Dream Team

CHRISTMAS RUSH

Which teams have the most favourable fixtures this December?

Christmas is a time for friends, family and football.

Nick Elliott

Published: 10:20, 28 Nov 2024
Updated: 10:21, 28 Nov 2024

CHRISTMAS is a time for friends, family and football.

The games come thick and fast throughout the festive period and Dream Team managers will need to have their wits about them if they are to come out the other side with an improved rank.

The festive period is a crucial juncture in the Dream Team calendarCredit: Dream Team

Many gaffers like to take each Gameweek as it comes but it's often beneficial to plan further ahead.

With that in mind, let's analyse each Premier League team's fixtures between Gameweeks 13 and 17 - some teams will play NINE games during this crucial period.

LIVERPOOL

Manchester City (h)
Newcastle (a)
Everton (a)
Girona (a)
Fulham (h)
Southampton (a)
Tottenham (a)
Leicester (h)
West Ham (a)

Everything's coming up roses for the Reds right now.

Arne Slot's side are top of the league and well on course for safe passage through to the Champions League round of 16.

And it's a great time to play Man City with the defending champions in the midst of a rare crisis.

No fewer than five Anfield residents have achieved 100+ points to date - they're flying.

MANCHESTER CITY

NOTTINGHAM FOREST

Ipswich (h)
Manchester City (a)
Manchester United (a)
Aston Villa (h)
Brentford (a)
Tottenham (h)
Everton (a)

After a flying start to the campaign, consecutive losses to Newcastle and Arsenal either side of the international break have come as a reality check for Forest.

Chris Wood's (£3.8m) owners will be hopeful of healthy returns at home to the Tractor Boys this weekend but the schedule takes a nasty turn from Gameweek 14.

ASTON VILLA

Chelsea (a)
Brentford (h)
Southampton (h)
RB Leipzig (a)
Nottingham Forest (a)
Manchester City (h)
Newcastle (a)
Brighton (h)

In complete contrast to last season, the Villains have earned more league points away from home this time around.

Unai Emery's men are in a bad moment right now having gone seven games without a win in all competitions.

Emi Martinez (£3.9m), Ollie Watkins (£5.3m), Lucas Digne (£3.5m) and Morgan Rogers (£2.8m) are all popular selections in the realm of Dream Team but gaffers will need to see an upturn from Villa sooner rather than later.

Villa's form has fallen away in recent weeksCredit: Reuters

FULHAM

Tottenham (a)
Brighton (h)
Arsenal (h)
Liverpool (a)
Southampton (h)
Chelsea (a)
Bournemouth (h)

The West Londoners have enjoyed a positive start to the campaign but their next four opponents are all within the top six of the table - a tough test.

Fulham will be desperate to get one over their local rivals on Boxing Day but their record against Chelsea is miserable - they haven't won at Stamford Bridge since 1979!

NEWCASTLE

Crystal Palace (a)
Liverpool (h)
Brentford (a)
Leicester (h)
Brentford (h)
Ipswich (a)
Aston Villa (h)
Manchester United (a)

Gaffers keen on backing Alexander Isak (£5.4m), an understandable inclination, might want to target the Magpies' fixtures in Gameweeks 15 and 16 (Leicester, Brentford, Ipswich and Villa).

Eddie Howe's side looked to be heading the right direction after wins over Chelsea, Arsenal and Forest but an unexpected defeat to West Ham on Monday night has slowed their momentum.

Truth be told, Newcastle games have been a tad light on Dream Team points this season.

Always a tempting optionCredit: Getty

BRENTFORD

Leicester (h)
Aston Villa (a)
Newcastle (h)
Chelsea (a)
Newcastle (a)
Nottingham Forest (h)
Brighton (a)
Arsenal (h)

The Bees boast the best home record in the top flight but the second-worst away record.

Given the nature of their away fixtures in December, their problems on the road could extend until the new year.

That being said, Bryan Mbeumo (£4.3m) is a decent midfield option for Gameweek 13 - the Cameroon star averages 8.1 points-per-game this season.

MANCHESTER UNITED

Everton (h)
Arsenal (a)
Nottingham Forest (h)
Viktoria Plzen (a)
Manchester City (a)
Tottenham (a)
Bournemouth (h)
Wolves (a)
Newcastle (h)

The last of our teams with nine fixtures to fulfil.

