Air sports is back with the weekly Fantasy Premier League column, featuring essential tips from the world’s best managers.
FPL experts Gianni Buttice and Holly Shand answer the key questions ahead of Saturday’s 11am deadline for Gameweek 9…
With Andy Robertson (£6.6m) reportedly out for the long term, is Kostas Tsimikas a must-own for £4.4m or can we not trust Liverpool’s defence?
Holly Shand: I think Tsimikas is worth it at this price. We have seen in the past that he can produce consistent attacking returns and Liverpool have excellent upcoming fixtures. Hopefully there will be clean sheets for him too.
Gianni Buttice: There are plenty of good defenders at a similar price to Tsimika’s at clubs like Aston Villa, Arsenal and Newcastle, all of whom have good fixtures, so he’s far from essential, but someone I’ll probably work with if I make a wildcard entry into GW10. Tsimikas’ appeal lies in his attacking threat and with the game against Liverpool being so good, I expect clean sheets.
Are you concerned about South American assets not starting games this week?
Gianni Buttice: Absolute! Liverpool in the early kick-off and Man City playing on Saturday at 3 p.m. do not help either. Historically, Klopp has been reassuring Luis Diaz (£7.5m) And Darwin Nunez (£7.4m) back after long flights with such a short turnaround time.
Holly Shand: We’ve seen this trend in the past so it’s definitely something to be aware of, but I wouldn’t make any transfers because of these players. It is advisable to be more careful with transfers and, as always, take this into account when ordering the bench and making a decision on the captaincy.
Is this the last week for Man Utd’s assets or do you see reasons for optimism?
Holly Shand: This is the last week: especially for the managers who plan to play a wildcard in Gameweek 10. A promising international breakthrough for Marcus Rashford (£8.8m) could see him coming and Bruno Fernandes (£8.4m) is a player who is more than capable, so hopefully they reward their owners this weekend.
Gianni Buttice: Away Sheffield United may be the best game they could wish for and playing at Old Trafford could be a positive this week as United fans were on hand to boo their team off the pitch before Scott McTominay (£4.8m) saved them last time. Sheffield United have the worst defense in the league and I expect Manchester United to have some fun in attack.
Who is this week’s best captain?
Holly Shand: For me, I’m still standing on Haaland’s lack of captaincy despite two straight blanks. The home leg should help his performance and we know that from a defense perspective, Brighton are not a team to be feared, having failed to keep a clean sheet so far this season.
Gianni Buttice: Haaland may have been blank in recent weeks but Brighton have conceded plenty of chances and with home advantage I will be captain Erling Haaland (£14.0m). Worth mentioning Heung-Min son (£9.5m) And Mohamed Salah (£12.6m) I also have good home games, but for me it’s Haaland.
For those who haven’t used a wildcard yet, when do you think is the best week to do so?
Holly Shand: I think Gameweek 10 is a stronger wildcard period than Gameweek 9, especially for the managers holding onto Manchester United’s assets this week. The fixture swings seem more defined, but as always it is team dependent.
Gianni Buttice: GW10 will probably be the time I pull the trigger, although GW19 is also desirable, knowing you can prepare yourself for the festive period and kill your team in front of blank Man City and Brentford in GW18.
For those aiming for a popular GW10 wildcard, who are the best one-week punters?
Holly Shand: Consider a Spurs defender for the visit of Fulham: Pedro Porro (£5.1m) carries the most offensive threat. Bryan Mbeumo (£6.7m) seems a good bet against Burnley, at home in midfield, while being a teammate Yoane Wissa (£5.9m) could flourish among the forward options.
Gianni Buttice: The four players I’m looking at for a one-week point are: Rasmus Holjund (£7.2m) And Bruno Fernandes (£8.4m) both of whom have had a good international break and beyond Diogo Jota (£7.7m) who I think will start against Everton and Alexander Isak (£7.5m) who leads so well for an attacking Newcastle team.