Which teams have the most favourable fixtures during Dream Team Monthly’s January competition?

BY now Dream Team bosses should have shaken off the festive haze and refocused on the task at hand.

And what better way to see in the new year with mountains of points and the potential reward of a brand new PlayStation 5?

That’s right, we’re once again offering up the highly-desired games console as the prize for January’s monthly competition, which runs from the 6th until February 2nd.

The gaffer who earns the most points during this scoring period will land a PS5 – consider it a late Christmas present.

Couple this enticing proposition with the fact transfers are set to be refreshed this coming Friday and managers will be desperate to know which teams have the most favourable fixtures in the coming weeks.

Allow us to assist by laying out the upcoming match-ups for all the teams currently in the top half; please note any fixtures listed in italics are part of the current Game Week and December’s monthly competition…

ARSENAL

• Oxford (a)
• Tottenham (a)
• Manchester United (h)

Mikel Arteta has the opportunity to rest some of his key players on Monday night when he travels to the Kassam Stadium for FA Cup duty.

Once that fixture is fulfilled all that remains in January is a pair of mouthwatering league fixtures in the form of a North London derby and the visit of the Red Devils to the Emirates.

It would be reasonable to expect a drop in returns for Arsenal assets this month compared to the high standard they have set this season but it would be a stretch to think of transferring out their best performers.

MANCHESTER CITY

• Chelsea (a)
• Chelsea (h)
• Southampton (a)
• Manchester United (a)
• Tottenham (h)
• Wolves (h)

Pep Guardiola’s side travel to Stamford Bridge this week and will host the Blues in return on Sunday in the FA Cup – it’s a relatively good time to play Chelsea in a double header.

City are busy this month as the clash with Saints is a Carabao Cup quarter-final.

The upcoming Manchester derby should be more competitive than the previous one and Spurs have a decent record at the Etihad in recent times but still it seems wise to back a few City assets in the coming weeks to make the most of the schedule.

NEWCASTLE

• Sheffield Wednesday (a)
• Leicester (h)
• Fulham (h)
• Crystal Palace (a)

How many more clean sheets will Kieran Trippier (£5.7m) and his mob register this month?

Eddie Howe’s side have still only lost one league fixture this season and so they won’t be intimidated by a trio of mid-table opponents once their favourable FA Cup match-up at Hillsborough is complete.

MAN UNITED

• Everton (h)
• Charlton (h)
• Manchester City (h)
• Arsenal (a)

A month of two halves for Erik ten Hag’s troops.

They will be heavy favourites to triumph in both domestic cup fixtures but Premier League meetings with the current top two will be extremely challenging.

The likes of Luke Shaw (£3.8m), Bruno Fernandes (£5.3m) and Marcus Rashford (£4.8m) have racked up points for fun recently so it would be very bold (foolish?) to replace any of them any time soon.

SPURS

• Crystal Palace (a)
• Portsmouth (h)
• Arsenal (h)
• Manchester City (a)
• Fulham (a)

Harry Kane (£7.1m) and company have won just one of their last five games in all competitions and they’ll be desperate for a positive result at Selhurst Park this evening.

On current form, fans will certainly not be relishing the prospect of a North London derby followed by a trip to the defending champions’ lair – Craven Cottage has been the undoing of a few decent teams this term too.

LIVERPOOL

• Wolves (h)
• Brighton (a)
• Chelsea (h)

It’s a quiet month from hereon out for the Reds and perhaps mercifully so after their defeat to Brentford.

Mohamed Salah (£8.9m), Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.8m) and Darwin Nunez (£5.7m) are all immensely popular assets but their respective ownerships may drop once transfers are refreshed.

FULHAM

• Hull (a)
• Chelsea (h)
• Newcastle (a)
• Tottenham (h)

Marco Silva’s side are flying high in seventh (level with Liverpool on points) and are happy to be considered underdogs but their next three league fixtures will test their resolve.

Aleksandar Mitrovic (£5.2m) is Dream Team’s sixth-best forward right now but he’s suspended for Fulham’s short trip to Stamford Bridge.

BRIGHTON

• Middlesbrough (a)
• Liverpool (h)
• Leicester (a)

It’s a quiet January for the Seagulls.

Had they the luxury of three ultra favourable fixtures then gaffers may be tempted to think outside the box but this simply isn’t the case here.

BRENTFORD

• West Ham (h)
• Bournemouth (h)
• Leeds (a)

It could be argued that the Bees do have a favourable trio of fixtures as all three of their remaining January opponents are currently in the bottom seven.

Ivan Toney (£5m) averages 6.2 points-per-game this term having scored 13 goals in all competitions already but gaffers should wait for an update on his knee injury before using a transfer.

CHELSEA

• Manchester City (h)
• Manchester City (a)
• Fulham (a)
• Crystal Palace (h)
• Liverpool (a)

The Blues have an extra fixture after this week but trips to the Etihad and Anfield are daunting tasks on current form.

Thiago Silva (£5.9m) and Kepa Arrizabalaga (£3.2m) have produced healthy returns but most Stamford Bridge assets have been frustrating ones this season.

Keep an eye on new recruits while the transfer window is open.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk