EPL GW-25 FPL Player Picks

Just on the horizon, eight clubs are set to play twice in GW-26, including Liverpool who host Norwich and Leeds. So it’s not a surprise that FPL managers are planning ahead to go big with Mo Salah who might be a popular triple captain. However, we still have GW-25 to manage first!

Two teams, Chelsea and Arsenal blank this game-week so Chelsea can play its Club World Cup final. Two teams, Man United and Brighton, play twice this week, so keep their players in your team and consider using your free-hit chip unless you already have something big planned during the DGW-26.

• Man United (H) v Southampton
• Watford v Brighton (A)
• Man United (H) v Brighton

Let’s check out players whom you should be considering:

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Goalkeeper

David de Gea (£5.3m, Man United v Southampton); Man United v Brighton)

One can’t predict which Man United will appear on any given match-day, especially at Old Trafford. And the Red Devils’ best player has possibly been De Gea who may not have enough clean sheets under his belt as he would have liked, but his save ratio has been crucial. The Spaniard has picked up a combined total of 13 save and bonus points in Ralf Rangnick’s nine matches in charge.

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Alisson Becker (£6.0, Burnley v Liverpool)

Liverpool may have suffered from a shaky back line this season, but Alisson still has ten clean sheets. Burnley found a goal against Man United, but it will be a tough game for Sean Dyche’s men given their lack of attacking threat, so the Brazilian goalkeeper is in a decent spot to acquire his eleventh clean sheet of the campaign.

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Defenders

Joel Veltman (£4.2m, Watford v Brighton); (Man United v Brighton)

Of the low-cost defenders with a double game-week, Veltman is the one to go for. Brighton may not be the best at claiming clean sheets, but the Dutchman has started nine of his club’s last nine fixtures, so he’s a low-risk enabler.

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Lucas Digne (£5.1, Newcastle v Aston Villa)

Steven Gerrard’s men got their attacking groove back, and Digne plays a vital role in those attacking returns. With Coutinho or Ramsey taking the spotlight, the left-back delivers enough balls into the box alongside set-pieces to secure an assist or two and perhaps a clean sheet despite facing a motivated Newcastle side. Plus, his next four fixtures are good enough for him to make an impact {NEW (A), WAT (H), BHA (A) and SOU (H)}.

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Joel Matip (£4.9, Burnley v Liverpool)

If you want a cheap, regular Liverpool defender — other than TAA, VvD or Robertson — who has become a regular and provides clean sheets points, Joel Matip is the one to go for. The Reds defender was given enough license to move forward to create trouble, and he even provided a cheeky assist to Diego Jota in the 2-0 win over Leicester. Jurgen Klopp’s center-back has tasty fixtures coming up {BUR (A), NOR (H), LEE (H)} to add points here and there.

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Aymeric Laporte (£5.8, Norwich v Man City)

Of course Cancelo is a better option if you have enough cash, but it’s interesting to see Laporte cementing his position. He’s the third-highest scoring defender (three goals, two assists) in FPL and has 3rd-most shots on goal among defenders (after TAA and Cancelo). Despite being selected by around 10% of the managers, the Spanish international has 12 clean sheets in 20 appearances and is likely to get another against relegation-threatened Norwich City.

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Midfielders

Jacob Ramsey (£4.7, Newcastle v Aston Villa)

It’s obvious that Steven Gerrard is a big fan of the youngster Jacob Ramsey. His development this term has been impressive, with five goals plus an assist. With his bargain-bin price-tag, Ramsey is a great player to have in your team. Philippe Countinho is another option, but Gerard mentioned tiredness against Leeds, so the Brazilian may not be fully fit.

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Pablo Fornals (£6.0, Leicester v West Ham)

Fornals has been a gem for West Ham, given his impressive return rate this season with five goals plus three assists. The Spanish international always looks for key-passes, granting him enough opportunities to earn attacking points. At his price, a total of 81 points is superb.

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Diogo Jota (£8.5, Burnley v Liverpool)

With two goals, Jota was the star against the Foxes. He’s now just four behind Mo Salah and could very well be in contention for the golden boot, which is a good news for Jurgen Klopp. The Portuguese striker single-handedly makes sure the goals don’t stop when Salah and Mane are busy at Afcon. Even with those two returning, it’s difficult to put Jota on bench. Expect Jota to make another impact against a relegation side like Burnley.

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Bruno Fernandes (£11.7, Man United v Southampton); Man United v Brighton)

Despite the blank and VAR taking an assist against Burnley, Fernandes remains an obvious United asset for a DGW. The Portuguese playmaker has created 34 chances and has second most shots among his team mates. With the double this week for the Red Devils, Fernandes is a good call to make.

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Kevin De Bruyne (£12.2m, Norwich v Man City)

De Bryune is back to his best and at the right time, given the Champions League coming up. Pep Guardiola may rotate his players but always prefers KDB to be on the pitch. The Belgian playmaker provided a goal in the 2-0 win over Brentford.

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Mo Salah (£12.8, Burnley v Liverpool)

If you removed Mo Salah before his Afcon duty, it’s time to bring him back. In just half an hour of time against the Foxes, Mo Salah hit the post and began shooting for fun. Plus, it’s a good call to think about triple-captaining the Egyptian international in the up-coming DGW-26.

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Forwards

Armando Broja (Man United v Southampton)

We can all admit that our forwards this season haven’t been consistent. However, Southampton’s has been decent lately. After the Saints’ 3-2 victory over Spurs, their confidence is over the roof, and Armando Broja played a big part with his goal.

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Cristiano Ronaldo (Man United v Southampton)

Despite playing just twenty minutes from the bench in the 1-1 draw to Burnley, Ronaldo should get plenty against both Southampton and Brighton. The Portuguese may have his longest goal-drought since his early days with Real Madrid , which shows the standards he has set. He will have enough motivation to break out with a goal or two. Plus, Ronaldo has to be in the list of the most likely captains for this week given his DGW.

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[Stats and info referenced in this article were sourced from fantasy.premierleague.com.]

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What do you think of our picks this week? What are your FPL strategies? Who will be a hit or a miss? What new player(s) are you watching? Any you think should one opt for after this game? Who’s on your watch-list to buy before salaries adjust? Please let us know in the comments below!

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