This season, the Fantasy Premier League Planner will serve as your one-stop shop for everything you need to know going into each round of matches. Rather than telling you how to translate a Jose Mourinho press conference, FPLP does it for you. No need to guess on a rotating fullback, FPLP has the inside scoop. Unsure about a player with a knock? FPLP will touch on that too. Rather than pandering on and on with more examples, let’s get down to business.
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Fantasy Premier League Planner – Week 4
Leicester City vs Liverpool
Leicester City has won three straight since the opening day defeat at Manchester United. The Foxes followed up wins away at Wolves and home against Southampton with a 4-0 victory over League One side Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday. After scoring eight goals in their last three outings, Leicester takes a full head of steam into the home clash with Liverpool. Manager Claude Puel, however, will be without Jamie Vardy as he serves the last of his three-match ban. The absence of Vardy is a significant concern since the striker has notched seven goals of the nine goals Leicester has scored in his last five appearances against Liverpool. This means Kelechi Iheanacho, one of the three players retained on Tuesday, will lead the line. Puel has used Wes Morgan alongside Harry Maguire in central defence in each of the past two matches, meaning Jonny Evans may have to settle for a place on the bench.
Early table-toppers Liverpool travel to the King Power Stadium looking to open the campaign with four consecutive league wins for the first time in the Premier League era. Manager Jurgen Klopp isn’t expected to rotate a defence that’s yet to concede and allowing just 6.7 shots per game, fewer than any other club. All signs point towards Joe Gomez retaining his place alongside Virgil Van Dijk in central defence. The same goes for fullbacks Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has been preferred over Nathaniel Clyne. After naming an unchanged lineup in three straight victories, Klopp has no real reason to make any alterations, which means Jordan Henderson and Fabinho could again be left out. Liverpool is averaging 18.7 shots, with seven on target per match, so draft fantasy soccer managers would be right to avoid using Leicester defenders not named Harry Maguire.
Brighton vs Fulham
Brighton followed up their win over Manchester United with an impressive performance in a 1-0 defeat at Anfield. The Seagulls almost stole a point in the closing stages, but Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson made a fine save to deny a Pascal Gross header from close-range. Manager Chris Hughton made ten changes for the Carabao Cup defeat to Southampton on Tuesday but should stick with pretty much the same from lineup from Week 3 for Fulham’s visit. Winger Jose Izquierdo, forward Florin Andone and centre-back Lewis Dunk won’t be in contention until after the international break, though Bruno has an outside chance to make the squad. Draft fantasy soccer managers will undoubtedly be starting both Gross and Shane Duffy. If you’re searching for a third forward, Glenn Murray is owned just 35% of Fantrax leagues.
After back-to-back defeats in their opening matches, Fulham secured their first points of the season in a 4-2 win at Burnley. Aleksandar Mitrovic followed up his goal in Week 2 with two more and an assist against the Clarets. Andre Schurrle took 11 shots, put five on target and scored. Meanwhile, Luciano Vietto grabbed two assists on his first start of the season. Manager Slavisa Jokanovic will be tempted to stick with the attacking trio for the trip to Brighton with Tom Cairney (ankle) ruled out. Alfie Mawson returned to action in the midweek 2-0 win over Exeter in the Carabao Cup but isn’t likely to start this weekend. Draft fantasy managers in deeper Fantrax leagues could find Vietto useful since the last five matches between Brighton and Fulham have seen over 2.5 goals.
Chelsea vs Bournemouth
Chelsea maintained its perfect start thanks to some good luck on the road against Newcastle United. The Blues dominated the match with 81% possession and 16 shots but struggled to break the home defence in the final third. In the end, a late DeAndre Yedlin own-goal proved enough to give Chelsea all three points. Eden Hazard went the full 90 minutes on his first start of the season and converted the penalty to open the scoring, while Marcos Alonso played a direct hand on both goals. Of Chelsea’s eight goals thus far, Hazard and Alonso have been involved on seven. Draft fantasy soccer managers can rest easy knowing Maurizio Sarri has no reason to make any changes from the lineup that defeat Newcastle.
