Bottom vs Top of the PL. However, this is the Carling Cup which will mean plenty of changes to the United side that thrashed Blackburn 7-1 at the weekend. It also doesn’t mean the obvious and going for 5 United players – they only had 2 of the top 5 against Wolves and 3 against Scunthorpe.
There have been 22 goals scored in United’s last five CC matches (4.4 per game)– including 12 this season. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a lot of goals tonight! Both of United’s CC matches this season were on Picklive and there is the United 3-0 win against West Ham to look at to give some indication who to pick in the BG.
The standout player for West Ham has to be captain Scott Parker – arguably there isn’t a team in the PL more reliant on a single player. So what are his picklive numbers like? This season he has appeared just the three times on the game but top scored with 78pts at Stoke (including a goal), 74pts at Old Trafford (6th highest score and top scorer for West Ham) and 54pts against Newcastle (2nd highest scorer for West Ham). Mark Noble should be considered on his recent form with a 68 in their 3-0 defeat Liverpool and 62 at Old Trafford – despite yellow cards in both matches! Not sure really who else to consider from West Ham, Upson could be quite busy and has a 65 (vs Liverpool) and a 51 (vs Stoke) or Gabbidon 58 and 67 in the same matches. If you think there will be goals with West Ham scoring a couple it may be worth giving Piquionne a go – I won’t be though….
So what team will Fergie pick for tonight? I’m not too sure, but you should go with the two central midfielders – they always seem to do well for United. Gibson will probably start and he has done alright on Picklive with 76 at Scunthorpe (4th highest overall/ 2nd highest United scorer), 64 against Wolves (5th highest overall / 2nd highest United scorer) and an impressive 102pts against Rangers – only bettered by Fletcher’s 109. I guess Anderson will play alongside him, his record on the game isn’t very impressive with a high of 65 against Scunthorpe. However if he plays like he did against Blackburn at the weekend I can imagine him getting close to 100!
Park has done well in the two CC matches with goals in both – 71 vs Wolves and 72 vs Scunthorpe, he may be rested though and would probably need a goal again to see him score more than 70 again. I suspect Hernandez should start and if he does, I am sure he will score so it may be worth giving him a go, however his only score on Picklive above 35 was when he scored twice at Stoke and got 70pts to his name. Wes Brown would be a more reliable pick if he starts – scoring 61 against Wolves and 65 against Scunthorpe – also an impressive 79 in the home draw against Rangers.
I would recommend going with one or two West Ham players. For me it has to be Scott Parker and Mark Noble but if you think United will dominate more, then Upson/Gabbidon could do quite well. For my United players it will be the central midfielder partnership (Gibson/Anderson?) and Wes Brown. I may be tempted by Park or Hernandez.
· West Ham have won eight and lost only once in their last nine at home in the CC.
· This will be only their 2nd meeting in the CC – United won 1-0 at OT in 1985-86
· United have won the last five against West Ham without conceding.
· United have kept only one clean sheet in their last eight CC away matches.
Not sure this will be as good as last night!
Simon G (grunny27)
Tuesday 30 November 2010
Monday 29 November 2010
The Big One
Ok, so I'll narrow it down for you: I don't think it's worth choosing Victor Valdes tonight. So that only leaves you with 21 players to choose from...
Simon G (aka Grunny27) has kindly supplied a multitude of stats to work through so here we go:
1. Barcelona have done the double against Real Madrid in the last two seasons, winning the last four Clásico’s home and away.
2.The Catalans are undefeated in their last 10 league matches, winning nine and drawing one.
3. Real are unbeaten in their last 19 La Liga matches (16-3-0) - their last defeat was a 2-0 loss at home against FC Barcelona on 10 April.
1. 2. & 3. Now I think that this suggests picking more Barca players as they should just have the edge. Plus, my instinct is that Mourinho will try and suck Barca in and hit them on the break. This may well win the game for Real or not but it should mean that the Catalans dominate possession and therefore the Picklive points.
3. Messi has scored at least once in the last nine official matches he played for Barça. Including the Argentina friendly against Brazil, he has now scored in his last 10 official matches.
4. Messi has scored seven goals in eight El Clásico’s in La Liga. Only César Rodríguez (12), Estanislau Basora (8) have scored more goals representing Barça against Real Madrid.
5. Messi has never scored against a side coached by José Mourinho. He played against the Portuguese coach seven times in the Champions League, four against Chelsea and three against Internazionale.
6. Ronaldo has never scored against Barcelona (5 matches).
3. 4. 5. & 6. So this means that Messi will definitely score unless Real stop him.... But Ronaldo definitely won't...
So, based on all that I'll be going for at least 4 Barcalona players and not Ronaldo. That's because if you strip goals & assists out of Real Madrid's last two Picklive performances then Ronaldo would've finished behind Alonso, Marcelo and Ramos both times (plus Carvalho if you ignore a yellow card). What this suggests to me is that Ronaldo is only worth picking if you think he'll score. I would even go further than that as I think Barca will dominate possession and so Ronaldo will need to score two or more as he won't see as much of the ball - particularly if he ends up as a lone striker to replace Higuain.
Xavi is a must pick even if he is a bit of a sub risk. He scored 107 against Villareal and 126 the last time he faced Khedira. I would consider Alves, Iniesta and Busquets next as my gut feeling is that there won't be many goals in this. So, i'll be weighing Messi against each of them (or possibly including him at the expense of any Real players?).
If you fancy a punt I can see Marcelo or Carvalho being kept busy and so may rack up a fair few interceptions and clearances. But my head says stick to what you know, namely the Barcalona midfield.
Good luck!
by Ben and Simon
And a few stats to finish you off:
It will be the first time since 2006/2007, when Rijkaard and Capello were in charge that both managers had a CL title to their name.
This is the third time El Clásico will be played on a Monday. The other Clásico’s on Monday were on 30 March 1964 (Barcelona – Real Madrid 1-2) and 3 April 1972 (Barcelona – Real Madrid 1-0).
Losing El Clásico at home almost always means the end of any title hopes. Only on two out of 32 previous occasions has a team lost a home Clásico and gne on to win La Liga: Barcelona in 1928/1929 and Real Madrid in 1975/1976.
Simon G (aka Grunny27) has kindly supplied a multitude of stats to work through so here we go:
1. Barcelona have done the double against Real Madrid in the last two seasons, winning the last four Clásico’s home and away.
2.The Catalans are undefeated in their last 10 league matches, winning nine and drawing one.
3. Real are unbeaten in their last 19 La Liga matches (16-3-0) - their last defeat was a 2-0 loss at home against FC Barcelona on 10 April.
1. 2. & 3. Now I think that this suggests picking more Barca players as they should just have the edge. Plus, my instinct is that Mourinho will try and suck Barca in and hit them on the break. This may well win the game for Real or not but it should mean that the Catalans dominate possession and therefore the Picklive points.
3. Messi has scored at least once in the last nine official matches he played for Barça. Including the Argentina friendly against Brazil, he has now scored in his last 10 official matches.
4. Messi has scored seven goals in eight El Clásico’s in La Liga. Only César Rodríguez (12), Estanislau Basora (8) have scored more goals representing Barça against Real Madrid.
5. Messi has never scored against a side coached by José Mourinho. He played against the Portuguese coach seven times in the Champions League, four against Chelsea and three against Internazionale.
6. Ronaldo has never scored against Barcelona (5 matches).
3. 4. 5. & 6. So this means that Messi will definitely score unless Real stop him.... But Ronaldo definitely won't...
So, based on all that I'll be going for at least 4 Barcalona players and not Ronaldo. That's because if you strip goals & assists out of Real Madrid's last two Picklive performances then Ronaldo would've finished behind Alonso, Marcelo and Ramos both times (plus Carvalho if you ignore a yellow card). What this suggests to me is that Ronaldo is only worth picking if you think he'll score. I would even go further than that as I think Barca will dominate possession and so Ronaldo will need to score two or more as he won't see as much of the ball - particularly if he ends up as a lone striker to replace Higuain.
Xavi is a must pick even if he is a bit of a sub risk. He scored 107 against Villareal and 126 the last time he faced Khedira. I would consider Alves, Iniesta and Busquets next as my gut feeling is that there won't be many goals in this. So, i'll be weighing Messi against each of them (or possibly including him at the expense of any Real players?).
If you fancy a punt I can see Marcelo or Carvalho being kept busy and so may rack up a fair few interceptions and clearances. But my head says stick to what you know, namely the Barcalona midfield.
Good luck!
by Ben and Simon
And a few stats to finish you off:
It will be the first time since 2006/2007, when Rijkaard and Capello were in charge that both managers had a CL title to their name.
This is the third time El Clásico will be played on a Monday. The other Clásico’s on Monday were on 30 March 1964 (Barcelona – Real Madrid 1-2) and 3 April 1972 (Barcelona – Real Madrid 1-0).
Losing El Clásico at home almost always means the end of any title hopes. Only on two out of 32 previous occasions has a team lost a home Clásico and gne on to win La Liga: Barcelona in 1928/1929 and Real Madrid in 1975/1976.
Sunday 28 November 2010
Valencia/Almeria
Well out of my depth for this match so I'm going to merely present some stats for Valencia (couldn't find any for Almeria) - I hope they're useful!
Two facts first off. Almeria are 19th and Valancia 5th. Almeria lost 8-0 to Barcalona last week. So I'll be going for 5 Valancia players...
Top 5 Picklive scores in the match away to Sevilla:
Fernandes: 50
Mata: 49
Joaquin: 47
Mathieu: 44
Miguel: 41
Top 5 home to Man Utd.:
Miguel: 73
Albelda: 72
Mathieu: 69
Navarro: 62
Mata: 46
Completed passes stats from Champions League games:
Away v. Rangers: Costa (71), Saltor (69), Topal (69), R. Costa (61), Mathieu (57), Navarro (57)
Home v. Rangers: Banega (99), Albelda (88), Mata (63), R. Costa (58), Miguel (54)
Home v. Bursaspor: Costa (47), Mata (47), Maduro (46), Albelda (43), Alba (37)
(Nb. Mata scored a penalty in this match)
My team: Mata, Mathieu, the central midfield pair (Costa, Topal, Albelda, Banega etc.) and Miguel if he plays.
Good luck!
by BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Two facts first off. Almeria are 19th and Valancia 5th. Almeria lost 8-0 to Barcalona last week. So I'll be going for 5 Valancia players...
Top 5 Picklive scores in the match away to Sevilla:
Fernandes: 50
Mata: 49
Joaquin: 47
Mathieu: 44
Miguel: 41
Top 5 home to Man Utd.:
Miguel: 73
Albelda: 72
Mathieu: 69
Navarro: 62
Mata: 46
Completed passes stats from Champions League games:
Away v. Rangers: Costa (71), Saltor (69), Topal (69), R. Costa (61), Mathieu (57), Navarro (57)
Home v. Rangers: Banega (99), Albelda (88), Mata (63), R. Costa (58), Miguel (54)
Home v. Bursaspor: Costa (47), Mata (47), Maduro (46), Albelda (43), Alba (37)
(Nb. Mata scored a penalty in this match)
My team: Mata, Mathieu, the central midfield pair (Costa, Topal, Albelda, Banega etc.) and Miguel if he plays.
Good luck!
by BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Spurs/Liverpool
Gareth Bale either does excellently (114, 78, 74 & 70 points) or decidedly average (52, 46, 39, 36 & 35). Compare this with Assou-Ekotto's string of results (78, 67, 67, 65, 63, 62, 57, 56, 29, 9) which are much more consistent. So it boils down to whether Bale will score or not. Think he will? Then pick him. Think he won't? Then there'll be several other players out-pointing him.
Kaboul (81, 63, 58, 39 & 36) and Gallas (71, 51, 43, 42, 39, 35) have been 2 of the 3 highest points scorers for Spurs in the last two games. I would take Kaboul over Gallas, just, based on his slightly more impressive record but I can't see both centre-backs dominating for a third game in a row.
With van der Vaart out it'll fall to Modric to provide much of the creative spark and he should deliver around 60 points barring injury, cards or substitution.
Spurs tips: Assou-Ekotto & Modric are safe bets. Then Bale, Kaboul, Gallas and possibly Hutton are worth considering.
