The Complete Guide to FPL Pre-season 2018/19

Our detailed guide to the 2018/19 pre-season is exactly what you need to be completely prepared for another year of Fantasy Premier League.

This is where you can find every article we’ve written ahead of the new campaign including in-depth analyses of each team, Scout Reports on new signings and as well as research into whether those switching one Premier League club for another can retain their FPL value.

The top flight clubs have now started playing their pre-season fixtures and we’ve got Scout Notes on all the line-ups, goals, assists and Fantasy talking points for those in the build-up to Gameweek 1.

Crucially, we have reviewed every FPL position by price to help you pick the best squad for the new season.

Pre-season Minutes

How many minutes each FPL option has played:

• Part One
• Part Two

Positional reviews

Pick your FPL team for 2018/19 using our list of best available players, sorted for your convenience by position and price:

Goalkeepers | Defenders: Budget | Defenders: Mid-Price and Premium | Midfielders: Budget | Midfielders: Mid-Price | Midfielders: Premium | Forwards: Budget |Forwards: Mid-Price

Arsenal

Articles

• Best Arsenal players to sign in 2018/19 – Complete Statistical Analysis
• Scout Report on Bernd Leno
• Scout Report on Sokratis Papastathopoulos
• Why Mkhitaryan’s all-round game and price make him an important FPL asset

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Unai Emery seems to have settled on a 4-3-3, as expected. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.0m) has mostly lined up on the left side of the attack with Alexandre Lacazette (£9.5m) leading the line, although the latter started the 5-1 win over PSG as the spearhead.

Form Players: Aubameyang (six goals, three assists), Lacazette (six goals, two assists), Nelson (two goals, five assists), Mkhitaryan (two goals), Perez (two goals, one assist).

Bournemouth

Articles

• Best Bournemouth players to sign in 2018/19 – Complete Statistical Analysis

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Eddie Howe deployed a 3-4-3 against Sevilla. Jordon Ibe (£5.5m) was used as right wing-back in that match and on the left against Levante. A 4-4-1-1 formation has also been rolled out in recent matches.

Form Players: King (four goals, one assist), Fraser (one goal, four assists), Defoe (two goals), Francis (one goal, one assist)

Brighton and Hove Albion

Articles

• Best Brighton players to sign in 2018/19 – Complete Statistical Analysis
• Scout Report on Alireza Jahanbakhsh

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Glenn Murray (£6.5m) was withdrawn after 30 minutes of the first pre-season match with a minor knock but returned midweek to assist Pascal Groß’s (£7.0m) first goal of the summer. Appears to be over the injury now. Leon Balogun (£4.5m) could push into central defence but Lewis Dunk (£4.5m) and Shane Duffy (£4.5m) started the last match together.

Form Players: Hemed (three goals, two assists), Groß (one goal, one assist), Norwood (one goal, one assist)

Burnley

Articles

• Best Burnley players to sign in 2018/19 – Complete Statistical Analysis

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Nick Pope (£5.0m) has a potentially serious injury but more information is needed before a return date can be estimated. Tom Heaton (£5.0m) also has a calf strain currently, with Anders Lindegaard (£4.5m) next in line. Named a back-four of Stephen Ward (£5.0m), James Tarkowski (£5.0m), Ben Mee (£5.0m) and Matt Lowton (£5.0m) against Preston and Aberdeen. Caution over a previous injury to Robbie Brady (£5.5m) means Aaron Lennon (£5.0m) has got game-time in right midfield, but the latter has now got a knock too.

Form Players: Vokes (three goals), Lowton (three assists), Lennon (two goals), Wood (one goal, one assist), Cork (one goal, one assist), Walters (one goal, one assist).

Cardiff City

Articles

• Best Cardiff City players to sign in 2018/19 – Complete Statistical Analysis
• Scout Report on Bobby Reid

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Forward Bobby Reid (£5.5m) has been used multiple times on the right flank of attacking midfield.

