FPL pre-season: Bowen + Watkins on target

More pre-season friendlies took place over the weekend, so we’re bringing you the headline Fantasy Premier League (FPL) updates from each one.

This time it’s the outings of Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United and West Ham United.

We’re also keeping tabs on the minutes played in all of these warm-up fixtures, with Premium Members of Fantasy Football Scout able to access this information at the bottom of this article.

• READ MORE: FPL pre-season 2023/24 guide: Tips, best players, fixtures + more
• READ MORE: FPL pre-season: Havertz makes Arsenal debut

PERTH GLORY 2-6 WEST HAM

• Goals: Lachman (own goal), Scamacca (pen), Bowen x2, Emerson, Mubama
• Assists: Chesters, Fornals, Emerson, Bowen, Swyer, Cresswell

Match highlights

Midfielder Jarrod Bowen (£7.0m) is already on three pre-season goals and two assists thanks to a superb cameo in Australia.

Handed a £1.5m price drop upon the FPL relaunch, he’ll be hoping to replicate his outstanding 12 goals and 17 assists of 2021/22. Then, the 206 points were bettered by just three others.

However, fixtures toughen after Gameweek 1 for the Hammers, facing Chelsea, Brighton and Hove Albion, Manchester City and Liverpool by Gameweek 6.

Said Benrahma (£6.0m) was an absent first-team playere, just like Lucas Paqueta (£6.0m), Tomas Soucek (£5.0m) and Nayef Aguerd (£4.5m). Also not involved was £4.0m stopper Alphonse Areola. He’s been deemed the most likely starting goalkeeper at that FPL price but hasn’t featured in either friendly so far.

Up front, Gianluca Scamacca (£6.0m) converted a spot-kick. He, Danny Ings (£6.0m) and Michail Antonio (£6.0m) all start at the same price but it’s unknown which is preferred.

West Ham XI: Fabianski (Anang 71); Laing, Zouma (Ogbonna 46), Luizao (Cresswell 46), Emerson (Swyer 71); Downes (Earthy 71), Potts, Chesters, Fornals; Scamacca (Bowen 46), Ings (Mubama 46)

WALSALL 1-1 ASTON VILLA

• Goals: Watkins (pen)
• Assists: Philogene-Bidace

Match highlights

Meanwhile, Aston Villa’s first summer friendly saw a mix of youth and experience draw 1-1 at Walsall. Unai Emery used 22 players in total, without appearances from Emiliano Martinez (£5.0m), Tyrone Mings (£4.5m), Alex Moreno (£5.0m), Jacob Ramsey (£6.0m) or John McGinn (£5.5m).

One noteworthy starter was forward Ollie Watkins (£8.0m). After scoring just three times before Gameweek 21, he bagged 11 goals and three assists over the following 12 matches. Returns faded during the closing weeks and he missed a penalty at Liverpool.

By successfully netting this one, perhaps Watkins remains on penalty duty. Alternatively, new signing Youri Tielemans (£6.0m) has a favourable history of them.

FPL managers could be monitoring the pre-season minutes of Matty Cash, having been priced at just £4.5m. He could be a cheap, attacking way into one of the league’s best post-World Cup back lines but there’s a chance that a more defensive name is used to counteract left-back Moreno.

Aston Villa XI: Marschall (Sinisalo 65); Cash (Bogarde 65), Carlos (Revan 65), Feeney (Konsa 45), Digne (Chrisene 65); Luiz (Patterson 65), Iroegbunam (Chambers 45), A.Ramsey (Sanson 45), Philogene-Bidace (Kellyman 65); Buendia (O’Reilly 65), Watkins (Young 65)

GATESHEAD 2-3 NEWCASTLE

• Goals: Anderson, Saint-Maximin, Turner-Cooke
• Assists: Saint-Maximin, Anderson, Lewis Miley

Match highlights

A short trip over the Tyne Bridge for Eddie Howe’s side, as they kicked off their schedule by facing neighbours Gateshead. An odd-looking starting XI included two right-backs, four left-backs and young midfielder Elliot Anderson (£4.5m) used up front.

After going 2-0 down, Anderson and Allan Saint-Maximin (£6.0m) assisted each other to start a dramatic Istanbul-like comeback that was completed by 19-year-old Jay Turner-Cooke.

The exciting French winger has been linked with a big-money move to Saudi Arabia but was handed minutes here. Kieran Trippier (£6.5m), Sean Longstaff (£5.0m) and Dan Burn (£4.5m) played too but first-teamers like Bruno Guimaraes (£6.0m), Callum Wilson (£8.0m), Alexander Isak (£7.5m) and Nick Pope (£5.5m) didn’t participate. Neither did new signing Sandro Tonali (£5.5m).

Then again, early interest may be limited as the Magpies’ opening four fixtures are ranked toughest of all those without Blank Gameweek 2, according to our Season Ticker.

