It’s the big one.
J-League
So tight is it at the top of the J-League that a mere three-point difference in scores between the top two in Gameweek 33 was enough to prompt a change at the top, with Allan Johnson’s Comeback Kids edging ahead of Pairic Sheehan’s Klippity Kloppity in the number one spot.
Mark Anderson’s Aidan Carroll is 38, meanwhile, have been storming up the table of late and they were the big winners again this week with an 83-point haul that puts them within a mere 13 points of first place.
Ciaran Tracey’s Bacuna Mata-ta missed on out on their chance to keep in touch with the leaders after a disappointing 49 points, but they’re still in the hunt, as are Tremendous Tom Mulholland’s The Turbo Terrific, who are one point adrift in fifth place.
J-League Top 5
1) Comeback Kids – Allan Johnson: 2,027 points
2) Klippity Kloppity – Pairic Sheehan: 2,025 points
3) Aidan Carroll is 38 – Mark Anderson: 2,012 points
4) Bacuna Mata-ta – Ciaran Tracey: 1,999 points
5) The Turbo Terrific – Tremendous Tom Mulholland: 1,998 points
Gameweek 34
It feels like we’ve been waiting all season for a double gameweek and after teasing us with a mini-version involving just Everton and Crystal Palace last week, managers have finally got what they’ve been waiting for.
A whopping ten teams will see action twice in Gameweek 34 – Arsenal, both Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Everton, West Ham, Watford, West Brom, Crystal Palace and Newcastle – so if you’ve been holding onto that wildcard, now might be the time to play it.
Of all the teams with two games, Arsenal look the most appealing from a manager’s point of view. The Gunners have been scoring a lot of goals of late (they’ve been conceding a few as well) and home ties against West Brom and Crystal Palace should give them the opportunity to score plenty more.
Manchester United also have two games at home – one of which is against whipping boys Aston Villa – while you’d expect an in-form Liverpool outfit to have too much for Bournemouth and Everton in the Merseyside derby if the Toffees don’t buck up their ideas.
With only five gameweeks left in the season, including this one, now is not the time to be conservative, people.
This week’s picks
Safe bet: Anthony Martial (£7.7 million). The young Frenchman is obviously talented if not ultra-consistent, but our recommendation here is based solely on two words; Aston and Villa.
So terrible are Villa at the moment that even a team as shot-shy as United should rack up the goals and Martial is due a few, with only one in his last six league games.
Dark horse: Alex Iwobi (£4.6 million). A revelation for Arsenal in recent weeks, the 19-year old has started the last three league games and made a massive impression with two goals, two assists and 26 points.
Captain’s choice: Sergio Aguero (£13.5 million). It was a toss-up between Aguero and Mesut Ozil, but we’ve plumped for the Argentine despite City having two league games away from home.
The venue or the opposition never matter as far as Aguero is concerned; he’ll score against anybody and with four in his last five league games, he has form going for him too.
Potential to use chips
This is the one week of the season when we can wholeheartedly endorse the use of whatever remaining chips you have left.
If you have a choice, and you have an abundance of players with a double gameweek, then bench boost may be your best option, although there might not be a better time to roll out the triple captaincy either.
Either way, best take Ben Stiller’s advice…
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