Form Players: Murphy (five goals), D Ward (four goals, one assist), Reid (three goals, one assist), Harris (three goals), Madine (three goals), Ralls (one goal, two assists), Cunningham (three assists)

Chelsea

Articles

• Best Chelsea players to sign in 2018/19 – Complete Statistical Analysis
• How Maurizio Sarri will affect Chelsea’s FPL prospects

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Pedro (£6.5m) and Callum Hudson-Odoi (£4.5m) have started the first two matches of pre-season flanking Alvaro Morata (£9.0m) in the three-man attack. David Luiz (£5.5m) has started both matches in a back-four, as has Marcos Alonso (£6.5m).

Form Players: Pedro (two goals)

Crystal Palace

Articles

• Best Crystal Palace players to sign in 2018/19 – Complete Statistical Analysis

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Wilfried Zaha (£7.0m) has spent most of pre-season in attacking midfield either out-wide or behind striker Alexander Sørloth (£5.0m). Aaron Win-Bissaka (£4.0m) has started all matches at right-back while defender Jeffrey Schlupp (£4.5m) has begun all matches as a left-midfielder. Vicente Guaita (£4.5m), Wayne Hennessey (£4.5m) have both featured, the latter playing more minutes but conceding more goals.

Form Players: Townsend (six assists), Zaha (four goals, one assist), Kaikai (three goals, one assist), Sørloth (two goals, three assists), Van Aanholt (two goals, three assists), McArthur (one goal, three assists), Schlupp (two goals), Williams (two goals).

Everton

Articles

• Best Everton players to sign in 2018/19 – Complete Statistical Analysis

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Oumar Niasse (£5.5m) has been named on the bench multiple times, with Cenk Tosun (£7.0m) preferred up front. Seamus Coleman (£5.5m) is fairly assured of a start, while Michael Keane (£5.0m) and Phil Jagielka (£4.5m) appear to be the preferred choice at centre-back. Richarlison’s (£6.5m) first appearance was on the left flank of the attack.

Form Players: Niasse (two goals), Sigurdsson (two assists).

Fulham

Articles

• Best Fulham players to sign in 2018/19 – Complete Statistical Analysis

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Ryan Sessegnon (£6.5m) was deployed at left-back against Crawley Town but the signing of Maxime Le Marchand (£4.5m) appears to have freed him up to play in attacking midfield, where he has played in the last three matches.

Form Players: Kebano (two goals), Kamara (two goals), Mitrovic (one goal, one assist)

Huddersfield Town

Articles

• Best Huddersfield players to sign in 2018/19 – Complete Statistical Analysis

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Budget forward Collin Quaner (£4.5m) has started both pre-season friendlies in attacking midfield.

Form Players: Mounié (three goals), Depoitre (two goals, one assist), Billing (one goal, three assists)

Leicester City

Articles

• Best Leicester players to sign in 2018/19 – Complete Statistical Analysis
• Scout Report on Ricardo Pereira
• Scout Report on James Maddison
• Moving Target – Jonny Evans

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Wes Morgan (£4.5m) and Jonny Evans (£5.0m) have registered the most minutes at centre-back in Harry Maguire’s (£5.5m) absence, but the latter is now carrying an injury. Yohan Benalouane (£4.0m) featured in the last match. Meanwhile Demarai Gray (£5.5m) has had the chance to lead the attack with Jamie Vardy (£9.0m) still absent, but Kelechi Iheanacho (£6.0m) has scored four times in that role since his return from World Cup leave.

Form Players: Iheanacho (four goals), Maddison (two assists)

Liverpool

Articles

• Best Liverpool players to sign in 2018/19 – Complete Statistical Analysis
• Scout Report on Fabinho
• Scout Report on Naby Keita
• Scout Report on Xherdan Shaqiri
• Scout Report on Alisson

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) and Sadio Mané (£9.5m) both scored on their return to match action, the latter netting two penalties. Joel Matip’s (£5.0m) and Dejan Lovren’s (£5.0m) extended World Cup absence potentially leaves the door openfor either Joe Gomez (£5.0m) or Ragnar Klavan (£4.5m) to fight for a place at centre-back alongside Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m). Daniel Sturridge (£6.0m) has been playing in a deeper number 10 role and is the club’s top-scorer over the summer.

