No doubts about which is the biggest game in the Premier League this weekend: Birmingham City vs. Stoke City, obviously. Just kidding. It’s Manchester United versus Manchester City in the more relevant than ever Manchester derby. With United in first and City five points behind in third (and second placed Arsenal hosting Wolves) this game has a direct impact on the Premier League title race. It’s also a meeting of two of the biggest fantasy football points scoring teams, so here are three strategies for getting the most for your team out of the Manchester derby:
#1 Gamble on a Manchester United backlash
Fergie will have given his players the famous hair dryer treatment after last weekend’s surprise loss to Wolves, maybe even the full industrial blow dryer (check for quiffs when they emerge from the tunnel). So it wouldn’t be a massive surprise to see Manchester United come out and swinging and claim a convincing win. In this case I’d advise picking assists leader Nani and leading goalscorer http://fantasy.sportslens.com/Players/Berbatov_Dimitar/stats.
#2 Back Manchester City to defend
If I was Roberto Mancini, I’d see this game as a chance to beat Manchester United at Old Trafford and make up three points in the Premier League title race. But I’m not Roberto Mancini. The real Roberto Mancini is the man who took his team to Arsenal in early January and unashamedly played for a 0-0 draw. It’s not impossible that he’ll do the same again here. If you think Signor Mancini is going defensive, then stuff your defence full of Manchester United defenders like Nemanja Vidic and Manchester City defenders like Vincent Kompany and cross your fingers for a goalless derby.
#3 Steer clear of this game
Derbies are unpredictable. Anything could happen. This usually isn’t good for fantasy football. So an entirely plausible approach is to avoid picking players involved in this game and concentrate your selection around Liverpool’s inevitable win over Wigan and Arsenal’s very probably beating of Wolves.
Which approach will you be taking?
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