Gerrard is out of today's game, as he was for the last Picklive game against West Ham when Meireles (94), Rodriguez (94), Johnson (85), Konchesky (73) and Skrtel (61) were the top 5. I fancy those five to be there or thereabouts again, especially Meireles and Konchesky who have the highest average after Gerrard. Poulson and Lucas should also be considered. Lucas ranges 52-74 when he's playing for most of the match and not getting himself sent off. Pouslon is steady and dependable.
Liverpool tips: Pick from the top 5 last time out plus Lucas and Poulson.
My team: Assou-Ekotto, Modric, Kaboul, Konchesky & Lucas
Good luck!
by BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Kaboul (81, 63, 58, 39 & 36) and Gallas (71, 51, 43, 42, 39, 35) have been 2 of the 3 highest points scorers for Spurs in the last two games. I would take Kaboul over Gallas, just, based on his slightly more impressive record but I can't see both centre-backs dominating for a third game in a row.
With van der Vaart out it'll fall to Modric to provide much of the creative spark and he should deliver around 60 points barring injury, cards or substitution.
Spurs tips: Assou-Ekotto & Modric are safe bets. Then Bale, Kaboul, Gallas and possibly Hutton are worth considering.
Gerrard is out of today's game, as he was for the last Picklive game against West Ham when Meireles (94), Rodriguez (94), Johnson (85), Konchesky (73) and Skrtel (61) were the top 5. I fancy those five to be there or thereabouts again, especially Meireles and Konchesky who have the highest average after Gerrard. Poulson and Lucas should also be considered. Lucas ranges 52-74 when he's playing for most of the match and not getting himself sent off. Pouslon is steady and dependable.
Liverpool tips: Pick from the top 5 last time out plus Lucas and Poulson.
My team: Assou-Ekotto, Modric, Kaboul, Konchesky & Lucas
Good luck!
by BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Newcastle/Chelsea
If the snow stays away we could be in for some intriguing Picklive action this afternoon.Both sides have been unpredictable recently which makes picking players all the more challenging.
Newcastle have moved from the sublime to the ridiculous with ease this season. A 5-1 thrashing of local rivals Sunderland last time out on Picklive was preceded by a 4-0 tonking by Arsenal at St. James' Park.Their Picklive performance was appropriate for both matches, all 5 of the top 5 in the former game, 0 of the top 5 in the latter.
One thing that does seem predictable is Kevin Nolan's goalscoring on Picklive games. Out of 13 league games 6 have been on Picklive - Nolan has scored 7 goals in total this season and all of those 7 have been on Picklive....
Newcastle have Williamson, Barton and Ryan Taylor out, all of whom would've been strong Picklive contenders. Enrique, Tiote and Guthrie seem the next best bets, the former two having solid Picklive pedigree, the latter picked up 56 points in match against Arsenal which was no mean feat. Carroll can post big scores but needs at least one goal to be worth picking.
Chelsea also have some big players missing. Picklive goliaths Essien, Terry and Lampard are all suspended or injured. Picking defensive players seems the way to go for Chelsea recently. In their last two Picklive games their defensive six (Back 4, Mikel and Cech) have made up the top 6 points scorers in one (v. Sunderland) and 5 of the top 6 in the other (v. Liverpool). Only Malouda managed to get in amongst the defenders and he, along with Mikel and Essien is in the top 3 Chelsea players over time.
So, there are two big factors to consider today. One, which Newcastle and which Chelsea will turn up today? And so, based on that, which team will dominate - it really looks like to could go either way and I wouldn't be surprised by any top 5 combo winning.
The second factor is how many goals we'll see - if you think there will be very few then you should probably concentrate your picking around the Newcastle full-backs and central midfielders plus the Chelsea defensive 6 and Malouda. If you think there will be goals aplenty then Nolan and Carroll become more attractive picks as do the remaining Chelsea players.
Good luck!
BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Newcastle have moved from the sublime to the ridiculous with ease this season. A 5-1 thrashing of local rivals Sunderland last time out on Picklive was preceded by a 4-0 tonking by Arsenal at St. James' Park.Their Picklive performance was appropriate for both matches, all 5 of the top 5 in the former game, 0 of the top 5 in the latter.
One thing that does seem predictable is Kevin Nolan's goalscoring on Picklive games. Out of 13 league games 6 have been on Picklive - Nolan has scored 7 goals in total this season and all of those 7 have been on Picklive....
Newcastle have Williamson, Barton and Ryan Taylor out, all of whom would've been strong Picklive contenders. Enrique, Tiote and Guthrie seem the next best bets, the former two having solid Picklive pedigree, the latter picked up 56 points in match against Arsenal which was no mean feat. Carroll can post big scores but needs at least one goal to be worth picking.
Chelsea also have some big players missing. Picklive goliaths Essien, Terry and Lampard are all suspended or injured. Picking defensive players seems the way to go for Chelsea recently. In their last two Picklive games their defensive six (Back 4, Mikel and Cech) have made up the top 6 points scorers in one (v. Sunderland) and 5 of the top 6 in the other (v. Liverpool). Only Malouda managed to get in amongst the defenders and he, along with Mikel and Essien is in the top 3 Chelsea players over time.
So, there are two big factors to consider today. One, which Newcastle and which Chelsea will turn up today? And so, based on that, which team will dominate - it really looks like to could go either way and I wouldn't be surprised by any top 5 combo winning.
The second factor is how many goals we'll see - if you think there will be very few then you should probably concentrate your picking around the Newcastle full-backs and central midfielders plus the Chelsea defensive 6 and Malouda. If you think there will be goals aplenty then Nolan and Carroll become more attractive picks as do the remaining Chelsea players.
Good luck!
BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Saturday 27 November 2010
Burnley/Derby County
Austerity Britain and all the belt-tightening that implies has hit FC Roger and this Pickive Big Game prediction will be suitably short. This catergorically has nothing to do with me having a raging hangover and not being aware that there is some tasty Championship/Picklive action on today until ten mintues ago. Not at all.
Due to their blistering recent form, I think Derby will win this (but it will be close) and I will be picking mainly Derby players as a result; namely four from Savage, Commons, Brayford, Cywka (a definite in my team), Moxey or Barker.
For Burnley I might be tempted by John Guidetti, a striker on loan from Man City who will be keen to impress. Iwelumo might make it, but I am not particularly fond of picking strikers for the big game. So I will actually go for either Tyrone Mears or Bikey.
Good luck!
Warriors (Robin Warr)
Due to their blistering recent form, I think Derby will win this (but it will be close) and I will be picking mainly Derby players as a result; namely four from Savage, Commons, Brayford, Cywka (a definite in my team), Moxey or Barker.
For Burnley I might be tempted by John Guidetti, a striker on loan from Man City who will be keen to impress. Iwelumo might make it, but I am not particularly fond of picking strikers for the big game. So I will actually go for either Tyrone Mears or Bikey.
Good luck!
Warriors (Robin Warr)
Villa/Arsenal
Pires or not Pires. That'll be the question this lunchtime for the Big Game. The ex-gunner could well dictate the play for Villa. He scored 20 points in 21 minutes against Blackburn so should rack up a big score if he can maintain that pace for an hour or more.
Otherwise, with Warnock, Luke Young & Downing their top 3, picking down the flanks seems the way to go for Villa. Richard Dunne had a stand out game against Blackburn with a 75 but may not get the same aerial workout against Arsenal. Friedel scored a strong 58 in that last match but then only 10 against Man Utd. in the previous Picklive match so would be a very risky pick.
How many Villa players to pick is the trickiest decision today I feel. They had 4 of the top 5 against Blackburn but I can't see them having enough of the ball to get that same result. No more than 2 would seem a balanced approach considering what a good Picklive side Arsenal are.
Nasri is a must pick, having racked up some huge scores recently, Wilshire starts and usually posts a good score. Narrowing the rest down to fill the other spots is difficult - Sagna, Clichy and Song are all reliable choices. Arshavin and Rosicky are capable of big scores.
Tips: Pires, Nasri and Wilshire. At least 3, probably 4 from Arsenal in total.
Otherwise, with Warnock, Luke Young & Downing their top 3, picking down the flanks seems the way to go for Villa. Richard Dunne had a stand out game against Blackburn with a 75 but may not get the same aerial workout against Arsenal. Friedel scored a strong 58 in that last match but then only 10 against Man Utd. in the previous Picklive match so would be a very risky pick.
How many Villa players to pick is the trickiest decision today I feel. They had 4 of the top 5 against Blackburn but I can't see them having enough of the ball to get that same result. No more than 2 would seem a balanced approach considering what a good Picklive side Arsenal are.
Nasri is a must pick, having racked up some huge scores recently, Wilshire starts and usually posts a good score. Narrowing the rest down to fill the other spots is difficult - Sagna, Clichy and Song are all reliable choices. Arshavin and Rosicky are capable of big scores.
Tips: Pires, Nasri and Wilshire. At least 3, probably 4 from Arsenal in total.
Wednesday 24 November 2010
Rangers - player picks
McCulloch - Would've been joint top for Rangers if he hadn't got a yellow card. Might be worth the punt if you fancy the risk.
Davis - Second highest Rangers scorer at Old Trafford and regularly the most frequent passer (44 completed passes against Bursaspor). Solid pick.
Bougherra - Usually pushes Davis in the passing stats and should be involved a lot tonight.
Honourable mention: Whittaker was top for Rangers last time out.
Davis - Second highest Rangers scorer at Old Trafford and regularly the most frequent passer (44 completed passes against Bursaspor). Solid pick.
Bougherra - Usually pushes Davis in the passing stats and should be involved a lot tonight.
Honourable mention: Whittaker was top for Rangers last time out.
Man Utd. - Player picks
Scholes - Picklive legend and surely everyone's first name on the sheet. Has scored over 50 in 7 of his last 9 Picklive matches including a 97 and a 122. Slight sub risk. Very real card risk.
Carrick - A smaller range than Scholes and often overshadowed but Carrick is more than just a dependable pick. His range in matches he's started runs from 56 up to 80 so is capable of some serious scores.
O'Shea - Any of the back four are good picks for Man Utd. but I fancy O'Shea to have a good night. Usually gets around 50 when he starts. Has been known to score important goals.
Honourable mentions: last time out against Rangers the midfield two dominated the points, followed by the back four. Outside of those 6 Nani may be worth a shot - especially if you fancy him to score.
Carrick - A smaller range than Scholes and often overshadowed but Carrick is more than just a dependable pick. His range in matches he's started runs from 56 up to 80 so is capable of some serious scores.
O'Shea - Any of the back four are good picks for Man Utd. but I fancy O'Shea to have a good night. Usually gets around 50 when he starts. Has been known to score important goals.
Honourable mentions: last time out against Rangers the midfield two dominated the points, followed by the back four. Outside of those 6 Nani may be worth a shot - especially if you fancy him to score.
FC Copenhagen - ones to watch
Claudemir - Central midfielder made most passes for the away team at the Nou Camp and usually well involved. Sub and card risk though.
Kvist - partners Claudemir in the centre and should be well involved. Hasn't missed a minute of Copenhagens 8 Champions League games thus far.
Wendt - Left-back who usually sees a lot of the ball. Takes the odd corner too. Usually plays the full 90.
Kvist - partners Claudemir in the centre and should be well involved. Hasn't missed a minute of Copenhagens 8 Champions League games thus far.
Wendt - Left-back who usually sees a lot of the ball. Takes the odd corner too. Usually plays the full 90.
Rubin Kazan - the ones to watch
Rubin Kazan
Kaleshin - Made the most passes in the matches away to Panthanikos and Copenhagen, although a bit quiet in the last Picklive game at home to the Greeks. Picked up only 43 points that night but should normally be psoting 50+ scores. Can play at right-back or right-wing.
Noboa - Captain, likes a shot, takes free-kicks & penalties, highest scorer last time out on Picklive.
Natcho - Noboa's partner in crime in the middle of the park. Completed 51 passes last time on Picklive which was 12 more than anyone else on the pitch.
Honourable mention: Bocchetti - Italian defender racks up plenty of passes so should be a dependable pick.
Kaleshin - Made the most passes in the matches away to Panthanikos and Copenhagen, although a bit quiet in the last Picklive game at home to the Greeks. Picked up only 43 points that night but should normally be psoting 50+ scores. Can play at right-back or right-wing.
Noboa - Captain, likes a shot, takes free-kicks & penalties, highest scorer last time out on Picklive.
Natcho - Noboa's partner in crime in the middle of the park. Completed 51 passes last time on Picklive which was 12 more than anyone else on the pitch.
