Weekend Preview

With players champing at the bit to get those transfers in next week this weekend presents the final chance for those with an early lead to consolidate their position.

Many of the Premiership encounters look straightforward enough: Spurs at home to Derby, Portsmouth at home to a struggling Bolton, Newcastle against Villa. However, Blackburn/Arsenal, the Manchester derby and the clash between Liverpool and Chelsea look a tougher call.

From a fantasy perspective it looks as though the winds may be set to change this weekend. It has to be doubted whether Man Utd will fail to respond to their disappointing start to the season and those with Richard Dunne and Micah Richards should beware. Nevertheless, Elano continues to impress for Eriksson's side and is a valid fantasy player, in spite of coming up against the toughest opposition he has faced at domestic level to date.

My own personal recommendations are for us to look at teams looking for a reversal of fortunes. United are the obvious candidates, but look also for Spurs to turn things around. With Berbatov injured, the stage is set for Darren Bent and Robbie Keane to lay a marker down. Look also for Jermain Defoe to live up to his flat-track bully reputation.

Speaking of which, Frank Lampard. Expect him to go MISSING this weekend. With Ronaldo suspended, Fabregas up against northern monkeys and Gerrard carrying a broken toe, look to the outstanding Mikel Arteta and the so-far quiet Jason Koumas to provide some "shock" value to fantasy owners.

In additon to the Spurs forwards, David Healy looks set to continue his good form in the striking department. A home fixture against a woeful Boro presents him with ample opportunity to add to his tally of two goals in two games. A second successive away trip for Sunderland may stem Michael Chopra's run of form but look out for me to be proved completely wrong on that front yet again. Elsewhere, Oba Martins is likely to be amongst the points again, against Villa at home, despite the rumoured return to fitness of Michael Owen.

In terms of clean sheets, Newcastle and Wigan (!!) look decent outside bets. The Liverpool-Chelsea game has also got a potential clean-sheet frenzy writ LARGE over it. Everton look solid and a Reading side hit by injuries and suspensions may just be seeing signs of weakness following the toughest imaginable start to the season possible. Lescott, Johnson, Osman and Arteta therefore look good value in that game.

Tips: Keane, Johnson, Martins, Healy, Arteta, Koumas, Lescott, Yobo, Finnan, Agger, Given.