Subs could be a problem in this match, especially when picking Bilbao players. Their last 9 subs have been:
Toquero (59)
Muniaín (63)
Gurpegui (65)
Toquero (67)
Gomez (71)
Muniaín (80)
Orbáiz (45)
Caseras (59)
Martinez (69)
So a fair chance that a couple of subs will be made before the 70 minute mark tonight, which could seriously affect your score. For example Torquero's 5 match record this season reads:
Off - 59 minutes
Off - 67
On - 59
Off - 40
Off - 43
So I'd stay well away from him. Susaeta has a couple of assists to his name and tends to get a few shots away each game so is the pick of the wide players. Del Campo has started the last couple of league games at left back and does get forward so should be considered. As should Iraola on the other flank. Martinez and San Jose are regular rocks down the spine of the team and should be on your shortlist. Llorente has 6 goals in 9 games and should be in your 5 if you fancy a few goals tonight.
Getafe have made 5 half-time substitutions in the last three league games so there's even more risk with their subs. Parejo, Victor Sanchez and Boateng are all regular starters in the midfield and have all weighed in with at least a goal and an assist this season. They should all be considered but Parejo is more often subbed than the other two. Diaz is a regular starter in the middle of defence but a slight card risk with 3 yellows in 8 games. Gomez is equally risky on the card front but has been subbed at half-time in the last two games he started.
Getafe are bad travellers and have a long injury list so it may be safer to tend towards Bilbao players for this even though they're lower in the league.
Tips: Take 4 Bilbao and 1 Getafe player for this one, including Martinez and probably Victor Sanchez.
And for the live game it's useful to know the penalty takers. Mikel San Jose took one for Bilbao against Mallorca and Colunga scored one for Getafe against Sporting Gijon.
Sunday 31 October 2010
Bolton/Liverpool
Although I fancy Bolton to win this match I think Liverpool will have more possession and therefore Picklive points. Bolton have had only
48% possession against Stoke and 41% against Man Utd. in their last two home games. That to me suggests picking at least 3 'Pool players if not 4.
Robinson, Holden and Kevin Davies are the most frequent passers of the ball at Bolton. However, Davies is also the most frequent fouler and has 5 yellow cards in 10 appearances, thus making him unpickable. With only one or two spots available in my 5 I would suggest Robinson, Holden or Muamba. A slightly riskier approach would be to chance Elmander who is in fine goal-scoring form at the moment.
Glen Johnson, if fit, is usually worth picking plus Gerrard plus whoever is in midfield out of Meireles, Lucas and Poulson. Konchesky and Skrtel often do well as in the Everton game recently. Joe Cole's stats aren't particularly impressive but they have been deflated by a penalty miss and a red card this season. He's scored over 50 points in his last two starts so could be a safe bet that increases your chances of an assist or a goal.
Tip: Go for more Liverpool than Bolton players, especially midfielders. Maybe take a punt on Torres or Elmander to add a bit of glamour to your 5. If that doesn't float your boat then maybe try the slightly less risky Joe Cole.
48% possession against Stoke and 41% against Man Utd. in their last two home games. That to me suggests picking at least 3 'Pool players if not 4.
Robinson, Holden and Kevin Davies are the most frequent passers of the ball at Bolton. However, Davies is also the most frequent fouler and has 5 yellow cards in 10 appearances, thus making him unpickable. With only one or two spots available in my 5 I would suggest Robinson, Holden or Muamba. A slightly riskier approach would be to chance Elmander who is in fine goal-scoring form at the moment.
Glen Johnson, if fit, is usually worth picking plus Gerrard plus whoever is in midfield out of Meireles, Lucas and Poulson. Konchesky and Skrtel often do well as in the Everton game recently. Joe Cole's stats aren't particularly impressive but they have been deflated by a penalty miss and a red card this season. He's scored over 50 points in his last two starts so could be a safe bet that increases your chances of an assist or a goal.
Tip: Go for more Liverpool than Bolton players, especially midfielders. Maybe take a punt on Torres or Elmander to add a bit of glamour to your 5. If that doesn't float your boat then maybe try the slightly less risky Joe Cole.
Newcastle/Sunderland
Newcastle have played 6 times on Picklive this season already so there's plenty of stats to consider when picking. Ignoring the recent Carling Cup game against Arsenal, Barton and Enrique have been in the Newcastle top 5 in each of the 5 league Picklive games this season. They've even been the top pair 3 times. Those two would be my first pick and then it's a bit of a lucky dip for any others. Nolan and Carroll have racked up huge scores against West Ham and Aston Villa respectively but don't score enough points when they're not scoring goals to be able to pick them with any confidence. Williamson, Tiote and Gutierrez are more reliable options but if there are plenty of goals in the match may leave you short in the chase for the Big Game.
Sunderland have played only twice but have done well in Picklive terms, providing 4 of the top 5 against Blackburn and 3 of the top 5 against Arsenal. Henderson has been the highest scorer for Sunderland in those two matches and should be the first Black Cat on your list. Bramble, Onuoha and Richardson are probably the strongest candidates after Henderson. Elmohamady and Malbranque have made the most passes (after Henderson) for Sunderland but neither have racked up enough points in the last two Picklive games.
Much has been made of the midfield battle for this game (Barton and Cattermole have a history...) so there is a danger that cards of both colour may decide the Big Game for this one.
Tip: Enrique and Henderson should be certainties for most teams. Plus Barton if you're not concerned by the chance of a card or two.
Sunderland have played only twice but have done well in Picklive terms, providing 4 of the top 5 against Blackburn and 3 of the top 5 against Arsenal. Henderson has been the highest scorer for Sunderland in those two matches and should be the first Black Cat on your list. Bramble, Onuoha and Richardson are probably the strongest candidates after Henderson. Elmohamady and Malbranque have made the most passes (after Henderson) for Sunderland but neither have racked up enough points in the last two Picklive games.
Much has been made of the midfield battle for this game (Barton and Cattermole have a history...) so there is a danger that cards of both colour may decide the Big Game for this one.
Tip: Enrique and Henderson should be certainties for most teams. Plus Barton if you're not concerned by the chance of a card or two.
Saturday 30 October 2010
ManUtd/Spurs
Berbatov and Hernandez have racked up plenty of goals and have both scored 70 or more points already this season (against Stoke and Liverpool). As always with United though it will be difficult to look past Evra, Scholes, Fletcher and the like. The call here will be whether there will be plenty of goals or not.
Two heavyweight point-scorers might not be starting for Spurs this afternoon. Gareth Bale is likely to be rested and Tom Huddlestone is out injured. Assou-Ekotto should be your first choice of Spurs player as he's regularly one of their top point scorers. Modric is also worth considering and probably just ahead of van der Vaart if the Everton match is anything to go by.
Tips: my pessimistic side says few goals so I recommend Evra, Scholes and Assou-Ekotto plus Modric and Fletcher depending on the starting line-up.
Update: Bale is in and Carrick is in ahead of Scholes. Tip: pick both!
Two heavyweight point-scorers might not be starting for Spurs this afternoon. Gareth Bale is likely to be rested and Tom Huddlestone is out injured. Assou-Ekotto should be your first choice of Spurs player as he's regularly one of their top point scorers. Modric is also worth considering and probably just ahead of van der Vaart if the Everton match is anything to go by.
Tips: my pessimistic side says few goals so I recommend Evra, Scholes and Assou-Ekotto plus Modric and Fletcher depending on the starting line-up.
Update: Bale is in and Carrick is in ahead of Scholes. Tip: pick both!
Wednesday 27 October 2010
Newcastle/Arsenal
Arsenal sent out a strong team in their last League Cup game. Some huge scores were racked up in that one but mostly because the match went to extra-time.
Newcastle sent out a weaker team in their tie but pulled off a surprise victory over Chelsea at the Bridge. Of those 11 Smith and Gutierrez look the pick tonight although Colocinni has posted some reasonable scores in the past.
Both of those previous matches hovered around the 50% mark for possession but I fancy Arsenal to shade it tonight as they'll be a stronger side than the Chelsea side Newcastle faced. Having said that I'll be making room for at least 1 Newcastle player and possibly two in order to get the top Big Game score.
Picking Arsenal players is always tricky as so many of them have had great scores in the past. Looking at the last match against Tottenham you would probably take as many full-backs and central midfielders as you could squeeze in plus Nasri. And this is backed up by their last league game too where Nasri, Song, Sagna, Denilson and Clichy were the top 5 for Arsenal and the match.
So, my tip is: Gutierrez, Denilson, Nasri (if he plays - Wilshire if not) and the two Arsenal full-backs.
Good luck!
by
BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Newcastle sent out a weaker team in their tie but pulled off a surprise victory over Chelsea at the Bridge. Of those 11 Smith and Gutierrez look the pick tonight although Colocinni has posted some reasonable scores in the past.
Both of those previous matches hovered around the 50% mark for possession but I fancy Arsenal to shade it tonight as they'll be a stronger side than the Chelsea side Newcastle faced. Having said that I'll be making room for at least 1 Newcastle player and possibly two in order to get the top Big Game score.
Picking Arsenal players is always tricky as so many of them have had great scores in the past. Looking at the last match against Tottenham you would probably take as many full-backs and central midfielders as you could squeeze in plus Nasri. And this is backed up by their last league game too where Nasri, Song, Sagna, Denilson and Clichy were the top 5 for Arsenal and the match.
So, my tip is: Gutierrez, Denilson, Nasri (if he plays - Wilshire if not) and the two Arsenal full-backs.