Honourable mention: Bocchetti - Italian defender racks up plenty of passes so should be a dependable pick.
Tuesday 23 November 2010
Braga/Arsenal
Arsenal were so dominant in the reverse fixture that it's hard to make a case for picking any Braga players tonight. That night at the Emirates saw Arsenal come away with 10 of the 11 highest point scorers in the match, one of the most lop-sided results in Picklive history.
Arshavin and van Persie have been left at home, Clichy is out and Fabregas unlikely to play but even so it's hard to think past the likes of Nasri, Denilson, Sagna, Eboue, Gibbs, Song etc. who are all very strong Picklive points scorers.
But yet I get the feeling that Braga will be better (if not great) tonight and may deserve 1 pick? Silvio has a 58 and 53 to his name which is excellent considering the nature of the two Picklive games they were in (i.e. total passing domination by Sevilla and Arsenal) and is perhaps the only stand out player in Picklive terms.
Tip: wait for the line-up but Nasri, Gibbs, Denilson, Song and Silvio would be a good start.
Good luck!
BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Arshavin and van Persie have been left at home, Clichy is out and Fabregas unlikely to play but even so it's hard to think past the likes of Nasri, Denilson, Sagna, Eboue, Gibbs, Song etc. who are all very strong Picklive points scorers.
But yet I get the feeling that Braga will be better (if not great) tonight and may deserve 1 pick? Silvio has a 58 and 53 to his name which is excellent considering the nature of the two Picklive games they were in (i.e. total passing domination by Sevilla and Arsenal) and is perhaps the only stand out player in Picklive terms.
Tip: wait for the line-up but Nasri, Gibbs, Denilson, Song and Silvio would be a good start.
Good luck!
BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
SpartakMoscow/Marseille
Spartak Moscow have been impressive in Picklive terms in their two defeats against Chelsea. They had 4 of the top 5 points scorers in Russia and 2 in London. That would suggest leaning towards the Russians for tonights make or break match.
The best 3 Spartak players were Ibson, Sheshukov and Makeev, in that order, for both matches. Apart from those three, Parshivlyuk and Ivanov are out and so previous Picklive form suggests Komborov may be worth a shout if you fancy a fourth Spartak player. He scored a respectable 56 in the away match and would've been their third highest scorer in the home match were it not for a yellow card.
Marseille are a bit less predictable and have fielded very different teams in each of their 4 Champions League matches so far. In their one Picklive appearance they did match Spartak Moscow in getting 2 of the top 5 against Chelsea but they went further than that and had 5 of the top 8 - in fact picking their top 5 (Cisse, Heinze, Gonzalez, Kabore and Mbia) would've won the Big Game quite comfortably.
The change in personnel complicates the tips for Marseille tonight. I would consider Heinze if he starts at lef-back, Mbia if he starts at centre-back and whoever starts at the base of midfield should also be strongly considered. Ayew and Valbuena started on the bench at the weekend and are capable of being explosive from wide.
In summary I fancy Marseille to do ok tonight, as they have slightly better recent form, so would recommend at least 2 picks from them. I think the left flank of both teams will do most of the damage going forward and will score more points than the right side. Hence my tip is to pick 5 players from the middle and left side of both teams, 3 from Spartak, 2 from Marseille. Makeev (and possibly Komborov) from the Spartak left, Ibson and Shesukov from the centre. Ayew and Heinze from the Marseille left , Mbia and Kabore from the centre (depending on the line-up). Any 5 from those 8.
Good luck!
BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
The best 3 Spartak players were Ibson, Sheshukov and Makeev, in that order, for both matches. Apart from those three, Parshivlyuk and Ivanov are out and so previous Picklive form suggests Komborov may be worth a shout if you fancy a fourth Spartak player. He scored a respectable 56 in the away match and would've been their third highest scorer in the home match were it not for a yellow card.
Marseille are a bit less predictable and have fielded very different teams in each of their 4 Champions League matches so far. In their one Picklive appearance they did match Spartak Moscow in getting 2 of the top 5 against Chelsea but they went further than that and had 5 of the top 8 - in fact picking their top 5 (Cisse, Heinze, Gonzalez, Kabore and Mbia) would've won the Big Game quite comfortably.
The change in personnel complicates the tips for Marseille tonight. I would consider Heinze if he starts at lef-back, Mbia if he starts at centre-back and whoever starts at the base of midfield should also be strongly considered. Ayew and Valbuena started on the bench at the weekend and are capable of being explosive from wide.
In summary I fancy Marseille to do ok tonight, as they have slightly better recent form, so would recommend at least 2 picks from them. I think the left flank of both teams will do most of the damage going forward and will score more points than the right side. Hence my tip is to pick 5 players from the middle and left side of both teams, 3 from Spartak, 2 from Marseille. Makeev (and possibly Komborov) from the Spartak left, Ibson and Shesukov from the centre. Ayew and Heinze from the Marseille left , Mbia and Kabore from the centre (depending on the line-up). Any 5 from those 8.
Good luck!
BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Monday 22 November 2010
Sunderland/Everton
Sunderland have had a strong showing on Picklive this season. They had 4 of the top 5 against Chelsea, the same against Blackburn and 3 against Arsenal. Those impressive results were tempered slightly by the hammering they took from Newcastle but to more than hold their own against both Chelsea and Arsenal seems a good reason to fancy at least 3 Black Cats tonight.
Everton on the other hand have only had 1 player in each of the last three games (although they had 3 against Man Utd. in the game before that). Baines and Arteta are the only two players to have made the hallowed top 5 in those 3 games. Jagielka, Distin and Pienaar have been the most consistent players after them.
So, who to pick from Sunderland then and how many? The first decision is easy, to include Henderson or not? He's been the top point scorer for Sunderland in 3 of the last 4 Picklive games (and second in the other) so I think he should be first on your list for tonight. Who to accompany him is a very different story though. Bardsley, Cattermole, Onuoha and Bramble have all featured twice in Sunderland's own top 5 over the last four games but none stand out as a definite pick. Gyan, Wellbeck and Zenden all made the top 5 in the match against Chelsea but it would seem that the first two need a goal and so should be picked only if you think that will happen. Zenden would've been the top pick in that match if you take away the goals & assists and so could be a strong candidate.
According to the Telegraph passing stats Malbranque and Cattermole are the second most frequent passers after Henderson. Further down the list are Bardsley and Richardson who both have good pass/minute ratios.
So, in summary, Henderson would look like the strongest pick, followed by Arteta and/or Baines. The main decision then is who to fill the other 2 or 3 spots. I can't stomach the risk of Cattermole getting sent off so will be avoiding him. I'll try and balance my selection so will go for either Zenden or Malbranque in the midfield plus either Bardsley or Onuoha from the defence. The only remaining decision for me is whether to go for a fourth Sunderland player or picking both Arteta and Baines. At the moment I fancy Gyan to score so may go for him if he starts.
Good luck!
BensBulls
Everton on the other hand have only had 1 player in each of the last three games (although they had 3 against Man Utd. in the game before that). Baines and Arteta are the only two players to have made the hallowed top 5 in those 3 games. Jagielka, Distin and Pienaar have been the most consistent players after them.
So, who to pick from Sunderland then and how many? The first decision is easy, to include Henderson or not? He's been the top point scorer for Sunderland in 3 of the last 4 Picklive games (and second in the other) so I think he should be first on your list for tonight. Who to accompany him is a very different story though. Bardsley, Cattermole, Onuoha and Bramble have all featured twice in Sunderland's own top 5 over the last four games but none stand out as a definite pick. Gyan, Wellbeck and Zenden all made the top 5 in the match against Chelsea but it would seem that the first two need a goal and so should be picked only if you think that will happen. Zenden would've been the top pick in that match if you take away the goals & assists and so could be a strong candidate.
According to the Telegraph passing stats Malbranque and Cattermole are the second most frequent passers after Henderson. Further down the list are Bardsley and Richardson who both have good pass/minute ratios.
So, in summary, Henderson would look like the strongest pick, followed by Arteta and/or Baines. The main decision then is who to fill the other 2 or 3 spots. I can't stomach the risk of Cattermole getting sent off so will be avoiding him. I'll try and balance my selection so will go for either Zenden or Malbranque in the midfield plus either Bardsley or Onuoha from the defence. The only remaining decision for me is whether to go for a fourth Sunderland player or picking both Arteta and Baines. At the moment I fancy Gyan to score so may go for him if he starts.
Good luck!
BensBulls
Sunday 21 November 2010
Fulham/ManCity
With no recent Picklive stats for Fulham I'm using a combination of Telegraph and Guardian data to work out where most of the passing happens. And it seems it'll be the midfield that will decide this match. Danny Murphy and Jonathan Greening average 56 and 57 successful passes per match, well clear of Chris Baird with 43 in third. This shows that Fulham like to build through the middle of the park and those two players are my main recommendation for this match.
In contrast there are plenty of stats for Man City and the Team page on Picklive shows Barry, Kompany and de Jong have the best average across 9/10 games. Those three average 49, 43 and 47 passes per 90 minutes according to the Guardian/Telegraph stats and I think that shows why Murphy and Greening are my main tips for this match.
Of course passing alone does not decide a Picklive game. However, it does give a very strong indicator. A look at, say, de Jong's player page shows that passes make up between approx. 50 and 80 percent of his points, with an average of around two-thirds. Again not a perfect indicator but a strong one.
If you don't fancy simply going with the stats above then I would suggest trying Kolorov if he starts. He scored 15 points in 15 minutes (including time added on) against Man Utd. and 25 in 46 against Spurs so could be capable of a big score. He also had 4 shots against Birmingham in his last game, 2 on target.
If you fancy a bit more glamour then Tevez or Silva would be the sensible choice. Both score points regularly which makes them a strong choice even if they don't score a goal or get an assist.
So, in summary my recommendations are: Murphy, Greening, Barry, de Jong, and Kompany to start with then add a pinch of Tevez, Silva or Kolorov to season!
Good luck!
BensBulls
Update: with Greening not starting I would suggest Baird (mentioned above) but with a lot less confidence. Maybe picking 4 Man City players is the way to go?
In contrast there are plenty of stats for Man City and the Team page on Picklive shows Barry, Kompany and de Jong have the best average across 9/10 games. Those three average 49, 43 and 47 passes per 90 minutes according to the Guardian/Telegraph stats and I think that shows why Murphy and Greening are my main tips for this match.
Of course passing alone does not decide a Picklive game. However, it does give a very strong indicator. A look at, say, de Jong's player page shows that passes make up between approx. 50 and 80 percent of his points, with an average of around two-thirds. Again not a perfect indicator but a strong one.
If you don't fancy simply going with the stats above then I would suggest trying Kolorov if he starts. He scored 15 points in 15 minutes (including time added on) against Man Utd. and 25 in 46 against Spurs so could be capable of a big score. He also had 4 shots against Birmingham in his last game, 2 on target.
If you fancy a bit more glamour then Tevez or Silva would be the sensible choice. Both score points regularly which makes them a strong choice even if they don't score a goal or get an assist.
So, in summary my recommendations are: Murphy, Greening, Barry, de Jong, and Kompany to start with then add a pinch of Tevez, Silva or Kolorov to season!
Good luck!
BensBulls
Update: with Greening not starting I would suggest Baird (mentioned above) but with a lot less confidence. Maybe picking 4 Man City players is the way to go?
Blackburn/Villa
Blackburn and Villa are only two points apart in the table which suggests a tight game this lunchtime. Their recent Picklive history suggests that the amount of points scored today could be low. Blackburn had only one player (Pedersen - 57) in the top 5 in their last Picklive match, Villa have had only 2 players (Albrighton - 66 & Downing - 65) out of a possible 15 in their last 3 matches.
With 3 games since the Big Game began there are just enough stats for Villa to make some analysis. Out of the 15 players in their top 5 for those games 2 were Brad Friedel, 4 were playing at centre back, 5 attacking/wide midfield, 3 at full-back and 1 was Reo-Coker. So what does this tell us? Well possibly that the Villa like to build through the centre-backs and then quickly out to the flanks?
With less data on Blackburn we need to look elsewhere. The Telegraph has stats on completed passes which is a decent indicator of Picklive potential. Pedersen has completed the most (258) this season followed by Phil Jones (218) and El Hadji Diouf (213). However, cross checking these passing stats with minutes played on the Guardian shows up a few other options. N'Zonzi, Grella and Chimbonda all have a higher pass per minute rate than Pedersen. N'zonzi and Grella are out injured today so it's only Chimbonda that makes it to the shortlist from this exercise. A fraction behind Pedersen is Emerton who would be also worth picking if he starts.
