Faux outrage about national anthems can be mercifully ignored for the next month as domestic football returns this weekend with some cracking matches for Fantasy Premier League managers to get stuck into.
There is nowhere else to start but the north London derby between Spurs and Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. Goals and drama are guaranteed in this fixture so if you have attacking players from either side in your FPL team feel emboldened to unleash them. Son Heung-min and Bukayo Saka both have excellent records against their fiercest foes.
Elsewhere the two pace-setters at the top of the league have favourable home fixtures which boosts the chances of Erling Haaland and Mo Salah continuing their exceptional starts to the season. Manchester City host Brentford at the Etihad while Liverpool are in action against Nottingham Forest at Anfield.
In case you missed it over the international break, we assembled a 15-player squad containing both Haaland and Salah after coming to the realisation that it’s handy to have both in your team. Sure, they will chomp into a big chunk of your budget but with 41 points apiece after just three games they are worth the outlay.
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Spoiler alert: both feature in this week’s Fantasy Football newsletter. If you haven’t yet done so subscribe using the link below to see i‘s full 11-player team for Gameweek 4 and find out which of the FPL GOATs we have put the armband on…
The Gameweek 4 deadline is at 11am on Saturday 14 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 4 fixtures
Saturday 14 September
*3pm unless otherwise stated
- Southampton vs Man Utd (12.30pm)
- Brighton vs Ipswich
- Crystal Palace vs Leicester
- Fulham vs West Ham
- Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest
- Man City vs Brentford
- Aston Villa vs Everton (5.30pm)
- Bournemouth vs Chelsea (8pm)
Sunday 15 September
- Tottenham vs Arsenal (2pm)
- Wolves vs Newcastle (4.30pm)
Mo Salah (Liverpool)
Having previously been members of the Team Haaland fan club, we are now devotees to Team Salaand. Or Team Haalah. The name needs some work…
Liverpool have shown no sign of suffering from a post-Jurgen Klopp hangover, winning all three of their fixtures so far without conceding a goal. Salah has been integral to their fast start, playing a part in six of their seven goals: he has scored three times and set up three more.
Although six players have attempted more shots than Salah, he is getting more big chances to score (with five) than everyone bar You Know Who. With back-to-back home games against Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth coming up, make buying Salah a priority this week.
Price: £12.7m Points: 41 Gameweek 4 fixture: Nottingham Forest (h)
Danny Welbeck (Brighton)
Brighton are another club who have made an excellent start to the season under a new head coach with Fabian Hurzeler leading the Seagulls to wins against Everton and Manchester United and a draw away at Arsenal. They are worth investing in with fixtures against Ipswich (h) and Nottingham Forest (h) coming up in the next two gameweeks.
There are a variety of options to consider in both midfield and attack. Kaoru Mitoma (£6.6m) and Yankuba Minteh (£5.5m) have both caught the eye out wide, while Joao Pedro (£5.7m) has scored a winning goal against United and an equaliser against Arsenal.
However, Danny Welbeck gets the nod, in part due to concerns over Pedro’s late return from international duty. Welbeck has produced two goals and an assist in his first three appearances and ranks top for shots (with six) and second for chances created (four) in Brighton’s squad. Ageing like a fine wine.
Price: £5.7m Points: 23 Gameweek 4 fixture: Ipswich (h)
Lucas Digne (Aston Villa)
So, who’s ready to get hurt again? Most seasoned FPL managers will have been burned by Lucas Digne at some point over the years with the left-back proving to be just as adept at collecting minus points as he is double-digit hauls. Like a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans you’re never quite sure what to expect from him…
However, he has begun the season pretty well, starting all of Villa’s first three matches and even earning himself a recall to the France national team. He has successfully seen off competition from Alex Moreno, who has joined Nottingham Forest, and, so far at least, summer signing Ian Maatsen.
Digne has only created two chances so far, but both have been registered as “big chances” which indicates a strong likelihood of being scored. Jhon Duran converted one of them in Villa’s last match against Leicester. He will be eager to make an impact again this weekend when he faces former club Everton.
Price: £4.5m Points: 11 Gameweek 4 fixture: Everton (h)
Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace)
Managers who kept faith with Eberechi Eze after he blanked in his first two appearances were richly rewarded when he earned 10 points in Crystal Palace’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea before the international break.
It was a wonderful goal from Eze who will feel as though it was long overdue. His background statistics have been strong in the opening weeks with his 15 shots only bettered in the division by Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo (with 17). Eze has had one more shot than Haaland and five more than Salah and Bukayo Saka.
With Wilfried Zaha and Michael Olise both departing Selhurst Park over the past 13 months, Eze is undeniably Palace’s talisman. Everything runs through him and as his shot statistics indicate he is playing in an extremely advanced position under Oliver Glasner. The good times can keep on coming with Leicester the visitors on Saturday.
Price: £6.9m Points: 14 Gameweek 4 fixture: Leicester (h)
Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea)
Chelsea are still wildly inconsistent from one gameweek to the next, but their attack has shown signs of clicking into gear with Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson increasingly on the same wavelength.
Palmer and Madueke have attracted the most attention after their tormenting Wolves in Gameweek 2 with a hat-trick of assists and goals respectively, while Jackson’s good form has flown under the radar.
The striker has scored in back-to-back games and has also registered an assist in his first three matches. Investing in Chelsea’s frontline could pay off nicely with fixtures against Bournemouth (a), West Ham (a), Brighton (h) and Nottingham Forest (h) to come in the next four gameweeks.
Price: £7.6m Points: 18 Gameweek 4 fixture: Bournemouth (a)
