Gameweek 6 was a disappointingly low-scoring week for many, summed up by two players with 0.2% ownership making the team of the week. Gameweek 7’s preview will cover two of the big winners from last week, Manchester City and Arsenal, with assistance from our popular FPL Fixture Tracker!
FPL GW 7 Tips – Attack
Manchester City
City bounced back from a disappointing 0-0 draw with Southampton to beat Chelsea at home. A fixture with Liverpool is up next but Burnley, Brighton, and Crystal Palace await after the international break.
Gabriel Jesus (8.6m) scored the only City goal of gameweek 6 during his fifth consecutive start in the PL. The Brazilian forward has now produced five attacking returns and looks unlikely to be rested often in the upcoming games. However, Ferran Torres’ (7.0m) back-to-back benchings should serve as a cautionary tale for potential investors.
Jack Grealish (8.0m) looks as safe as they come in Pep Guardiola’s attack but has so far failed to return substantial FPL points with just two goal contributions. Returns to the starting XI for Phil Foden (7.9m) and most notably, Kevin de Bruyne (11.9m) are worth monitoring over a strong set of fixtures. Each is owned by less than 2% of FPL managers at the time of writing.
Arsenal
Three consecutive wins including an emphatic North London Derby victory, have changed the mood at the Emirates. Arsenal have a rather kind run of fixtures which includes home fixtures against Crystal Palace and Watford in the next five.
Having failed to make a genuine impact in Arsenal’s opening fixtures, Bukayo Saka (6.2m) has averaged 9.5 points over his last two games. His place in the side is assured and his importance to the Gunners’ attack will only increase; this is also true for Emile Smith Rowe (5.3m) and Martin Ødegaard (5.5m), each of whom have also scored during the last two gameweeks.
Nicolas Pépé (7.2m) remains a gamble for the time being, having missed two games and returned just over 3 points per game. Meanwhile, with two of Arsenal’s five goals this season, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (9.9m) could make a case for a premium differential at just 2% ownership.
West Ham
The Hammers have scored 13 goals this season, only topped by league-leaders Liverpool. A home fixture with Tottenham in gameweek 9 currently forecasts 2.03 goals for, and is supplemented by the visit of Brentford this coming week.
Level as the current Premier League top goalscorer and only second in FPL points to Mo Salah is man-of-the-moment Michail Antonio (7.9m). Despite missing a fixture through suspension, Antonio has produced five goals and four assists, making him the go-to Hammers pick if he can stay fit.In midfield, Saïd Benrahma (6.5m) has just-about kept the pace with Antonio, scoring just five fewer points thanks to three goals and two assists.
There are alternatives to the in-form duo with Pablo Fornals (6.0m) also impressing with two goals and an assist from his six PL starts, and Jarrod Bowen (6.3m) managing back-to-back assists in the last two gameweeks. Fan favourite Tomas Soucek (5.9m) looks unlikely to justify immediate investment given the plethora of current West Ham options.
FPL GW 7 Tips – Defence
Leeds
Without a win this PL season, Leeds may not be the go-to side for defensive investment right now. However, Marcelo Bielsa’s side are predicted 1.98 clean sheets over the next five despite their shaky form – only bettered by Liverpool and Chelsea.
Luke Ayling (4.5m) is possibly the best choice in the Leeds defence but missed the last game through injury. The injury-hit defence has yet to keep a clean sheet, but the number of current absentees opens the door for useful stop-gaps. Charlie Cresswell (4.0m) played the full 90 in gameweek 6 and is worth monitoring as Leeds hit a run of strong fixtures.
Manchester City
Following closely behind Leeds’ projected clean sheet total over the next five is Manchester City with 1.97.
If budget permits, João Cancelo (6.1m) is the defender of choice, having assisted twice in the last three weeks without missing a minute of the PL campaign. A player almost immune to ‘Pep roulette’ is bonus-magnet Rúben Dias (6.1m) who is more than justifying his price tag with five consecutive clean sheets. However, if security of starts is your no.1 priority, you can’t go wrong with Ederson (6.0m) in goal.
Aymeric Laporte (5.5m) and Kyle Walker (5.5m) represent cheap routes into the City defence and currently look like safe(ish) starters. Yet, with that cheaper price, comes less certainty over game time.
Arsenal
The Gunners kept back-to-back clean sheets against Norwich and Burnely in gameweek 4 and 5 respectively, and could capitalise on the kind run of fixtures ahead.
In goal, Aaron Ramsdale (4.5m) has taken over from Bernd Leno (4.8m) and has performed admirably well so far. Arsenal are far from the finished product, but that may benefit Ramsdale as an FPL pick, allowing the former Sheffield United man to pick up two saves points and two bonus points from three appearances.
Despite promise, Kieran Tierney (4.9m) has thus far failed to justify his increased outlay, but Ben White (4.4m) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (4.5m) could prove to be excellent cut-price options.
Photo by Prapoth Panchuea on Unsplash
Be the first to comment