With Pederson, Emerton and Chimbonda on the Blackburn list we can see a similar pattern to Villa emerging i.e. they're strongest down the flanks. So, my recommendation today is start with the three Blackburn players mentioned and add, say, Warnock and Downing. After that check the line-ups to see who's starting for Villa. Houllier has been playing several youngsters recently so the first XI is uncertain.
Good luck!
BensBulls
P.s. just been doing looking at passing/minute stats for Villa and Bannan & Clark have the highest of the entire squad - could be worth a punt if they start!
With 3 games since the Big Game began there are just enough stats for Villa to make some analysis. Out of the 15 players in their top 5 for those games 2 were Brad Friedel, 4 were playing at centre back, 5 attacking/wide midfield, 3 at full-back and 1 was Reo-Coker. So what does this tell us? Well possibly that the Villa like to build through the centre-backs and then quickly out to the flanks?
With less data on Blackburn we need to look elsewhere. The Telegraph has stats on completed passes which is a decent indicator of Picklive potential. Pedersen has completed the most (258) this season followed by Phil Jones (218) and El Hadji Diouf (213). However, cross checking these passing stats with minutes played on the Guardian shows up a few other options. N'Zonzi, Grella and Chimbonda all have a higher pass per minute rate than Pedersen. N'zonzi and Grella are out injured today so it's only Chimbonda that makes it to the shortlist from this exercise. A fraction behind Pedersen is Emerton who would be also worth picking if he starts.
With Pederson, Emerton and Chimbonda on the Blackburn list we can see a similar pattern to Villa emerging i.e. they're strongest down the flanks. So, my recommendation today is start with the three Blackburn players mentioned and add, say, Warnock and Downing. After that check the line-ups to see who's starting for Villa. Houllier has been playing several youngsters recently so the first XI is uncertain.
Good luck!
BensBulls
P.s. just been doing looking at passing/minute stats for Villa and Bannan & Clark have the highest of the entire squad - could be worth a punt if they start!
Saturday 20 November 2010
Liverpool/WestHam
This looks like a home banker for Liverpool, even without Gerrard.
This is why…
· West Ham are without a win in their last 24 PL away matches and only kept one clean sheet in their last 23.
· West Ham have failed to score in 12 of their last 15 PL visits to Anfield and only scored four in those matches.
· Liverpool are without a defeat in their last 38 matches at home to the Hammers since September 1963. This is the equal-second longest ever unbeaten home run by one top flight club against another. The record is Liverpool’s current 47-match unbeaten home run against Stoke City.
· West Ham have won only one of their last 16 PL matches against Liverpool (14 defeats) – 1-0 at home in January 2008. Mark Noble scored a 90th minute penalty.
Lucas is out through suspension so two of Liverpool’s top picklive scorers won’t be playing! Konchesky is Liverpool’s 2nd highest points scorer with an average of 55points and should get a spot in most BG teams. I think Kuyt will score well without Gerrard and could get a goal or two against a West Ham defense that have conceded 22 goals this season (only Blackpool and Wolves have conceded more). Kuyt was their third highest scorer in the match against Chelsea with 50points.
Meireles will also benefit with Gerrard not playing – in his last five matches he has been averaging 51pts. Poulsen will play I think and he has done well on picklive with an average of 61pts (not including his 2pts against Bolton). Glen Johnson has scored more than 60 in half of the matches he has played this season and has a low of 42. Torres could get a couple so it may be worth giving him a go in your BG team?
Looking at the Man United-West Ham match earlier in the season when they lost 3-0, Parker still got 74points – the 5th highest score in the match. If you’re going with any West Ham player it has to be him – he is averaging 52pts at the moment. If you think Liverpool will struggle and West Ham put up more of a fight then I would also go with Mark Noble who got 62points including a yellow at Old Trafford.
I will be going with four or five Liverpool players – a choice between Konchesky, Meireles, Poulsen, Kuyt, Johnson and Torres. Then Parker if I decide to go with a West Ham player.
A few stats to finish with!
· Hodgson has won three of his five PL matches at home to West Ham but lost two of his last three.
· Liverpool have scored 13 PL goals this season – only Wigan (10) and West Ham (11) have netted fewer.
· Torres has scored three goals in the club’s last two PL home matches. In total, 44 of his 61 PL goals have come at Anfield (72.1%). He has netted five PL goals against West Ham. If he scores today he will have scored more PL goals against them than any other club he has faced.
· Avram Grant was unbeaten in four matches against Liverpool in all competitions during his spell at Chelsea in 2007-08 – winning two and drawing two.
Good luck!
Simon G (grunny27)
Friday 19 November 2010
Arsenal/Spurs
The North-London derby. A couple weeks ago the Manchester derby was on Picklive and it produced a pretty tame goalless draw with both teams playing very negative football. I can’t see that happening here. The four PL matches at the Emirates between the two have produced 17 goals (4.25 per game) – Arsenal scoring 12 of these. It’s not really in either sides nature to sit back, so I think there will be goals again today.
Tottenham have a pretty miserable record at Arsenal recently (and the rest of the ‘big four). They have not won in their last 17 at Arsenal (losing three of their last four) since a 3-1 win in May 1993 and last 68 visits to the big four teams (drawn 20 and lost 48). Surely sometime this run has to end?!
Arsenal are a good picklive team, they keep possession well and pass the ball plenty. Sagna top scored last week’s match against Everton (77) including a goal followed by Fabregas (75). In total they have had 19 of the top five places in their last five. In their 2-0 defeat at Chelsea they still managed to get Clichy (66), Nasri (64) and Wilshere (62) in the top 5. Nasri put in 75 points against England mid-week and Sagna put in a respectable 64. Nasri has had a very good recent picklive record averaging 70pts in his last six for Arsenal including an amazing 141 in the Carling Cup match against Spurs. I think Nasri is a must for your BG team.
Song and Sagna have also been putting in good numbers and I think they will have a good day against Tottenham. I like Fabregas for this match, can see him scoring and he puts good numbers together anyways. Wilshere might not play in the match so you may want to look at Clichy instead or Rosicky if you want 5 Arsenal players. You may be tempted to go with Clichy over Sagna as he didn’t play mid-week against England?
It’s hard to say how many Spurs players you should go with. When they went to Old Trafford they still put together some good numbers. Gomes was the best player for them (73) followed by Van der Vaart (63) and Assou-Ekotto (56). Modric would have scored 60 if it wasn’t for a yellow card. Bale is their top player with an average of 62pts from 8 matches and I wonder whether he will go past Sagna as easily as Maicon? He only got 35pts against Bolton but did score twice against Blackburn. Huddlestone is out with an ankle injury. Gallas could be an interesting pick, he got 71 against Bolton and returning to his old club – a gamble but could pay off. Assou-Ekotto is pretty consistent when it comes to picklive – his last seven matches scoring 57, 63, 56, 62, 65, 78 (vs Arsenal), and 67.
I can’t really recommend picking any of the strikers. Even though RvP has scored in last three starts against Spurs and Crouch has scored four against Arsenal. If you want to go attacking-minded go with Fabregas and Van der Vaart.
I think I will go with four Arsenal players – Nasri, Song, Fabregas, Sagna. For my Spurs player I am undecided between Assou-Ekotto and Modric. If you don’t like those I would go with Clichy, Rosicky (if he starts) or Van der Vaart if you think Spurs will do well.
I will probably play only the first couple of games in this match with the Man United match being a 3pm k.o! So I will give you a few stats now….
· Arsène Wenger has drawn three of his last five PL meetings with Harry Redknapp – winning only once. Over the last nine years Wenger has won only three of his three of his 13 PL matches against him, drawing on nine occasions.
· Wenger is unbeaten in all 10 PL home matches against Redknapp – winning seven and drawing three.
· If Arsenal lose today it will be the first time they have lost consecutive PL matches at the Emirates Stadium, and first time at home in almost 13 years – since losing 1-0 to Liverpool (November 1997) and 3-1 to Blackburn Rovers (December 1997).
· Tottenham have lost their last two PL away matches. If they lose today it will be the first time since in almost two years they have lost three consecutive away matches – since a four-match streak from December 2008 to January 2009.
Enjoy!
Simon G (grunny27)
Thursday 18 November 2010
Ebbsfleet/AFCWimbledon
It's always difficult writing tips for teams you know nothing about let alone when you don't even have an inkling as to which way the match will swing. Wimbledon are top of the Blue Sq Premier, a full league above Ebbsfleet which suggest quality should out tonight. But then it didn't work out that way in the initial tie. Plus Ebbsfleet are on a 15 match unbeaten run. And to add to all that the possession in Kingsmeadow was almost even.
So, the first conclusion is that it would probably be wise to go for a 3/2 or 2/3 split. The bookies have the Wombles down as strong favourites but, while I can see them winning, I can't see them dominating the possession.
If you fancy goals tonight then Willock (10 goals this season), West (9 from the right wing) and Kedwell (12) would fit the bill nicely. If centre backs suit you (because they'll be occupied by those strikers??) then Lorriane edges Easton for me for the Fleet and Yakubu seems to have the quality for Wimbledon.
There were doubts about Sammy Moore and Carew for tonight but should be strongly considered as they'll be in the heart of the action in midfield if they start.Wellard, Hatton & Gregory should also be considered if they start in the centre of the midfield for Wimbledon. Blackman & Jackson could be useful scorers if they start in the full-back positions for the Wombles. Note that Wellard, Blackman & Jackson could be a bit of a substitution risk.
Bit of an inbalance towards Wimbledon above so maybe consider Marwa, described as a 'tough-tackling attacking midfielder' - perfect for Picklive.
As with any Picklive game you're not sure about it's worth spreading your risk across central midfielders and the respective back fours. From what information I can glean I would include Sammy Moore who seems a bit of a talisman. If you fancy goals then add in Willock, West or Kedwell.
Good luck!
BensBulls
(Ben Wraith
So, the first conclusion is that it would probably be wise to go for a 3/2 or 2/3 split. The bookies have the Wombles down as strong favourites but, while I can see them winning, I can't see them dominating the possession.
If you fancy goals tonight then Willock (10 goals this season), West (9 from the right wing) and Kedwell (12) would fit the bill nicely. If centre backs suit you (because they'll be occupied by those strikers??) then Lorriane edges Easton for me for the Fleet and Yakubu seems to have the quality for Wimbledon.
There were doubts about Sammy Moore and Carew for tonight but should be strongly considered as they'll be in the heart of the action in midfield if they start.Wellard, Hatton & Gregory should also be considered if they start in the centre of the midfield for Wimbledon. Blackman & Jackson could be useful scorers if they start in the full-back positions for the Wombles. Note that Wellard, Blackman & Jackson could be a bit of a substitution risk.
Bit of an inbalance towards Wimbledon above so maybe consider Marwa, described as a 'tough-tackling attacking midfielder' - perfect for Picklive.
As with any Picklive game you're not sure about it's worth spreading your risk across central midfielders and the respective back fours. From what information I can glean I would include Sammy Moore who seems a bit of a talisman. If you fancy goals then add in Willock, West or Kedwell.
Good luck!
BensBulls
(Ben Wraith
Wednesday 17 November 2010
England/France
The England team is in and at least there's a bit of time for research, each player's Picklive (club) page is linked below:
Foster
Jagielka
Ferdinand
Lescott
Gibbs
Barry
Milner
Henderson
Gerrard
Walcott
Carroll
England's last three games are here: Montenegro, Switzerland and Bulgaria
It's interesting to note that in those three games Gerrard plus the back four took 12 of the 15 'top 5' spots.
My recommendation here is start with the back four plus Gerrard and then try and make a case Barry, Milner and Henderson respectively. And this is where the substitutions come in. Who will play the most minutes?
France on the other hand have three well known and stand out Picklive players; Sagna, Nasri and Malouda. It's difficult to look past these three without access to more Picklive stats or a deeper knowledge of the France team.
So, tips: Pick as much of the England back four as you can, pick Gerrard if you think he'll make it past 60 minutes and 1 or 2 of the French trio named above. That is unless you have any hunches re: substitutions or an in-depth view of French football!
Good luck!
