SOCCER

FanDuel Premier League Matches to Target in Matchweek 12

Douglas Smith  —  @DFresh39 Nov 18th, 2016
Don't get too sneaky when looking for matches to target this week after the international break.

There are plenty of interesting matchups on FanDuel's seven-game slate this weekend in the Premier League.

There is a battle in the relegation zone, the defending champion taking on a surprise package, and two top-of-the-table teams looking to make a statement.

However, it is the week after an international break. That can bring a lot of different elements into lineup construction for all teams. With that in mind, let's target the only two games that have an over/under of three goals on the slate.

Crystal Palace vs. Manchester City

Despite being the away team, most of the stats point toward a City victory. Palace have lost seven of their last eight Premier League matches against Manchester City. However, City has not been playing convincing soccer of late. This fixture could be what gets the team back on track.

When Manchester City does win, they tend to score at least two goals. Meanwhile, Palace has given up 10 goals over their last three games. They have lost four straight matches. The poor run of form has put Palace just one point out of the drop zone.


If there is any silver lining for Crystal Palace it is that they have only been shut out twice in the last seven matches. The last loss to Burnley took a piece of counter-attacking brilliance in stoppage time. Regardless, the extra week off may have been good for Palace.

If you put in a contrarian lineup, attacker Connor Wickham may be the way to go. He is just $5,000 on FanDuel and has not scored more against any other team in the top flight. Jason Puncheon is averaging over 20 FanDuel points per match and should be back on set piece duty.

The safe bet would be to target Manchester City players. David Silva has scored three times in the last three matches against Crystal Palace. He is $8,600 and the second-most expensive midfielder on his team. Silva could link up well with Sergio Agüero, who is $12,500. With many forwards in the league coming off of international duty or fighting injury, the known commodity of Agüero feels very safe.

Everton vs. Swansea City

These two teams are separated by 13 points in the Premier League table. Everton have not won any of the last four Premier League matches against the Swans, but they are unbeaten in their last eight at Goodison Park.

It will be a tough test for Bob Bradley, who has yet to win at the helm of Swansea. The American coach will not use the word "crisis" to describe the current situation at Swansea and will be getting a small bit of reinforcement this weekend. Bradley will likely be able to use Nathan Dyer, although he is not ready for a full match after returning to training this week. Jefferson Montero could provide some pace on the wing, but his role for this weekend is unclear after an injury last time out.


The safest bet on the Swans' side is Gylfi Sigurdsson. He has been involved in half of Swansea's goals this season. Sigurdsson is $8,200 on FanDuel.

Unfortunately for Swansea, Everton could be getting Leighton Baines and James McCarthy back this weekend. Baines should take over penalty duty upon his return. Idrissa Gana Gueye will return after serving a one-match ban. Ronald Koeman will be close to his first-choice lineup after winning only one of their last seven games across all competitions.

That lineup will include Romelu Lukaku, who is a safe bet this weekend much like Agüero. He has scored 12 goals in his last 12 appearances. Lukaku is averaging close to 30 FanDuel points a week and will cost $10,300.

This might be a good time to take a chance on Ashley Williams at the back for Everton. After 352 games with Swansea, he will be on the other side. Williams is averaging 16.5 FanDuel points and 10 defensive actions per match.

Good luck on the big slate on Saturday and do not forget to include these two matches in your lineup construction.