Good luck!
by
BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Tuesday 26 October 2010
ManUtd/Wolves
A very interesting match tonight and I'm predicting that they'll be some unusual names at the top of the Big Game tree by the end of the night. That's for two reasons, the line-ups and the possibility of extra-time.
According to the BBC five of the last six League Cup matches involving Wolves have gone to extra time. If it does then subs will be more important than ever as Big Game points are accrued during extra-time too. If one of your players goes off in the 80th minute then it's not normally too much of a problem, if they've already racked up a decent score. But if there's still 40 minutes to go then you could see a whole load of Picklive plodders go past you.
The starting line-ups are the other big factor tonight. The Beeb are reporting that Man Utd are set to name a second string and Mick McCarthy has indicated that he'll send out a strong side. How weak the Utd. side is and how strong the Wolves side is should ultimately decide who your Big Game 5 are. Wolves played well against Chelsea at the weekend and, in my opinion, are a better side than their league position indicates.
I tipped Jones, Foley and Henry last time out for Wolves and I'm standing by that again, even if Henry did get sent off last time! But I'll add Hahnemann to that list as he's been in the top 3 points scorers for Wolves for the last 3 Picklive matches. It may well be that Wayne Hennessey gets the nod in goal tonight but the whoever the Wolves keeper is he'll be worth considering. I'm going to stick my neck out and suggest picking two Wolves player - which is a lot considering they're playing at Old Trafford.
Ferguson put out a largely second string in the Picklive game away to Scunthorpe recently. If you strip out the goals & assists from that game then you get Kuszczak, Anderson, Brown and Ferdinand as the top scorers. But it depends if any of those four will actually play tonight. Ferguson has indicated that Fabio, Gibson, Kiko, Obertan, Bebe, Evans and Smalling will all be involved. Gibson has had some great scores on Picklive in the past and will be in my 5. While Smalling and Fabio have had decent scores in the past Evans has the better long term record and so will also make my 5 (unless Ferdinand starts that is).
So, the tips: 3 from Man Utd. including Gibson and possibly Evans. And 2 from Wolves including Jones and Hennessy or Hahnemann if you're feeling brave.
BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
According to the BBC five of the last six League Cup matches involving Wolves have gone to extra time. If it does then subs will be more important than ever as Big Game points are accrued during extra-time too. If one of your players goes off in the 80th minute then it's not normally too much of a problem, if they've already racked up a decent score. But if there's still 40 minutes to go then you could see a whole load of Picklive plodders go past you.
The starting line-ups are the other big factor tonight. The Beeb are reporting that Man Utd are set to name a second string and Mick McCarthy has indicated that he'll send out a strong side. How weak the Utd. side is and how strong the Wolves side is should ultimately decide who your Big Game 5 are. Wolves played well against Chelsea at the weekend and, in my opinion, are a better side than their league position indicates.
I tipped Jones, Foley and Henry last time out for Wolves and I'm standing by that again, even if Henry did get sent off last time! But I'll add Hahnemann to that list as he's been in the top 3 points scorers for Wolves for the last 3 Picklive matches. It may well be that Wayne Hennessey gets the nod in goal tonight but the whoever the Wolves keeper is he'll be worth considering. I'm going to stick my neck out and suggest picking two Wolves player - which is a lot considering they're playing at Old Trafford.
Ferguson put out a largely second string in the Picklive game away to Scunthorpe recently. If you strip out the goals & assists from that game then you get Kuszczak, Anderson, Brown and Ferdinand as the top scorers. But it depends if any of those four will actually play tonight. Ferguson has indicated that Fabio, Gibson, Kiko, Obertan, Bebe, Evans and Smalling will all be involved. Gibson has had some great scores on Picklive in the past and will be in my 5. While Smalling and Fabio have had decent scores in the past Evans has the better long term record and so will also make my 5 (unless Ferdinand starts that is).
So, the tips: 3 from Man Utd. including Gibson and possibly Evans. And 2 from Wolves including Jones and Hennessy or Hahnemann if you're feeling brave.
BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Monday 25 October 2010
Leeds/Cardiff by Warriors
Here are my hints and picks for tonight’s match between Leeds and Cardiff. It is hard to recommend many Leeds players tonight: their line-up is likely to be changed following their home defeat to the newly sweded Leicester. Also, Cardiff are somewhat rampant this season with 8 victories, 2 draws and 2 defeats.
So Leeds...
If I were chasing goals, I would consider Davide Somma. Top scorer for Leeds this season, with 6, and has only started 6 games and has appeared as a sub on 3 occasions. If he isn't playing then I might consider Becchio who has started 10 times but scored 1 fewer goals than Somma. Somma also has more shots to his name than Becchio.
Bradley Johnson (midfield) has had more attempts on goal than any other Leeds player. However, in the last two matches he has been brought on as a substitute (for Sanchez Watt) sometime around the 30th minute. Sanchez Watt himself has 3 assists to his name and plenty of shots but as these two tend to job share, I'd be cautious about either.
I might consider Neil Collins. He helped Leeds win promotion and also helped Sunderland win promotion to the Premier League earlier in his career. A solid central defender who has played every minute for Leeds so far.
Cardiff.
Two stand out players for Cardiff, Chopra and Bellamy, look to be good choices. I might not be picking either though: they are not guaranteed to play (Bellamy has either been injured or "resting", no one seems to know). Chopra also has been injured of late. Either or both could play tonight but whether they make the full 90 minutes is debatable. Bellamy could always win points due to being one of the stand out players of the Championship. He can also lose points due to his fiery temperament. Jay Bothroyd has been banging them in and is Cardiff’s top scorer with 7 goals in the league. However, most of these goals have been scored at home: suggestions that jay doesn’t travel well. Also, he has Cardiff’s worst disciplinary record with 21 fouls and 4 yellow cards.
The stand out player for Cardiff is Peter Whittingham. 3 goals from Midfield, 22 shots (10 on target, 12 off target). He also has the most assists (5) and the most appearances of any Cardiff player.
I will also be considering Chris Burke on the right of Midfield. He has 2 goals this term and 3 assists and been ever present in the Cardiff starting XI. He has formed a good partnership with Kevin McNaughton, defender, down the right wing and he will be strongly considered. Gabor Gyepes is also a strong contender: the tall Hungarian was seen as a bit of a bargain – he was with Wolverhampton for only 24 appearances before being seriously injured and out of the game for two years. He has fought his way back to Championship football via Northampton and gathered some rave reviews on the way.
Good luck!
by
Warriors aka Robin Warr
(Consultant Championship Tipster)
So Leeds...
If I were chasing goals, I would consider Davide Somma. Top scorer for Leeds this season, with 6, and has only started 6 games and has appeared as a sub on 3 occasions. If he isn't playing then I might consider Becchio who has started 10 times but scored 1 fewer goals than Somma. Somma also has more shots to his name than Becchio.
Bradley Johnson (midfield) has had more attempts on goal than any other Leeds player. However, in the last two matches he has been brought on as a substitute (for Sanchez Watt) sometime around the 30th minute. Sanchez Watt himself has 3 assists to his name and plenty of shots but as these two tend to job share, I'd be cautious about either.
I might consider Neil Collins. He helped Leeds win promotion and also helped Sunderland win promotion to the Premier League earlier in his career. A solid central defender who has played every minute for Leeds so far.
Cardiff.
Two stand out players for Cardiff, Chopra and Bellamy, look to be good choices. I might not be picking either though: they are not guaranteed to play (Bellamy has either been injured or "resting", no one seems to know). Chopra also has been injured of late. Either or both could play tonight but whether they make the full 90 minutes is debatable. Bellamy could always win points due to being one of the stand out players of the Championship. He can also lose points due to his fiery temperament. Jay Bothroyd has been banging them in and is Cardiff’s top scorer with 7 goals in the league. However, most of these goals have been scored at home: suggestions that jay doesn’t travel well. Also, he has Cardiff’s worst disciplinary record with 21 fouls and 4 yellow cards.
The stand out player for Cardiff is Peter Whittingham. 3 goals from Midfield, 22 shots (10 on target, 12 off target). He also has the most assists (5) and the most appearances of any Cardiff player.
I will also be considering Chris Burke on the right of Midfield. He has 2 goals this term and 3 assists and been ever present in the Cardiff starting XI. He has formed a good partnership with Kevin McNaughton, defender, down the right wing and he will be strongly considered. Gabor Gyepes is also a strong contender: the tall Hungarian was seen as a bit of a bargain – he was with Wolverhampton for only 24 appearances before being seriously injured and out of the game for two years. He has fought his way back to Championship football via Northampton and gathered some rave reviews on the way.
Good luck!
by
Warriors aka Robin Warr
(Consultant Championship Tipster)
Sunday 24 October 2010
Villarreal/AtleticoMadrid
The possession stats don't do much to show us who to pick with these two teams. Both are erratic as you can see from their last 3 games:
Villarreal
Racing Santander(h) 46%
Hercules (a) 61%
PAOK Salonika (h) 61%
Atletico Madrid
Sevilla (a) 50%
Getafe (h) 45%
Rosenberg (h) 51%
So, I'll be assuming a 50/50 possession and taking maybe 3 from Villarreal seeing as they have a 100% home record.
Capdevila has put in some decent scores for Spain and is worth considering. Senna and Bruno play in the middle of midfield and so should see a lot of the ball.
Luis, Godin, Assuncao and Simao were the big scorers for Atletico on their last Picklive game. However Aguero is back and apparently fit so it may be worth a punt on him.
Tips: Take at least 2 from each team and consider Senna, Assuncao and Godin as a good core.
Villarreal
Racing Santander(h) 46%
Hercules (a) 61%
PAOK Salonika (h) 61%
Atletico Madrid
Sevilla (a) 50%
Getafe (h) 45%
Rosenberg (h) 51%
So, I'll be assuming a 50/50 possession and taking maybe 3 from Villarreal seeing as they have a 100% home record.
Capdevila has put in some decent scores for Spain and is worth considering. Senna and Bruno play in the middle of midfield and so should see a lot of the ball.
Luis, Godin, Assuncao and Simao were the big scorers for Atletico on their last Picklive game. However Aguero is back and apparently fit so it may be worth a punt on him.
Tips: Take at least 2 from each team and consider Senna, Assuncao and Godin as a good core.
ManCity/Arsenal
These two teams are well known on Picklive and most experienced players will be instinctively gravitating towards Barry, De Jong, Clichy and Fabregas. I fancy the points to be very evenly spread across the two teams and I imagine a 2/3 split either way will be the favoured formation. I'll be going for 3 from Arsenal for my sins.
One strategy that might work is chasing goals and including Tevez and Arshavin in a team would be an aggressive move. The problem is that both teams are playing packed midfields so we may not see much goalmouth action.
Chelman42 aka Bradley will be the team to beat again as he seems to have returned to form after a few shaky (for him) results. Two wins out of three this weekend and hot favourite to add two more.
One thing that could work against Bradley is the large fields that seem to be forming for every Big Game. Expect a field of over 50 so whoever comes out on top will certainly deserve it.
One strategy that might work is chasing goals and including Tevez and Arshavin in a team would be an aggressive move. The problem is that both teams are playing packed midfields so we may not see much goalmouth action.
Chelman42 aka Bradley will be the team to beat again as he seems to have returned to form after a few shaky (for him) results. Two wins out of three this weekend and hot favourite to add two more.
One thing that could work against Bradley is the large fields that seem to be forming for every Big Game. Expect a field of over 50 so whoever comes out on top will certainly deserve it.
Stoke/ManUtd
Simple & short advice for this one. Don't pick any Stoke players. They've only had 1 player in the top 5 scorers in their last 3 matches and that was Huth with the help of a goal at home to Villa. So, unless you think Jones or someone else will score a brace you'd be best avoiding scores like this or this.
Man Utd. picks should be straight forward too and I fancy a 100% or close will come up today. Scholes and Evra are first on the team sheet for me after many high scoring Picklive games. Plus I fancy whichever centre backs start the match. Checking the line-ups carefully will be the order of the day as, say, Fletcher's points vary depending on who else is in the midfield, if he's in the centre of a straight 442 then I would pick him. If he's in a midfield 3 then it's worth mulling over his two midfield partners carefully as well. Nani is worth a pick if you fancy at least a goal or an assist from him but otherwise stick to the stalwarts who will rack up points even if it's a drab 0-0.
Man Utd. picks should be straight forward too and I fancy a 100% or close will come up today. Scholes and Evra are first on the team sheet for me after many high scoring Picklive games. Plus I fancy whichever centre backs start the match. Checking the line-ups carefully will be the order of the day as, say, Fletcher's points vary depending on who else is in the midfield, if he's in the centre of a straight 442 then I would pick him. If he's in a midfield 3 then it's worth mulling over his two midfield partners carefully as well. Nani is worth a pick if you fancy at least a goal or an assist from him but otherwise stick to the stalwarts who will rack up points even if it's a drab 0-0.
Saturday 23 October 2010
WestHam/Newcastle
Barton and Enrique have been the top 2 for Newcastle in 3 of their last 4 Picklive games. While they've both been solid it may be worth looking at Nolan and/or Carroll if you fancy goals in this match. Plus Gutierrez and Tiote have had decent games for the Magpies recently.
Scott Parker has been impressive in both the Hammers' Picklive games this season, against Stoke and Man Utd. respectively, and will surely be in every Big Game 5. Gabiddon and Noble are arguably the best picks after Parker although I can't say that with too much confidence. Jacobson, Da Costa and Upson didn't finish far off Gabiddon and were clear of Noble in that Stoke game. Barrera and Dyer seem to get subbed whenever they play so factor that in when considering whoever starts of those two.
Tip: Parker plus two from each side. If your nose smells goals go for Noble, Nolan & Gutierrez. If not Gabiddon & Enrique are the pick.
BensBulls
Scott Parker has been impressive in both the Hammers' Picklive games this season, against Stoke and Man Utd. respectively, and will surely be in every Big Game 5. Gabiddon and Noble are arguably the best picks after Parker although I can't say that with too much confidence. Jacobson, Da Costa and Upson didn't finish far off Gabiddon and were clear of Noble in that Stoke game. Barrera and Dyer seem to get subbed whenever they play so factor that in when considering whoever starts of those two.
Tip: Parker plus two from each side. If your nose smells goals go for Noble, Nolan & Gutierrez. If not Gabiddon & Enrique are the pick.
BensBulls
Spurs/Everton
Everton tend to have more possession away from home than at Goodison which explains the huge scores away to Villa compared to the matches at home to Liverpool or Man Utd. Spurs on the other hand have only gained 51% and 50% possession in their last two league games against Villa and Wolves respectively.
This points to at least two Everton players (and possibly more) especially as they will have more time to recover from their last game than Spurs. Arteta is a certainty for one of the spots and then at least two from the group tipped last time out, probably Distin and Baines for me.
As for Spurs I can't see past Bale and Assou-Ekotto. The only thing worrying me is that Van der Vaart will be making his Picklive debut for Spurs and so represents a bit of an unknown quantity. The difficulty is do you drop an Everton player in spite of the possession stats above or do you try and work out how you can possibly drop Bale or Assou-Ekotto. A tough choice either way.
BensBulls
Subs Watch
(Time of subs in last three matches)
Redknapp:
8, 67 & 80 Vs. Inter (a)
44, 46 & 70 Vs. Fulham (a)
46 & 77 Vs. Villa (h)
Moyes:
46, 72 & 74 Vs. Liverpool (h)
79 & 86 Vs. Birmingham (a)
62 & 88 Vs. Fulham (a)
This points to at least two Everton players (and possibly more) especially as they will have more time to recover from their last game than Spurs. Arteta is a certainty for one of the spots and then at least two from the group tipped last time out, probably Distin and Baines for me.
As for Spurs I can't see past Bale and Assou-Ekotto. The only thing worrying me is that Van der Vaart will be making his Picklive debut for Spurs and so represents a bit of an unknown quantity. The difficulty is do you drop an Everton player in spite of the possession stats above or do you try and work out how you can possibly drop Bale or Assou-Ekotto. A tough choice either way.
BensBulls
Subs Watch
(Time of subs in last three matches)
Redknapp:
8, 67 & 80 Vs. Inter (a)
44, 46 & 70 Vs. Fulham (a)
46 & 77 Vs. Villa (h)
Moyes:
46, 72 & 74 Vs. Liverpool (h)
79 & 86 Vs. Birmingham (a)
62 & 88 Vs. Fulham (a)
Friday 22 October 2010
BristolCity/QPR
It’s top v. bottom in the championship as my beloved and mighty Bristol City (bottom) take on the actually mighty Q.P.R. (top). Q.P.R. are unbeaten so far but have recorded three draws in the last four games. Bristol City should be buzzing after a magnificent victory over Reading on Tuesday. I predict a score draw.
So, the teams....
Q.P.R. were Picklived last year but this does not give much insight as the QPR team looks very different this year. On that occasion, defender Gorkss was the second highest scoring player in the game. This season, he has an impressive record of 2 goals, 1 assist and 6 shots on goal. Also, he has played every match and not been subbed.
Also in defence for QPR is Kyle Walker. Passing statistics are not available for the Championship so there is not much to go on, but Kyle has been in two official NPower Championship Teams of the Week since the start of the season and has played the full 90 minutes in every match since the 28th August. Also, my QPR mole reliable informs me that he is a bit of a fulcrum in the team and “passes lots”.
Bradley Orr might be back in the QPR team after a calf niggle. Fondly remembered by Bristol City fans for his rampaging runs forward from defence and shots ballooning over the bar but he is a decent player and in 5 appearances for the Hoops this term has a goal and 5 shots to his name. Sometimes plays in midfield and knows how to pass a ball. Will he play the full ninety minutes if selected though?
Adel Taarabt will probably be in most selections and the stats support this. 4 goals so far, 7 assist (most of any QPR player) and the most shots in the whole of the Championship (26 on target and 13 off target). Be aware though that he is ALWAYS substituted: the last 3 games have seen him taken off between the 70th and 80th minute. Should rack up enough points to merit inclusion in the big game though.
Heidar Helguson will also be a popular option due to the fact that people have heard of him. With 5 goals, 2 assists and 29 shots on goal (16 on target, 13 off target) he looks like a good choice. However, he has a naughty streak and enjoys the kind of ferocious tackling that would have Danny Murphy choking on his Coco Pops: he has among the worst disciplinary records in the championship – 22 fouls and counting.
Jamie Mackie is QPR’s top scorer with 8 goals so far and has played all of the last 3 matches. Ephraim is another player to look out for and has played a part in every QPR match so far but he does often get subbed sometime after the 70th minute. Defender Matt Connelly is a result of Arsenal’s youth squad and is tipped for great things and also worth a look.
And on the Bristol City...
Keith Millen has announce an unchanged line up from the team that so gloriously demolished Reading. The stand out pick I would say is Midfielder Marvin Elliott. Great distribution and, as BCFC.co.uk has it, a “tough tackler” However, this tough tackling can get him into trouble and his disciplinary record is not good. 2 goals already this season from midfield.
Midfield Winger Albert Adomah might be in my pick. He is the joint top scorer (with a quite pathetic 2 goals). He is also the second most prolific shooter in the team and has 3 assists.