Ben
Foster
Jagielka
Ferdinand
Lescott
Gibbs
Barry
Milner
Henderson
Gerrard
Walcott
Carroll
England's last three games are here: Montenegro, Switzerland and Bulgaria
It's interesting to note that in those three games Gerrard plus the back four took 12 of the 15 'top 5' spots.
My recommendation here is start with the back four plus Gerrard and then try and make a case Barry, Milner and Henderson respectively. And this is where the substitutions come in. Who will play the most minutes?
France on the other hand have three well known and stand out Picklive players; Sagna, Nasri and Malouda. It's difficult to look past these three without access to more Picklive stats or a deeper knowledge of the France team.
So, tips: Pick as much of the England back four as you can, pick Gerrard if you think he'll make it past 60 minutes and 1 or 2 of the French trio named above. That is unless you have any hunches re: substitutions or an in-depth view of French football!
Good luck!
Ben
Argentina/Brazil
Apologies for the silence yesterday, planes and trains got in the way (but not cars)...
A brief overview before the line-ups are announced:
A pleasingly difficult one to pick for this match between two great footballing nations. A cursory glance at the Argentina squad reveals such Picklive powerhouses as Demichelis, Zanetti, Heinze, Zabeleta, Mascherano and Messi. It's a good job that Cambiasso and Tevez are out... And for Brazil; Alves, Alex and Lucas are the kind of rock-solid picks Picklive dreams are made of. Most fives will be made up of those players I guess but if you fancy a bit of a gamble then maybe di Maria or Pastore could do well, the latter particularly after a hat-trick at the weekend.
International friendlies are always going to be difficult as there will probably be a lot of substitutions around. This will add a huge slab of randomness to proceedings and these tips. Finding an edge either relies on luck or assuming something about a player e.g. Ronaldinho didn't play at the weekend so, if he starts, may be worth a gamble as he would be more likely to finish the 90 then someone who played on Sunday.
Tips: I would pick Messi, 3 solid players like Silva, Lucas, Mascherano, Demichelis and/or Zanetti. And finish it off with Alves or take a punt on someone like Pastore.
A brief overview before the line-ups are announced:
A pleasingly difficult one to pick for this match between two great footballing nations. A cursory glance at the Argentina squad reveals such Picklive powerhouses as Demichelis, Zanetti, Heinze, Zabeleta, Mascherano and Messi. It's a good job that Cambiasso and Tevez are out... And for Brazil; Alves, Alex and Lucas are the kind of rock-solid picks Picklive dreams are made of. Most fives will be made up of those players I guess but if you fancy a bit of a gamble then maybe di Maria or Pastore could do well, the latter particularly after a hat-trick at the weekend.
International friendlies are always going to be difficult as there will probably be a lot of substitutions around. This will add a huge slab of randomness to proceedings and these tips. Finding an edge either relies on luck or assuming something about a player e.g. Ronaldinho didn't play at the weekend so, if he starts, may be worth a gamble as he would be more likely to finish the 90 then someone who played on Sunday.
Tips: I would pick Messi, 3 solid players like Silva, Lucas, Mascherano, Demichelis and/or Zanetti. And finish it off with Alves or take a punt on someone like Pastore.
Sunday 14 November 2010
The MIlan Derby (from Milan)
Milan is buzzing ahead of the derby tonight despite the grey drizzle across the city. Inter fans have been out in force all day, as have the riot police. Much of the newsprint has been taken up with news that Inzaghi could be out for the season but the 'Derby of Change' could be critical for both teams tonight. Milan are second two points of Lazio (who beat Napoli earlier today) and could go top with a win tonight. Inter are a further 3 points back in fifth.
Sneijder was the stand out Inter player in the two games against Spurs with 93 and 121 points. Eto'o, Lucio and Zanetti were the next strongest players and Coutinho weighed in with a 96 in the game at the San Siro. I'm not considering anyone outside of those 5.
For Milan a lot rests on whether Pirlo starts. He racked up 29 points in 34 minutes in his last Picklive appearance for Italy. Expect a similar scoring rate if he plays tonight. Passing stats from the Champions league flag up Bonera, Seedorf and Nesta as possibilities. Zambrotta and Gattuso are also close.
The bookies are finding this game hard to call and a draw is a distinct possibility. For that reason I'm suggesting 3 from Inter and 2 from Milan. Sneijder and Pirlo are dead certs and then any 3 from the 9 mentioned above. Easy!
Buona fortuna!
by BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Sneijder was the stand out Inter player in the two games against Spurs with 93 and 121 points. Eto'o, Lucio and Zanetti were the next strongest players and Coutinho weighed in with a 96 in the game at the San Siro. I'm not considering anyone outside of those 5.
For Milan a lot rests on whether Pirlo starts. He racked up 29 points in 34 minutes in his last Picklive appearance for Italy. Expect a similar scoring rate if he plays tonight. Passing stats from the Champions league flag up Bonera, Seedorf and Nesta as possibilities. Zambrotta and Gattuso are also close.
The bookies are finding this game hard to call and a draw is a distinct possibility. For that reason I'm suggesting 3 from Inter and 2 from Milan. Sneijder and Pirlo are dead certs and then any 3 from the 9 mentioned above. Easy!
Buona fortuna!
by BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Chelsea/Sunderland
A short post for this match as Chelsea are well known on Picklive and so should be predictable and Sunderland are unlikely to trouble the top 5 too much.
Sunderland first, Henderson is the only player who has featured in their last three top fives (1st, =1st & 1st) and has been the highest scorer (of the match) once and joint first in another. But even he couldn't trouble the top 5 overall in the hammering they got at Newcastle. After Henderson 8 Sunderland players have made up the 12 possible places in the Sunderland top 5. This turnover makes it very difficult to predict or tip any other Sunderland players even if their scores deserved it (which they don't).
Essien, Mikel and Malouda are the top 3 Chelsea players but with Essien suspended the latter two should be first on your list. Ashley Cole has scored 66 and 58 in the last two games and is a solid choice. Chelsea centre backs have been the biggest scorers in the last two games though. Terry and Alex scored 97 and 71 respectively against Liverpool whilst Ivanovic scored 83 (including two goals) against Spartak Moscow. Outside of those mentioned I can't see much value unless you're confident the strikers will score. Ramires hasn't impressed yet, Zhirkov has impressed only in the two games against Spartak Moscow and Kalou simply has to get a goal to trouble the top 5. Gordon could be worth a punt but only if you fancy Chelsea to get at least 7 shots on target.
So, my tips: Mikel & Malouda and then three from the Chelsea back four and/or Henderson.
Sunderland first, Henderson is the only player who has featured in their last three top fives (1st, =1st & 1st) and has been the highest scorer (of the match) once and joint first in another. But even he couldn't trouble the top 5 overall in the hammering they got at Newcastle. After Henderson 8 Sunderland players have made up the 12 possible places in the Sunderland top 5. This turnover makes it very difficult to predict or tip any other Sunderland players even if their scores deserved it (which they don't).
Essien, Mikel and Malouda are the top 3 Chelsea players but with Essien suspended the latter two should be first on your list. Ashley Cole has scored 66 and 58 in the last two games and is a solid choice. Chelsea centre backs have been the biggest scorers in the last two games though. Terry and Alex scored 97 and 71 respectively against Liverpool whilst Ivanovic scored 83 (including two goals) against Spartak Moscow. Outside of those mentioned I can't see much value unless you're confident the strikers will score. Ramires hasn't impressed yet, Zhirkov has impressed only in the two games against Spartak Moscow and Kalou simply has to get a goal to trouble the top 5. Gordon could be worth a punt but only if you fancy Chelsea to get at least 7 shots on target.
So, my tips: Mikel & Malouda and then three from the Chelsea back four and/or Henderson.
Everton/Arsenal
Everton are a mixed bag. Their last four matches have seen 1 (Baines), 1 (Arteta), 3 (Arteta, Pienaar & Jagielka) and 4 (Arteta, Fellaini, Baines & Distin) of their players in the top 5 overall. Neither venue (AAHH) nor result (DWDL) for those four matches give us a clue to how they will turn out in this match.
In contrast, Arsenal's record reads 5 (Koscielny, Denilson, Eboue, Bendtner & Djourou), 5 (Nasri, Song, Sagna, Denilson & Clichy), 5 (Song, Nasri, Wilshire, Clichy & Fabregas) and 3 (Clichy, Nasri & Wilshire).
Neither Clichy nor Nasri started the first match listed and Denilson didn't start the last two. Those 3 plus Fabregas would be my recommendations if they start. However, in their last match against Wolves Nasri didn't start and Denilson replaced Wilshire after 67 minutes. Interestingly Song has made the most passes for Arsenal this season and is a good option if one or more of the others don't start.
Arteta is clearly the strongest player for Everton (69 point average over 4 games) followed by Baines (48) and Pienaar (46). So certainties for my 5 will be Arteta, Fabregas and Clichy if they all start as they should last the full 90 minutes and are clearly the highest scorers on average. One thing to note is that Gibbs is being considered for this match and so could come on as a sub late on, which could bite into Clichy's points total.
After those 3 I would tend towards Nasri and Wilshire and run the risk of a late sub or two. If you don't fancy them then Denilson, Song, Sagna, Eboue should be considered if they start or Baines or Pienaar if you want to add a second Evertonian.
Good luck!
by BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
In contrast, Arsenal's record reads 5 (Koscielny, Denilson, Eboue, Bendtner & Djourou), 5 (Nasri, Song, Sagna, Denilson & Clichy), 5 (Song, Nasri, Wilshire, Clichy & Fabregas) and 3 (Clichy, Nasri & Wilshire).
Neither Clichy nor Nasri started the first match listed and Denilson didn't start the last two. Those 3 plus Fabregas would be my recommendations if they start. However, in their last match against Wolves Nasri didn't start and Denilson replaced Wilshire after 67 minutes. Interestingly Song has made the most passes for Arsenal this season and is a good option if one or more of the others don't start.
Arteta is clearly the strongest player for Everton (69 point average over 4 games) followed by Baines (48) and Pienaar (46). So certainties for my 5 will be Arteta, Fabregas and Clichy if they all start as they should last the full 90 minutes and are clearly the highest scorers on average. One thing to note is that Gibbs is being considered for this match and so could come on as a sub late on, which could bite into Clichy's points total.
After those 3 I would tend towards Nasri and Wilshire and run the risk of a late sub or two. If you don't fancy them then Denilson, Song, Sagna, Eboue should be considered if they start or Baines or Pienaar if you want to add a second Evertonian.
Good luck!
by BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Saturday 13 November 2010
Barca/Villareal
Barcelona have not beaten Villarreal at home in the last three seasons, losing 2-1 in 2007/2008, drawing 3-3 in 2008/2009 and drawing 1-1 last season. In fact, Villarreal were the only team in La Liga last season to avoid defeat at Camp Nou last season.
It does seem that Villarreal are a bit of a bogey team for Barcelona. However, they did win away at Villarreal 4-1 in May.
Both sides have featured in only one picklive match this season. Barcelona had a freak 1-0 defeat at home to Hercules at the start of the season and Villareal won 2-0 against Atletico at home.
Barcelona are probably the best team for accumulating picklive points with the way they play and the large amount of possession they always seems to have. My debut picklive match was Barcelona-Arsenal. I remember predominately picking Xavi, Iniesta and Messi – a tactic that seemed to work! Xavi is the best picklive player, he averaged 98 points in the 7 games he played for Spain in the summer – hence the ‘Xavi rule!’ Iniesta is another high-scoring picklive player and should feature in all BG teams. Busquets usually does well as the holding midfielder. Messi has scored at least once in six of Barcelona’s last 7 matches in all competitions so it would be hard to leave him out of the side. Dani Alves likes to go forward and would be a good alternetive to Messi if you don’t think there will be many goals. Pique and Milito are out so Abidal or a player from Barca B will partner Puyol on his 500th Barcelona match.
Villareal players scored well in their single picklive match this season. Cazorla topscored with an impressive 84. Cani got 80 but helped with a goal and an assist. Bruno (77) and A Lopez (69) also broke the 60pts barrier. Don’t think Cazorla/Cani the wingers will do so well tonight. Bruno or A Lopez might be the better picks. Centre-backs (Marchena / Gonzalez) could do ok as well.
