Mondogoal Picks – Gameweek 8

A return to domestic action brings us back to Mondogoal, as we purr over the stats and prices to bring you a selection of candidates to fuel your quest for contest prizes.

Mondogoal is a brand new daily and weekly Fantasy Football game which, in addition to the Premier League, covers all the major top-flight leagues – Serie A, La Liga, the 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. Mondogoal also supports contests for Champions League and Europa League in midweek.

Mondogoal cash prizes are on the up and, this week, there’s a guaranteed £1000 pot available in it’s £5 entry weekend Premier League contest. If you’d rather try the game out for free, there’s also a £100 prize contest available.

We’ll even help you out if you’re new to the game. Be sure to check out our strategy guide for some tips on getting started and also pay a visit to our selection guide for further tips. For now, though, here’s our picks for the weekend ahead.

Saturday’s Picks

Leighton Baines’ attacking form, coupled with Everton’s attractive Goodison fixture with Aston Villa, will lead many Mondogoal managers to the left-back. At 12.6, Baines comes at a hefty price but, with 8.23 points per game (ppg), it’s hard to deny him a spot in our XI’s this weekend.

That might well force us to consider cheaper options to line up alongside him in defence; fortunately, there is a cast of candidates on offer.

Arsenal’s injury list is set to hand young Hector Bellerin a league start against Hull at the Emirates and, at just 5.8m, he has to be a consideration. The Tigers have the weapons to cause the Arsenal problems, not least their own full-back starlet, Andrew Robertson. The 20-year-old Scot has been in superb form of late and is available for just 5.6m.

West Ham’s James Tomkins is another name to consider if you’re reserving funds in defence. Available for 6.0m going into his trip to goal-shy Burnley, the big centre-half offers a significant goal threat at set-plays that looks set to bear fruit over the season. Given the Clarets’ goal record (three goals in seven), we also have to consider Adrian for the spot between the sticks on Saturday – the Spanish stopper can be acquired for 5.6m.

Southampton’s Fraser Forster and his back four continue to be attractive propositions and, at 6.4m the big Scot offers the cheapest route into Ronald Koeman’s excellent rearguard ahead of their St Mary’s meet with Sunderland. With 6.23 ppg, Forster is right up there with the top rated Mondogoal stoppers and looks a shoo-in.

The Saint’s attacking players also have to come into the equation on Saturday, with Dusan Tadic (8.4m and 7.76ppg) and Graziano Pelle (8.9 and 8.26 ppg) the inevitable targets. Sadio Mane (12.5m) also has to be a consideration against the Black Cats: he may suffer from fatigue after international duty with Senegal but, if he gets the minutes, he’s likely to continue to build on his impressive 9.51 ppg.

Again, there are some attractive options further down the price brackets. Given the defences on show at St James Park, we should get goals from Newcastle’s clash with Leicester, with both the Magpies’ Gabriel Obertan (5.8m) and Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez (5.3m) offer strong potential, having sparkled from their rare starts last time out. Like Southampton’s Mane, Mahrez is due back late from international duties and will be assessed prior to the encounter.

With the goals flowing and Manuel Pellegrini’s side continuing to pose the biggest attacking threat in the league, Mondogoal managers have to consider City’s assets. Spurs will present a barrier in the early kick-off but Sergio Aguero looks enticing at 11.8m as an option up top. There’s also value in the City ranks, with James Milner looking worth of selection given his modest 7.0m price tag: his 8.6 point return at former club Villa last time out continued an impressive run of displays.

Elsewhere in attack, West Ham’s Diafra Sakho remains kindly priced at just 8.0m, despite delivering 9.19 ppg to this point and, going back to the St James’ Park clash, we have to consider the in-form Papiss Cisse. The Senegal striker boasts 12.34 ppg this season and yet can be acquired for just 7.2m ahead of the clash with the Foxes – he’s another who’ll be assessed after international duties but looks poised to start, given his impact so far.

Sunday’s Picks

Liverpool will be expected to deliver goals for Mondogoal managers from their visit to Loftus Road on Sunday.

Brendan Rodgers could have Daniel Sturridge back to spearhead the attack and, while it’s perhaps too early to invest in the returning hit man, we have to be drawn to Raheem Sterling as a midfield option. Preserved by England in midweek, the fleet-footed attacker will have a point to prove at Loftus Road and, even at a lofty 11.3m, looks to offer value with a stunning 11.64 ppg to this point. If Sterling is too rich for your blood, Adam Lallana, at 8.4m, looks set to continue a run of starts and could be a key figure again for Brendan Rodgers having opened his account for Liverpool in the win over West Brom.

Stoke’s clash with Swansea looks less fruitful as a source of points, although Gylfi Sigurdsson’s outstanding form for club and country has to make him an immediate candidate for midfield selection. Even with a 10.4m price tag, the Icelander’s 11.29 ppg statistic makes him hard to ignore.

If you should fancy Stoke to keep Sigurdsson and company at bay, you can still find value in their ranks: Phil Bardsley is a notable option at just 5.9m. Further forward, Victor Moses (8.2m) will likely present the Potters’ best attacking option as he looks to maintain promising form following his arrival at the Britannia. Moses is expected to recover from a groin problem to take his place in the Potters’ XI.

Monday’s Picks

The Hawthorns hosts an intriguing Monday night clash, with Alan Irvine’s West Brom looking to continue a recent revival against a United side going through their own major transition.

This one looks hard to call in terms of Mondogoal points, and, while United’s Angel di Maria continues to demand our attention as a midfield asset, his huge 15.1m price tag looks a step too far. West Brom’s in-form Saido Berahino (9.1m) and the proven goal threat of Radamel Falcao (8.9m) look great value by comparison.