Sixth-placed Bournemouth travels to Chelsea unbeaten after three matches. The Cherries fought back from two goals behind to draw 2-2 against Everton. In a crazy contest, which saw both sides finish with ten men, Callum Wilson was once again the driving force in Bournemouth’s attack. He won the penalty which Joshua King converted in the 71st minute and assisted on Nathan Ake’s equaliser four minutes later. In leagues using Togga scoring, Wilson now ranks second among all forwards in points (62) while Ryan Fraser leads all midfielders in points (52.5) and key passes (10). Since both clubs have seen over 2.5 goals in each of their last two matches, draft fantasy soccer managers should look to start Bournemouth’s attack-minded players. Diego Rico and Jefferson Lerma made their debuts in the midweek Carabao Cup win over MK Dons, but starts aren’t assured here. Don’t be shocked to see Eddie Howie field a lineup that resembles the side that beat Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge last season.
Crystal Palace vs Southampton
Crystal Palace will be boosted by the return of Aaron Wan-Bissaka but could be without James Tomkins for the second straight week. Wan-Bissaka should replace Joel Ward at right-back following his one-match ban, and Martin Kelly could be given another in central defence with Tomkins in doubt due to a calf problem. Unless Roy Hodgson drops James McArthur, summer signing Max Meyer will need to wait another week for his first league start. As always, Wilfried Zaha is a must-start. Zaha became Palace’s all-time leading Premier League goalscorer with his 23rd goal for the Eagles in the 2-1 loss to Watford last weekend. Christian Benteke is yet to score or assist this season but racks up enough offensive actions to be considered as a third striker 10-team leagues.
Southampton manager Mark Hughes should have a full squad to choose from except for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who will serve a one-match ban following his dismissal last weekend. Danny Ings sat out the Carabao Cup win over Brighton on Tuesday but should be ready start up front with Charlie Austin. Draft fantasy soccer managers in need of one-week options should be aware that Ings and Ryan Bertrand are the only Saints owned in more than 50% of all Fantrax leagues. Mohamed Elyounoussi (46%) has been sharp in substitute cameos and would be my pick if handed his first start.
Everton vs Huddersfield Town
Everton’s list of unavailable players continues to increase with Richarlison and Michael Keane now out. Last weekend against Bournemouth, Richarlison received a straight red card, and Keane suffered a hairline fracture in his skull. Richarlison (two-match ban) and Keane (will miss at least a month) join James McCarthy, Yerry Mina, Andre Gomes and Phil Jagielka on the sidelines for Week 4. Kurt Zouma is in line to start alongside Mason Holgate in central defence while Dominic Calvert-Lewin could come in for Richarlison on the left wing if Bernard is unable to shake off a muscular strain. The selection dilemmas aside, Everton are still one of the clubs to target this week. Huddersfield is bottom of the Premier League in both shots per game (5.3) and goals conceded (9).
David Wagner’s side earned their first point of the season in a goalless draw at home against Cardiff City last weekend. Jonathan Hogg was sent off in the 63rd minute last weekend and is suspended for the trip to Everton, which means Wagner will need to decide who will replace the ever-present defensive midfielder. Danny Williams, who started in the midweek Carabao Cup defeat to Stoke City, would be favoured to replace Hogg if Wagner decides to keep Aaron Mooy in a more advanced role. Erik Durm was the man of the match in the cup defeat but might not be risked having just returned from injury. Jonas Lossl could also make his first start of the season in goal with Ben Hamer in doubt. Draft fantasy soccer managers should only consider Steve Mounie and Mooy as legitimate options in Week 4.
