Have you still not recovered from the ‘Manchester City storm’ of last weekend against Watford in the Premier League? Well, as they say, never rest on your laurels because gameweek seven of the Fantasy Premier League is already upon us, as the deadline to submit the teams is 1600 HRS IST on Saturday.
File image of Bernardo Silva. AP
But, whoah! Last weekend produced the second highest points total of 141 thanks to mostly the City starlets.
And although Sergio Aguero scored nine FPL points last week, many of the managers must have felt the need to have captained hat-trick star Bernardo Silva or the assist king Kevin de Bruyne — who presented managers with as many as 19 and 17 points respectively.
The most disappointing news was once again the ‘Pep Guardiola rotation effect’ — the most-captained Manchester City midfielder Raheem Sterling was benched for the Watford game and did not even get a minute of game-time!
Fixtures for gameweek seven of the Premier League. Image courtesy: Premier League website
Image courtesy: Premier League website
Meanwhile, in the other games, Mohamed Salah returned with an assist as Chelsea edged Liverpool 2-1 while Pierre-Emerick-Aubameyang continued his goal-scoring riot.
Tottenham Hotspur’s topsy-turvy form continued with 1-2 loss against Leicester City while 10-man Arsenal just hung on for a 3-2 win over Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium.
An under-performing Manchester United will look to gain back confidence when they resume their rivalry against Arsenal. With gameweek seven fast approaching, it’s time to look at a couple of crucial games:
Manchester United vs Arsenal
Well, this will be a crunch contest, like it always has been. Two teams with similar struggles, and of course, a lone motive of returning as one of the ‘top four’ favourites, the upcoming clash at Old Trafford on Monday will obviously see a lot more goals.
Aubameyang (£11m) seems to be a no-brainer for this one. The Gabon international has contributed for the Gunners in some way or the other this Premier League season. To be exact, he has got six goals and one assist so far.
With Alexandre Lacazette ruled out till at least October due to an ankle injury, there is a comparatively cheaper option in Nicolas Pepe (£ 9.4m) in the forward line-up.
What makes it more tempting to go for Aubameyang is the Gunners’ relatively easy run of fixtures — they don’t play a ‘Big 6’ team at least till gameweek 16 in December against Manchester City.
On the other hand, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s men are having all sorts of problems — Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford being ruled out leaves youngsters like Mason Greenwood (4.4) a chance of playing.
The United boss even hinted at starting the 17-year-old and although the Red Devils play Liverpool in gameweek nine, the youngster remains a possible cheaper option.
Chelsea vs Brighton and Hove Albion
The ongoing season has not been easy at all for Frank Lampard’s Chelsea. Christian Pulisic has not had much of an impact at Stamford Bridge despite providing an assist, but it seems like Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham have stolen the limelight.
Abraham, meanwhile, is already the most transferred-in player ahead of the gameweek, and considering he was an unused substitute in their 7-1 thrashing of Grimbsy Town in the League Cup, it is all but sure he will get a full 90 minutes on the pitch.
Like Arsenal, Chelsea have an even better run of Premier League fixtures for the next one month. So, with clean sheets potentially incoming, it would be wise enough to invest in the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta and Mateo Kovacic, although a few of them have had a sub-par season so far.
In terms of Brighton, it would be a risky option to play Matt Ryan keeping the goal as a tough road ahead awaits him. The Seagulls play Tottenham right after the Chelsea game, while they also face Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal between November and December.
Top picks
Bernardo Silva: The Manchester City midfielder has been in red-hot form. With four goals and one assist in the Premier League so far, the Portuguese, along with Kevin de Bruyne has been the go-to man in terms of assisting roles.
He is coming off a sublime hat-trick against Watford, and will be a vital part of the starting line-up heading to the tougher part of the season — clashes against Liverpool and Chelsea await the defending champions in November.
Mohamed Salah: This is a no-brainer. Liverpool travel to Sheffield United, but Salah’s record against newly-promoted teams is quite impressive, having registered seven goals and as many assists against Premier League new-boys altogether.
The only game he has failed to return with successful points was against Southampton, but that was back in gameweek two.
Tammy Abraham: Have Frank Lampard’s men found out a replacement for Eden Hazard? Well, Tammy Abraham might be your answer to that.
The England defender, who was loaned to Aston Villa last season, has already received a lot of support from FPL managers and currently is the most transferred-in player ahead of the new gameweek.
With a pricing of just 7.5 and seven goals to his name, he might be your go-to option in Chelsea’s forward line-up.
Risky business
Matt Ryan:
The Seagulls play Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur in the upcoming couple of gameweeks, while they face Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal in three weeks between November and December.
What looks good for Matt Ryan is he has already made 13 saves in the Premier League. But, on any day, a ‘Big 6’ side is always dangerous. So, buy him at your own risk!
Toby Alderweireld: It may be just early stages in the season, but it seems like Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld has not been upto the potential this time around.
His only return came in the form of an assist in their league clash against Crystal Palace, which has also been their only clean sheet in the top flight so far.
Speaking of clean sheets, he got as many as 12 of them last season. So, are you sticking with him or not?
Sebastien Haller: A lot was expected from the West Ham United forward, but two gameweeks without any returns mean that he has become the most transferred-out West Ham player ahead of their trip to Bournemouth.
However, having said that, he has only missed one game in the Premier League so far — the 1-1 draw against Brighton in gameweek two. Have you run out of patience with the Hammers forward?
Oh captain, my captain
The most obvious choice? Sergio Aguero. The Manchester City striker is yet to blank for the defending champions this season, and seems very likely to continue his goal-scoring riot against an Everton side struggling in terms of defensive tactics. Moreover, the Merseyside team have won just two games so far.
from Firstpost Sports Latest News https://ift.tt/2lMoamw
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