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Another international break comes to an end and we return to the excitement of the Premier League.
Sadio Mane’s injury amongst others have left Fantasy Premier League managers with a few concerns while there’s also the big clash between Liverpool and Manchester United to consider with the latter facing challenging fixtures ahead.
Here are a few pointers to guide you ahead of Gameweek Eight.
In the last Gameweek, Romelu Lukaku (11.8m) just about saved our blushes with a late goal against Crystal Palace.
This week, Alexis Sanchez is the top pick for the captaincy. It’s a bit unexpected given that he’s only just returned to the starting XI but he’s already made a strong case for the armband in his last couple of outings.
He’s registered an assist in each of the last two fixtures and delivered a stellar attacking display against Brighton in particular. He had the most shots on goal in the league during the last round, eight in total, and created six chances as well.
If the Chilean is getting back to his best, then Arsenal’s fixtures won’t really matter too much in terms of playing him. Like Harry Kane or Eden Hazard, he’s likely to deliver regardless of the level of opposition when he’s in his element.
In any case, the next three fixtures for the Gunners look pretty inviting. Most importantly though – and this is key – Sanchez is selected by just 2.6% of FPL managers. A player of that calibre and reputation is bound to score big, soon, and when he does that’s going to provide a few managers who pay his steep price a tidy differential…. perhaps even this weekend.
Alexis Sanchez
HARRY KANE is in superb form and is probably a great pick for the captaincy this week and could easily wind up being this weekend’s highest scorer as Tottenham host Bournemouth who are second from bottom. However, the Englishman is yet to score at Wembley in the league this season.
Meanwhile, Manchester City are arguably the most likely to score big this weekend as they entertain Stoke and with Sergio Aguero recovering from injury, GABRIEL JESUS (10.5m) and DAVID SILVA (8.5m) are both good options as well.
GYLFI SIGURDSSON (8.2m) is yet to deliver for Everton this season but he is creating chances and returns to the club in form after helping Iceland to wins over Turkey and Kosovo to secure a spot in next year’s World Cup.
Back into the fold and ideally, he should be straight back into several FPL squads as well. In his first start of the season in the last GW, Virgil van Dijk put in a beastly performance. Yes, he gave away a penalty, but a closer inspection of his stats shows he had three shots at goal, won 11 aerial duels and racked up three interceptions, seven clearances and four blocks. Beast.
Virgil van Dijk
The Burnley defender has sneaked up to third place in the game’s highest scoring defenders with 41, tied with Arsenal’s Nacho Monreal. At just 4.6m, he’s a real bargain and apart from having to face City away in GW9 and Arsenal at home in GW13, Burnley have a good run of fixtures all the way to GW19.
Stephen Ward
A hamstring injury away on international duty rules Sadio Mane out for the next six weeks and will no doubt see him dropped by most of his owners in FPL as well. Mohamed Salah (9.2m) and Philippe Coutinho (9m) are straight swaps while the likes of Silva and Christian Eriksen (9.7m) are also standout out options in midfield.
Sadio Mane
The Armenian began the season in fine form but his influence has started to wane in the last couple of weeks, providing returns only once in his last four outings. With Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea to face over the next four rounds, now may be the time to cash out.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (L)
