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The international break is finally over, much to the relief of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers everywhere and the first gameweek after an international break can often be a tricky one. Players sometimes feature for 180 minutes with their countries which leaves them exhausted for the weekend’s league game and the manager might prefer to conserve them for the midweek European match.
This is even trickier for South American players who often play in the wee hours of Wednesday morning and have to take a long-haul flight back. With this in mind, I have tried to include players who were rested over the international break and are nailed to start.
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3 Players to pick in your FPL Team this Gameweek
#1 Mohamed Salah (NEW) –
Mohamed Salah has had the benefit of a two-week rest as the Egyptian was not involved in international duty and the winger should be fresh and firing for the visit of Newcastle to Anfield. With 36 FPL points to his name already (three goals and two assists), Salah is showing his pedigree early doors and only Mount (13) has taken more shots than the Egyptian amongst midfielders. Only the Chelsea man and Sterling (both seven) have landed more shots on target (SoT) than his six and he is also second for ‘big chances’ with five.
With all the headlines surrounding Mane’s reaction to Salah not passing, it is worth mentioning the Egyptian has created eight chances already this season, just two behind Mane. Only Man. City (14) have scored more goals than Liverpool’s 12 and the defending champions are also the only team to land more SoT (30) than their 25.
Liverpool are undefeated at Anfield for over a year now and though Newcastle came out victorious at White Hart Lane, the Reds’ are a whole different kettle of fish and should steamroll the Magpies quite easily.
#2 Sergio Aguero (NOR) –
The top-scoring asset in FPL, Sergio Aguero is owned only by 24% of FPL managers at the time of writing, making him somewhat of a differential amongst the heavy-hitters. Despite limited minutes, the Argentinian has scored six goals, highest amongst forwards and only A. Barnes (eight) and Pukki (11) have landed more SoT than his six.
Only Rashford (five) beats his four ‘big chances’ and only Wilson (nine) has created more chances than his six. No team has scored more goals than Man. City’s 14 and they are also top for ‘big chances’ (18), shots in the box (SiB) (56) and SoT (30). Norwich meanwhile have conceded 10 goals, more than any other team and have suffered a further blow with the injuries to Klose, Zimmerman and Hanley leaving them short of options at the back.
The Canaries are unlikely to sit back and park the bus on home turf, which should offer Aguero plenty of opportunities to find the back of the net. Well-rested over the international break, the Argentine is the standout captain pick for gameweek five.
#3 Sebastian Haller (AVL) –
Sebastien Haller scored his third goal this season with his strike against Norwich and the Frenchman has already shown signs that he can cope with the Premier League’s physicality. Only A. Barnes (eight) and Pukki (11) have landed more SoT than Haller’s six, and both have played a game more. He has registered four ‘big chances’, only Rashford (five) has been afforded more.
This is no surprise as the Hammers have continued their all-out-attack approach from last season. Only Liverpool (13) and Man. City (18) have fashioned more ‘big chances’ than the Hammers’ 12, so the Frenchman is unlikely to be short of service in the penalty area.
Villa should prove very obliging opponents; the Birmingham outfit has allowed opponents more shots (77) than any team in the league and are sixth-worst for ‘big chances’ conceded with nine. At under 7% ownership at the time of writing, the Frenchman is a great differential and has kind fixtures for the next few weeks, making him value at 7.5m.
3 Players to drop from your FPL Team for this Gameweek
#1 Aymeric Laporte
Aymeric Laporte suffered a knee injury in Man City’s gameweek four match against Brighton and is expected to be out of action till the new year at the very least. A popular FPL option, the Frenchman saw the most league minutes of any member in the Man City squad bar Ederson last year and with Kompany’s departure, he was expected to be even more pivotal to the defending champions this season.
Man City kept 20 clean sheets last year so its only natural that FPL managers want to invest in their defence, and Otamendi is a great option to move to from Laporte. The Argentinian is more likely to see gametime over Stones as he is more comfortable with his left foot and can play out from the back effectively, like Laporte. He was also rested for Argentina’s second international game over the break so jet lag and recovery should not be a problem.
#2 Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba is a doubt for the Leicester game after the international break with an ankle injury, but there are also several other reasons to drop the Man United man from your squad. Although he started the season positively with a nine pointer against Chelsea, he has accumulated just four points in the next three games, which included missing a penalty.
Spot kick duties were a big part of his appeal last season and he looks to have surrendered them now to Rashford and he also seems to be playing a deeper midfield role rather than in a no.10 position. This is reflected in his stats – he registered only 11 penalty box touches, four SiB in the last three matches and landed just one SoT.
Daniel James in comparison registered 20 penalty box touches, eight SiB and five SoT and comes in at over 2m cheaper than the Frenchman. With so many other FPL assets doing the business at a cheaper price, the Frenchman is presently a poor pick.
#3 Diogo Jota (CHE) –
A popular out-of-position (OOP) asset towards the end of the 2018/19 campaign, Diogo Jota was reclassified as a forward this season and priced 1m cheaper than his strike partner Jimenez, which led to almost 20% of teams opting for the Portuguese. However, Wolves’ Europa League commitments have taken a toll on their thin-squad, with Jota featuring in every one of their games so far.
He registered three goals and five assists in their six Europa League games but is yet to register any attacking involvements in the Premier League so far. In fact, he has yet to land a single SoT in 274 minutes of league football. The signing of Cutrone means that Wolves now have options upfront, and are likely to rotate with the Thursday-Sunday schedule.
Jota was benched for the Italian against Everton in gameweek four and this may be a sign of things to come as Wolves have now qualified for the group stages. His price has already fallen by 0.2 and it would be wise to get rid to avoid any further price drops.
