 31st round of Premier League fixtures from a fantasy football viewpoint.

If you followed Sports Mole's fantasy football advice last week, you would have seen that we had a shocker with the majority of our picks, with all of our "rejects" going on to accumulate a significant number of points!

Edin Dzeko ended his run of eight games without a goal by netting against Hull City, while our two defenders to avoid - Martin Demichelis and Ron Vlaar - went on to perform superbly to help their sides keep clean sheets.

Still, we did enjoy some success with who we advised for selection, with Jay Rodriguez going on to net his 14th goal of the campaign in Southampton's 4-2 triumph over Norwich City at St Mary's Stadium.

It's been a bit of an indifferent spell for us of late, but if you continue to retain confidence in us, we have provided a trio of potential hits and misses for this weekend's fixtures as the Premier League continues to draw nearer to a conclusion.

Who to pick

1. Luis Suarez: After five games without a goal, Suarez has shown in his last two displays that he has not lost any of his spark in attack, with his performances away at Southampton and Manchester United helping Liverpool continue a serious assault on the Premier League title. The Uruguayan also likes an assist or two as well, and he could rack up a few positive contributions away at Cardiff City, who continue to look favourites for relegation.

Luis Suarez of Liverpool celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford on March 16, 2014© Getty Images

2. Jay Rodriguez: On paper, backing Rodriguez to score at White Hart Lane against Tottenham Hotspur may appear to be a strange decision, but the 24-year-old has shown over the past couple of games that he is a man in form. His goals against Crystal Palace and Norwich City respectively have helped Southampton to two successive wins, while nine of his 14 goals this season have come away from home. Spurs are also enduring a difficult time in defence, leaving Rodriguez to capitalise as his side look to close the gap on their opponents in the league table.

3. David Silva: He may have had a disappointing spell in front of goal of late, but Silva's 25-yard screamer against Hull City last weekend suggested that the Spaniard has rediscovered his scoring boots. That effort broke a 17-game barren spell, but confidence will be high when Manchester City face a Fulham outfit who will sit back at the Etihad Stadium. Much of the play will go through the 28-year-old as they look to dominate possession in the final third against the Cottagers.

Who to avoid

1. Hugo Lloris: Tottenham Hotspur recorded a succession of clean sheets during the early part of the season, but since the arrival of Tim Sherwood, they have only kept four in 19 games. Spurs also have doubts over a number of defenders ahead of their fixture with Southampton on Sunday, which could see their backline stretched to the limit. Hugo Lloris has been a consistent performer throughout the campaign, but he could be left exposed if the Saints find their groove at the weekend.

Spurs 'keeper Hugo Lloris in action against Crystal Palace on August 18, 2013© Getty Images

2. Adrian: Four clean sheets in a row from Adrian helped turn around West Ham United's fortunes after a poor start to the year, but two consecutive defeats leave the Hammers under pressure against a Manchester United side rejuvenated after their success in midweek. West Ham have home advantage, but if United play with freedom and confidence in East London, that could spell trouble for Sam Allardyce's team.

3. Alvaro Negredo: The former Sevilla man has been one of City's stars of the season, but Negredo's form has dropped off alarmingly since the middle of January. The 28-year-old has found himself on and off the substitutes' bench in recent weeks and while he may be given the chance to end his scoring duck of eight games against Fulham, preference should be given to Edin Dzeko, who kept Negredo on the sidelines last weekend.

ID:145210: cacheID:145210:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7219:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
David Silva of Manchester City celebrates after he scores the first goal of the game for his side during the Barclays Premier League match between Hull City and Manchester City at the KC Stadium on March 15, 2014
Read Next:
Premier League Team of the Week
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!