Two-goal Wilson catches the eye in pre-season opener

Our pre-season coverage continues with a recap of four fixtures that were held on Tuesday.

The headline FPL talking points, team news and goalscorers are documented in the article below, while the pre-season minutes spreadsheet has also been updated and can be viewed by clicking here.

Bournemouth 3-2 Wimbledon

• Goals: Callum Wilson (£8.0m) x2, Ryan Fraser (£7.5m)
• Assists: David Brooks (£6.5m), Dominic Solanke (£5.5m), Nathan Ake (£5.0m)

Callum Wilson (£8.0m) and Ryan Fraser (£7.5m) served a timely reminder of their Fantasy potential as Bournemouth began their pre-season with a 3-2 win over Wimbledon in La Manga.

Both players were the subject of £2.0m price hikes in Fantasy Premier League this summer but remain tempting options at the top-end of the mid-price bracket, particularly given that the Cherries enjoy some appealing fixtures in the opening few months of 2019/20.

It was almost inevitable, with much talk about the feasibility of “covering” Wilson and Fraser with the cheaper Joshua King and David Brooks (£6.5m), that the more expensive Bournemouth assets would strike the first blow in pre-season and give us more food for thought.

The lively Wilson first narrowly failed to find the back of the net after rounding Nik Tzanev but went one better in a carbon-copy incident soon after, collecting Brooks’ pass and sidestepping the Wimbledon goalkeeper before walking the ball into an unguarded net.

Wilson’s second goal was a superb strike, with the England striker collecting a Dominic Solanke (£5.5m) flick and driving forward to curl a dipping shot beyond Tzanev.

The predatory Wilson, who repeatedly got into the “big chance” territories we are used to seeing him in, had the opportunity to complete his hat-trick but could only volley over a Lloyd Kelly (£4.5m) cross.

Eddie Howe said after full-time:

I think it’s important, even though it’s pre-season, that the strikers score and attacking players create, so really good for Callum to get his two goals. I think he’ll be delighted with that.

So it’s a good start for him and the team in the first half, we looked strong and played some good stuff at times.

There were 11 changed at the interval as the likes of King, Fraser and Nathan Ake (£5.0m) took to the field, along with budget FPL defensive option Diego Rico (£4.0m) and debutant full-back Jack Stacey (£4.5m).

King was unable to pose the same threat that Wilson managed but Fraser caught the eye, first missing the target after some neat interplay with Jordon Ibe (£5.0m) and then latching onto a long ball from Ake to seal the Cherries’ victory.

Solanke was heavily involved in the first half and looked decent alongside Wilson, while Kelly – who didn’t bank one assist last season – showed plenty of attacking intent going forward from left-back.

Sloppiness was to be expected after a two-month summer break and there were the usual defensive frailties, with Wimbledon scoring twice from the spot – one penalty being given after some iffy control and a subsequent foul from Dan Gosling (£5.0m).

Bournemouth first-half XI (4-4-2): Ramsdale; Smith, Mepham, Simpson, Kelly; Brooks, Ofoborh, Arter, Dobre; Solanke, Wilson

Bournemouth second-half XI (4-4-2): Begovic, Stacey, Cordner, Ake, Rico, Ibe, Gosling, Butcher, Fraser, King, Surridge

Colorado Rapids 0-3 Arsenal

• Goals: Bukayo Saka, James Olayinka, Gabriel Martinelli
• Assists: Eddie Nketiah (£4.5m), Dominic Thompson

Arsenal got their pre-season off to a winning start but there was little interest for Fantasy managers in the Gunners’ 3-0 win over Colorado Rapids.

Of the Arsenal players priced up by Fantasy Premier League, only Carl Jenkinson (£4.5m) and Eddie Nketiah (£4.5m) – neither of whom are first-team regulars – started in the early hours of Tuesday morning, although the visiting bench was a star-studded one.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.0m), Mesut Ozil (£7.5m) and Alexandre Lacazette (£9.5m) all made 12-minute cameos at the end of the match, with Arsenal’s strike duo both having presentable chances to extend their side’s lead late on – Lacazette missing an opportunity created by fellow substitute Sead Kolasinac (£5.5m).

Nketiah set up the excellent Bakayo Saka for the Gunners’ opener before
James Olayinka scored a screamer from distance after collecting a loose pass in central midfield.

Summer signing Gabriel Martinelli, up there with winger Saka as a man-of-the-match candidate, converted a cross from left-back Dominic Thompson to finish off the scoring.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan (£7.0m), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (£5.0m), Bernd Leno (£5.0m) and Sokratis (£5.0m) were among the unused substitutes.

