The three players you need in your Fantasy Football team this week

Sergio on the double.

J-League

All bar one of the top five teams in the J-League managed in excess of 75 points in Gameweek 26 and there hasn’t been much change amongst the league’s elite as a result. The team who didn’t break the 75-point barrier, Gerard Dowling’s The El Special One, dropped to fifth place and now find themselves almost 50 points behind the team in first place, which is still Ogie Nolan’s The Tullig Panthers**. Alan Duggan’s Klippity Klopp still find themselves nine points adrift of the leaders, with Derek Dickenson’s 2 Girls, 1 Schlupp and Barry Grennan’s Garrymore UTD still well in touch in third and fourth place respectively.

J-League Top 5

1. Tullig Panthers** – Ogie Nolan: 1,598 points
2. Klippity Klopp – Alan Duggan: 1,589 points
3. 2 Girls, 1 Schlupp – Derek Dickenson: 1,575 points
4. Garrymore UTD – Barry Grennan: 1,569 points
5. The El Special One – Gerard Dowling: 1,551 points

This week’s leaders: Tullig Panthers – Ogie Nolan

Gameweek 27

The meeting of Liverpool v Arsenal is easily the standout tie of the weekend, even if both sets of fans will be approaching the game with plenty of trepidation. The Reds usually do well in clashes against their rivals in the top six, but so meek was their performance against Leicester on Monday that you’d really have to wonder if they were, as Jamie Carragher jokingly suggested, drinking in La Manga. Apart from a predictable victory over Sutton in the FA Cup, meanwhile, Arsenal’s last game was a hiding at the hands of Bayern Munich. With all that doom and gloom in mind, it will probably be a classic. The big deal for Fantasy Football managers this week, however, is the first of a few double gameweeks before the end of the season, with Manchester City and Stoke featuring this time around. Stoke's form won't have managers rushing to introduce players from Mark Hughes' side, but although he's likely to rest a few players in light of City's busy schedule, Pep Guardiola's players (especially that fluid front three) do represent an attractive option, particularly in light of the opposition; they play Sunderland on Sunday afternoon. Elsewhere, in-form duo Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku go head to head at White Hart Lane on Sunday, having both scored hat-tricks and made many Fantasy Football managers very happy in recent weeks. Speaking of in-form, a Bournemouth defence that has been quite leaky of late have the arduous task of stopping the man of the moment, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, in the early kick-off on Saturday. Before Manchester City v Stoke next Wednesday, the weekend is rounded off nicely with the attractive pairing of West Ham and leaders Chelsea on Monday night.

This week’s picks

Safe bet: Raheem Sterling (£7.9 million). Sterling's season has taken on a new lease of life since the New Year and in the last 10 games, he's failed to score or assist in only two of them. Against defences as vulnerable as Sunderland and Stoke, he could do some real damage. Dark horse: Manolo Gabbiadini (£6.6 million). Having emphatically shown what he’s made of in his first two league games – in which he returned three goals and 20 points – and in last weekend’s EFL Cup Final – where he was wrongly denied a hat-trick – it’s a bit of a stretch to call Southampton’s Italian striker a dark horse. That said, he’s still available for something of a snip at just £6.6 million, so snap him up while you can. Captain’s choice: Sergio Aguero (£12.8 million). Aguero hasn't actually scored in five league games and he'll cost you a pretty penny if you don't have him, but we learned a long time ago never to doubt the Argentine and we wouldn't be at all surprised if he shoots the lights out over the next few days. With that in mind, the triple captaincy option, if you still have it available, should definitely be in your thoughts.