Striker Jonathan Stead should be playing and has peppered opposition goalkeepers with 26 shots (19 on target) in only 7 appearances. He scored 2 matches ago and if you are chasing goals then might be worth a look. Louis Carey should also do well on Picklive and for City.
David James in goal was magnificent for City against Reading but in other matches this season he has looked like he is desperately trying to reclaim his “Calamity” moniker. However, he is sure to have plenty of shots to save and on his day is more than able to rack up loads of saves.
So, my tip is to have Gorkss, Walker and Taarabt with any 2 from Ephraim, Connelly, Elliott, Adomah, Mackie or Carey.
Warriors
So, the teams....
Q.P.R. were Picklived last year but this does not give much insight as the QPR team looks very different this year. On that occasion, defender Gorkss was the second highest scoring player in the game. This season, he has an impressive record of 2 goals, 1 assist and 6 shots on goal. Also, he has played every match and not been subbed.
Also in defence for QPR is Kyle Walker. Passing statistics are not available for the Championship so there is not much to go on, but Kyle has been in two official NPower Championship Teams of the Week since the start of the season and has played the full 90 minutes in every match since the 28th August. Also, my QPR mole reliable informs me that he is a bit of a fulcrum in the team and “passes lots”.
Bradley Orr might be back in the QPR team after a calf niggle. Fondly remembered by Bristol City fans for his rampaging runs forward from defence and shots ballooning over the bar but he is a decent player and in 5 appearances for the Hoops this term has a goal and 5 shots to his name. Sometimes plays in midfield and knows how to pass a ball. Will he play the full ninety minutes if selected though?
Adel Taarabt will probably be in most selections and the stats support this. 4 goals so far, 7 assist (most of any QPR player) and the most shots in the whole of the Championship (26 on target and 13 off target). Be aware though that he is ALWAYS substituted: the last 3 games have seen him taken off between the 70th and 80th minute. Should rack up enough points to merit inclusion in the big game though.
Heidar Helguson will also be a popular option due to the fact that people have heard of him. With 5 goals, 2 assists and 29 shots on goal (16 on target, 13 off target) he looks like a good choice. However, he has a naughty streak and enjoys the kind of ferocious tackling that would have Danny Murphy choking on his Coco Pops: he has among the worst disciplinary records in the championship – 22 fouls and counting.
Jamie Mackie is QPR’s top scorer with 8 goals so far and has played all of the last 3 matches. Ephraim is another player to look out for and has played a part in every QPR match so far but he does often get subbed sometime after the 70th minute. Defender Matt Connelly is a result of Arsenal’s youth squad and is tipped for great things and also worth a look.
And on the Bristol City...
Keith Millen has announce an unchanged line up from the team that so gloriously demolished Reading. The stand out pick I would say is Midfielder Marvin Elliott. Great distribution and, as BCFC.co.uk has it, a “tough tackler” However, this tough tackling can get him into trouble and his disciplinary record is not good. 2 goals already this season from midfield.
Midfield Winger Albert Adomah might be in my pick. He is the joint top scorer (with a quite pathetic 2 goals). He is also the second most prolific shooter in the team and has 3 assists.
Striker Jonathan Stead should be playing and has peppered opposition goalkeepers with 26 shots (19 on target) in only 7 appearances. He scored 2 matches ago and if you are chasing goals then might be worth a look. Louis Carey should also do well on Picklive and for City.
David James in goal was magnificent for City against Reading but in other matches this season he has looked like he is desperately trying to reclaim his “Calamity” moniker. However, he is sure to have plenty of shots to save and on his day is more than able to rack up loads of saves.
So, my tip is to have Gorkss, Walker and Taarabt with any 2 from Ephraim, Connelly, Elliott, Adomah, Mackie or Carey.
Warriors
New signing for FC Roger
FC Roger is proud to unveil it's latest (and first) signing, the Picklive enigma that is Warriors.
Warriors is currently 14th in the all-time Picklive league and soon to overtake such Picklive hall-of-famers as Team Orient and ballersboys and join the 10kClub.
Happily for FC Roger, Warriors is also a lifetime Bristol City fan. Meaning that we've been able to sign him on a free in exchange for letting him write woefully optimistic tips for tonights game against QPR.
Look out for those tips coming very soon.
Warriors is currently 14th in the all-time Picklive league and soon to overtake such Picklive hall-of-famers as Team Orient and ballersboys and join the 10kClub.
Happily for FC Roger, Warriors is also a lifetime Bristol City fan. Meaning that we've been able to sign him on a free in exchange for letting him write woefully optimistic tips for tonights game against QPR.
Look out for those tips coming very soon.
Thursday 21 October 2010
ManCity/LechPoznan
Lech Poznan are joint top of their Europa League mini-league along with Man City. However I can't see things being even at the end of this match. Lech Poznan are third bottom in their own league and should be no match for Mancini's men.
But that's what Juventus probably thought too before being held to a draw in Italy. That 3-3 be a good indicator for tonight but not necessarily in terms of goals. Lech only had 43% of possession that night and so, if that blance was repeated tonight it would be hard to argue for the inclusion of any of the away team in your Big Game squad. That is unless Rudnevs repeats his Turin heroics and gets another hat-trick.
So the trick tonight is narrowing down the Man City 11 to 5:
Da Silva got a quickfire 41 from the subs bench in the game at Blackpool.
Richards has a few sixties to his name.
Zabaleta would've been his teams top scorer in the recent win over Chelsea, were it not for a yellow card.
Wright-Phillips has had only low scores for Man City recently, usually as a sub but you would fancy him in a match like this.
A Johnson and Viera have to be shoo ins on scores like this one.
And De Jong needs no case to be made for inclusion.
So the only big questions tonight are will Adebayor pull his finger out and score a hatful and will there be another 100% score tonight?
But that's what Juventus probably thought too before being held to a draw in Italy. That 3-3 be a good indicator for tonight but not necessarily in terms of goals. Lech only had 43% of possession that night and so, if that blance was repeated tonight it would be hard to argue for the inclusion of any of the away team in your Big Game squad. That is unless Rudnevs repeats his Turin heroics and gets another hat-trick.
So the trick tonight is narrowing down the Man City 11 to 5:
Da Silva got a quickfire 41 from the subs bench in the game at Blackpool.
Richards has a few sixties to his name.
Zabaleta would've been his teams top scorer in the recent win over Chelsea, were it not for a yellow card.
Wright-Phillips has had only low scores for Man City recently, usually as a sub but you would fancy him in a match like this.
A Johnson and Viera have to be shoo ins on scores like this one.
And De Jong needs no case to be made for inclusion.
So the only big questions tonight are will Adebayor pull his finger out and score a hatful and will there be another 100% score tonight?
Napoli/Liverpool
'Technical Difficulties' conspired to prevent me from actually publicly tipping going for 5 Inter players last night and, but for the Bale-led comeback, the tip almost came off.
Tonight has a similar feel to it and I'll be looking for 3 or 4 Napoli players for the Big Game. Even picking 1 or 2 Liverpool players will be tough as two of the stand out point scorers, Gerrard and Johnson, won't be playing. Konchesky and Skrtel are reliable if unspectacular scorers and the three central midfielders, Poulsen, Lucas and Meireles, often score well. Meireles was the top scorer in the Merseyside derby on Sunday, even with a yellow card, pipping Picklive legend Mikel Arteta. Poulsen had a big match against Man Utd and Lucas wasn't far behind against Everton.
However, Hodgson has left Meireles and Lucas behind so we're left with only Poulsen, Konchesky and Skrtel, preferably in that order. Otherwise it may be worth taking a punt on one of the younger Liverpool players; Jay Spearing scored a huge 92 points against Steaua Bucharest and that was without any goals or assists.
Napoli had 55% possession away to Steaua Bucharest (Liverpool had 52% at home to Steaua) and 57% at home to FC Utrecht (Liverpool got only 42% away to Utrecht) so if they can get anywhere near that then they should dominate the points scoring.
Napoli usually play a 3-4-2-1 formation. Cannavaro, the Captain, plays at the centre of the back three and should be considered although he is a bit of a card risk. Hamsik is one of the stars and will surely on a lot of people's lists but he is often subbed with 20ish minutes to go. An interesting alternative could be Lavezzi who players behind Cavani and alongside Hamsik. But at least one spot should go to
Pazienza, Dossena, Gargano or Maggio who make up the midfield four. I've a hunch that those four could decide it tonight even if it's on who gets subbed first/last.
Good luck!
Tonight has a similar feel to it and I'll be looking for 3 or 4 Napoli players for the Big Game. Even picking 1 or 2 Liverpool players will be tough as two of the stand out point scorers, Gerrard and Johnson, won't be playing. Konchesky and Skrtel are reliable if unspectacular scorers and the three central midfielders, Poulsen, Lucas and Meireles, often score well. Meireles was the top scorer in the Merseyside derby on Sunday, even with a yellow card, pipping Picklive legend Mikel Arteta. Poulsen had a big match against Man Utd and Lucas wasn't far behind against Everton.
However, Hodgson has left Meireles and Lucas behind so we're left with only Poulsen, Konchesky and Skrtel, preferably in that order. Otherwise it may be worth taking a punt on one of the younger Liverpool players; Jay Spearing scored a huge 92 points against Steaua Bucharest and that was without any goals or assists.
Napoli had 55% possession away to Steaua Bucharest (Liverpool had 52% at home to Steaua) and 57% at home to FC Utrecht (Liverpool got only 42% away to Utrecht) so if they can get anywhere near that then they should dominate the points scoring.