West Ham vs Wolverhampton
West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini did an excellent job of cryptically saying Marko Arnautovic will be fit for Wolverhampton’s visit in Week 4. “Marko had a small problem behind his knee in the last game,” Pellegrini told West Ham’s official website. “But he’s had an examination with the doctor, and he’s worked this week with us…Since Tuesday, he’s been working.” In short, Arnautovic should be in the starting XI on Saturday. Outside of Arnautovic and Felipe Anderson though, it is hard to trust any other Hammer in draft fantasy soccer leagues since Pellegrini has been aggressively rotating his squad. My guess would be a defence comprised of Ryan Fredericks, Fabian Balbuena, Issa Diop and Arthur Masuaku. Aaron Cresswell played the full 90 minutes in West Ham’s 3-1 win over AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday but won’t likely get a league start until after the international break. In midfield, will see Jack Wilshere and Mark Noble in the holding roles. Robert Snodgrass, Andriy Yarmolenko, Michail Antonio and Lucas Perez are all competing for the two attacking midfield roles alongside Anderson.
Wolverhampton drew Manchester City at Molineux last weekend thanks to fives saves from goalkeeper Rui Patricio, a solid performance by the backline and the absence of VAR. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo could name an unchanged squad for the fourth straight league match. In Fantrax league using Togga scoring, Adama Traore has put up 18.5 points in just 63 minutes of action off the substitutes bench. If Traore gets his first start of the season, I like his odds against West Ham.
Manchester City vs Newcastle United
Manchester City dropped their first points of the season last weekend. Rather than rambling on why the Premier League needs VAR, will focus on how City will respond. Pep Guardiola could name a similar lineup to the XI that started the 6-1 win over Huddersfield, which would feature Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus up front and five in midfield. The approach would be a 4-3-3 formation, with Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane flanking Aguero. Regardless of which composition Guardiola uses, draft fantasy soccer managers should avoid Newcastle defenders. Aguero has scored eight goals in his last two matches at the Etihad against the Magpies. The Argentine scored five back in October 2015 and netted three in their meeting last season. Rafa Benitez will also be without Jonjo Shelvey, Matt Ritchie and the suspended Isaac Hayden. Jamaal Lascelles is fit for selection and Kenedy could return after missing out against his parent club, Chelsea, last weekend.
Cardiff City vs Arsenal
Cardiff City is still searching for their first win of the season, while Arsenal is looking to stay on course after putting three past West Ham. The Gunners remain without long-term absentees Sead Kolasinac, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Carl Jenkinson and Laurent Koscielny. The pre-match build-up will focus on whether Mesut Ozil returns to the starting XI. Reports suggested he was left out last weekend after a row in training with Unai Emery. The head coach denied the claims by revealing Ozil was not included due to illness and confirmed that the German has trained this week and is available for selection. As for Cardiff, winger Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has been ruled out for three months after suffering a knee injury in the draw to Huddersfield Town. Fellow winger Junior Hoilett missed out last weekend with a groin issue and will need to pass a late fitness test to return.
Burnley vs Manchester United
Draft fantasy soccer managers who have stock in Burnley should get more out of them moving forward following their exit from the Europa League. Manager Sean Dyche will make wholesale changes to the side that started in Thursday’s tie with Olympiacos, with Johann Berg Gudmundsson the only regular unavailable through injury. Youngster Dwight McNeil impressed during his full debut at midweek and could be handed another chance to shine in place of Gudmundsson. James Tarkowski, Matt Lowton, Stephen Ward, Joe Hart and Chris Wood should all return to the starting XI. Burnley has struggled thus far but will have a chance to turn things around against an out of sorts Manchester United side. Jose Mourinho is feeling the pressure ahead of Sunday’s trip to Turf Moor for a list of reasons. The Red Devils fell 3-0 to Tottenham at home on Monday in a match that highlighted weakness in defence as well as the need for settling on a new formation. On a more positive note, Alexis Sánchez is on track to start this time around. Luke Shaw has been Mourinho’s top performer early on and should retain his post at left-back. In the wake of the defeat, Eric Bailly is expected to return in central defence.
Watford vs Tottenham
More to follow…
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