We've made our picks for this weekend's Last Player Standing and by God was it tough! Downloading the app and entering the free league was the easy part; deciding which team to risk a potential €1,000 was the tough bit.
Our office has had a few heated debate over each other's choices but have a look and see if you can understand our reasoning. Hell, you might even take some advice from it too!
Daryl goes for Stoke City at home to QPR
Stoke City host a struggling QPR team this weekend and hence are the team to pick. The R's have a barely believable away record of 0--0-10 with five goals scored to 24 conceded in those ten losses. Their centre back's have a combined age of 71, Johnny Cash would be 71 if he were still alive. Stoke are 8-5-9 at home with a goals for/against record of 23-27, while not the best, it should be enough to put QPR away. Even my beloved Bray Wanderer's could probably put QPR to bed at The Carlisle Grounds.
Conor O'Leary goes for Liverpool at home to West Ham
Winning this game is all about tactics. Looking long term is the only way to survive until the end. Home teams and in form teams will mean that I am the last man standing.
That's why I'm picking Liverpool to beat West Ham at home. Four wins in their last six league games against a team who've had more losses than wins in their last 6 away games. Sure I could pick Arsenal against Villa, or Man United against Leicester, but why waste using the big guns when an alternative with tricky games coming up is available?
Liverpool have Everton (A), Tottenham (H) and Southampton (A) which mean that I wouldn't be choosing them in the next three weeks.
Mikey goes for Crystal Palace at home to Everton
This is a great week to go for Crystal Palace. Since the appointment of Alan Pardew, the London club are an entirely different animal. Coming off of a fantastic FA Cup win away to Southampton, which followed a brilliant revival against Burnley where Dwight Gayle inspired a comeback from 0-2 down to win 3-2, the Eagles are soaring. Everton, on the other hand, are a bit of a disaster, and winless in their last 7 Premier League games. The form of last season has deserted them, and the squad harmony is as low as it has been in recent years, so for these reasons you should take Crystal Palace at home as your team for this week.
Mark goes for Hull City at home to Newcastle
I'm playing the long game with this one. Nobody wants to pick Hull City but you're going to have to at some stage! So like a ripping off a band aid, I'm going to go for ASAP and risk the pain. If ever there was a match primed for Steve Bruce's side to set their season back on track, it's a match at home to Newcastle.
Hopefully this time next I'm sitting pretty with a victory and safe in the knowledge that I'll never have to pick Hull again!
Conor Neville goes for Arsenal at home to Aston Villa
Following their strange and impressive display at City last time out, I'm plumping for Arsenal this weekend.
It is also inconceivable that they lose at home two seasons in a row to the most boring team in the League. If they fail to win here, Piers Morgan's campaigning will get even louder than it has already.
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