Fantasy Football

If you are having financial woes at the moment, a handy way out of the poorhouse might be to scrape together all the money you, your kids, your mam, dad and nan have and pile it on Portsmouth to win this weekend.

Why the confidence? Well, they're playing West Brom, who are in the most appalling, putrid, wretched run of form that you could possibly imagine.

Rock bottom of the league, in the past eight games the Baggies have picked up just a solitary point, have scored a mere four goals and have shipped 20.

For Fantasy Football purposes, it's tricky therefore to pick just one player who will cash in on this shambles. However, David James looks like a pretty safe shout.

For all that is said about him, James has been solid enough this campaign, despite letting ten goals past against Manchester City and Chelsea in the early weeks of the season.

However, on those occasions he had to face Nicolas Anelka, Frank Lampard, Deco, Shaun Wright-Phillips and a rampant Robinho. On Sunday it will be Roman Bednar and Ishmael Miller bearing down on him.

Speaking of Robinho, if you've been uhmming and ahhing about whether to include him in your side then this could be the weekend.

Manchester City travel to play Fulham on Saturday, whose defensive record is admittedly excellent, but they're the sort of team Robinho should flourish against. The attacking nature of their midfield leaves plenty of space in front of the back four to exploit, something that the Brazilian prophylactic enthusiast will have great fun with.

Fulham are a physical team in defence, but Robinho hasn't had a problem with that before, bagging a hat-trick against Stoke earlier in the season, so he could be the one to break the Cottagers' back line down.

Finally, a man who should now be in your side for the foreseeable future is Tim Cahill.

Crucial to Everton at the best of times, even more emphasis will be placed on Cahill's goal-scoring prowess in the coming weeks given their paucity of attacking talent. Yakubu is out for the rest of the season, Louis Saha's hamstrings are twanging again, James Vaughan spends nearly as much time as the Frenchman on the treatment table and even Victor Anichebe is struggling.

All of which means Cahill suddenly becomes Everton's primary goal threat, and presumably their strategy will change to reflect this. The goals might not start flowing at Aston Villa on Sunday, but they should do in the games that follow.

This week's recommendations: David James (Fantasy League price £3.8m), Robinho (£6.7m) and Tim Cahill (£4.3m).

Want to play? Well what the hell are you waiting for? This way for our free Fantasy Football League, where you could win a very tidy £20,000. Only if you follow our tips mind.

Nick Miller