There seems to be plenty of goals though in Barcelona-Villarreal matches with 23 goals in the last six (3.8 per match). Barcelona have scored 12 goals in their last four matches and Villarreal 9 in their last four. There should be quite a few goals tonight and I would recommend going with a fairly attacking-minded BG team. Only Ronaldo (11) has scored more goals than Messi (8) and Rossi (7) in La Liga. Nilmar is also having a good season with six goals. David Villa has five goals to his name this season. Although Rossi and Nilmar are in decent form, I can’t see them scoring many points. Rossi had only 42pts against Atletico with a goal! Messi should be included and Villa if you think there will be a few goals.
I will be going with four Barcelona players. Most likely Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets and Messi – I think a lot of people will go for these four on the BG though. Maybe going for David Villa could give you an edge if it’s a free-scoring match and Alves would be a solid pick. For my Villarreal player it’s going to be between Bruno, A Lopez, Marchena and Gonzalez!
All the best!
Grunny27 (Simon G)
Stoke/Liverpool
After a slight detour in the Birmingham game, normal service has been resumed and I can safely say DO NOT PICK ANY STOKE PLAYERS. Well almost. Begovic, the Stoke keeper, may be worth a look. He made 6 saves against the Brummies, contributing to a respectable score of 57. However Liverpool have only managed 4 shots on target in each of their last couple of Picklive games so Begovic may struggle to replicate those heights.
So, I'd advise picking solely from the Liverpool starting XI. Johnson is likely to be out so Kelly may start and is worth considering. Konchesky is consistently a good scorer and I would probably pick him if you're not taking both full-backs. A centre back is essential against Stoke as Johnson, Vidic and Coloccini have proved recently so it will be worth waiting to see what the pairing at the back is. Carragher has seemed to have the edge over his partner recently.
In the middle the much maligned Lucas is first on the teamsheet for me - if there are few or no goals then he's likely to be the top points scorer. Gerrard is usually next but he doesn't always make the top 5 e.g. against Chelsea. Meireles is a steady choice and seems to be steadily improving. Rodriguez, Kuyt and Torres would need at least a goal, assist or a few shots on target to trouble the top 5 and so should be used sparingly.
Tips: Lucas, Carragher and Konchesky. Then 2 from Kelly, Gerrard, Meireles or the second centre back. Avoid Stoke players.
Good luck!
by BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Friday 12 November 2010
Villa/ManUtd.
Hi everyone,
My first preview for the FC Roger blog!
A few stats to begin with…
· United are unbeaten in their last 14 PL visits to Villa Park. Their only defeat in the last 17 was 3-1 in August 1995.
· Villa are without a defeat in their six home PL matches.
· United have drawn five of their six PL away matches this season
· United have drawn their last three matches in Birmingham and are unbeaten in their last 20 PL matches in the city.
This match is going to be pretty close I think and a draw looks a fairly likely result. Villa’s last Picklive match was a 0-0 draw against Chelsea at home – I think the match against United will be similar, maybe with a couple more goals. The top scorers in that match were Malouda (78), Essien (71), Mikel (69), Cole (66), Ivanovic (60). Petrov (57), Warnock (56) and Friedel (52) top scored for Villa.
Looking back at previous picklive matches, Villa players are hardly putting together big scores. Luke Young currently has the highest average with 57 points from 4 matches. Friedel and Warnock have an average of 48pts.
Unfortunately Scholes will be out through suspension. Fletcher consistently puts good picklive scores together – with an average of 66pts. Carrick will probably partner Fletcher in the centre of midfield – he is in great picklive form scoring 80pts against City and 76 against Spurs. Evra is a doubt for the match and it looks like Rafael is out. O’Shea and Brown will likely step in. O’Shea had 27 points from 22 minutes of football which is a good sign. More adventurous of you will probably want to have a look at Nani and Park. Nani is averaging 58.2 pts in his last five matches on picklive – partly due to a top scoring 101 against Spurs. Park has been playing well recently with a couple of goals against Wolves last weekened (not on picklive) and is averaging 49.8 pts in his last five picklive matches.
None of the strikers on show are really in prolific form so I won’t advise picking any of them. Agbonhlahor is fit and should return – he has scored four of Villa’s last five goals against United.
I will be going with 4 United players in the BG and I wouldn’t really recommend going with more than 2 Villa players with their recent picklive form! I think you have to go with Fletcher and Carrick really. For Villa - I would go with Luke Young, Warnock or Petrov. And then the choice for me is between Nani, Park, O’Shea and Brown.
A couple stats to finish with…
· Nani has six PL assists this season – joint-most with Drogba
· Houllier has lost three of his last four PL matches against United – although he did win his last PL match against them.
· United have picked up more PL wins (24) and more PL points (81) against Villa than any other team in the PL has against the midlands club.
· Villa lost only one of their last 15 PL home matches
· United have lost only once in the midlands since 1998 – a 1-0 defeat at Wolves in Jan 2004
Good luck!
Grunny27 (Simon G)
My first preview for the FC Roger blog!
A few stats to begin with…
· United are unbeaten in their last 14 PL visits to Villa Park. Their only defeat in the last 17 was 3-1 in August 1995.
· Villa are without a defeat in their six home PL matches.
· United have drawn five of their six PL away matches this season
· United have drawn their last three matches in Birmingham and are unbeaten in their last 20 PL matches in the city.
This match is going to be pretty close I think and a draw looks a fairly likely result. Villa’s last Picklive match was a 0-0 draw against Chelsea at home – I think the match against United will be similar, maybe with a couple more goals. The top scorers in that match were Malouda (78), Essien (71), Mikel (69), Cole (66), Ivanovic (60). Petrov (57), Warnock (56) and Friedel (52) top scored for Villa.
Looking back at previous picklive matches, Villa players are hardly putting together big scores. Luke Young currently has the highest average with 57 points from 4 matches. Friedel and Warnock have an average of 48pts.
Unfortunately Scholes will be out through suspension. Fletcher consistently puts good picklive scores together – with an average of 66pts. Carrick will probably partner Fletcher in the centre of midfield – he is in great picklive form scoring 80pts against City and 76 against Spurs. Evra is a doubt for the match and it looks like Rafael is out. O’Shea and Brown will likely step in. O’Shea had 27 points from 22 minutes of football which is a good sign. More adventurous of you will probably want to have a look at Nani and Park. Nani is averaging 58.2 pts in his last five matches on picklive – partly due to a top scoring 101 against Spurs. Park has been playing well recently with a couple of goals against Wolves last weekened (not on picklive) and is averaging 49.8 pts in his last five picklive matches.
None of the strikers on show are really in prolific form so I won’t advise picking any of them. Agbonhlahor is fit and should return – he has scored four of Villa’s last five goals against United.
I will be going with 4 United players in the BG and I wouldn’t really recommend going with more than 2 Villa players with their recent picklive form! I think you have to go with Fletcher and Carrick really. For Villa - I would go with Luke Young, Warnock or Petrov. And then the choice for me is between Nani, Park, O’Shea and Brown.
A couple stats to finish with…
· Nani has six PL assists this season – joint-most with Drogba
· Houllier has lost three of his last four PL matches against United – although he did win his last PL match against them.
· United have picked up more PL wins (24) and more PL points (81) against Villa than any other team in the PL has against the midlands club.
· Villa lost only one of their last 15 PL home matches
· United have lost only once in the midlands since 1998 – a 1-0 defeat at Wolves in Jan 2004
Good luck!
Grunny27 (Simon G)
New signing unveiled: Grunny27
FC Roger is proud to reveal that it has made its second signing of the season, Picklive Top 10 player, member of the 5k points club and possessor of one of the most awesome points-to-plays ratios in the game: Mr Simon G aka Grunny 27.
The club is looking forward to Simon using all his experience, not to mention his electric use of stats, throughout the season. His debut game will be Villa v Man Utd. tomorrow, published tonight.
And look out for more signings to be announced over the weekend, subject to paperwork.
BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
The club is looking forward to Simon using all his experience, not to mention his electric use of stats, throughout the season. His debut game will be Villa v Man Utd. tomorrow, published tonight.
And look out for more signings to be announced over the weekend, subject to paperwork.
BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Preston/Hull
Preston and Hull are both in the relegation zone of the Championship. Preston have only won one of their last 7 matches and that was against a dismal Crystal Palace who are bottom of the table. Hull have only won 3 games all season – fewer than any other team. Preston have lost more matches this season (10) than any other team in the Championship. They have also conceded the most goals (33) and have the fewest clean sheets (1). This has got draw written all over it although most bookies marginally favour Preston.
Neither team has appeared on Picklive before. It’s hard to suggest players from two teams playing at such a triumphant peak of mediocrity. I would have gone with John Bostock, from Hull, but he is suspended for this match. I might consider Kevin Kilbane – he has a couple of goals this season from midfield. Robert Koren is Hull’s top scorer this season with a pathetic 3 goals – he is also a midfielder and is due back tonight after a hamstring injury.
I think that Preston players offer better value. Striker Jon Parkin has 7 goals this season...not too bad but he also has the worst disciplinary record in the team with 7 yellow cards. Keith Treacy (midfielder) has had 45 shots on goal – 28 on target and has hit the woodwork 4 times. Callum Davidson’s experience also makes him a certainty for my pick – he is also widely regarded as Preston’s best player this season.
Good luck!
Warriors
(Robin Warr)
Neither team has appeared on Picklive before. It’s hard to suggest players from two teams playing at such a triumphant peak of mediocrity. I would have gone with John Bostock, from Hull, but he is suspended for this match. I might consider Kevin Kilbane – he has a couple of goals this season from midfield. Robert Koren is Hull’s top scorer this season with a pathetic 3 goals – he is also a midfielder and is due back tonight after a hamstring injury.
I think that Preston players offer better value. Striker Jon Parkin has 7 goals this season...not too bad but he also has the worst disciplinary record in the team with 7 yellow cards. Keith Treacy (midfielder) has had 45 shots on goal – 28 on target and has hit the woodwork 4 times. Callum Davidson’s experience also makes him a certainty for my pick – he is also widely regarded as Preston’s best player this season.
Good luck!
Warriors
(Robin Warr)
Wednesday 10 November 2010
Manchester Derby
There's plenty of previous games to study for this Blue vs Red clash
Fletcher, Nani, Brown, Scholes and Park and possibly Vidic are the stand out picks based on the last 3 games for United. Evra hasn't been scoring as he used to. Carrick and Gibson are doubtful and could be a substitution risk if they do start. Hernandez needs at least a goal and an assist to be worth it so should be picked only if you're confident he can achieve that.
De Jong, Zabaleta and then a centre back and a central midfielder (both the latter depending on the line-up) would be the conservative choice for City. However if you think there will be several goals about then Tevez, Silva and Johnson score reasonably enough to only need a goal or an assist to be worthy of your 5. Somewhere in the middle of the conservative choice and the goalscoring choice lie Milner and Barry and could make a good compromise.
Both goalkeepers are unlikely to feature in a winning top 5 as either would need at least 6 or more saves to feature. Avoid unless you think the game will be incredibly open with plenty of shots on target.
A solid 5 would probably look like De Jong, Zabeleta, Tevez, Fletcher and Scholes but there will be at least 13 players on the pitch tonight that all could make a strong case for inclusion.
Good luck!
BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Fletcher, Nani, Brown, Scholes and Park and possibly Vidic are the stand out picks based on the last 3 games for United. Evra hasn't been scoring as he used to. Carrick and Gibson are doubtful and could be a substitution risk if they do start. Hernandez needs at least a goal and an assist to be worth it so should be picked only if you're confident he can achieve that.
De Jong, Zabaleta and then a centre back and a central midfielder (both the latter depending on the line-up) would be the conservative choice for City. However if you think there will be several goals about then Tevez, Silva and Johnson score reasonably enough to only need a goal or an assist to be worthy of your 5. Somewhere in the middle of the conservative choice and the goalscoring choice lie Milner and Barry and could make a good compromise.
Both goalkeepers are unlikely to feature in a winning top 5 as either would need at least 6 or more saves to feature. Avoid unless you think the game will be incredibly open with plenty of shots on target.
A solid 5 would probably look like De Jong, Zabeleta, Tevez, Fletcher and Scholes but there will be at least 13 players on the pitch tonight that all could make a strong case for inclusion.
Good luck!
BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Tuesday 9 November 2010
Stoke/Birmingham
Normally tips on Stoke matches are easy to give: don't pick any Stoke players. They haven't had a single player in the top 5 point scorers in their last 3 Picklive matches (although they did manage 1 in the game before that!). However, tonight is slightly different as they're playing Birmingham who have had just 1 player in the top 5 in their last 2 matches.
