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Fantasy Football: Chelsea hitman Samuel Eto'o displaying 'immense class' of late



Richard Lenton is an experienced journalist and broadcaster. He was the editor of the critically-acclaimed but rarely bought Football Punk magazine in the UK, before heading to Singapore to present live football coverage on Mio TV. www.richardlenton.co.uk Twitter: @richardlenton



Selection dilemmas
Helping you choose the right players for your Yahoo Fantasy Premier League team

It may have taken African legend Samuel Eto’o a while to settle in to the pace and rhythm of English Premier League football after his two-year spell in Russia, but the veteran front man has begun to show his immense class in recent weeks.

The Cameroon international, who has won titles in Italy and Spain, bagged a hat-trick last month as Chelsea crushed champions Manchester United 3-0. This goalscoring display was described as a ‘breakthrough performance’ by newspapers back in the UK, but Eto’o insists that he was performing well regardless and that he had nothing to prove.

He told French newspaper Le Monde: "I have nothing to show. I'm Samuel Eto'o. And I do not think I have to show anything to anyone.

"Those who analyse football know that my performances are there. Jose (Mourinho) knows what I can do on the pitch."

Eto’o has scored seven goals in his last seven games in all competitions at Stamford Bridge, and he will relish the visit of a Newcastle side who look bereft of confidence having lost four of their six matches since beating Stoke 5-1 on Boxing Day. The loss of star man Yohan Cabaye to PSG has also been a cruel blow, and the continued absence of the suspended Loic Remy leaves them short of a real cutting edge in attack.

I fancy Eto’o to notch again here as Chelsea cruise to victory against a team who conceded three times at home to struggling Sunderland last time out.

Compared to other strikers in Yahoo Fantasy Football, Eto’o isn’t priced exorbitantly at £14.33. He has quietly amassed 113 points in the game despite sometimes playing second fiddle to Spanish striker Fernando Torres, who is currently injured. It’s something of a surprise that only 2.91% of you have the first choice front man for a title-chasing side in your squad…

Pick of the weekend: Crystal Palace versus West Brom to end in Under 2.5 goals
Making sense of the statistics to come up with a Premier League dead cert



It’s difficult to envisage anything other than a low scoring game when relegation rivals Crystal Palace and West Brom square up at Selhurst Park.

The Eagles are the lowest scoring team in the Barclays Premier League, having netted just 15 times all season, and they’ve drawn a blank in no less than 50% of their 24 games to date. In fact, Palace have only managed three goals in their previous six games – all scored by Jason Puncheon – so the fact that they’ve clawed their way out of the drop zone in recent weeks reflects very well indeed on their defensive abilities.

The Eagles have kept five clean sheets in their last seven Premier League games at Selhurst Park, so it’s doubtful whether they will be put to the sword by a Baggies side who have won just one of their previous 15 matches in all competitions.

However, West Brom don’t concede many either; in seven of their last nine matches, Pepe Mel’s team have shipped one goal or less.

It promises to be a tight, scrappy six-pointer, and a low scoring game is surely on the cards.