Ruben Dias faces four to six weeks out with a hamstring injury in a blow to Manchester City and Fantasy Premier League managers alike.
The centre-back has been a mainstay in Pep Guardiola’s back four since signing from Benfica in 2020 and has started in 24 of City’s 27 Premier League games this campaign.
“Nathan [Ake] and Ruben are not available for Sunday,” Guardiola revealed ahead of City’s derby against Manchester United. He added: “Muscular [injury]… hamstring. Four to six weeks, yeah.”
As one of a select few players virtually guaranteed a spot in Guardiola’s starting line-up most weeks, Dias has become one of City’s most popular assets in FPL over the past two seasons.
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Ahead of the Gameweek 28 deadline, Dias was the third-most owned defender in the game after Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joao Cancelo and the fourth highest-scorer, behind the aforementioned pair and Virgil van Dijk.
Just over a quarter of FPL managers worldwide will now have to make plans to replace him as the Premier League enters award-winning season. Fortunately, given he is the fifth-most expensive defender in the game, it shouldn’t be too tricky finding a suitable alternative.
The Double Gameweek defenders to target
Ordinarily, the advice would be simple: buy one of Alexander-Arnold or Cancelo, if you don’t already have one of them and crack on. While that remains sound advice, it is worth having a look at the upcoming schedule before reaching for the most obvious target.
As brilliant as City undoubtedly are it makes sense to swerve Cancelo or the new first-choice central pairing of Aymeric Laporte (£5.8m) or John Stones (£5.2m) for the time being, considering they do not have any double gameweeks on the horizon for the foreseeable future.
Sitting behind leaders City at the top of the “goals against” table are (in order): Chelsea, Liverpool, Wolves and Arsenal, each of whom will play twice in one round of fixtures over the next two gameweeks.
Chelsea have the standout fixtures over the next couple of weeks, closely followed by Wolves. Thomas Tuchel’s side will play against Burnley and Norwich – the two lowest-scoring sides in the division – in Gameweek 28 before facing Newcastle.
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What we learned from Amanda Staveley at FT summit, from Newcastle future to Chelsea interest03 March, 2022If you want to swap one nailed-on starter for another, look no further than Antonio Rudiger (£6.1m) who has started in all but one of Chelsea’s league matches this season. Although Rudiger does provide a goal threat – he ranks third among defenders for shots – the fit-again Reece James (£6.2m) is a more exciting pick having scored four goals and registered five assists in only 16 appearances. Thiago Silva (£5.6m) is also a good option. The Brazilian has averaged 4.76 points per game, compared to Rudiger’s 4.50.
Onto Wolves who play against Crystal Palace and Watford at Molineux in Gameweek 28. Bruno Lage’s side are also one of only eight teams in action in Gameweek 30 which coincides with the FA Cup quarter-finals. With Nelson Semedo injured, Romain Saiss (£5.0m) looks to be the strongest pick due to his goal threat from set-pieces. Conor Coady (£4.8m) and Max Kilman (£4.6m) are viable alternatives at a cheaper price.
Liverpool feature twice in Gameweek 29, although their fixtures – against Brighton and Arsenal – aren’t as eye-catching as those of Chelsea and Wolves. Assuming every FPL manager has Alexander-Arnold by now, Andy Robertson (£7.2m) is certainly worth a look based on his recent form. Despite playing as many as three games fewer than other defenders, the Scot is the top-scoring defender since Gameweek 22, with 49 points in only five matches. He is significantly more expensive than Dias, though.
Arsenal and Spurs are other “big six” clubs with double gameweeks coming up, although they each have tricky matches. Kieran Tierney (£5.1m) has averaged the highest number of points (5.11) of Arsenal’s defenders across the season and is their most potent attacking force from the back. Spurs look to be a no-go area for defenders at the moment, but the £4.7m Matt Doherty (remember him?) could be worth a short-term punt following his 18-point haul against Leeds in Gameweek 27.
Those seeking a leftfield solution to Dias’ injury should look no further than Newcastle. Eddie Howe’s side are unbeaten in seven and are the only team in the division with four games over the next two gameweeks. Matt Targett (£4.7m) has created nine chances in his opening three games for the Magpies and is the standout buy with Kieran Trippier out injured.
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