Form Players: Sturridge (six goals, two assists), Milner (two goals, two assists), Mané (two goals, one assist), Salah (two goals, two assists), Wijnaldum (two goals) Keita (three assists)

Manchester City

Articles

• Best Man City players to sign in 2018/19 – Complete Statistical Analysis

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Just four senior first-team players have been involved in training so far because of World Cup absences, Leroy Sane (£9.5m), Riyad Mahrez (£9.0m), Benjamin Mendy (£6.0m) and Aymeric Laporte (£5.5m). Two of those (Mahrez and Laporte) have sustained injuries but a large contingent of first-team players returned to the club on July 30.

Form Players: B Silva (two goals, two assists), Aguero (two goals), Sane (one goal)

Manchester United

Articles

• Best Man United players to sign in 2018/19 – Complete Statistical Analysis
• Potential for Pogba to have best-ever FPL season in 2018/19

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Anthony Martial (£7.5m) has started two matches up front for Man United with Romelu Lukaku (£11.0m) and Marcus Rashford (£7.5m) still on leave, Alexis Sanchez (£10.5m) had the role against AC Milan. An injury to Antonio Valencia (£6.5m), who now faces a potential one-month lay-off, could pull either Matteo Darmian (£5.0m), Victor Lindelöf (£5.0m) or Timothy Fosu-Mensah (not in FPL yet) into the side. The Italian was chosen against AC Milan.

Form Players: Sanchez (two goals, one assist), Mata (one goal, one assist), Herrera (one goal, one assist)

Newcastle United

Articles

• Best Newcastle players to sign in 2018/19 – Complete Statistical Analysis

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Christian Atsu (£5.5m) took the first penalty of pre-season after Dwight Gayle (£6.0m) won the spot-kick.

Form Players: None

Southampton

Articles

• Best Southampton players to sign in 2018/19 – Complete Statistical Analysis

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Hughes seems settled on a back-three with Wesley Hoedt (£4.5m) and Jannik Vestergaard (£5.0m) the most likely to be in it for Gameweek 1. Manolo Gabbiadini (£6.0m) and Charlie Austin (£6.0m) look set to be the front pairing in a 3-5-2 formation.

Form Players: Redmond (two goals), Austin (one goal, two assists), Gabbiadini (two goals)

Tottenham Hotspur

Articles

• Best Spurs players to sign in 2018/19 – Complete Statistical Analysis

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Fernando Llorente (£6.0m) has led the line for every match so far with Erik Lamela (£6.5m) and Lucas Moura (£7.0m) also involved. Ben Davies (£6.0m) has emerged as a possible candidate at centre-back allowing Kyle Walker-Peters (£4.5m) some game-time on the left.

Form Players: Moura (four goals, two assists), Llorente (four goals), Lamela (three goals, one assist), Georges-Kevin N’Koudou (three goals)

Watford

Articles

• Best Watford players to sign in 2018/19 – Complete Statistical Analysis
• How Foster transfer could boost Watford clean sheet potential

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Javi Gracia has mostly fielded a 4-4-2 formation with inverted wingers, allowing the Watford full-backs to overlap in the attack.

Form Players: Gray (three goals, two assists), Deeney (two goals, one assist)

West Ham United

Articles

• Best West Ham players to sign in 2018/19 – Complete Statistical Analysis
• Moving Target – Lukasz Fabianski
• Scout Report on Felipe Anderson

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Marko Arnautovic (£7.0m) has started five games as a centre-forward. After being switched to midfield in FPL, Artur Masuaku (£4.5m) has returned to being deployed as a left-back. Andy Carroll (£5.5m) and Winston Reid (£4.5m) are set for three month spells in the physio room.

Form Players: Arnautovic (five goals, one assist), Noble (one goal, two assists), Snodgrass (one goal, one assist)

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Articles

• Best Wolves players to sign in 2018/19 – Complete Statistical Analysis
• Scout Report on Rui Patricio
• Scout Report on Diogo Jota

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Ruben Neves (£5.0m) took the first penalty of pre-season.

Form Players: Jota (two goals, one assist), Cavaleiro (one goal, two assists), Mir (two goals), Bonatini (one goal, one assist), Costa (one goal, two assists)