Following a break for the FA Cup, Sports Mole's fantasy football advice has returned for the 27th round of Premier League matches.
Last time out we got among the points thanks to Eden Hazard, who fired in a hat-trick against Newcastle United, while Juan Mata assisted one of Manchester United's two goals against Fulham.
Also, we told you not to pick Luis Suarez and although Liverpool scored five times against Arsenal, the Uruguayan didn't get his name among the scorers. On the down side, we expected Norwich City goalkeeper John Ruddy to concede a hefty number of goals against Manchester City, but credit where it's due, he kept a clean sheet.
So, with another weekend of games approaching, we have picked out three players that we believe are worth selecting and a further three that are best being avoided.
Who to pick
1. Martin Skrtel: On Sunday, Liverpool centre-back Skrtel will be part of a defence that comes up against Swansea City attack that have scored just nine goals away from home this season - only Norwich on eight have found the net on the road less. What's more, the Swans have failed to score on four of their last five visits to Anfield and another clean sheet for the Reds is a real possibility. The Slovakian international has also shown in recent weeks that he is a threat in the opposition's penalty area.
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2. Christian Benteke: It would be fair to say that Newcastle have not enjoyed 2014 so far. They've won just once, conceding a host of goals in the process. In fact, their last three Premier League outings have ended in two 3-0 defeats and a 4-0 hammering. This Sunday, Aston Villa are the visitors to St James' Park and Paul Lambert's side have often appeared to be more comfortable playing away from home. In Benteke, they have a striker that appears to have rediscovered his hunger in front of goal since the turn of the year, having scored three goals in seven games.
3. Curtis Davies: Results may have gone against them in recent weeks, but Hull City's positive start to the campaign was largely built upon solid foundations. A large factor behind that has been the stubborn form of summer signing Davies. The Tigers have only kept two clean sheets from their previous 10 matches, but their opponents on Saturday, Cardiff City, have scored just 19 goals in 26 games. Providing that they keep their concentration, there is a good chance that Davies and his fellow defenders can leave Wales with a shutout.
Who to avoid
1. Wayne Rooney: Since his return from injury in late January, Rooney's performances for Man United have by no means been below par. Having said that, they have not been overly rewarding from a fantasy football point of view. He's not scored in any of his four outings since recovering from a groin complaint, while there are some that believe that David Moyes is struggling to fit the England international, Mata, Robin van Persie, and Adnan Januzaj into the same side. United are up against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park and the Eagles are well organised under Tony Pulis's stewardship.
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2. Chico Flores: Only Man City can better Liverpool's tally of home goals, which currently stands at 38 from 13 matches. It probably would have been an even greater return had strikers Suarez and Daniel Sturridge been available for the entire season. With the the likes of Raheem Sterling and Steven Gerrard also getting among the goals lately, you'd have to fear for Flores and his fellow Swansea defenders. The visitors go into the clash on the back of a Europa League outing against Napoli and they've won just one of their six Premier League matches after European encounters.
3. Rickie Lambert: Southampton frontman Lambert has scored two goals from his last three Premier League outings, but despite that good form, coming up against West Ham will be a different proposition. Centre-backs James Collins and Winston Reid can match the England striker physically, which will go some way to nullifying the threat that he poses. Also, Collins and co have kept more clean sheets (13) than any other team this term.
Liam Apicella