According to Unai Emery, we will see more senior players in action against Bayern Munich on Thursday morning:

Wednesday [US time] we will continue with some players who haven’t played yet, like Sokratis, Mkhitaryan, Xhaka and Reiss Nelson. Other players played less minutes. Our preparation here is very important for these matches, Bayern Munich, Fiorentina and Real Madrid. The group is working very well.

Arsenal XI (4-2-3-1): Macey, Jenkinson, Chambers (Mustafi 62′), Medley, Thompson (Kolasinac 64′), Olayinka (Willock 62′), Burton, Martinelli (Ozil 78′), John-Jules (Aubameyang 78′), Saka, Nketiah (Lacazette 78′).

Burnley 8-0 Accrington Stanley
Burnley 2-3 Tranmere Rovers

• Goals: Chris Wood (£6.5m) x3, Jay Rodriguez (£6.0m) x2, Dwight McNeil (£6.0m), Erik Pieters (£4.5m), Jimmy Dunne; Matej Vydra (£5.5m) x2
• Assists: Ashley Westwood x3, Vydra, (others unknown); Dunne, Aaron Lennon (£5.0m)

Chris Wood (£6.5m) scored a hat-trick and Jay Rodriguez (£6.0m) notched a brace as Burnley played two simultaneous training ground friendlies with Football League opponents on Tuesday.

With the two matches being played behind closed doors and no footage of the kickabouts existing, the Burnley website’s report is the only account of the games we have.

Most of the players involved were handed 90-minute run-outs, although Burnley’s four goalkeepers – including Tom Heaton (£4.5m), whose future is in doubt – were given a half each.

The two different starting XIs swapped opponents at half-time, just to confuse matters.

Wood and Rodriguez bagged all of their goals in the same half against Accrington, with Dwight McNeil (£6.0m) also on target against Stanley in the opening 45 minutes.

Ashley Westwood (£5.5m), supplier of eight goals last season, notched a hat-trick of assists, with one coming from a corner that Wood headed in.

Over on the other pitch, Matej Vydra (£5.5m) scored twice against Tranmere.

Full-backs Erik Pieters (£4.5m) and Jimmy Dunne added to the rout of Accrington after the switcharound as Burnley ran out 8-0 victors.

Steven Defour (£5.5m) still wasn’t fit enough to feature while there was no Charlie Taylor (£4.5m) either, who missed out with a “niggle” in Friday’s friendly with Fulham.

There was no reason given for the absences of Ashley Barnes (£6.5m) and Phil Bardsley (£4.5m), meanwhile.

There was an hour of action for former Burnley midfielder David Jones as he continues to train with the club, although Sean Dyche has said no deal is in the offing for the 34-year-old.

The Clarets’ first public friendlies take place this Saturday as Dyche again splits his squad for games against League Two sides Crewe and Port Vale.

Burnley v Accrington

First half (4-4-2): Legzdins, Koiki, Long, Mee, Lowton, Gudmundsson, Westwood, Jones, McNeil, Rodriguez, Wood.

Second half (4-4-1-1): Pope, Dunne, Tarkowski, Gibson, Pieters, Lennon, Cork, Benson, Brady, Hendrick, Vydra.

Burnley v Tranmere

First half (4-4-1-1): Hart, Dunne, Tarkowski, Gibson, Pieters, Lennon, Cork, Benson, Brady, Hendrick, Vydra.

Second half (4-4-2): Heaton, Koiki, Long, Mee, Lowton, McNeil, Westwood, Jones (N’Guessan 65), Gudmundsson, Rodriguez, Wood.

Barnet 6-2 Crystal Palace

• Goals: David Boateng, Connor Wickham (£4.5m)
• Assists: Alexander Sorloth, Ryan Inniss

A weak Crystal Palace side, made up of second-string players and academy products, succumbed to a chastening 6-2 defeat at Barnet on Tuesday.

There wasn’t a single regular first-team player on show at the Hive, although the likes of Jairo Riedewald, Alexander Sorloth, Connor Wickham (£4.5m) and Luke Dreher (£4.5m) were involved.

Sorloth and Wickham led the line for the Eagles and both players were involved in their side’s goals as Palace raced into a 2-0 lead.

Sorloth laid the ball off to David Boateng for the visitors’ opener, while Wickham got a boot onto the end of a flick-on from a Palace corner before the game had reached the ten-minute mark.

Barnet had levelled the game up by half-time and scored four unanswered goals in the second half.

Crystal Palace XI (4-4-2): Henderson, D.Boateng, Inniss, Woods, Riedewald, Dreher (M.Boateng 84), McGregor, Flanagan (Hobbs 79), Daly, Wickham (Lokilo 79), Sorloth.