I would suggest 3 from Birmingham and 2 from Stoke unless you strongly fancy one team to dominate or score 2 or more goals. Ferguson, Carr and Dann are the picks for Birmingham unless you fancy Gardner to score in which case you should include him. Hleb would be worth a risk if you think he can play for longer than 60 minutes.
For Stoke it's trickier. I would suggest two from Etherington, Collins, Huth and Wilson. Jones needs to score at least one to make up the points so you should pick based on your hunch on that.
Because both teams usually score poorly on Picklive it could be worth looking at the goalkeepers. Begovic would only need to make about 4 saves to edge into the top 2 or 3 Stoke players (assuming no goals, assists etc.). Foster would probably need 5 to make the same impact on the Birmingham list. But note, although that sounds like a low amount of saves it doesn't happen as often as you think.
This could be one of the lowest Picklive games ever and I doubt the jackpot will fall tonight. Now I've said that we'll probably end up with a 5-5 thriller.
Good luck!
by BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
I would suggest 3 from Birmingham and 2 from Stoke unless you strongly fancy one team to dominate or score 2 or more goals. Ferguson, Carr and Dann are the picks for Birmingham unless you fancy Gardner to score in which case you should include him. Hleb would be worth a risk if you think he can play for longer than 60 minutes.
For Stoke it's trickier. I would suggest two from Etherington, Collins, Huth and Wilson. Jones needs to score at least one to make up the points so you should pick based on your hunch on that.
Because both teams usually score poorly on Picklive it could be worth looking at the goalkeepers. Begovic would only need to make about 4 saves to edge into the top 2 or 3 Stoke players (assuming no goals, assists etc.). Foster would probably need 5 to make the same impact on the Birmingham list. But note, although that sounds like a low amount of saves it doesn't happen as often as you think.
This could be one of the lowest Picklive games ever and I doubt the jackpot will fall tonight. Now I've said that we'll probably end up with a 5-5 thriller.
Good luck!
by BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Monday 8 November 2010
Sevilla/Valancia: an apology and a new dawn
The late switch tonight has left us without tips tonight. Sorry!
But excitingly, on Sunday, we'll be unveiling our latest new signing. Can't say much more about it yet but he'll bring bags of La Liga experience to the team. So, hopefully next time there's a late switch to a Spanish game we won't be caught with our pants down.
Good luck tonight!
BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
But excitingly, on Sunday, we'll be unveiling our latest new signing. Can't say much more about it yet but he'll bring bags of La Liga experience to the team. So, hopefully next time there's a late switch to a Spanish game we won't be caught with our pants down.
Good luck tonight!
BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Sunday 7 November 2010
Could you be writing this?
FC Roger are looking to sign a correspondent with La Liga experience or at least someone who can write about Spanish matches without constantly referring to Tapas or the Costa del Sol.
If you fancy tapping out a few paragraphs once a week to provide the wonderful Picklive public with some tips then just drop us an e-mail on footballclubroger@gmail.com
No experience necessary.
And if you're looking for tips for tonight then try Ramos, Luis and then 3 from Real...
If you fancy tapping out a few paragraphs once a week to provide the wonderful Picklive public with some tips then just drop us an e-mail on footballclubroger@gmail.com
No experience necessary.
And if you're looking for tips for tonight then try Ramos, Luis and then 3 from Real...
Liverpool/Chelsea
There's lots of background material to draw on for this match. There are 11 previous Picklive matches listed for Liverpool and 10 for Chelsea. Plus there's all my insight and critique on this here very blog.
I'm expecting a big turnout for the Big Game this afternoon and most probably a split pot. That's because the highest scorers tend to be the same for these two teams. Gerrard plus a full-back plus whoever's at the base of the midfield for Liverpool; Cole, Essien, Malouda and Mikel for Chelsea. At least Joe Cole and Essien are doubtful as it may make choosing slightly easier.
So it'll probably be a goal, assist, card or substitution that decides the winner. Players like Gerrard and Ashley Cole are rarely subbed in games like this so should be considered a safe bet. But then most people will probably be picking them so it might be worth trying someone else?
But who? Centre-backs often do well for these teams so it might be worth including one. Goalkeepers have had a mini-resurgence recently, not least with Ashdown for Portsmouth yesterday who was top-scorer in that match.
Tips: Gerrard, Lucas, Johnson, Ashley Cole and Mikel would normally be my tip but I'll tweaking that to try and find an edge on what will be a tight Big Game.
Good luck!
by BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
I'm expecting a big turnout for the Big Game this afternoon and most probably a split pot. That's because the highest scorers tend to be the same for these two teams. Gerrard plus a full-back plus whoever's at the base of the midfield for Liverpool; Cole, Essien, Malouda and Mikel for Chelsea. At least Joe Cole and Essien are doubtful as it may make choosing slightly easier.
So it'll probably be a goal, assist, card or substitution that decides the winner. Players like Gerrard and Ashley Cole are rarely subbed in games like this so should be considered a safe bet. But then most people will probably be picking them so it might be worth trying someone else?
But who? Centre-backs often do well for these teams so it might be worth including one. Goalkeepers have had a mini-resurgence recently, not least with Ashdown for Portsmouth yesterday who was top-scorer in that match.
Tips: Gerrard, Lucas, Johnson, Ashley Cole and Mikel would normally be my tip but I'll tweaking that to try and find an edge on what will be a tight Big Game.
Good luck!
by BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Cardiff/Swansea
Last time Cardiff were on Picklive, Jay Bothroyd scored a very useful 71 points. He has scored in the last four of Cardiff's matches but I mentioned his reckless streak last time and today he is suspended for the game.
Swansea have not conceded a single goal in the league in October (5 games) and Cardiff have scored more goals than any other team in October (14 goals). I might risk picking Swansea goalkeeper De Vries as he will have plenty of work to do but is on top form and could end up as Swansea's top scoring player if the team fails to score on the pitch.De Vries is the 2nd best goalkeeper in the Championship according to the ACTIM index.
Cardiff pose a potent goal threat even without Bothroyd - Chopra has scored in the last 2 games and Bellamy and Keogh are not short of goals. My top pick last time Cardiff were on Picklive, midfielder Peter Whittingham, has scored four in the last four - two of which were penalties.
My pick will be to have three or four from Cardiff but Scott Sinclair from Swansea will be in my team. I love a free scroing midfielder and Sinclair has 11 goals this season already and more attempts on goal. Because of this, I cant see any value in the Swansea strikers although Emnes has scored a few recently. Midfielder Nathan Dyer will also be up there in the points.
Cardiff's best five players the last two times they were featured on Picklive were
v Sheffield United. 8th August
Hudson 84
Whittingham 69
McNaughton 67
Blake 65
Gyepes 61
v Leeds United. 25th October
Bothroyd 73
Naylor 68
Hudson 58
Bellamy 52
McNaughton 51
Good luck!
by Warriors
(Robin Warr)
Swansea have not conceded a single goal in the league in October (5 games) and Cardiff have scored more goals than any other team in October (14 goals). I might risk picking Swansea goalkeeper De Vries as he will have plenty of work to do but is on top form and could end up as Swansea's top scoring player if the team fails to score on the pitch.De Vries is the 2nd best goalkeeper in the Championship according to the ACTIM index.
Cardiff pose a potent goal threat even without Bothroyd - Chopra has scored in the last 2 games and Bellamy and Keogh are not short of goals. My top pick last time Cardiff were on Picklive, midfielder Peter Whittingham, has scored four in the last four - two of which were penalties.
My pick will be to have three or four from Cardiff but Scott Sinclair from Swansea will be in my team. I love a free scroing midfielder and Sinclair has 11 goals this season already and more attempts on goal. Because of this, I cant see any value in the Swansea strikers although Emnes has scored a few recently. Midfielder Nathan Dyer will also be up there in the points.
Cardiff's best five players the last two times they were featured on Picklive were
v Sheffield United. 8th August
Hudson 84
Whittingham 69
McNaughton 67
Blake 65
Gyepes 61
v Leeds United. 25th October
Bothroyd 73
Naylor 68
Hudson 58
Bellamy 52
McNaughton 51
Good luck!
by Warriors
(Robin Warr)
Saturday 6 November 2010
Derby/Portsmouth
Two exciting games from the Championship featured on Picklive this weekend. First up, it's Derby v. Portsmouth.
Both teams are doing well in the league. It's been a game of two halves for Portsmouth already this season, Gary, with no victories in their first 8 games, and 6 victories in their last 7 games (the other match being a draw away to Championship whipping boys Middlesborough).
Derby are above Portsmouth in the league but their recent form, while good, is less impressive than Portsmouth. The outcome is difficult to predict but my money is tentatively on a Portsmouth victory even though Derby are this season's top scorers at home.
Both of these teams have been Picklived before and the highest scoring players for Derby were Brayford (64 last game), Leacock (64 also) and Savage (54). John Brayford (Defender) also is OFFICIALLY the 24th best player in the Championship according to the ACTIM index.He has one goal and 3 assists so far this season too. Leacock is another Derby defender I will be strongly considering for today's game and his average score on Picklive for both Derby's featured games make him worth looking at. It seems Derby's best players are defenders. If you fancy dabbling in the Derby midfield then may I reccomend Paul Green and Tomasz Cywka? Green is the highest placed Derby player in the ACTIM index (21st) and has the most number of assists in the Derby team (6). Cywka I am more cautious about suggesting but he is highly rated and likes to have a go at goal (3 goals this season). If it is goals you are after, look no further than striker Kris Commons; 7 goals in the lague this season (from a total of 43 shots) and 2 assists.
Portsmouth's best players the last time they were on Picklive were Lawrence (91 - 2 goals, Kitson (69 - 2 goals) and Brown (59 - 1 goal). However, I am not reading too much into this as this was against a very poor Leicester. In the Picklive match before that, the best two players were Ritchie and Wilson; however, this was a cup match against lowly Stevenage so I would not read too much into that either as they probably wont play.
Portsmouth's stand-out player is undoubtedly midfielder Liam Lawrence and he will probably be in everyone's picks (if playing of course). He is Portsmouth's highest scorer (due to being Portsmouth's regular penalty taker) and scored a massive 91 points last time Portsmouth were featured on Picklive. However, he did get 2 goals in this game which was a 6-1 demolition of Leicester. Lawrence also has most assists (4) to his name. The current ACTIM 3rd best midfielder in the Championship.
If playing, I may well be tempted by Sonko in defence. He scored in Portsmouth's last match and by all accounts had a good game. Strikers Kitson (4 goals) and Nugent (3 goals) will probably not make my team but if I had to pick one, I would go for Kitson as he has one more goal but has played fewer games. Nugent has had more attempts on goal however, and more than anyone in the Portsmouth squad.
I will be considering midfielders Hayden Mullins and Michael Brown. Both have 2 goals in the league (Brown has one also in the Carling Cup) and I fancy them to do well today.
Good luck!
by Warriors
(Robin Warr)
Both teams are doing well in the league. It's been a game of two halves for Portsmouth already this season, Gary, with no victories in their first 8 games, and 6 victories in their last 7 games (the other match being a draw away to Championship whipping boys Middlesborough).
Derby are above Portsmouth in the league but their recent form, while good, is less impressive than Portsmouth. The outcome is difficult to predict but my money is tentatively on a Portsmouth victory even though Derby are this season's top scorers at home.
Both of these teams have been Picklived before and the highest scoring players for Derby were Brayford (64 last game), Leacock (64 also) and Savage (54). John Brayford (Defender) also is OFFICIALLY the 24th best player in the Championship according to the ACTIM index.He has one goal and 3 assists so far this season too. Leacock is another Derby defender I will be strongly considering for today's game and his average score on Picklive for both Derby's featured games make him worth looking at. It seems Derby's best players are defenders. If you fancy dabbling in the Derby midfield then may I reccomend Paul Green and Tomasz Cywka? Green is the highest placed Derby player in the ACTIM index (21st) and has the most number of assists in the Derby team (6). Cywka I am more cautious about suggesting but he is highly rated and likes to have a go at goal (3 goals this season). If it is goals you are after, look no further than striker Kris Commons; 7 goals in the lague this season (from a total of 43 shots) and 2 assists.
