3 Players to pick and drop for Gameweek 23

It was a good week for the picks last time around with all three of Jamie Vardy, Kevin De Bruyne and Anthony Martial delivering attacking returns. The surprise result of the last round of fixtures was undoubtedly Southampton’s 2-1 victory against Leicester City which was sweet revenge for the Saints after the 9-0 hammering earlier in the season. The Foxes conceded an alarming number of chances and Vardy had zero shots. Whether this is down to Ndidi’s absence or due to an amazing performance from the Saints remains to be seen.

Manchester City again underlined their credentials with a 6-1 thumping of Villa. Unlike Liverpool who are happy to conserve energy late on in matches, Man. City keep pressing for more goals which makes their assets very appealing. Everton are back on the fantasy radar once again with their third win under Ancelotti and managers should look to pick up their assets at both ends of the pitch.

3 Players to Pick

1. Kevin De Bruyne (CRY)

Aston Villa v Manchester City - Premier League

The top-scoring player in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) with 150 points, Kevin De Bruyne has registered seven goals and 16 assists already this season. Over the last six matches, only Salah (19) and Mahrez (21) have taken more shots amongst midfielders and he leads the way for shots on target (SoT) (eight).

Only Norwood (five) has created more ‘big chances’ than the Belgian’s four. Man. City top the attacking statistics over this period – no team has scored more goals (18), landed more SoT (44) or created more ‘big chances’ 19 than the defending Champions. Palace have conceded six goals in as many matches, keeping no clean sheets. Only eight teams allowed opponents more shots in the box (SiB) than their 45 and they are seventh worst for ‘big chances’ conceded (11).

2. Mohamed Salah (MUN)

Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool FC - Premier League

Mohamed Salah has registered two FPL involvements in the last two matches (goal and assist) and over the last four gameweeks, no midfielder has taken more shots (12). His total of nine SiB is bettered only by Mane and only Richarlison and the Senegalese (six) have landed more SoT than his five. The league leaders have scored eight goals in the last four gameweeks, only Watford (nine), Man. Utd (10) and Man. City (12) have scored more.

They are also top for ‘big chances’ (14) over this period. Although Man. Utd have conceded only three goals in their last four games, it is worth mentioning that they played Newcastle, Burnley, Arsenal and Norwich over this period. The only points Liverpool have dropped this season were against Man. Utd so the league leaders will want to make up for it and this is the fixture their fans look forward to all season. An explosive, somewhat of a differential option for captaincy this week at only 25% ownership.

3. Richarlison de Andrade (WHU)

Everton FC v Brighton & Hove Albion - Premier League

Richarlison has registered two goals and an assist with Ancelotti playing him as a striker, which means he is an ‘out of position’ midfielder in FPL, an enticing prospect. Over the past four gameweeks, the Brazilian is top for shots (12) and SoT (six) amongst midfielders. The Toffees post impressive underlying statistics as well under the Italian.

Despite scoring only five goals, they are top for shots (64) and second for shots in the box (SiB) (44) to only Liverpool (45) over the last four matches. Their opponents West Ham have conceded five goals over the same matches, keeping just one clean sheet. Only seven teams conceded more goals and only Newcastle (14) and Villa (16) conceded more ‘big chances’ than their 13.

3 Players to Drop

1. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (SHU)

Arsenal FC v Manchester United - Premier League

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was sent off during the Gunners’ clash with Palace last gameweek with VAR adjudging his foul to be worthy of a red card. Arsenal’s subsequent appeal against the dismissal has failed as well which means that the Gabonese is going to miss the next three matches.

The Gunners are still very much a work in progress under Arteta and over the last four gameweeks, only five teams have created fewer ‘big chances’ than their six. Aubameyang’s £10.8m price tag means that he is too expensive to leave on the bench for his suspension period and almost 300,000 managers have already sold him with Danny Ings the preferred replacement.

2. Raheem Sterling (CRY)

Manchester United v Manchester City - Carabao Cup: Semi-Final

After an impressive start, Raheem Sterling’s season has gradually petered out. He was benched for both of Man. City’s last two matches with his one-minute appearance against Everton blocking bench points for many FPL managers. He has been benched for two of Man. City’s biggest victories, the 6-1 against Aston Villa and the 8-0 against Watford which is very frustrating for his owners.

It also shows that he is in no way indispensable and that the defending Champions can more than manage in his absence. Mahrez has just four FPL points (106) less than Sterling (110) despite the Englishman playing 1667 minutes to the Algerian’s 1083. At £11.8m, he is simply too expensive given the rotation risk and a switch to a Liverpool midfielder appeals given the upcoming double gameweek.

3. Aaron Ramsdale (NOR)

AFC Bournemouth v Burnley FC - Premier League

Aaron Ramsdale missed Bournemouth’s 3-0 defeat to Watford last gameweek with a minor injury and it is unclear whether he will be available for the weekend. Eddie Howe is notoriously coy with injury news so it is unlikely that we will get clarity on the same. Even if he is fit, Bournemouth are arguably the league’s worst team at the moment with just one win in the last 11 matches.

Their defensive statistics are terrible as well, only Villa (15) have conceded more goals than the Cherries’ 11 over the past six matches. Only Leicester (59) and Villa (70) allowed opponents more SiB than the Cherries’ 57. A switch to Alex McCarthy appeals given the Saints’ upturn in form and a cheaper price tag.

Edited by Vishal Subramanian

3 Players to pick and drop for Gameweek 23 | FPL Tips 2020