If there was one takeaway from the latest Fantasy Premier League gameweek it was this: Thank heavens for Erling Haaland.
Manchester City’s unstoppable goal machine missed out on a historic third successive Premier League hat-trick – not for the want of trying, mind – but struck twice to take his tally to nine goals in four games as Manchester City squeezed past Brentford.
It was a good thing too considering virtually every other popular pick in FPL failed to deliver. Liverpool’s shock loss to Nottingham Forest ensured minimal scores for Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alexander Isak went off at half-time as Newcastle beat Wolves and Joao Pedro wasn’t even in the squad as Brighton were held by Ipswich.
It was a nightmarish weekend for most FPL managers and it is always tempting after a gameweek from hell to rip it all up and start again. Unless your squad is decimated by injury, that wouldn’t be wise. Salah et al haven’t suddenly become bad options after one below-par performance.
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Arsenal are gameweek headliners once more as they take on City in an early title bout at the Etihad. Elsewhere, Liverpool will be looking to get back on track at home to Bournemouth, winless promoted pair Southampton and Ipswich face off at St Mary’s and West Ham and Chelsea engage in a London derby in the east end.
The Gameweek 5 deadline is at 11am on Saturday 21 September!
This is an extract of i’s Fantasy Premier League tips. Sign up here to receive the newsletter every week this season for our full 11-player team, advice on the best captain and more!
Gameweek 5 fixtures
Saturday 21 September
*3pm unless otherwise stated
- West Ham vs Chelsea (12.30pm)
- Aston Villa vs Wolves
- Fulham vs Newcastle
- Leicester vs Everton
- Liverpool vs Bournemouth
- Southampton vs Ipswich
- Spurs vs Brentford
- Crystal Palace vs Man Utd (5.30pm)
Sunday 22 September
- Brighton vs Nottingham Forest (2pm)
- Man City vs Arsenal (4.30pm)
Jamie Vardy (Leicester)
There’s life in the old fox yet. Leicester still await their first Premier League win since promotion after Jean-Philippe Mateta’s added time penalty denied them three points on Saturday but the evergreen Jamie Vardy has started the season in fine form with two goals in his first four matches.
FPL managers and those who set the player prices were probably guilty of writing the 37-year-old off before a ball was kicked. Just under half of Vardy’s appearances in the Championship last term were as a substitute and FPL’s £5.5m valuation of him was presumably made in the assumption that he would be an impact sub again in this campaign.
Instead, Vardy has started all four of Leicester’s matches under Steve Cooper and played the full 90 minutes in the last two. His underlying numbers aren’t particularly impressive; he ranks 25th for shots among forwards after four gameweeks. However, he is a clinical finisher and in action against Everton, the division’s leakiest defence, next.
Price: £5.6m Points: 19 Gameweek 5 fixture: Everton (h)
Dwight McNeil (Everton)
If you’re on the lookout for a cheap, in-form midfielder with good underlying data and low ownership then Dwight McNeil could be the one to get.
Investing in Everton assets after a four-game losing streak (including back-to-back 3-2 losses after they had led 2-0) may seem like a leap of faith too far but McNeil passed the eye test at Villa Park and looks more likely than most to spark an improvement in fortunes.
The winger ranks joint-top among midfielders for both chances created (with 16) and big chances created (four) so far this season. It is demonstrative of McNeil’s importance to the Toffees that he has set up half of their goalscoring opportunities and two-thirds of their big chances so far.
McNeil has a goal and two assists to his name ahead of this weekend’s trip to Leicester and is currently selected by just one per cent of gaffers.
Price: £5.4m Points: 22 Gameweek 5 fixture: Leicester (a)
Yukinari Sugawara (Southampton)
Another punt, this time in defence. Like Everton, Southampton have started the season with four straight defeats and given that form this weekend’s fixture against fellow Premier League newcomers Ipswich feels like a quintessential relegation six-pointer, even at this early juncture.
We like the look of Leif Davis (£4.5m) for this one, but Yukinari Sugawara, who will be directly opposite Ipswich Town’s assist machine, is another differential worth looking at.
The Japanese wing-back was identified as a player of interest in i’s pre-season tips due to his attacking output with AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie and has started his Premier League career promisingly with a goal against Brentford in Gameweek 3. He has set up three big chances so far, which is level with Trent Alexander-Arnold and only bettered by Lucas Digne (with four).
Price: £4.5m Points: 11 Gameweek 5 fixture: Ipswich (h)
Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford)
Brentford have lost at Anfield and the Etihad so far this season but performed well in both and will certainly not be overawed by the challenge of facing a flaky Spurs side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Bryan Mbeumo has impressed in the opening weeks, emerging as the club’s new talisman following Ivan Toney’s departure to Al-Ahli with three goals and an assist in his first four appearances.
The Cameroonian is listed as a midfielder in FPL but often plays up front with Yoane Wissa and is on penalty taking duty now that Toney is no longer around.
Brentford also have an encouraging fixture run over the next two months which makes Mbeumo an excellent long-term pick. He’s a bargain at just over £7m.
Price: £7.1m Points: 26 Gameweek 5 fixture: Tottenham (a)
Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
Ollie Watkins got his first goals of the season during Aston Villa’s topsy-turvy win over Everton and will be relieved that he is off the mark given the goalscoring form that his understudy Jhon Duran is in.
The England striker took both of his chances well but seemed frustrated after the game that he hadn’t registered his third Premier League hat-trick after spurning a couple of other big opportunities. It offered a sneak peek into Watkins’s mentality. A forward who is unhappy at scoring twice is exactly the type you want in your FPL team.
Villa begin their Champions League campaign this week and it will be interesting to see how Unai Emery chops and changes his team to compete on two fronts. However, their upcoming schedule looks primed for more Watkins returns. Villa’s upcoming opponents Wolves have already shipped 11 goals this season.
Price: £8.9m Points: 22 Gameweek 5 fixture: Wolves (h)
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