Back the Beast

Sky Sports Fantasy Football's Tim Clement urges the selection of Man City's Alvaro Negredo.

Manchester City marksman Alvaro Negredo (£8.6m) looks a trustworthy candidate for the armband his weekend as Crystal Palace face the daunting task of visiting the Etihad Stadium. Manuel Pellegrini's men have enjoyed a 100 per cent record at home this season with Negredo's free-scoring form key, scoring in each of their last six wins there. That consistency has seen him rack up 19 points from his last three games, while Sky Bet make him the shortest-priced player to score in the Premier League this weekend. Yaya Toure (£8.6m) is the other big points scorer in the City line-up, having racked up 125 thanks to nine goals, three assists, two Sky Sports man of the match awards and 26 additional passing bonus points. Luis Suarez (£9.9m) remains the overall highest scorer with 164 points despite finally failing to score at the Etihad of Boxing Day and Liverpool face another tough trip on Super Sunday, visiting Jose Mourinho's Chelsea. Wayne Rooney (£9.8m) was the top scorer from the double gameweek with 29 points as he bagged a goal, two MOTM awards and three assists, while Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone (£4.2m) somewhat surprisingly followed with 23 thanks to successive clean sheets. Mannone has not actually conceded in three straight games and has a realistic chance of making that four when the Black Cats visit fellow strugglers managerless Cardiff City. West Ham United's Jussi Jaaskelainen (£5m) has also been racking up the clean sheets despite his side's toils, with a league joint high of eight this season. That total could well be increased when winless-in-eight West Bromwich Albion visit Upton Park in what promises to be a tight game between two sides desperate to halt their slides towards the drop. Elsewhere, Theo Walcott has enjoyed a fine return to form since injury with braces against Manchester City and West Ham, justifying his hefty price tag of £8.6m. In contrast, his team-mate, Olivier Giroud (£8.5m), has lost his scoring touch of late with no goals in seven appearances in all competitions.