In the latest article from our team of Hall of Famers and guest contributors, reigning worldwide champion Ali (FPL Gunz) picks out some relatively low-owned options to help cope with the absence of Son Heung-min and Mohamed Salah.
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Ahead of the international cup competitions in January, it is important to have a plan for players who are likely to miss several Gameweeks.
FPL managers have a great opportunity to gain rank if they pick the right differentials while two of the most popular assets, Mohamed Salah (£13.3m) and Son Heung-min (£9.9m), are away. Given the fact that they represent Egypt and South Korea, who have good chances of going far in their respective competitions, we could assume it’s valid to sell both and bring them back once their international duties are over.
Many of us need funds to get Erling Haaland (£13.9m) back but budget should not be an issue as both Salah and Son are premium assets and did not come cheap.
Let’s look at some of the teams with favorable fixtures and potential players to shoot us up the ranks.
MANCHESTER UNITED
The next seven games for Manchester United have only two arguably tough opponents in the form of Tottenham Hotspur (H) in Gameweek 21 and Aston Villa (A) in Gameweek 24. Both teams are strong going forward but are not amongst the division’s best defences, so it’s chiefly the United attackers that appeal.
Bruno Fernandes (£8.2m) and Alejandro Garnacho (£4.8m) are two names to consider. Despite the poor recent form, United are under pressure to turn their season around. If they manage to do so, the pair above are likely to play crucial roles.
Bruno has been fairly quiet recently and served a one-game ban due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Garnacho, on the other hand, has been brilliant, starring in United’s dramatic 3-2 win against high-flying Aston Villa with the brace.
With Andre Onana (£4.8m) going to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with Cameroon, Luke Shaw (£5.5m) – when fit – and Diogo Dalot (£5.1m) offer a bit of ‘upside’ from full-back.
ASTON VILLA
Aston Villa have had an impressive start to a campaign, while the good fixture run ahead can extend their strong form for longer.
With the injury to Lucas Digne (£4.7m), we can assume Alex Moreno (£5.0m) – owned by under 0.8% of managers – will be a like-for-like replacement in Unai Emery’s starting XI. Moreno is a strong differential if you fancy a great attacking full-back who is likely to be on some of the set pieces, while also posing significant goal potential – as evidenced by his strike against Brentford.
With casual rotation in the midfield department, it’s hard to predict the minutes for the likes of Leon Bailey (£5.6m) and Moussa Diaby (£6.6m). But John McGinn (£5.6m) has played a crucial role in the Villans’ good performances and is basically guaranteed a starting position. With only 2% ownership and on a share of the set pieces. he could be a great budget enabler or a short-term solution for your midfield.
BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION
Brighton and Hove Albion are one of the teams that have been struggling with recent results, having had to deal with numerous injuries to their starting players. But after an impressive win against a very good Spurs, and with a gruelling European campaign taking a back seat for now, there is a chance that the Seagulls could rediscover their good form in time for a strong run of fixtures.
In the absence of their key wingers, Kaoru Mitoma (£6.5m) and Simon Adingra (£5.0m), the penalty-taking Joao Pedro (£5.4m) – fresh from a 16-point haul against Spurs – should get a healthy expected minutes boost.
Seeing Pervis Estupinan (£4.9m) back from his long spell in the treatment room is also a welcome sight for FPL managers seeking reinforcements in the defensive department. He marked his comeback with a great goal on Thursday, reminding us all why he was so popular at the start of the campaign.
CHELSEA
Chelsea are amongst the teams with good upcoming fixtures with great upside assets such as Raheem Sterling (£7.1m) and Christopher Nkunku (£7.4m), who just scored his first goal on his league debut. Of the next five games, only the trip to Anfield is off-putting.
Malo Gusto (£4.2m) was very impressive in his last two appearances and with Reece James (£5.3m) out for a long period of time, the right-back position seems to be his to lose.
ARSENAL
The recent weeks have been very disappointing for managers who own Arsenal’s attacking assets, but one player who upped his game is Kai Havertz (£7.1m). The 1.6%-owned midfielder seems to have nailed his starting place in Mikel Arteta’s team after scoring his fourth goal of the campaign.
The starting positions of Gabriel Martinelli (£7.7m) and Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m) are not thought to be at risk but overall game-time is, as playing roughly 65 minutes a match is a concern for FPL managers.
MANCHESTER CITY
Manchester City are back after missing Gameweek 18, and their players will be heavily transferred in ahead of some great fixtures. Phil Foden (£7.7m) has caught the eye in the absence of Haaland, while Bernardo Silva’s (£6.5m) haul against Everton didn’t go unnoticed either.
Jeremy Doku (£6.5m) is carrying an injury and it remains to be seen when Kevin De Bruyne (£10.2m) is match-fit. Alvarez is also an option after ending his eight-goal draught in the PL but he’s not a differential with 29% ownership. City also have not kept a clean sheet in eight games, which is a bit worrying for managers willing to recruit their defensive assets.
