By florida My Fantasy Football Prep Session
Right, so last night I sat down buzzing for the Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa game this weekend. Needed to sort my fantasy team out proper.
First thing I did was grab my laptop and dig into injury news. Was scrolling through my usual footy apps and Twitter feeds like a madman. Took me ages. News was all over the place – heard Eze might be struggling, then saw another source saying he’s fine. Felt like pulling teeth just to get some basic info.
Then I opened my fantasy app – stared at that blank squad screen feeling proper overwhelmed. Had Watkins locked in for Villa upfront – felt like a no-brainer. But Palace? Their attack was giving me a headache. Decided to check the last few Villa games:
- Villa’s keeper kept messing up simple catches last week
- Their defence looked shaky against any fast winger
- Still love Watkins though, he just buries chances
Thought maybe I could exploit that Villa weakness. Started seriously considering using Ayew or Olise from Palace. Olise’s got those quick feet, you know? Could dribble past Villa’s fullbacks no problem. Went back and forth in my head like: “Play it safe? Or risk a differential?”
Spent a solid hour fiddling with formations. Had my draft lineup looking like Frankenstein’s monster: Watkins upfront but doubling down on Palace midfielders behind him. Looked weird seeing players from both sides together. Kept swapping players in and out – “Mateta? Nah, he’s too inconsistent. Bailey instead? Risky…” My team value was bleeding out from all the transfers.
Called my mate Dave – he’s obsessed with Villa. Begged him for inside gossip. All he gave me was: “Mings might not be 100%” and “Good luck, you’ll need it.” Cheers, Dave. Really helpful.
Final hour before deadline, proper crunch time. Made my stupid calls: benched my expensive defender for Mitchell (cheap, might get points if Palace park the bus). Took out Eze last minute for Olise after seeing fresh “tiredness” rumours. Threw in Cash from Villa too – praying for an assist. My gut felt heavy, like eating too many takeaways.
Now I’m just waiting for kickoff like an idiot. Probably set myself up for another fantasy heartbreak. Why do I do this? Yeah, right – because it’s fun when you somehow get one right. Just hoping Watkins doesn’t blank now.