EPL Fantasy Tips: Defoe guarantees goals, Lingard in-form

And Sport360 is here to help you make some crucial and tough decisions to your EPL fantasy football line-up ahead of a potentially season-defining weekend of action.

Here’s our run-down of each and every game in England this weekend, starting at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland v Man Utd

After his last-gasp equaliser at Anfield last weekend, Jermain Defoe once again proved he is the man to keep the Black Cats in the Premier League.

If you have £5.1m at your disposal or a wildcard to make then get the former Tottenham forward in your line-up as he has scored six goals in his last six matches.

The diminutive forward’s nous and know-how around the penalty area should trouble Manchester United’s defence and Sam Allardyce’s men will need to play on the front foot to get all three points against Louis van Gaal’s side.

A win could take them within one point of safety and a positive frame of mind before the Sunderland team travel to Dubai for a mid-season warm-weather training camp next week.

Meanwhile, it is time you trusted young Red Devils star Jesse Lingard with some first-team fantasy action. The 23-year-old has netted in his last two matches, including that sunning effort at Stamford Bridge last time out, and looks like he is beginning to realize his potential.

It’s perhaps easy to say pick players that are on good form but Lingard also has a point to prove over his long-term future and for £4.3m the winger could bring an extra dimension to your three or four-pronged midfield.

Expect attack to shine over defence in this one so these two attackers are worthy of your hard-earned cash.

Bournemouth v Stoke

Stoke are in complete freefall having lost their last five matches in all competitions while Bournemouth, despite losing to Arsenal at home on Sunday, will again be confident of extending the buffer between themselves and the relegation places.

And one player who is worth looking at for selection is goalkeeper Artur Boruc. The Poland stopper’s eccentric style between the sticks may not be everyone’s cup of tea but with the Cherries have lost just three out of 15 fixtures with him in goal and boss Eddie Howe believes there are few better when it comes to reaction saves and reflexes.

The former Southampton man has clocked up 71 points this term and although Bournemouth’s defence is not completely water-tight, Boruc may be a more suitable addition to the fantasy football ranks than keepers plying their trade in the top-half of the Premier League.

Crystal Palace v Watford

Perhaps it was a bit harsh to claim Stoke were in total freefall given Alan Pardew’s men, up until their 1-1 draw at Swansea last time out, had lost five Premier League fixtures in a row.

The former Toon boss said the draw “felt like a win” and I think it will have buoyed his troops for the visit of Watford. Scott Dann would be a worthy addition to your defence if you haven’t already, especially as he has weighed in with five goals this term.

Striker Wilfried Zaha has not been rewarded for his recent form with goals but on his day he is a threat and against a Hornets team that are vulnerable on the road, he could deliver.

Everton v West Brom

It may have been a result of fan pressure but whatever the reasons behind it, Everton’s back-to-basics approach seems to be working. The Toffees have chalked up two consecutive 3-0 wins in the English top flight and look more solid with Phil Jagielka and Ramiro Funes Mori as their centre-back pairing and Joel Robles between the sticks – in place of out-of-form duo Tim Howard and John Stones. Either one of these three could be an addition to your team but the real star of the show at the moment is Ross Barkley.

The England midfielder (133 points) is the joint-third highest goalscorer from that area of the pitch this season with eight strikes and is a pivotal man for the Blues. Transfer him in now for a cool £7.4m as the boyhood Evertonian looks to continue his impressive form ahead of Euro 2016.

The Baggies visit Goodison with problems of their own having not won a league fixture since January 2 and alarm bells will be ringing loud in Tony Pulis’ ears.

The Midlands outfit need to show the kind of spirit that helped them scrap past Peterborough in an FA Cup replay this week and will need experienced heads like Darren Fletcher and Jonas Olsson to lift the team and Saido Berahino to find his goalscoring touch.

Norwich v West Ham

Alex Neil would have be fuming with his side’s dismal defeat at Aston Villa last weekend so expect a reaction from the Canaries and perhaps an FA Cup replay hangover from West Ham – despite the fact they won against Liverpool.

Norwich have slipped into the relegation zone and do not look watertight at the back and only marginally better going forward, so ditch any East Anglia stars from your line-up.

The Hammers are going great guns and desperately need a victory to stay in Champions League contention.

Slaven Bilic’s men are blessed with a strong group of stars in top form so having either a Mark Noble, Enner Valencia or especially Dimitri Payet in your line-up is not a bad move.

Swansea v Southampton

The Swans are too close to the relegation zone for comfort (four points) but will need a shrewd performance if they are to down an in-form Southampton side.

Back Jack Cork to shine against his former employers and to show the south coast outfit what they are missing, but the Saints are strong in all aspects of the pitch.

Remember to take out the suspended Victor Wanayama for this clash as Ronald Koeman’s men look to make it five wins out of six.

Fraser Forster has been in fine form between the sticks and is as good as they come while Jose Fonte, Virgil van Dijk and Maya Yoshida are all solid options in defence. New signing Charlie Austin is always worth including as he is more than capable of making his mark from the start or off the bench.

Chelsea v Newcastle

In the absence of Kurt Zouma through injury, it might be worth reinstating Gary Cahill to your defence as the centre-back will be looking to hit form to star in Roy Hodgson’s Euro 2016 line-up, given John Stones’ injury problems and defensive issues.

Striker Diego Costa has certainly got the bit between his teeth again and will guarantee goals for you between now and the end of the season.

Newcastle were rewarded for their hard graft and endeavour with a plucky win over West Brom last weekend and expect Steve MccLaren’s men to attack more at Stamford Bridge.

Undoubtedly Jonjo Shelvey is a man featuring in many fantasy football starting line-ups but for good reason as the England star really makes the Magpies tick in.

Arsenal v Leicester

It is without doubt the biggest game of the weekend with five points separating Leicester and Arsenal at the summit of the Premier League.

The Foxes have passed numerous acid tests in recent weeks and you don’t need me to tell you that Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, N’Golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater are all names you should or now consider to be in your team. And, oh, don’t forget goalscoring machine Robert Huth too.

Claudio Ranieri’s side are now the favourites to win the Premier League table and few would argue with that on present form.

From the Gunners’ perspective, select their gun players in your team. Arsene Wenger will be relying on the magic of Mesut Ozil, Arron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud to shoot down the visiting side and you would expect an on-song Arsenal to win on home turf.

Aston Villa v Liverpool

Remi Garde’s men are eight points from safety but last week’s victory over Norwich will have lifted part of a massive cloud of doom and gloom hanging over Villa Park.

They may not be everyone’s favourites but both boyhood Villa fans Joleon Lescott and Gabriel Agbonlahor could be the key to their survival hopes.

The two local lads should be able to rally an inexperienced set of players but that probably won’t be enough against Liverpool, of whom despite their poor form, will want to give their fans something to shout about after a tumultuous week.

The craft and creativity of someone like Adam Lallana would be worth considering before you put the final touches to your team.

Man City v Tottenham

The second blockbuster clash on Sunday is between second against fourth in the Premier League table.

It’s hard to know what the atmosphere is like at Manchester City following news of Manuel Pellegrini’s end-of-season departure but the Blues will somehow need to raise themselves for this contest following last week’s hapless display against Leicester.

City would like to think that their big-game players, such as Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure and Joe Hart, can all step up to the mark while for Tottenham it’s a case of as you were really.

There’s no great surprises in recommending any one of Dele Ali, Harry Kane or Christian Eriksen as Spurs’ possession-based attacking mantra will no doubt continue.