Napoli usually play a 3-4-2-1 formation. Cannavaro, the Captain, plays at the centre of the back three and should be considered although he is a bit of a card risk. Hamsik is one of the stars and will surely on a lot of people's lists but he is often subbed with 20ish minutes to go. An interesting alternative could be Lavezzi who players behind Cavani and alongside Hamsik. But at least one spot should go to
Pazienza, Dossena, Gargano or Maggio who make up the midfield four. I've a hunch that those four could decide it tonight even if it's on who gets subbed first/last.
Good luck!
Tuesday 19 October 2010
Arsenal/ShakhtarDonetsk
Shakhtar Donetsk manager Lucescu obviously likes a sub as he's made a change on
57, 57, 70, 45, 61 , 90, 66, 74, 79, 62, 65 and 67 minutes in the last 4 games alone. Hübschman and the strikers took the brunt of those substitutions but it's another reason to favour Arsenal players for your Big Game team.
Although Shakhtar Donetsk are top of the Ukrainian league I'll be going for at least 4 Arsenal players tonight. Which 4 is another matter, Nasri has been in Arsenal's top 3 points scorers for the last 3 Picklive matches so he'll be in my 5. Wilshere and Clichy have been in that top 3 at least a couple of times in the last 4 matches so are obviously worth considering. With Koscielny, Sagna and Vermaelen out Squillaci might worth a try at the back, as might Eboue if he starts at full-back.
But the big question is whether to go for Fabregas if he starts. Will he play enough minutes or will it not matter if goes off after 70 or so?
57, 57, 70, 45, 61 , 90, 66, 74, 79, 62, 65 and 67 minutes in the last 4 games alone. Hübschman and the strikers took the brunt of those substitutions but it's another reason to favour Arsenal players for your Big Game team.
Although Shakhtar Donetsk are top of the Ukrainian league I'll be going for at least 4 Arsenal players tonight. Which 4 is another matter, Nasri has been in Arsenal's top 3 points scorers for the last 3 Picklive matches so he'll be in my 5. Wilshere and Clichy have been in that top 3 at least a couple of times in the last 4 matches so are obviously worth considering. With Koscielny, Sagna and Vermaelen out Squillaci might worth a try at the back, as might Eboue if he starts at full-back.
But the big question is whether to go for Fabregas if he starts. Will he play enough minutes or will it not matter if goes off after 70 or so?
SpartakMoscow/Chelsea
Chelsea-wise my thoughts haven't changed much since the Villa game and I'll be looking at the same players.
The now obligatory subs research doesn't reveal much except that Ibson and Alex (the Moscow one) have been subbed 11 and 9 times respectively in the last 22 games. But then Alex is now injured and out.
Spartak have won their first two games against Žilina and Marseille respectively. This combined with their artificial pitch makes me want to go for 3 Spartak players and only 2 from Chelsea. However the better Picklive data around for Chelsea does make it difficult to go with that split with any confidence.
Out of the Spartak players I would be looking at Ibson, Ari or Sheshukov depending on the line-up. If it looks like Sheshukov will play just in front of the back four it may be worth picking one or more of the full-backs.
I'll be going with Cole, who should be busy against McGeady, plus Essien and/or Mikel. The choice then is whether to go with 2 Spartak players or 3...
Nb: check out the UEFA press kit for general stats and background.
The now obligatory subs research doesn't reveal much except that Ibson and Alex (the Moscow one) have been subbed 11 and 9 times respectively in the last 22 games. But then Alex is now injured and out.
Spartak have won their first two games against Žilina and Marseille respectively. This combined with their artificial pitch makes me want to go for 3 Spartak players and only 2 from Chelsea. However the better Picklive data around for Chelsea does make it difficult to go with that split with any confidence.
Out of the Spartak players I would be looking at Ibson, Ari or Sheshukov depending on the line-up. If it looks like Sheshukov will play just in front of the back four it may be worth picking one or more of the full-backs.
I'll be going with Cole, who should be busy against McGeady, plus Essien and/or Mikel. The choice then is whether to go with 2 Spartak players or 3...
Nb: check out the UEFA press kit for general stats and background.
Monday 18 October 2010
Blackburn/Sunderland
Subs, as always, could be a major factor in the Big Game tonight. Sam Allardyce likes to tinker as the last three games show:
(A) v. Stoke
Emerton (Mwaruwari 75)
Pedersen (Hoilett 86)
E. Diouf(Olsson 54)
(A) v. Blackpool
M. Diouf (Emerton 46)
Nzonzi (Andrews 66)
Kalinic (Mwaruwari 76)
(A) v. Aston Villa
Nelsen (Samba 66)
Mwaruwari (Diouf 62)
Hoilett (Kalinic 78)
Not much of a pattern in terms of players subbed so the danger is ending up with a player (or more) going off with more than a quarter of the game to go (as has happened for 5 of the last 9 subs)
Steve Bruce hasn't subbed anyone earlier than the 81st minute for the last two games (Home to Man Utd., Away to Liverpool) but did this at home to West Ham:
Ferdinand (Da Silva 40)
Henderson (Zenden 71)
Gyan (Malbranque 61)
There's only limited previous Picklive form to go on but Blackburn's top 4 (El-Hadji Diouf, Nelsen, Jones and Salgado), from the last game all started the last match against Stoke. Nelsen is an injury doubt though. Only Richardson of Sunderland's top 4 (Henderson, Richardson, Onuoha & Mignolet) didn't start their last league game.
Much will depend on the starting line-ups as Dunn, Bent and Nelsen are all doubtful.
Tip: go for Henderson & Salgado then wait to see if Dunn starts (worth a gamble even if he is a sub risk). Onuoha and Emerton are worth considering as is Richardson if he starts. Bent has 5 goals in 7 league games if you fancy a high risk strategy. Even more risky could be Cattermole though...
Good luck!
(A) v. Stoke
Emerton (Mwaruwari 75)
Pedersen (Hoilett 86)
E. Diouf(Olsson 54)
(A) v. Blackpool
M. Diouf (Emerton 46)
Nzonzi (Andrews 66)
Kalinic (Mwaruwari 76)
(A) v. Aston Villa
Nelsen (Samba 66)
Mwaruwari (Diouf 62)
Hoilett (Kalinic 78)
Not much of a pattern in terms of players subbed so the danger is ending up with a player (or more) going off with more than a quarter of the game to go (as has happened for 5 of the last 9 subs)
Steve Bruce hasn't subbed anyone earlier than the 81st minute for the last two games (Home to Man Utd., Away to Liverpool) but did this at home to West Ham:
Ferdinand (Da Silva 40)
Henderson (Zenden 71)
Gyan (Malbranque 61)
There's only limited previous Picklive form to go on but Blackburn's top 4 (El-Hadji Diouf, Nelsen, Jones and Salgado), from the last game all started the last match against Stoke. Nelsen is an injury doubt though. Only Richardson of Sunderland's top 4 (Henderson, Richardson, Onuoha & Mignolet) didn't start their last league game.
Much will depend on the starting line-ups as Dunn, Bent and Nelsen are all doubtful.
Tip: go for Henderson & Salgado then wait to see if Dunn starts (worth a gamble even if he is a sub risk). Onuoha and Emerton are worth considering as is Richardson if he starts. Bent has 5 goals in 7 league games if you fancy a high risk strategy. Even more risky could be Cattermole though...
Good luck!
Sunday 17 October 2010
Sporting Gijon/Sevilla
Konko has scored 75 and 54 in 2 of Sevilla's 3 Picklive appearances. Navarro has got 60 in both the games against Malaga and Deportivo La Coruna.
Caceres and Guarente were top scorers in the last game away to Malaga but neither start tonight. Sevilla are strong favourites tonight and did the double over Gijon last year so it would seem sensible to go strong on the away side for the Big Game.
Gijon have the 6th worst disciplinary record in La Liga so far this season and Botia has the dubious pleasure of being the joint worst disciplined player with 5 yellows already. Castro (2 goals) is the only Gijon player with more than one league goal to his name.
If you do want to include a Gijon player it may be worth considering Alberto Rivera who has two assists to his name this season. He's been subbed 3 times late on in his 6 appearances this season though. As has de las Cuevas.
Recommendations: Pick Navarro and Konko from Sevilla, Castro from Gijon.
Caceres and Guarente were top scorers in the last game away to Malaga but neither start tonight. Sevilla are strong favourites tonight and did the double over Gijon last year so it would seem sensible to go strong on the away side for the Big Game.
Gijon have the 6th worst disciplinary record in La Liga so far this season and Botia has the dubious pleasure of being the joint worst disciplined player with 5 yellows already. Castro (2 goals) is the only Gijon player with more than one league goal to his name.
If you do want to include a Gijon player it may be worth considering Alberto Rivera who has two assists to his name this season. He's been subbed 3 times late on in his 6 appearances this season though. As has de las Cuevas.
Recommendations: Pick Navarro and Konko from Sevilla, Castro from Gijon.
100% gone
Seems that Tom Element of Wildheart FC fame has picked the first ever 100% Big Game team thus doubling his £50.05 upto £100.10. Well done Tom - who is now the proud owner of the most games played ever too!
Blackpool/Man City
Blackpool's only Premiership Picklive game suggests that Crainey or Adam may be worth a punt, both getting high scores in what was a comfortable win for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Other than one of the above it's hard to make a case for anything other than 4 or 5 City players. Leafing through their recent Picklive matches it does seem a bit of a lottery as to which players are going to top score. I tipped Yaya Toure and Barry for the last Man City game as they had the best averages, Kompany and De Jong subsequently out-scored everyone comfortably.
