Before becoming a Sports Journalist for Free Super Tips, Aaron spent three years studying Sports Journalism at the University of Sunderland while taking in the Black Cats' 'glory years' under Martin O'Neill. Now back in Northern Ireland he turns niche stats into predictions for FST, while he's one of the few people on this island who is equally comfortable at Windsor Park and the Aviva.
The Premier League returns from the international break this weekend, which means it’s decision time for Fantasy Football managers.
While the top-flight returns, Mo Salah doesn’t after testing positive for COVID-19 during the international break. That’s left FPL players with a headache, especially in a week with some big head-to-head clashes.
Usual go-to captain picks like Harry Kane, Heung-min Son and Kevin De Bruyne clash in a heavyweight meeting on Saturday. That’s left some big FPL decisions to be made, but we’re here with our latest advice.
This weekend we’ve stacked our midfield full of alternatives for Mo Salah and we’ve capitalised on Liverpool’s injury crisis with a 3.9million defender joining our ranks.
Don’t forget that you can get a more in-depth look at each match this weekend in our Premier League predictions.
Fantasy Football GW9 Fixture List
Saturday, November 20
Newcastle vs Chelsea (BT Sport)
Aston Villa vs Brighton (BT Sport)
Tottenham vs Man City (Sky Sports)
Man United vs West Brom (BT Sport)
Sunday, November 21
Fulham vs Everton (BBC Sport)
Sheffield United vs West Ham (Sky Sports)
Leeds vs Arsenal (Sky Sports)
Liverpool vs Leicester (Sky Sports)
Monday, November 22
Burnley vs Crystal Palace (Sky Sports)
Wolves vs Southampton (Sky Sports)
Fantasy Football Fixtures to Target
Target
Fulham vs Everton
Things haven’t been going all that well for the Toffees lately, but a clash with Fulham seems like a welcome chance for Carlo Ancelotti’s men to get things back on track.
Avoid
Newcastle vs Chelsea
Newcastle are pretty unreliable, but their recent record against Chelsea is impressive. The Blues have won just once in seven visits to St James’ Park and they have a host of players either unavailable, struggling for fitness or coming off a tough international break.
Best Fantasy Football Team for GW9
Fantasy Football Transfer Tips this Week
Time to back Bruno
Bruno Fernandes (10.6m) is widely considered to have had a poor season for Manchester United this term. While he hasn’t impressed like he did during the restart, the Portuguese has only been outscored by nine players across all of FPL.
If that was him struggling, then Fernandes is a great option for the coming weeks. United face West Brom, Southampton, West Ham, Sheffield United and Leeds in their next six games. That should allow the midfielder to add to his points tally.
With Tottenham facing City, Chelsea and Arsenal in their next three moving from Son to Fernandes – or Marcus Rashford (9.6m) if you need a straight swap – seems like a good move.
Look to the Salah alternatives
If you have Mo Salah in your FPL side, we wouldn’t go selling him when he’s only out for a week. However, Salah’s absence offers us a chance to focus on some of Liverpool’s other attacking talents.
Sadio Mane (12m) is certainly one to watch, but we think there’s value to be found in Diogo Jota (6.5m). The forward arrived at Anfield as a bench option but he’s proven to be more than that. After his start at the Etihad and with Salah absent we think Jota is a real FPL asset, while he’s a bargain to boot.
Meanwhile, Liverpool’s defensive injury crisis is awful news for Jurgen Klopp, but potentially good news for us. Defender Neco Williams (3.9m) is in line to start at right-back for the foreseeable future, giving us a bargain addition playing ahead of a star goalkeeper and behind some talented finishers.
Keep faith in Villa & Palace
The good runs continue for both Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, so don’t desert their star men this week. Palace have Burnley, Newcastle and West Ham in their next three, so there are chances for goals and clean sheets for the Eagles. We’ve stuck with Nathaniel Clyne (4.5m) and Wilfried Zaha (7.4m) as our Palace picks
Aston Villa have a great run ahead through to Boxing Day, with Brighton next up at Villa Park. The Villains impressed at Arsenal two weeks ago and they have no shortage of great options for your squad. Ross Barkley (6m) is a cut-price choice, but we’ve gone for Jack Grealish (7.5m) fresh from his England exploits.
Who to Captain in GW9
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
In a weekend with no obvious captaincy choices, it’s perfectly fine to go for something a little different. However, we’re playing it slightly safe by backing one of the game’s most consistent points scorers in a straightforward clash.
Calvert-Lewin had another strong international break and he meets a Fulham side who look out of their depth at this level. We are slapping the armband on DCL, who scored a hat-trick in his last clash with a promoted side.
Meanwhile, the Cottagers conceded at least twice in their opening three home games of the season. We see them struggling to deal with the Toffees’ form man.
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