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Fantasy Premier League managers must now focus on a final push for this season’s run-in.
Double Gameweek 35 was largely a good one for most as it yielded an average score of 67 points with several managers either playing their Bench Boost or Triple Captain chips.
With just three rounds of fixtures remaining, Gameweek 36 serves up some attractive match-ups, chief among will be Huddersfield’s daunting trip to Anfield, a huge game for Liverpool assets.
Tottenham also host West Ham while Manchester City and Arsenal are on the road to Burnley and Leicester City respectively. Meanwhile, Manchester United and Chelsea face off at Old Trafford.
CAPTAIN – MOHAMED SALAH | LIVERPOOL | 13.2M
Huddersfield are by far the worst team in the league this season, especially since the departure of David Wagner. It’s no surprise then that FPL managers with Liverpool assets are looking forward to the game at Anfield on Friday. The question is which Liverpool player to captain.
Mohamed Salah may not be performing at the level he was earlier in the season, and certainly not last term, but he’s found some consistency lately, delivering returns in five of his last six games. That’s one of the reasons why he’s our pick for the armband this weekend.
Another is the fact that he boasts a high ceiling. Huddersfield’s defence is all over the place and the Egyptian should get plenty of opportunities against them. A good performance could earn him his first double-figure haul since GW23.
Mohamed Salah is a good choice for the armband.
ALTERNATIVES
SADIO MANE (10m) isn’t as explosive as Salah but has been out-performing him for points over the last couple of months. Though his team-mate tends to have more shots, the big chances are falling to the former Southampton forward.
CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN (9.3m) is proving to be the most reliable of Tottenham’s assets at the moment. Son Heung-min, Dele Alli and Lucas Moura are all options at home to West Ham but the Dane has delivered in four of his last five games with two goals and three assists, making him the safe bet.
BOLD CHOICE
JAMIE VARDY (9m) has continued his excellent form, delivering in six of his last eight outings, but given Liverpool, Spurs and City’s games in GW36, captaining the Leicester striker at home to Arsenal would be something of a maverick move. However, the Gunners have a poor defensive record away and Vardy’s runs in behind could hurt them.
Jamie Vardy is an outside bet to make your captain.
TWO TO WATCH
VIRGIL VAN DIJK | LIVERPOOL | 6.6M
Given their progress to the Champions League semi-finals and the fact that they must win their remaining games in the league to maintain pressure on City, Jurgen Klopp might see the Huddersfield game as his last chance to rest Liverpool players this season.
Virgil van Dijk, however, is arguably immune to rotation while the same cannot be said about the two full-backs.
Apart from one game against Southampton when he was substituted early, the Dutchman has played every minute of the other league matches this season. He boasts an attacking threat as well having scored a brace against West Ham while he also picked up an assist against Chelsea in GW34. His 21 bonus points this season ranks second among defenders.
Virgil van Dijk has been imperious for the Reds.
LUKA MILIVOJEVIC | CRYSTAL PALACE | 6.4M
With returns in five of his last six games, Luka Milivojevic is among the most in-form players. The Crystal Palace midfielder has bagged four goals and an assist over that period and faces Everton at home in GW36 before inviting fixtures away to Cardiff City and home to Bournemouth to finish the season.
Sure, his goals predominantly come from penalties and free-kicks but the source hardly matters in FPL and with the likes of Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend winning their fair share of decisions inside the box, he’s always likely to profit.
SEASON RUN-IN
In order to finish the season strongly, it’s important to incorporate promising players from teams who enjoy a comfortable run-in.
Following their Champions League elimination, City will be focused on retaining the league title and have good games to help them achieve that.
Meanwhile, Spurs, Liverpool and Arsenal – on paper at least – have some decent fixtures to consider as well.
For budget options, Southampton may be worth looking at, especially with their final day clash with Huddersfield at home.
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