My instinct is to go for Adam Johnson if he starts plus whoever makes up the central midfield three (e.g. Barry, De Jong, Yaya Toure).
Other than one of the above it's hard to make a case for anything other than 4 or 5 City players. Leafing through their recent Picklive matches it does seem a bit of a lottery as to which players are going to top score. I tipped Yaya Toure and Barry for the last Man City game as they had the best averages, Kompany and De Jong subsequently out-scored everyone comfortably.
My instinct is to go for Adam Johnson if he starts plus whoever makes up the central midfield three (e.g. Barry, De Jong, Yaya Toure).
Stats: Everton/Liverpool
Everton have only played two games on Picklive this season but there seems to be a reasonable pattern emerging already. Namely that Arteta is their top point scorer and can pull in some huge scores; 91 against Man Utd. and 107 against Villa. Pienaar (78 & 47), Jagielka (76 & 50), Baines (68 & 75), Distin (58 & 69) and Fellaini (50 & 76). I would recommend picking two of that group to put in alongside Arteta.
The above assumes you're only picking two Liverpool players which is my instinct for this match. The Reds last two away league games covered by Picklive were against Man Utd. and Birmingham. Gerrard's two scores in this game are illuminating, scoring 107 at Old Trafford, more than double the 51 he got at St. Andrews. So, it's a call on whether you think he's worth the risk or not. Personally I'll be picking him and throwing in either one of the full-backs or Poulson or Lucas. I would scrutinise the starting line-ups carefully before picking this one though.
Good luck!
The above assumes you're only picking two Liverpool players which is my instinct for this match. The Reds last two away league games covered by Picklive were against Man Utd. and Birmingham. Gerrard's two scores in this game are illuminating, scoring 107 at Old Trafford, more than double the 51 he got at St. Andrews. So, it's a call on whether you think he's worth the risk or not. Personally I'll be picking him and throwing in either one of the full-backs or Poulson or Lucas. I would scrutinise the starting line-ups carefully before picking this one though.
Good luck!
Saturday 16 October 2010
Half-time update: Could the 100% fall?
JimBobTeds FC (managed by Steve) has 166 out of a possible 168 at half-time in the Villa/Chelsea match. This would suggest he has Mikel, Warnock, Malouda and two from Terry, Cole and Petrov. Steve needs Malouda to kick on past whoever he hasn't got from the latter trio to get his Big Game winnings doubled!
Stats: Villa/Chelsea
The last 5 Chelsea away games on Picklive have seen them field 3 of the top 5 scoring players three times and 4 of the top 5 twice. Mikel has been their 5th, 1st, 3rd, 5th and 2nd top Chelsea points scorer respectively in those five matches. Those two 5th places would've been 3rd and 2nd if it wasn't for a minus 10 points in each match for a yellow card.
Aston Villa have played less Picklive games so there's less to go on. This is further complicated by their erratic point scoring; in their last five games they've had 1, 4, 1, 3 and 4 players in the top 5 scorers. And this is against moderate opposition in Wolves, Stoke, Everton, Newcastle and Portsmouth. Notably they played Everton at home, had only 1 player in the top 5 and still won the match.
Villa enjoy an excellent home record against Chelsea (one loss in eleven) but the stats above suggest that even if the Villans get a draw or better the Big Game points will be dominated by Chelsea. With Lampard and Drogba out Mikel gets into my team alongside Essien. I'll then pick two from Cole, Malouda, Terry and Kalou once the line-ups are announced. My only Villa player would normally be Warnock or Luke Young but I fancy Downing for this one.
And can anyone stop Chelman42 this weekend? Bradley Marson has managed them to 5 straight top 3 finishes, winning twice. Will the Chelsea of Picklive continue his streak?
Aston Villa have played less Picklive games so there's less to go on. This is further complicated by their erratic point scoring; in their last five games they've had 1, 4, 1, 3 and 4 players in the top 5 scorers. And this is against moderate opposition in Wolves, Stoke, Everton, Newcastle and Portsmouth. Notably they played Everton at home, had only 1 player in the top 5 and still won the match.
Villa enjoy an excellent home record against Chelsea (one loss in eleven) but the stats above suggest that even if the Villans get a draw or better the Big Game points will be dominated by Chelsea. With Lampard and Drogba out Mikel gets into my team alongside Essien. I'll then pick two from Cole, Malouda, Terry and Kalou once the line-ups are announced. My only Villa player would normally be Warnock or Luke Young but I fancy Downing for this one.
And can anyone stop Chelman42 this weekend? Bradley Marson has managed them to 5 straight top 3 finishes, winning twice. Will the Chelsea of Picklive continue his streak?
Tuesday 12 October 2010
100% tonight?
46 playing tonight and still 10 mins to go. Surely the 100% double prize will go tonight?
Big Game: England/Montenegro
I'm not sure I need to give anyone any tips for tonight, especially as Vucinic is out. But here, for your pleasure is the England Picklive stats up until the Slovenia match at the World Cup. Enjoy:
Crouch ()
Rooney (55, 70, 21, 28, 24)
A Johnson (68, 28, 58)
Gerrard (80, 77, 96, 73, 69)
Barry (54, 60, 40, 68, 38)
Young (-1, 37)
G Johnson (91, 56, 58, 27, 54)
Ferdinand ()
Lescott (63)
A Cole (68, 93, 22, 70, 47)
Hart (19, 49, 48)
Crouch ()
Rooney (55, 70, 21, 28, 24)
A Johnson (68, 28, 58)
Gerrard (80, 77, 96, 73, 69)
Barry (54, 60, 40, 68, 38)
Young (-1, 37)
G Johnson (91, 56, 58, 27, 54)
Ferdinand ()
Lescott (63)
A Cole (68, 93, 22, 70, 47)
Hart (19, 49, 48)
Big Game Tips: Faroes/N.Ireland
McCann (80th and 67th minutes), Healy (66 & 67) and Brunt (71 & 89) have been subbed in both of the last two N. Ireland qualifiers. Brunt might still be worth a punt seeing as he seems to be subbed later on in the game and especially if he can replicate his scoring against Chelsea last time out on Picklive.
Apart from Brunt, Baird (71, 47 and 54 points), Hughes (36, 56, 38) and Davis (51, 65, 42) have some Picklive history. Lafferty only a few sub appearances. Johnny Evans has a long and solid Picklive history and averages out at over 50 for Man Utd. (40, 57, 65, 55, 56, 53 and 41).
The big decisions to made are goal-related: Will Healy re-discover his scoring touch, will he get hauled off to make way for Lafferty, will Lafferty start and Healy come on to score a hat-trick. Endless.
My tip is to go with Baird and Davis as they've got Picklive pedigree. I'm going to take the risk on Brunt as he does score the odd goal (almost 1 in 4 for WBA). After that I'd suggest a Johnny Evans/Feeney pick unless you fancy a higher risk plan involving at least two of Feeney/Healy/Lafferty dependent on starting line-ups.
And just a note on the live game, an early goal might mean 3 or 4 over the course of the match. Could be a great chance to lay down a strong marker for this weeks jackpot. Tip: start with a conservative strategy until the first goal goes in and then switch to an aggressive approach designed to catch a further goal.
Good luck!
Apart from Brunt, Baird (71, 47 and 54 points), Hughes (36, 56, 38) and Davis (51, 65, 42) have some Picklive history. Lafferty only a few sub appearances. Johnny Evans has a long and solid Picklive history and averages out at over 50 for Man Utd. (40, 57, 65, 55, 56, 53 and 41).
The big decisions to made are goal-related: Will Healy re-discover his scoring touch, will he get hauled off to make way for Lafferty, will Lafferty start and Healy come on to score a hat-trick. Endless.
My tip is to go with Baird and Davis as they've got Picklive pedigree. I'm going to take the risk on Brunt as he does score the odd goal (almost 1 in 4 for WBA). After that I'd suggest a Johnny Evans/Feeney pick unless you fancy a higher risk plan involving at least two of Feeney/Healy/Lafferty dependent on starting line-ups.
And just a note on the live game, an early goal might mean 3 or 4 over the course of the match. Could be a great chance to lay down a strong marker for this weeks jackpot. Tip: start with a conservative strategy until the first goal goes in and then switch to an aggressive approach designed to catch a further goal.
Good luck!
Monday 11 October 2010
Tips: Swindon/Bristol Rovers
Struggling for stats & insight tonight so I'm not going to insult your intelligence with anything more than a punt.
I'm going to take the risk on Prutton for my Big Game 5 tonight, even though he's had 4 yellows and 2 reds already this season. I'm also going for Caddis, Douglas and McGovern from Swindon Town (All regulars, full-backs or midfielders, home side). Then I'm torn between Amankwaah or throwing in a Rovers player. But seeing as I was born in Wiltshire I'd better go for 5 Robins...
Good luck!
I'm going to take the risk on Prutton for my Big Game 5 tonight, even though he's had 4 yellows and 2 reds already this season. I'm also going for Caddis, Douglas and McGovern from Swindon Town (All regulars, full-backs or midfielders, home side). Then I'm torn between Amankwaah or throwing in a Rovers player. But seeing as I was born in Wiltshire I'd better go for 5 Robins...
Good luck!
Saturday 9 October 2010
Tips: Brighton/Bournemouth
Poyet's habit of subbing a couple of players after an hour (see Subs post below) has me worried for this one. With no Picklive stats to work with for either side it's difficult to say whether to go for a player like Kishishev or Sparrow or not. If they are subbed will they have racked enough points to prevent you falling behind in the Big Game table?
