Heartland

No early kick off this week so a little bit longer to pick your team.

Here's the preview from the FF scout:

Four of the top six teams in the Barclays Premier League hit the road this weekend as The Scout assesses the Gameweek 36 schedule.

Champions-elect Leicester City travel to Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon looking for a win that would clinch the title. Second-placed Tottenham Hotspur face a testing trip to London neighbours Chelsea, Manchester City seek a fifth victory in six attempts away to Southampton, whilst West Ham United make their way to West Bromwich Albion as Slaven Bilic’s side step up their pursuit of a top-five finish.

Elsewhere, fourth-placed Arsenal welcome Norwich to the Emirates Stadium as the Gunners look to extend their seven-match unbeaten run. Newcastle United entertain former manager Alan Pardew’s Crystal Palace and Liverpool travel to Swansea City just four days before the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Villarreal.

Talking tactics

Guus Hiddink tinkered with his tactics for Chelsea’s trip to AFC Bournemouth last weekend. The Dutchman started with the fit-again Eden Hazard and Pedro out wide, whilst Willian took up a central support role behind Diego Costa as Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s run of three straight starts came to an end. In his first appearance since Gameweek 29, Hazard - who started on the left flank before switching with fellow wide man Pedro at the break - grabbed a goal in each half of a 4-1 win at Dean Court, finding the net for the first time since Gameweek 6. With Willian and Pedro also bagging a goal apiece, and Cesc Fabregas supplying a trio of assists, the Blues’ midfield looks full of in-form options ahead of a schedule that sees them play four times in the final three rounds of fixtures.

Jurgen Klopp rolled out a midfield diamond for Liverpool’s home clash against Newcastle. Despite the absence of Divock Origi through injury, the Reds’ boss partnered Daniel Sturridge with Roberto Firmino up front, with Adam Lallana stationed in a central support role behind the front two. Whilst Sturridge and Lallana benefitted from Klopp’s decision by grabbing a goal apiece, owners of Philippe Coutinho will be reconsidering their options after he was handed a 20-minute cameo off the bench late on. The Brazilian has now started just one of the last four league matches as Klopp looks to manage his minutes ahead of the Europa League semi-final against Villarreal.

Ronald Koeman freshened up his attack for Southampton’s trip to Aston Villa last weekend. After seeing his side score just 14 times in their first 17 away matches, the Dutchman benched in-form duo Sadio Mane and Graziano Pelle against the relegated outfit and afforded the fit-again Jay Rodriguez a first start of the season alongside Dusan Tadic and Steven Davis behind lone striker Shane Long. With Tadic netting twice in a 4-2 win and Long chipping in with a goal and two assists, the Saints boss has food for thought ahead of the weekend visit of Manchester City, with Mane and Pelle, who have both netted four times in their last five appearances, both pushing for a first-team return.

Yay!
I get a lie in
Kind of sympathising with Pellegrini at the moment.
Why their game is on Sunday defeats me.
Good to see the FA getting behind our premiership teams in Europe huh?

Oh well....off to tinker

what a great way to win the title for leicester if they manage it- beating the fucking Mancs on their own ground....come on leicester. i've just been into town and everywhere is buzzing.

Right. Here we go then.
Hat trick for Noble please. And Bolasie. And Igloo. And......

Well there's Noble's second.
Bolasie & Igloo had better pull their fingers out

i'm really pissed off. i just signed in to check my FPL points and the permanently injured cheap defender i got to generate money from the sale of sagna is in my starting line-up and not on the bench. my error you would think, but this is the second time it has happened. i was sure i had moved him to the bench when i got him but next time i logged in he was back on the field. so i benched him again and DEFINITELY confirmed it, then waited to see the team had updated correctly.

The site's been weirdly glitchy for a few weeks.
The H2H leagues take almost 12 hours to update scores

Well that was tense
Let's hope Chelski beat the spuds tomorrow

It was tense! City being stuffed in first half now.
4 bloody players not on pitch this week.

They don't stand a hope in hell against Really Sadrid if they play like this

on the down side another week to wait for leicester, on the up side they'll be at home.

where the fcuk was aguero??? splitter. (i know he's being saved for embarrassing defeat in europe but nobody told me that beforehand).
still, 36 points so far with 2 spurs players on tomorrow and up in all leagues (sorry Jo!) bar H2H.

I have Lloris & Rose, but I really want Chelski to whoop Spuds this evening.
I am guessing most of Leicester do too.

they only need a draw, i keep being told. so kane can still score a hat trick

Spurs haven't won at the Bridge for 26 years.

Congratulations Leicester!

don't know whether i'm coming or going with all that!
exciting stuff. even more exciting watching the part in Vardy's kitchen, and after a while wondering if those huge glass shades on the candles were going to survive

congrats indeed! leicester's been a madhouse, big street party in town on saturday......cant decide whether thats one to avoid or not.

in FPL i see Jo has me by a point...

That was a testing game week with heavy hitters like Aguero being benched to rest them before their European semi finals this week.

Johnny went for a complete 'hail Mary' selection putting Hazard in and making him captain in a desperate attempt to close the gap on Iesus.

After Hazard was omitted from the starting line up it looked like FC Bennweg-Zeis 1921 title challenge was over but as things went from great to iffy to gone for Spurs bid for the top Johnny's challenge went from dead to in with a chance to looking promising. But how Hazard got the 3 point bonus I'll never know.

In the classic league it ended EIB 447 v IGM 478. A difference of 31. Interestingly EIB lost 12 points to transfers but IGM lost TWENTY EIGHT points. So this was a week when the extra transfers may well have paid off. Overall IGM's lead has cracked the 1000 point barrier standing at 1,001 points.

The is still with Meteora Heartland FC but his lead was cut by 23 points to be just 38 points.

The is for FC Bennweg-Zeis 1921 who scored 62 points once his -4 for transfers was taken into account.

In the H2H it finished EIB 15 v IGM 18 to make the IGM lead 31 points.

The is still with Meteora Heartland FC but after an unexpected defeat for them it has opened the door to FC Bennweg-Zeis who can mathematically still take the title.

Just 2 weeks to go now and hopefully you'll all want to come back to do it all again next season.

Daggnabbit!
I had better get the [s]engraver[/s] photoshop up & running on the trophy I guess

That's the last time I let Basil choose my squad

Well played again everyone & thanks for hosting.

edit: GW37 now open
See y'all there