SOCCER

FanDuel Premier League Matches to Target in Matchweek 38

Arsene Wenger's final match at the Arsenal helm will take place in front of a raucous Huddersfield crowd creating a fiery clash. What other matches should be targeted on the final matchday?

The final matchday in the Premier League amounts to very little in the table, but it will be a fun day for FanDuel players. With all 20 teams playing at the same time it will be the largest slate of the season.

Matchweek 38
Sunday, May 13th
West Brom at Crystal Palace
Manchester City at Southampton
Watford at Manchester United
Stoke at Swansea
Leicester at Tottenham
Brighton at Liverpool
Arsenal at Huddersfield
Bournemouth at Burnley
Chelsea at Newcastle
Everton at West Ham


Half of the matches have a total at or above three goals. The top four teams in the table -- Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Tottenham -- are the biggest favorites on the day.

Many teams will be playing for pride with a 10-goal swing needed to change the last relegation spot from Swansea to Southampton. A lot of new faces could see playing time and many players -- especially those on relegated clubs -- could be playing their last match in their current uniform.

Let's see which matches are worth targeting on the 10-game slate.

Tottenham vs. Leicester

Tottenham are assured a top-four finish and a Champions League spot for next season. Leicester could grab the eighth spot from Everton, but ultimately the result is not likely to have much impact on the overall review of either team's season.

Both teams have a long injury or suspension list with Tottenham being particularly impacted on defense. That should aid in furthering one of the storylines in this match as Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy square off before they likely team up for England this summer. The two strikers may have a personal competition for playing time this summer. Vardy is $4,000 less than Kane at $8,000 and will have that injury-riddled back line to test.

Fousseni Diabate and Kelechi Iheanacho are both in good form as supporting cast to Vardy. They combined for a goal earlier in the week against Arsenal. And Riyad Mahrez will round out the main attacking quartet.


Tottenham will have many of the usual characters supporting Kane. Dele Alli, Son Heung-min, and Christian Eriksen should all be on the field in an offensive-minded game. Heung-min is the value play at $8,000.

These teams do not need to control the play to be a threat. They both have seven goals on the counter attack this year -- good for second place among all squads. Tottenham is among the leaders in goals from outside the box, so they are a threat from 25 yards while Leicester continue to be one of the leaders in long passes as they try to move from defense to offense quickly.

Injuries, friendly rivalries, nothing on the line and attack-minded squads mean goals and a fun match to watch in the finale at Wembley Stadium

Huddersfield vs. Arsenal

There are so many narratives at play in this match.

Arsene Wenger will manage his last match for Arsenal. David Wagner could be managing his last match in charge of Huddersfield as rumors swirl about potential moves. Huddersfield secured their spot in the Premier League during the week and have been celebrating the accomplishment, but have not yet done so in front of their home fans. Meanwhile, it is a changing of the tide for Arsenal as they look to move back into the top-four under their next manager.

With all of those narratives at play, it should be an entertaining match. Fans will be at full voice at John Smith's Stadium excited to watch another Premier League season next year and likely showing signs of respect for Wenger.


On the field, the game should be in Arsenal's control with Huddersfield absorbing the attack (even though they may throw an early, adrenaline-driven storm). Arsenal have the third-best possession stats on, average, and number of goals scored this season. Arsenal won the reverse fixture 5-0 and they have the most final-day hat tricks of any Premier League side.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are among some of the most in-form attackers in the league. Lacazette has scored five goals in his last five games across all competitions while Aubameyang has three goals and one assist in the last two matches. Their partnership has overshadowed Mkhitaryan's solid play-making.

Despite the impressive form from their attackers, Arsenal have lost their last seven away games, conceding at least two goals in six of those matches. They are facing a defense that is playing well as Huddersfield held Chelsea to one goal and earned a clean sheet against Manchester City in their last two matches. Three of Huddersfield's top four FanDuel points per game leaders are defenders, with captain Christopher Schindler topping the list.

If looking for a cost-effective attacker, consider Alex Pritchard. He is expected to start up top with Steve Mounie, but will only cost $6,500. And Arsenal have allowed 51 goals, the most in the top seven.



Douglas Smith is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Douglas Smith also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username aquemini03. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her
articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.