SOCCER

FanDuel Premier League Matches to Target in Matchweek 24

The potential loss of Alexis Sanchez adds to the value available in the Arsenal lineup when they face an improving Crystal Palace side. Which other matchups hold DFS value?

Another seven-game slate awaits FanDuel players during Saturday's Premier League fixtures. Last week's seven-game slate produced only one scoreless draw, although seven teams failed to score. Three matches, two of which were highlighted in this post, finished with at least four goals.

Matchweek 24
Saturday, January 20th
Manchester United at Burnley
Crystal Palace at Arsenal
Bournemouth at West Ham
Watford at Leicester
West Brom at Everton
Newcastle at Manchester City
Huddersfield at Stoke


Five of the matches have a favorite, with Manchester City showing as the biggest favorite of the day, to no one's surprise. Stoke City is at even, while West Brom versus Everton is up in the air. Only two games have an over/under of three goals or more. Let's focus on one of those matches first.

Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace

There have been at least two goals scored each of the last five times these teams have met. The December matchup was a five-goal thriller at Selhurst Park. Alexis Sanchez scored twice for Arsenal while WIlfried Zaha and Andros Townsend combined as the offensive force for Palace. Sanchez may not be available for this match, as Manchester United push for one of Arsenal's best offensive threats.

Arsenal have not won any of their last three matches in the Premier League with last week's 2-1 loss to Bournemouth possibly being the lowest point of the season. They were also knocked out of the FA Cup by Nottingham Forest and played a scoreless draw with Chelsea in the League Cup. The recent results have some voting that this is the worst Arsenal squad during Arsene Wenger's 22-year reign.

Arsenal have still managed to score at least two goals in 12 of their last 14 league matches at home and average close to 60% possession. They also average over 17 shots per match and continue to be one of the top passing teams in the league.

With the health of Mesut Ozil still unclear for the weekend, the onus falls on Danny Welbeck, Alex Iwobi, and Alexandre Lacazette. This attacking front three will not be as costly as when it includes Sanchez and Ozil, but it can find success against a Palace team that has allowed 33 goals.


This should be another interesting fixture with Palace's form continuing to improve. They have won their last two matches in the league and now sit five points clear of the relegation zone. Bakary Sako might be in his best form as a Palace player, scoring four goals in his last seven matches across all competitions.

The right side of the Palace lineup has been their strength, and they were again in the win against Burnley last weekend. Luka Milivojevic, Martin Kelly, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, and Zaha seem to be the most-consistent players each week. Of the group, only Kelly lacks great fantasy value, as he sticks to his center back spot and is not a danger on set pieces.


There is a lot of drama around Arsenal right now with so many transfer rumors swirling. Their form has been down, while Palace is playing much better than the start of the season. Palace will not be intimidated as they head north across London.

West Ham vs. Bournemouth

It's back to the well with West Ham after the Hammers scored four goals against Huddersfield last weekend, but there are also goals in the history of this fixture. There have been 11 goals scored in the past two Premier League matches between these teams -- warranting our focus.

Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini led the way as expected last weekend. Mr. West Ham, Mark Noble, scored the first goal of the game after bouncing on a Huddersfield error. West Ham started with a flat, five-man midfield with Arnautovic and Lanzini freelancing up top.


The performance against Huddersfield may have been West Ham's best of the season. They have taken points from their past four Premier League games, including two wins over other teams in the relegation battle and a draw with mighty Tottenham.

They have not been shut out in their last six Premier League games and are now five points clear of the relegation zone. West Ham have also scored at least two goals in four of their last six games in all competitions.

Both teams had midweek FA Cup action, with West Ham having one more day to rest, but neither team rolled out all of their first-choice players. Lanzini did start for West Ham, but David Moyes gave Toni Martinez his first start at the head of attack. He could be a force down the stretch for the Hammers.

Bournemouth have been scoring like West Ham. They have at least two goals in five straight games across all competitions. They have produced without their most consistent attacker Josh King, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury.

King's health will determine the lineup and formation employed on Saturday by Eddie Howe. Jordan Ibe, Ryan Fraser, and Callum Wilson were the attacking front three while Bournemouth went with a back three last weekend. Lys Mousset brought a spark to the team in the second half to help Bournemouth secure the comeback win. Regardless of which of these attackers start, there is value

Both of these fixtures have a history of goals and are set up to continue that pace. Best of luck on the slate.



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.