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Fantasy Football advice: Week 10

Sports Mole looks ahead to the 10th weekend of Premier League action from a Fantasy Football point of view.

We had a bit of a shocker when it came to Fantasy Football advice last week, didn't we? We were fairly confident of seeing Sergio Aguero continue his form in front of goal and Didier Drogba failing to score against Manchester United, but all didn't go to plan.

Calum Chambers also contributed to Arsenal's clean sheet against Sunderland to leave us without many points for week nine, but while we can hold our hands up for those selections, we did get a return from picking Dusan Tadic and advising you to leave out goalkeeper Vito Mannone.

Below, Sports Mole has put together a list for week 10 as we look to help you make up ground in your respective leagues.

Who to pick

1. Alexis Sanchez

Arsenal haven't got off to the best of starts this season, but Alexis Sanchez has hit the ground running for his new side after signing for a fee in excess of £25m in the summer. The former Barcelona winger has already notched up eight goals in 15 games in all competitions, with his latest strikes coming at the Stadium of Light against Sunderland last weekend. The Chilean was gifted both openings, but, especially with the first, he still had work to do before finding the back of the net. There has been talk of the 25-year-old falling out with some of his teammates, but while fit, Sanchez is one of the first names on Arsene Wenger's teamsheet and he will be expected to close further in on double figures against Burnley on Saturday.

2. Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard wouldn't have earned you many points last weekend during Chelsea's 1-1 draw at Old Trafford, but we are keeping faith with the Belgian playmaker for his club's fixture with Queens Park Rangers. The visitors to Stamford Bridge will be buoyed by their win over Aston Villa, but after a second-string team struggled past Shrewsbury Town in midweek, Chelsea's star players will return fully refreshed to try to continue their unbeaten start to the campaign. We were close to selecting Diego Costa but with his ongoing fitness issues still leaving him as a doubt for the game at Stamford Bridge, the logical choice is to go with Hazard, who has four goals to his name since the middle of August.

Eden Hazard of Chelsea celebrates scoring during the Barclays Premier League match between Cheslea and Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge on February 8, 2014© Getty Images

3. Fabricio Coloccini

A couple of weeks ago, including a Newcastle United defender in your fantasy team wouldn't have crossed your mind, but how times change. Manager Alan Pardew had seemingly been hours from the sack after a defeat at Stoke City but three wins in a row and just one loss in seven has turned things around at St James' Park ahead of their clash with Liverpool at the weekend. The Magpies have also kept two clean sheets in their last three outings, including at Manchester City on Wednesday, and after Liveerpool's recent lack of form in attack, it's worth taking the risk on putting someone like Fabricio Coloccini in your team.

Who to avoid

1. Richard Dunne

With QPR having improved in the past two games against Liverpool and Aston Villa respectively, you may be tempted to save a bit of money by including one of their defenders in your starting lineup, but despite belief being restored to an extent at Loftus Road, selecting a Hoops' player should be avoided this weekend. There may still be a doubt over the fitness of Diego Costa but regardless of whether the in-form attacker features or not, Chelsea have enough firepower to pose a constant threat to Harry Redknapp's backline. The Irishman has also netted nearly as many own goals than he has scored at the right end of the pitch, so there is no value in putting the veteran in your side.

2. Wes Brown

It's been a disastrous couple of weeks for Sunderland. The Black Cats fell to their heaviest Premier League defeat in losing to Southampton 8-0 before they slumped further towards the bottom of the table after being beaten by Arsenal last weekend. Experienced defender Wes Brown would have had to shoulder much of the blame for the loss after his mistake let in Sanchez to open the scoring and is place in the team is likely to be under threat for the game against Crystal Palace. The Eagles are unlikely to pose the same kind of problems as Southampton and Arsenal but confidence within Gus Poyet's team is at an all-time low and it's difficult to see where their next clean sheet will come from.

Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal outpaces Wes Brown of Sunderland to score the opening goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Sunderland and Arsenal at the Stadium of Light on October 25, 2014 © Getty Images

3. Eliaquim Mangala

It took Eliaquim Mangala almost a month to make his Manchester City debut after signing in a £32m transfer from Porto but when he did, he looked to be the missing piece in the jigsaw at the Etihad Stadium after fitting in alongside Vincent Kompany against Chelsea. However, the French international has failed to build on that opening display, with mistakes at Hull City and West Ham United as well as several unconvincing performances putting doubts in Manuel Pellegrini's mind just two months into his long-term deal. Mangala should keep his place for the derby against rivals United but with City keeping just three clean sheets in 15 fixtures, it may be wise to keep any of the club's defenders out of your side for such a competitive encounter.

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Darren Plant
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Sergio Aguero of Manchester City celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at Etihad Stadium on October 18, 2014
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Fantasy Football advice: Week nine
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool18143145172845
2Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest1911442619737
3Arsenal18106235161936
4Chelsea19105438231535
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle1995532211132
6Manchester CityMan City199463226631
7Bournemouth198652923630
8Fulham197842825329
9Aston Villa198562831-329
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton196942928127
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1973941281324
12Brentford187383232024
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham196582335-1223
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd196492126-522
15Crystal Palace194872027-720
16Everton183871524-917
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1944113142-1116
18Ipswich TownIpswich1936101833-1515
19Leicester CityLeicester1935112242-2014
20Southampton1913151239-276


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