Newcastle XI: Darlow (Karius 46); Trippier (Ashby 65), Savage (A Murphy 46), Burn (J Miley 84′), Targett (L Miley 65); Manqullo (Ndiweni 72), Longstaff (De Bolle 65), Lewis (Wiggett 77); Ritchie (Parkinson 65), Anderson (Turner-Cooke 72), Saint-Maximin (White 65)

CRYSTAL PALACE 2-2 BRONDBY

• Goals: Rak-Sakyi, Mateta
• Assists: Ahamada x2

Match highlights

Roy Hodgson selected a recognisable XI against Danish side Brondby, with it being their second friendly. Eberechi Eze (£6.5m), Tyrick Mitchell (£4.5m), Cheick Doucoure (£5.0m) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (£5.0m) all started, with wholesale changes later on.

Vicente Guaita (£4.5m) wasn’t around to displace Sam Johnstone (£4.5m) in goal, whilst centre-back Joachim Andersen (£4.5m) and new arrival Jefferson Lerma (£5.0m) weren’t involved.

FPL managers might now be wondering about Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Naouirou Ahamada (£4.5m). The former is currently without a price but scored 15 times on loan at Charlton Athletic and assisted another eight. As the injured Michael Olise (£6.0m) may miss the opening weeks and the future of Wilfried Zaha remains unclear, there’s an outside chance that the 20-year-old faces Sheffield United in Gameweek 1.

As for Ahamada, he signed from Stuttgart in January but made just eight cameos totalling 87 minutes.

Crystal Palace XI: Johnstone (Matthews 45); Clyne (O’Brien 71), Richards (Ward 45), Tomkins (Guéhi 45), Mitchell (Ozoh 62); Doucouré (Hughes 45), Riedewald, Ahamada (Gordon 74); Eze (Edouard 45), Mateta (Ayew 62), Rak-Sakyi (Boateng 86)

MACCABI TEL-AVIV 1-0 BOURNEMOUTH

The second friendly of Bournemouth under Andoni Iraola ended in a narrow defeat to Robbie Keane’s Maccabi Tel-Aviv. 22 players took part, with centre-back James Hill (£4.0m) the only one to play all 90 minutes.

As explored in our Scout Report, new manager Iraola likes to play a 4-2-3-1 system and did so here. Inspired by playing under Marcelo Bielsa, watching the Cherries could be a fun experience but a difficult fixture run will likely deter FPL managers at the start.

Bournemouth XI: Neto (Randolph 34 (Travers 62)); Zabarnyi (Mepham 62), Senesi (Bevan 46), Hill, Greenwood (Smith 46); Cook (Sadi 62), Christie (Billing 46); Ouattara (Anthony 62), Traore (Brooks 46), Kluivert (Moore 62); Solanke (Kilkenny 46)

NOTTS COUNTY 0-1 NOTT’M FOREST

• Goals: Ui-Jo

Match highlights

Steve Cooper made 10 half-time substitutions at Meadow Lane, with 30-year-old Hwang Ui-Jo (£4.5m) soon snatching the ball off a defender to score the only goal.

“He took his goal well. None of the strikers got loads of service, because we didn’t put that sort of level of teams out, with the two mixed teams in each half. But you could see from Hwang’s work rate that he does make a lot of good runs. It was great to see him take his goal because that’s what all the players want to do. Let’s see on that one.” – Steve Cooper on Hwang Ui-Jo

The forward was one of many new signings last season, quickly loaned out to Olympiakos and then FC Seoul. Whether he stays around is unknown, although the rumoured departure of star forward Brennan Johnson (£6.0m) could have an impact. Neither Johnson nor Morgan Gibbs-White (£6.0m) took part here and the lack of goalkeeper signings meant that George Shelvey had to be used.

Nottingham Forest XI: G Shelvey; Williams (Drager 46), Worrall (McKenna 46), Niakhate (Boly 46), Powell (Donnelly 46′); Mangala (Yates 46), Freuler (Danilo 46), Aguilera (Gardner 46); Dennis (Taylor 46), Awoniyi (Ui-Jo), Mighten (Bowler 46)

CHESTERFIELD 0-2 SHEFFIELD UNITED

• Goals: Ndiaye, Osborn
• Assists: Berge, McBurnie

Match highlights

Currently the Sheffield United Player of the Season, forward Iliman Ndiaye (£5.5m) is continually linked with a departure. However, he came on at half-time – alongside 10 other names – and scored the opener here. A pass from Sander Berge (£5.0m) was dummied by Oliver McBurnie (£5.5m), putting Ndiaye clean through on goal.

Elsewhere, George Baldock didn’t take part because of an ankle knock sustained on international duty. Unlike fellow cheap £4.0m defenders Jordan Beyer and Amari’i Bell, the Greek wing-back has the ability to get forward and provide attacking returns to FPL owners.

Sheffield United: Foderingham (Davies 46); Basham (Ahmedhodzic 46), Egan (Freckleton 46), Francis (Robinson 46); Seriki (Sachdev 46), Brooks (Berge 46), Norwood (Neal 46), Fleck (Osborn 46), Lowe (Buyabu 46); Osula (McBurnie 46), Marsh (Ndiaye 46)