My personal preference is to avoid the risk and so I'm going for a tried and trusted strategy of picking full-backs or midfielders who tend to play the full 90. My tips then, are: Calderon, Bennett, Wiggens and Pugh for the Big Game.
In the Live Game I would add Kishishev and/or Sparrow (depending on who starts) to my list of potentials as they'll be at the heart of the action for Brighton. Plus Symes and Mcquoid how have scored 9 goals between them this season.
If you're aiming for the jackpot then you could do worse than ex-Bull Marc Pugh. He should pick up regular passing points if Bournemouth are seeing enough of the ball plus he's had the most shots for the Cherries this season and scored 4 goals.
My personal preference is to avoid the risk and so I'm going for a tried and trusted strategy of picking full-backs or midfielders who tend to play the full 90. My tips then, are: Calderon, Bennett, Wiggens and Pugh for the Big Game.
In the Live Game I would add Kishishev and/or Sparrow (depending on who starts) to my list of potentials as they'll be at the heart of the action for Brighton. Plus Symes and Mcquoid how have scored 9 goals between them this season.
If you're aiming for the jackpot then you could do worse than ex-Bull Marc Pugh. He should pick up regular passing points if Bournemouth are seeing enough of the ball plus he's had the most shots for the Cherries this season and scored 4 goals.
Friday 8 October 2010
Tips: Wales/Bulgaria
Stats are a bit thin on the ground for this match. Wales have never featured on Picklive and Bulgaria only the once. Stiliyan Petrov top scored for Bulgaria that day and that'll be enough for me to include him tonight.
Without stats for Wales it's best to dip into relevant, recent club matches. Gareth Bale will surely feature in most fives tonight and for good reason, his last 3 scores for Spurs are 78, 52 and 74.
Angelov scored 43 for Bulgaria against England but only 30 for Steaua Bucharest against Liverpool recently.
Edwards has scored 37 and 34 in his last two games for Wolves so not much to get excited about there. Ricketts, on the other hand, got a 52 away to Man City last season which isn't to be sniffed at.
More stats to follow but can only confidently recommend Bale and S Petrov at the moment!
Update:
3 more to consider with points from last two appearances (number in brackets is the amount scored by their highest scoring team-mate.
Gunter (Notts Forest) 48 (68), 58 (59)
J Collins (Aston Villa) 44 (65), 56, (73)
D Collins (Stoke) 42 (43),33 (47)
Without stats for Wales it's best to dip into relevant, recent club matches. Gareth Bale will surely feature in most fives tonight and for good reason, his last 3 scores for Spurs are 78, 52 and 74.
Angelov scored 43 for Bulgaria against England but only 30 for Steaua Bucharest against Liverpool recently.
Edwards has scored 37 and 34 in his last two games for Wolves so not much to get excited about there. Ricketts, on the other hand, got a 52 away to Man City last season which isn't to be sniffed at.
More stats to follow but can only confidently recommend Bale and S Petrov at the moment!
Update:
3 more to consider with points from last two appearances (number in brackets is the amount scored by their highest scoring team-mate.
Gunter (Notts Forest) 48 (68), 58 (59)
J Collins (Aston Villa) 44 (65), 56, (73)
D Collins (Stoke) 42 (43),33 (47)
Subs: Brighton/Bournemouth
Just a few stats ahead of the match tomorrow, shows the subs in the last 3 games for both Brighton and Bournemouth.
Note Gus Poyet's Mourinho-esque habit of making several changes around the hour mark - something to bear in mind when picking your Big Game team.
Brighton
Tranmere (A)
Sparrow off after 66 minutes
Barnes 66 mins
Murray 79 mins
Brentford (H)
Sparrow 54 mins
Sandaza 59 mins
Kishishev 60 mins
Oldham (H)
Bridcutt 60 mins
Murray 71 mins
Bournemouth
Southampton (A)
Feeney 46 mins
Bartley 61 mins
Symes 68 mins
Exeter (H)
McQuoid 81 mins
Symes 85 mins
Bartley 88 mins
Carlisle (H)
Cooper 46 mins
Pugh 90 mins
Feeney 90 mins
Note Gus Poyet's Mourinho-esque habit of making several changes around the hour mark - something to bear in mind when picking your Big Game team.
Brighton
Tranmere (A)
Sparrow off after 66 minutes
Barnes 66 mins
Murray 79 mins
Brentford (H)
Sparrow 54 mins
Sandaza 59 mins
Kishishev 60 mins
Oldham (H)
Bridcutt 60 mins
Murray 71 mins
Bournemouth
Southampton (A)
Feeney 46 mins
Bartley 61 mins
Symes 68 mins
Exeter (H)
McQuoid 81 mins
Symes 85 mins
Bartley 88 mins
Carlisle (H)
Cooper 46 mins
Pugh 90 mins
Feeney 90 mins
100% accurate?
Announced on these pages by Tim Morgan no less, Picklive will be doubling the Big Game prize for the first person to get a 100% maximum score. Now this is a tough challenge, any score over 90% should be considered excellent and the 94% from the Real game on Sunday was spectacular. But even that 94% is a long way from getting a perfect score.
For the prize to be won there'll probably need to be three ingredients:
1. A big match attracting lots of pickers (more chance of someone picking the right 5).
2. One team team clearly dominating (it's easier to pick 5 from 11 than from 22...)
3. A match with no surprising subs, cards or too many goals.
So from that lot I would say an International or Champions League match would be most likely or possibly Real or Barca at home in La Liga. Looking at the fixtures I can't see anything there likely to worry the Picklive beancounters for a while. If it goes before Inter v Spurs on the 20th Oct I'll be very surprised. That is unless England turn it on on Tuesday or someone with a strong knowledge of how N. Ireland play gets their 5 right against the Faroes??
For the prize to be won there'll probably need to be three ingredients:
1. A big match attracting lots of pickers (more chance of someone picking the right 5).
2. One team team clearly dominating (it's easier to pick 5 from 11 than from 22...)
3. A match with no surprising subs, cards or too many goals.
So from that lot I would say an International or Champions League match would be most likely or possibly Real or Barca at home in La Liga. Looking at the fixtures I can't see anything there likely to worry the Picklive beancounters for a while. If it goes before Inter v Spurs on the 20th Oct I'll be very surprised. That is unless England turn it on on Tuesday or someone with a strong knowledge of how N. Ireland play gets their 5 right against the Faroes??
Wednesday 6 October 2010
Review: Real/Deportivo
A cracking match with the jackpot changing hands twice, 7 goals and a two way tie on one of the best Big Game scores ever. Cov Wall FC and Chelman42 (Anthony & Bradley respectively) scored 422 out of a possible 443 giving them a whopping 94% of the possible points. As the big guns get better and better at the Big Game perhaps it won't be too long until someone gets 100% - surely worth an incentive Picklive?
Their team was almost certainly Ronaldo, Ramos, Marcelo, Alonso (the top 4 players) and Khedira. And, as predicted, Mourinho made several subs, taking off Khedira, Ozil and di Maria. However, no one else had the top 4 plus Ozil or di Maria leaving Anthony & Bradley a clear run. Me? My disastrous and last minute decision to play Manu cost me dear...
Coming soon: Beginners Guide #2 Pick Early Swap Often, 2 game Jackpot strategy and Preview: Wales/Bulgaria.
Their team was almost certainly Ronaldo, Ramos, Marcelo, Alonso (the top 4 players) and Khedira. And, as predicted, Mourinho made several subs, taking off Khedira, Ozil and di Maria. However, no one else had the top 4 plus Ozil or di Maria leaving Anthony & Bradley a clear run. Me? My disastrous and last minute decision to play Manu cost me dear...
Coming soon: Beginners Guide #2 Pick Early Swap Often, 2 game Jackpot strategy and Preview: Wales/Bulgaria.
Monday 4 October 2010
Tips: Real/Deportivo
Mourinho has made a pair of substitutions around the hour mark in the last two Real Madrid games. Losing a player or two that early in the game can destroy your chances in the Big Game. Zabaleta, Henry and Toure have all had a big impact in the last week by not being on the pitch long enough to rack up their normal scores.
The key then for this match will be second guessing those subs. Khedira, Ozil and di Maria have the potential to score well but have all been subbed early recently. Tonight's Big Game could be decided by who gets those three right.
Ronaldo has had 41 shots in 5 games and hasn't missed a minute so he'll be in my Big Game 5 as will Ramos. As for the Live Game, I'll be picking Alonso regularly and probably Marcelo.
Update: Looking at this game it might be worth picking the Deportivo keeper?
The key then for this match will be second guessing those subs. Khedira, Ozil and di Maria have the potential to score well but have all been subbed early recently. Tonight's Big Game could be decided by who gets those three right.
Ronaldo has had 41 shots in 5 games and hasn't missed a minute so he'll be in my Big Game 5 as will Ramos. As for the Live Game, I'll be picking Alonso regularly and probably Marcelo.
Update: Looking at this game it might be worth picking the Deportivo keeper?
Sunday 3 October 2010
Tips: Chelsea/Arsenal
For the Big Game I'm going for 3 Chelsea players from Mikel, Essien, Cole and Malouda. Then 2 Arsenal players from Wilshire, Nasri and Clichy.
Mind you Drogba always seems to score against Arsenal so I might try and catch a goal from him in the Live Game.
Update: team isn't clear for Arsenal - Song might be worth a shout as he's most likely to play as the holding midfielder...
Mind you Drogba always seems to score against Arsenal so I might try and catch a goal from him in the Live Game.
Update: team isn't clear for Arsenal - Song might be worth a shout as he's most likely to play as the holding midfielder...
