Mondogoal Picks – Gameweek 1

As we revealed earlier this week, we’re supporting Mondogoal, a brand new daily and weekly Fantasy Football game, over the forthcoming season.

Mondogoal covers the Premier League and all the major top flight leagues – Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Major League Soccer (MLS). You can play games for each one, or even global contests that span across all the leagues. You can also enter contests Champions League and the Europa League to scratch your Fantasy Football itch in midweek.

The game has also just gone mobile, with the brand new site now available to allow tinkering on the move.

Having published an announce article and strategy guide on Mondogoal, it’s now time to focus on the Gameweek ahead. After pouring over the player price list to hunt for potential bargains alongside our heavy hitters, we get down to business and offer our picks over the first round of fixtures of the 2014/15 campaign.

Saturday’s Picks

Old Trafford hosts the opening kick-off of the season and Wayne Rooney (15.4m) has to be a factor in any Mondogoal manager’s thinking ahead of the meet with Swansea. The United skipper threaten goals, plus earns points from shots on target and passes completed: no other striker fetched more Mondogoal points from successful passes last term.

With the United teamsheet available before the deadline for our Mondogoal lineup, we’ll get the chance to consider Ashley Young (6.3m). He’s been reinvented in a wing-back role in Louis van Gaal’s 3-4-1-2 and offers assist potential and could also pick up points from fouls won, with the Swan’s likely to be flapping under pressure.

Elsewhere on Saturday, it’s difficult to ignore Arsenal’s attacking riches against Crystal Palace at the Emirates. Aaron Ramsey (14.7m) and Alexis Sanchez (13.9m) are the headline acts, but there are clear bargains to be had at the back. Callum Chambers is set to start in central defence and can be acquired for just 4.9m, while Mathieu Debuchy (7.2m) will make his Gunners league debut and is set to torment in tandem with Sanchez down the right.

QPR get their season underway against Hull City at Loftus Road on Saturday and, in Junior Hoilett, offer us a midfielder available for just 5.0 million, who may just be pushed up in attack in Harry Redknapp’s 3-5-2. Hoilett is a tricky customer who likes to pull the trigger and take men on – both crucial ingredients when it comes to Mondogoal points scoring.

Finally, we’re tipping Spurs to upset rivals West Ham in their own backyard. Christian Eriksen (13.6m) looks a shoo-in and will be a regular Mondogoal target this season – the Dane grabs regular points from completed passes and also collected 23 shots on target last term, matching team-mate, Emmanuel Adebayor. A Spurs clean sheet could also be on the cards against a blunt Hammers attack and we like the look of Kyle Naughton (6.6m) as another budget option at the back.

Sunday & Monday’s Picks

Raheem Sterling (9.2m) is the standout Mondogoal prospect amongst the Liverpool lineup as they host a Southampton side, weakened by the summer sales. No midfielder scored more goals from open play in 2014 – but we also expect to see Sterling benefit from fouls won, with Southampton struggling to shackle his pace and trickery. It’s also worth noting that Philippe Coutinho (10.4m) earned more Mondogoal points-per-minute than Sterling last season. The Brazilian is another worthy target from the clash with the Saints, while at the back, new signing Dejan Lovren (6.3m) also looks strong Mondogoal value.

Manchester City’s trip to Newcastle provides an early test for Manuel Pellegrini’s champions but, in Stevan Jovetic (10.7m), they’ve a goalscorer in stunning form to steer them to three points. The Montenegrin has struck five times in pre-season and is another striker who will gather points from completed passes. Despite limited opportunities, Jovetic’s Mondogoal minutes-per-points stat was right up there with the likes of Luis Suarez and Sergio Aguero based on last season’s statistics.

Chelsea’s trip to Burnley on Monday night is expected to be one-way traffic and it’s not surprising that there are few bargains on offer. Diego Costa (10.5) has to be considered for our frontlines after four pre-season goals, while Andre Schürrle (9.6) is perhaps the left-field pick to consider. The World Cup winner may not get the full game at Turf Moor but had a goal attempt every 24 minutes last season – more frequent than any other Chelsea player.