A match-up with the Toffees represents a relatively favourable first league game at Old Trafford for Ruben Amorim but the Portuguese tactician faces some tough tests in December.

A trip to Czechia in the Europa League might provide some relief before a tricky Gameweek 15 (Man City and Spurs) but if the Red Devils come through relatively unscathed there could be healthy returns up for grabs against the Cherries and Wolves.

Bruno Fernandes (£6.4m), Alejandro Garnacho (£4.2m), Noussair Mazraoui (£4.1m) and Diogo Dalot (£4m) have all provided their fair share of points across the first 12 Gameweeks of the season.

Can Amorim get a tune out of Man United in the coming weeks?Credit: AP

BOURNEMOUTH

Wolves (a)
Tottenham (h)
Ipswich (a)
West Ham (h)
Manchester United (a)
Crystal Palace (h)
Fulham (a)

Antoine Semenyo (£2.9m) is the only player in the squad to make any waves in Dream Team so far and he's suspended for this weekend's trip to Molineux.

And with just seven games for the Cherries, let's move on...

WEST HAM

Arsenal (h)
Leicester (a)
Wolves (h)
Bournemouth (a)
Brighton (h)
Southampton (a)
Liverpool (h)

The Hammers have just seven fixtures with testing match-ups bookending this run but a few Dream Team managers may feel Jarrod Bowen (£5.3m) is worth a whirl at some stage.

The England international has amassed 105 points at an average of 7.5 per outing via four goals and four assists.

Bowen has almost twice as many points as West Ham's next best performers, Mohammed Kudus (£5.1m) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£3.3m), who are level on 56 each.

A reliable performerCredit: PA

EVERTON

Manchester United (a)
Wolves (h)
Liverpool (h)
Arsenal (a)
Chelsea (h)
Manchester City (a)
Nottingham Forest (h)

There's no sugarcoating the Toffees' December; it's a brutal run.

Dwight McNeil (£3.7m) has impressed this season but gaffers should probably stay well clear of all Everton assets in the run-up to New Year's Day.

LEICESTER

Brentford (a)
West Ham (h)
Brighton (h)
Newcastle (a)
Wolves (h)
Liverpool (a)
Manchester City (h)

The Foxes are in desperate need of a new manager bounce and they'll probably need to get their points early in December as they face an extremely taxing end to the month.

WOLVES

Bournemouth (h)
Everton (a)
West Ham (a)
Ipswich (h)
Leicester (a)
Manchester United (h)
Tottenham (a)

Wolves are a tad light without European fixtures or a Carabao Cup quarter-final but six consecutive bottom-half opponents could yield plenty of points for Matheus Cunha (£4.8m).

Gary O'Neil's star player averages 8.3 points-per-game this season and is in particular strong form right now having banked over 50 points in his last four appearances.

A strong wildcardCredit: Rex

IPSWICH

Nottingham Forest (a)
Crystal Palace (h)
Bournemouth (h)
Wolves (a)
Newcastle (h)
Arsenal (a)
Chelsea (h)

Liam Delap (£2.4m) is the only Tractor Boy with an ownership above 0.3% and that's unlikely to change any time soon, despite Kieran McKenna's admirable efforts in Suffolk.

CRYSTAL PALACE

Newcastle (h)
Ipswich (a)
Manchester City (h)
Brighton (a)
Arsenal (a)
Arsenal (h)
Bournemouth (a)
Southampton (h)

The Carabao Cup draw has cruelly given the Eagles a double header against the Gunners but at least they have eight fixtures, one more than nine other clubs.

Palace have found it hard going this season but Eberechi Eze (£5m) is player to keep an eye on as he tends to collect Dream Team points for fun when fit - he's due back from injury any day now.

Palace need Eze back sooner rather than laterCredit: Getty

SOUTHAMPTON

Brighton (a)
Chelsea (h)
Aston Villa (a)
Tottenham (h)
Liverpool (h)
Fulham (a)
West Ham (h)
Crystal Palace (a)

With all due respect to Saints, there aren't many Dream Team bosses out there keen on a club rooted to the bottom of the table.

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