2 game Jackpot
The highest Live Game score of the week (Mon-Sun) wins the Jackpot, which is at least £100 and increases according to how many games have been played. Last week was a roller-coaster as the lead changed hands several times on the last day.
This week the Jackpot will be played out across just 2 games and 18.5 hours. The resultant bun-fight will no doubt see the lead change about 7 times unless Gareth Bale scores a hat-trick in the first 7.5 minutes tonight.
In amongst the madness look out for the plodders quietly mopping up the cash in the Live Games as everybody else targets the Jackpot. So, what'll it be? A small chance of £100 or a much bigger chance of £15-20?
This week the Jackpot will be played out across just 2 games and 18.5 hours. The resultant bun-fight will no doubt see the lead change about 7 times unless Gareth Bale scores a hat-trick in the first 7.5 minutes tonight.
In amongst the madness look out for the plodders quietly mopping up the cash in the Live Games as everybody else targets the Jackpot. So, what'll it be? A small chance of £100 or a much bigger chance of £15-20?
Tips: ManCity/Newcastle
Two things are on my mind for this one. First whether to include one Newcastle player or none at all in my Big Game squad. Second, whether to go for a big score strategy in the Live game to try and get that jackpot (currently £126.52 on a tantalising 43).
I would almost certainly go for Enrique if I did pick a magpie as he consistently scores well. Other than the left back I might be tempted by Krul in goal as I just feel he may have a lot of work to do today.
My second decision is not that difficult to make as I think the jackpot will fall in this game. I expect both the Chelsea and Real Madrid games to be tight whereas this one could be full of goals. That's why I'll be going for something like a Tevez/Silva/Barry combo for much of the match.
Tip: Pick 5 Man City players for the Big Game including Barry and Y Toure. Go for adventurous selections in the Live game to try and nail that jackpot, Tevez scores consistently in Picklive and gets the odd goal so is ideal as is Barry and Milner for penalties/free-kicks/assists etc.
I would almost certainly go for Enrique if I did pick a magpie as he consistently scores well. Other than the left back I might be tempted by Krul in goal as I just feel he may have a lot of work to do today.
My second decision is not that difficult to make as I think the jackpot will fall in this game. I expect both the Chelsea and Real Madrid games to be tight whereas this one could be full of goals. That's why I'll be going for something like a Tevez/Silva/Barry combo for much of the match.
Tip: Pick 5 Man City players for the Big Game including Barry and Y Toure. Go for adventurous selections in the Live game to try and nail that jackpot, Tevez scores consistently in Picklive and gets the odd goal so is ideal as is Barry and Milner for penalties/free-kicks/assists etc.
Saturday 2 October 2010
Ooer - Exclusive breaking news
Heard a whisper that there's a bug in the Picklive nerve centre which means the £5 free credit offer is still running until Monday (it was supposed to be pulled yesterday). Chelsea/Arsenal tomorrow is a perfect match to get some newbies signed up, make sure they use your referral link (on your account page) so you get a fiver when they deposit some cash.
Beginners Guide #1 Do your research
So you've made your first deposit, you've tried the demo and you're ready to pile in. But if you go in without doing your research you'll get eaten alive, or maybe just beaten slightly. The best place to start is the team page where you'll find every team that's been involved in a Picklive game.
For an example I'm using Chelsea, useful ahead of the game against Arsenal tomorrow. Their last game was against Marseille. There's usually a group of players that are the main points scorers. So, from this game I would note any player that has scored 50 or more. That gives me Terry/Cech/Mikel/Essien/Anelka/Cole.
I would then look at goals and cards, both of which can skew the points table. Both Terry and Anelka scored so I would drop Anelka off the list as the goal counted for 20 points leaving him on 30 and below my 50 point threshold. Knocking 20 off Terry for his goal leaves him on 51 and so still on the list. Mikel got a yellow card and so would've been on 77 points and top of my list which now looks like this: Mikel/Cech/Essien/Terry/Cole.
Going back for three more games gives me the following lists:
Essien/Malouda/Mikel/Cole/Ivanovic
Essien/Cole/Malouda/Ivanovic/Mikel/Alex
Cole/Terry/Mikel/Essien
Mikel, Essien and Cole are the only three on all 4 lists so they would be my starting 3 in a game I thought Chelsea would dominate. I would then see how the game goes and maybe swap in Malouda, Terry or Ivanovic if necessary.
Repeating the same exercise with the away team would then give me a pool of players to choose from for both the Live and Big games. For the match against Arsenal tomorrow I would probably start with a three of Essien, Cole and Clichy and adapt from there. Those three cover both sides of the pitch and the middle so no matter how the match develops I should have enough points to keep me in contention before I make my first sub.
The weakness of this approach is that it doesn't factor in cards or goals so if you think Essien will get sent off or Drogba will get a hat-trick then you might want to adapt accordingly.
For an example I'm using Chelsea, useful ahead of the game against Arsenal tomorrow. Their last game was against Marseille. There's usually a group of players that are the main points scorers. So, from this game I would note any player that has scored 50 or more. That gives me Terry/Cech/Mikel/Essien/Anelka/Cole.
I would then look at goals and cards, both of which can skew the points table. Both Terry and Anelka scored so I would drop Anelka off the list as the goal counted for 20 points leaving him on 30 and below my 50 point threshold. Knocking 20 off Terry for his goal leaves him on 51 and so still on the list. Mikel got a yellow card and so would've been on 77 points and top of my list which now looks like this: Mikel/Cech/Essien/Terry/Cole.
Going back for three more games gives me the following lists:
Essien/Malouda/Mikel/Cole/Ivanovic
Essien/Cole/Malouda/Ivanovic/Mikel/Alex
Cole/Terry/Mikel/Essien
Mikel, Essien and Cole are the only three on all 4 lists so they would be my starting 3 in a game I thought Chelsea would dominate. I would then see how the game goes and maybe swap in Malouda, Terry or Ivanovic if necessary.
Repeating the same exercise with the away team would then give me a pool of players to choose from for both the Live and Big games. For the match against Arsenal tomorrow I would probably start with a three of Essien, Cole and Clichy and adapt from there. Those three cover both sides of the pitch and the middle so no matter how the match develops I should have enough points to keep me in contention before I make my first sub.
The weakness of this approach is that it doesn't factor in cards or goals so if you think Essien will get sent off or Drogba will get a hat-trick then you might want to adapt accordingly.
Friday 1 October 2010
Tips: Wigan/Wolves
The classic three for Wolves are Jones, Foley and Henry but the question for this match is can you pick all three when they're away from home. For Wigan it's a bit more complicated. According to the Telegraph Alcaraz, Figueroa, Thomas, Diamé, McCarthy and Gohouri are the 6 most frequent passers.
So my tip is Alcarez, two from the Wolves three and two from the other 5 Wigan players listed above.
Good luck!
So my tip is Alcarez, two from the Wolves three and two from the other 5 Wigan players listed above.
Good luck!
Tips: Hannover 96/St. Pauli
Tough one to call this one. Both teams are in good form, Hannover are third in the table and St. Pauli seem slightly better away than at home.
From what I can gleen from bundesliga.de Cherundolo, Pinto, Pogatetz, Schmiedebach and Rausch are the Hannover players that touch the ball most. Zambrano, Oczipka, Thorandt, Takyi and Lehmann are the most involved for St. Pauli.
Tip: Cherundolo and Lehmann are certainties for my team with 3 players from the home team and two from St. Pauli overall.
Good luck!
From what I can gleen from bundesliga.de Cherundolo, Pinto, Pogatetz, Schmiedebach and Rausch are the Hannover players that touch the ball most. Zambrano, Oczipka, Thorandt, Takyi and Lehmann are the most involved for St. Pauli.
Tip: Cherundolo and Lehmann are certainties for my team with 3 players from the home team and two from St. Pauli overall.
Good luck!
Big Score Big Game
Up The Wrong Un's! won the big game last night with a stonking 386 out of a possible 420 (92% of the maximum). Chelman42 got 87% the night before when he ran away with it on 293 out of 336. Chelsea/Marseille was 82%, Glentoran/Linfield just 65% and A.Madrid/Zaragoza 73%.
What's this all mean? Well firstly there's plenty of chances to win even if someone does get a monster score like last night. Even on 92% there are loads of combinations of players that could've won (I stopped counting at 30). If you just had the top 3 players, Viera, Johnson and (Y) Toure then you could've had any 2 from 7 others and won the pot.
In fact this is true for most Big Games. If you can nail the top 3 players you can get away with almost anyone half decent in the other two slots. This allows you to risk a player that blows hot and cold or a striker that could either score a hat-trick or run offside all night.
In the end, what probably did for most people last night was Zabaleta coming off at half time - no one with Zabeleta in their team could've caught Wrong Un's even if their other 4 players were Viera, Adam Johnson, Yaya Toure and Boateng.
So the moral is pick the 3 best players and don't have any that get subbed or injured early. Simple really.
What's this all mean? Well firstly there's plenty of chances to win even if someone does get a monster score like last night. Even on 92% there are loads of combinations of players that could've won (I stopped counting at 30). If you just had the top 3 players, Viera, Johnson and (Y) Toure then you could've had any 2 from 7 others and won the pot.
In fact this is true for most Big Games. If you can nail the top 3 players you can get away with almost anyone half decent in the other two slots. This allows you to risk a player that blows hot and cold or a striker that could either score a hat-trick or run offside all night.
In the end, what probably did for most people last night was Zabaleta coming off at half time - no one with Zabeleta in their team could've caught Wrong Un's even if their other 4 players were Viera, Adam Johnson, Yaya Toure and Boateng.
So the moral is pick the 3 best players and don't have any that get subbed or injured early. Simple really.
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