Portsmouth's best players the last time they were on Picklive were Lawrence (91 - 2 goals, Kitson (69 - 2 goals) and Brown (59 - 1 goal). However, I am not reading too much into this as this was against a very poor Leicester. In the Picklive match before that, the best two players were Ritchie and Wilson; however, this was a cup match against lowly Stevenage so I would not read too much into that either as they probably wont play.
Portsmouth's stand-out player is undoubtedly midfielder Liam Lawrence and he will probably be in everyone's picks (if playing of course). He is Portsmouth's highest scorer (due to being Portsmouth's regular penalty taker) and scored a massive 91 points last time Portsmouth were featured on Picklive. However, he did get 2 goals in this game which was a 6-1 demolition of Leicester. Lawrence also has most assists (4) to his name. The current ACTIM 3rd best midfielder in the Championship.
If playing, I may well be tempted by Sonko in defence. He scored in Portsmouth's last match and by all accounts had a good game. Strikers Kitson (4 goals) and Nugent (3 goals) will probably not make my team but if I had to pick one, I would go for Kitson as he has one more goal but has played fewer games. Nugent has had more attempts on goal however, and more than anyone in the Portsmouth squad.
I will be considering midfielders Hayden Mullins and Michael Brown. Both have 2 goals in the league (Brown has one also in the Carling Cup) and I fancy them to do well today.
Good luck!
by Warriors
(Robin Warr)
Bolton/Spurs
I'll be backing Bolton to get at least a draw in this match but can't recommend picking more than one player for your Big Game 5 this lunchtime.
The reason is simply that Bolton don't convert possession into Picklive points. In their last Picklive game at home to Liverpool they shared the possession 50/50 but yet, as a team, scored only 389 points. This equates to just 43% of the total points for that game (excluding goals/assists and cards) as Liverpool scored 507. This is borne out by only Paul Robinson making the top 5 scorers. And it's the full-back who I recommend again this time.
Spurs recorded 542 points away to Man Utd. on 52% of the possession. Man Utd., on 48%, edged them with 563 points. The points split then was 51/49 in favour of the home team. So, although Spurs didn't convert their possession at the rate United did they certainly didn't perform as poorly as Bolton.
Spurs and Bolton were, in the examples above, scoring at a rate of 10.4 and 7.8 points per percentage point of possession. Which means that if they performed in the same manner today and possession was equal then the total points would be Bolton 389, Spurs 520. All of which is a long winded way of saying pick at least 4 Spurs players...
There's obviously other factors to consider, the above doesn't take into account cards, assists or goals so you would need to make your own assumptions about those. So, if you fancy a Kevin Davies hat-trick or a Spurs red card you might want to pick two Bolton players.
Tips: Robinson from Bolton and then Assou-Ekotto, Modric and two others from Spurs.
Good luck!
by BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
The reason is simply that Bolton don't convert possession into Picklive points. In their last Picklive game at home to Liverpool they shared the possession 50/50 but yet, as a team, scored only 389 points. This equates to just 43% of the total points for that game (excluding goals/assists and cards) as Liverpool scored 507. This is borne out by only Paul Robinson making the top 5 scorers. And it's the full-back who I recommend again this time.
Spurs recorded 542 points away to Man Utd. on 52% of the possession. Man Utd., on 48%, edged them with 563 points. The points split then was 51/49 in favour of the home team. So, although Spurs didn't convert their possession at the rate United did they certainly didn't perform as poorly as Bolton.
Spurs and Bolton were, in the examples above, scoring at a rate of 10.4 and 7.8 points per percentage point of possession. Which means that if they performed in the same manner today and possession was equal then the total points would be Bolton 389, Spurs 520. All of which is a long winded way of saying pick at least 4 Spurs players...
There's obviously other factors to consider, the above doesn't take into account cards, assists or goals so you would need to make your own assumptions about those. So, if you fancy a Kevin Davies hat-trick or a Spurs red card you might want to pick two Bolton players.
Tips: Robinson from Bolton and then Assou-Ekotto, Modric and two others from Spurs.
Good luck!
by BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Friday 5 November 2010
Rochdale/FCUnited
Without any stats and very little personal knowledge I'm loathe to write much at all about tonights match. Rochdale average 54% possession at home in League One. So, they should acheive at least that against FC United of Manchester...
Therefore I would recommend 4 or 5 Rochdale players for the big 5 including at least the Captain & top-scorer Gary Jones.
Good luck!
by BensBulls
Therefore I would recommend 4 or 5 Rochdale players for the big 5 including at least the Captain & top-scorer Gary Jones.
Good luck!
by BensBulls
Thursday 4 November 2010
Liverpool/Napoli
There haven't been many Liverpool home games on Picklive recently (1 in the last 8) so I'm looking right back to the game against Steaua Bucharest for inspiration. In that match Spearing and Meireles dominated the passing with 63 and 62 completed passes respectively. Picking central midfielders in Liverpool games seems to be a no-brainer when you also look at Lucas against Bolton, Meireles and Gerrard against Everton or Poulsen against Man Utd.
So, the centre of the Liverpool midfield should cover at least 2 and possibly 3 (if Gerrard is played further forward) of your picks tonight. I would would advise looking at the back four for the other picks. Both Konchesky and Johnson have excellent average scores for Liverpool and should be considered. Plus one of the centre backs often feature high up the points table e.g. Skrtel against Napoli.
Campagnaro (63 cp) and Pazienza (60) dominated Napoli's passing in the reverse fixture and so should be considered if you think Napoli will see a fair bit of the ball.
Tips: Three or four from Liverpoool including both central midfielders plus at least one insurance pick from Napoli.
So, the centre of the Liverpool midfield should cover at least 2 and possibly 3 (if Gerrard is played further forward) of your picks tonight. I would would advise looking at the back four for the other picks. Both Konchesky and Johnson have excellent average scores for Liverpool and should be considered. Plus one of the centre backs often feature high up the points table e.g. Skrtel against Napoli.
Campagnaro (63 cp) and Pazienza (60) dominated Napoli's passing in the reverse fixture and so should be considered if you think Napoli will see a fair bit of the ball.
Tips: Three or four from Liverpoool including both central midfielders plus at least one insurance pick from Napoli.
Wednesday 3 November 2010
Chelsea/SpartakMoscow
Spartak had 4 of the top 5 players in the last match between these two sides but that's unlikely to happen at the Bridge. Spartak dominated their home match against Zilina but then swapped roles away to Marseille. So, based on that limited evidence, I would expect Chelsea to dominate possession with Spartak looking to hit them on the break.
If Chelsea get an early goal then Spartak may have to change tactics and keep/win the ball more. For that reason I'm recommending including at least one player from the Russian side. Sheshukov and Makeev have been two of the most frequent passers in the two Champions League outings before the Chelsea game and so both represent a safe pick.
Malouda being out at least eases the difficulty in picking Chelsea players. Mikel, Essien and Cole are usually in the mix with Malouda and should be carefully considered. Other than that I would recommend waiting for the starting line-ups and matching it to one of Chelsea's previous Picklive outings.
Tips: Sheshukov or Makeev plus Essien, Mikel, Cole and one other (probably from Drogba, Terry, Zhirkov or Ferreira)
If Chelsea get an early goal then Spartak may have to change tactics and keep/win the ball more. For that reason I'm recommending including at least one player from the Russian side. Sheshukov and Makeev have been two of the most frequent passers in the two Champions League outings before the Chelsea game and so both represent a safe pick.
Malouda being out at least eases the difficulty in picking Chelsea players. Mikel, Essien and Cole are usually in the mix with Malouda and should be carefully considered. Other than that I would recommend waiting for the starting line-ups and matching it to one of Chelsea's previous Picklive outings.
Tips: Sheshukov or Makeev plus Essien, Mikel, Cole and one other (probably from Drogba, Terry, Zhirkov or Ferreira)
Tuesday 2 November 2010
Spurs/Inter
4 strong candidates from each team will make getting the balance right the key tonight. Bale, Modric, van der Vaart and Assou-Ekotto are the four outstanding Spurs players and it will be difficult narrowing that selection down.
Zanetti and Sneijder seem to be the pick for Inter although Maicon and Lucio may see more of the action if Spurs can control the match. Coutinho not starting at least narrows the choice slightly.
Tips: Assou-Ekotto and Zanetti would seem to be safe bets and then it's just a case of getting the flair picks right. Apart from the players mentioned above it may be worth considering Huddlestone if you fancy Spurs to dominate the midfield or Eto'o if you fancy several Inter goals. Personally I'll be sticking to 5 of the 8 highlighted above.
Good luck!
by BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
Zanetti and Sneijder seem to be the pick for Inter although Maicon and Lucio may see more of the action if Spurs can control the match. Coutinho not starting at least narrows the choice slightly.
Tips: Assou-Ekotto and Zanetti would seem to be safe bets and then it's just a case of getting the flair picks right. Apart from the players mentioned above it may be worth considering Huddlestone if you fancy Spurs to dominate the midfield or Eto'o if you fancy several Inter goals. Personally I'll be sticking to 5 of the 8 highlighted above.
Good luck!
by BensBulls
(Ben Wraith)
RubinKazan/Panathinaikos
I'm not going to pretend that I know much about either of these teams but there's an excellent article about the last game on the fantastic Zonalmarking site here. It mentions that Rubin like to build from the back so their centre backs may be worth picking. Which is also borne out by the passing stats from the previous match on the UEFA Match Centre here.
In fact those latter stats give a good basis for making your picks tonight. Both sets of centre backs were amongst the most frequent passers. Panathinaikos pair Sarriegi and Boumsong completed 54 and 52 passes respectively - the basis of a very respectable Picklive score. Rubin's back four plus midfielder Natcho made up the away teams top 5 passers.
Rubin had slightly more of the possession in the last game so I'm assuming that they will do so again. Therefore I'll be picking 3 or 4 Rubin players tonight although I may make room (due to a soft spot) for Gilberto Silva who, if he starts, may help Panathinaikos retain the ball.
Tips: Bocchetti, Natcho and Sarriegi.
By Bens Bulls
(Ben Wraith)
In fact those latter stats give a good basis for making your picks tonight. Both sets of centre backs were amongst the most frequent passers. Panathinaikos pair Sarriegi and Boumsong completed 54 and 52 passes respectively - the basis of a very respectable Picklive score. Rubin's back four plus midfielder Natcho made up the away teams top 5 passers.
Rubin had slightly more of the possession in the last game so I'm assuming that they will do so again. Therefore I'll be picking 3 or 4 Rubin players tonight although I may make room (due to a soft spot) for Gilberto Silva who, if he starts, may help Panathinaikos retain the ball.
Tips: Bocchetti, Natcho and Sarriegi.
By Bens Bulls
(Ben Wraith)
Monday 1 November 2010
Blackpool/WestBrom
West Brom have enjoyed large amounts of possession in their last two away games in the Premier League. They had 50% of possession at Old Trafford and 51% against Arsenal. Blackpool also seem to retain the ball well, they enjoyed 55% possession at home to Man City and 53% against Blackburn.
If Blackpool can maintain their possession rate then it'll be best to pick 3 Tangerines. If West Brom can get approx. 50% then it won't matter which way you split your 5 (although a 3/2 split, either way, would tend to be better than a 4/1 or 5/0).
Crainey and Adam are first on my list for Blackpool having scored 315 points between them in their last two Picklive appearances. Vaughan pips Eardley for me for the third spot as I fancy Blackpool to do a little more attacking than West Brom. For the same reason I'll be going for Jara and Mulumbu rather than Brunt or Morrison. Tamas and Shorey are decent contenders too.
Update: Adam is a major injury doubt so I'll be waiting until near kick-off to finalise my line-up. If Adam doesn't start then I'll be picking 3 West Brom players such is the Captain's importance to Blackpool.
If Blackpool can maintain their possession rate then it'll be best to pick 3 Tangerines. If West Brom can get approx. 50% then it won't matter which way you split your 5 (although a 3/2 split, either way, would tend to be better than a 4/1 or 5/0).
Crainey and Adam are first on my list for Blackpool having scored 315 points between them in their last two Picklive appearances. Vaughan pips Eardley for me for the third spot as I fancy Blackpool to do a little more attacking than West Brom. For the same reason I'll be going for Jara and Mulumbu rather than Brunt or Morrison. Tamas and Shorey are decent contenders too.
Update: Adam is a major injury doubt so I'll be waiting until near kick-off to finalise my line-up. If Adam doesn't start then I'll be picking 3 West Brom players such is the Captain's importance to Blackpool.
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