As we head in towards the international break, Gameweek 11 presents a fascinating mix of matchups and strategic choices for FPL managers. Several top sides are hitting impressive attacking form, while others are tightening up defensively.
With Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, and Crystal Palace posting strong xG numbers, and both Arsenal and Chelsea showing strong clean sheet potential, this could be a gameweek to rely on the big guns.
GW10 highlighted the strong defences of Chelsea and especially Arsenal. The Gunners have only conceded 3 goals in their opening 100 games, and are on track to challenge Chelsea’s record of conceding only 15 goals in 38 games during the 04/05 season.
Over the weekend we also saw the attacking wrath of teams like Arsenal and Man City, as the latter have scored the most goals in the league so far (20), with the North Londoners tied second with Liverpool and Chelsea (18).
Chelsea and Arsenal have the most favourable fixture out of the lot as they face relegation threatened Wolverhampton Wanderers and newly promoted side, Sunderland. The latter could prove to be a test for Mikel Arteta’s side, as the Black Cats currently sit in 4th position on the Premier League table.
They are joined by fellow London side West Ham, who caused a huge upset by defeating Newcastle United 3-1 at home. The Hammers now face newly promoted side Burnley, who have conceded the third most goals out of everyone in the league so far.
Here’s a breakdown of the best captain picks for FPL GW11:
Erling Haaland
Price: £14.8m
Fixture: Liverpool (H)
The Norwegian leads the Premier League Golden Boot race with 13 goals, which is 6 more than any other player in the English top flight so far. The way the 25 year-old has been performing so far has given us a clear indication that he might be the man to back this season. Almost 70% of FPL managers have placed the striker in their teams, making him the most selected forward in FPL.
The former Dortmund man has been averaging 9.8 ppg (points per game), which is the most out of every attacker in the league, while having blanked only on two occasions this season (Tottenham (H) and Aston Villa (A), having scored 2 points in each game).
Haaland scored two goals over the weekend when Man City hosted Bournemouth at the Etihad, as the striker went on to generate a total of 13 points in that game.
Boasting a threat rating of 607.0, more than 80,000 FPL managers who previously went without City’s No.9 have now placed their faith in him, as he edges closer to becoming the first player to reach 100 FPL points this season.
With Liverpool’s rocky start to the season, the Norwegian international will look to prove a point against one of their biggest rivals in recent Premier League history.
Joao Pedro
Price: £7.4m
Fixture: Wolves (H)
Joao Pedro had a decent start to life in the Premier League after he joined Chelsea in the summer during their pursuit of the FIFA Club World Cup earlier this summer. After a few decent gameweeks, the Brazilian forward’s form took a turn for the worse, having blanked in his last 5 matches, playing the full 90 minutes in almost all of those games.
Over the weekend, Joao Pedro finally returned to scoring ways as he scored the only goal in Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over one of their biggest rivals, Tottenham. He is likely to not feature in Chelsea’s midweek Champions League game against Qarabag which means he’ll be well rested for the final gameweek before the international break commences.
The 24 year-old is the 7th best in-form forward in the league with almost 50% of FPL managers selecting him for their teams, making him the second most selected forward in the league.
Over 150,000 managers have decided to bring in the Brazilian this week alone, ahead of his tie against a struggling Wolves side.
Chelsea will play relegation-threatened Wolverhampton Wanderers who sit at the very bottom of the pile in the Premier League. The Molineux residents are winless in their first 10 opening games of the season (2D, 8L).
The pair met just over a week ago at the Molineux Stadium in the Round of 16 of the Carabao Cup, where a heavily rotated Chelesa side avoided a potential last-minute comeback from the home side, winning the tie 4-3.
It’s more than likely that the Blues will be too heavy to handle for this winless Wolves side, having their head coach Vitor Pereira relieved of his duties after a terrible start to the season.
Gabriel
Price: £6.5m
Fixture: Sunderland (A)
Gabriel is regarded as one of the best and strongest defenders in world football, as he remains a key component of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side. His performance in recent weeks has gone under the radar as he has become the most valuable defensive asset in all of FPL.
The Brazilian has registered three goal involvements and six defensive returns over the last five Gameweeks, topping all Arsenal players for FPL points in that stretch.
Mikel Arteta’s men have been outstanding at the back, recording seven clean sheets in their last nine matches across all competitions and allowing only four shots on target in their previous five league outings.
The 27 year-old is highlighted among all defenders with his boast worthy form rating of 11.0, with over 250,000 managers transferring him in in their teams ahead of this week alone.
With Gabriel’s aerial prowess on set pieces and Arsenal’s impressive clean sheet potential, he stands out as both a top pick and a reliable long-term asset, worthy of FPL captaincy.
Jarrod Bowen
Price: £7.7m
Fixture: Burnley (H)
West Ham’s shaky start to the season may finally be behind them, and their talisman Jarrod Bowen could once again be the catalyst for a resurgence.
The Hammers ended their winless run since Gameweek 3 as they beat visitors Newcastle United 3-1, and even though Bowen didn’t return any points, he continues to be their most dependable attacking outlet.
With three goals and one assist to his name this season, the main reason to back him now lies in this fixture, as West Ham host Burnley at home.
Burnley have shipped the third-most goals in the league (19) and sit bottom for expected goals conceded (xGC: 20.2) making them exactly the kind of opponent Bowen tends to punish.
Primarily operating from the right but frequently drifting into central areas, he offers a threat of both goals and assists. A guaranteed starter, the 28 year-old consistently finds himself in dangerous positions whenever West Ham find the net.
As we approach the end of the first-half of the 25/26 season, it is imperative for managers to shift from premium players with a high price to point-hogging players with a low budget who usually tend to go under the radar.
Here are the best budget options for FPL managers:
Josh Acheampong (£3.9m), a primary centre-back is a must buy for FPL managers given his low price, and especially with an ease in fixtures for the Blues as they face a winless Wolves side at home, followed by a visit to newly promoted side, Burnley. With Chelsea’s immense squad depth, it gives manager Enzo Maresca an opportunity to rotate his squad as he sees fit and given the fact that his team has some relatively easy fixtures ahead, the England U-21 representative could earn a start or two.
Granit Xhaka (£5.1m), as Sunderland have returned to England’s top division, the former Arsenal skipper has led the Black Cats to a surprising 4th position in the standings. Given his low price, the Swiss international is a great midfield option to rotate from the bench. Having scored his first goal for his new club in a 1-1 stalemate against Everton, he is in top form to potentially haunt his old employers, as Arsenal pay a visit to Sunderland in GW11.
Iliman Ndiaye (£6.5m), is the primary penalty taker for Everton as the Senegalese international has already scored 4 goals and provided 1 assist, this season, making him a value for money option to keep on your bench. The 25 year-old has averaged 5.2 ppg (points per game) making him the 8th best midfielder in the entire league.
With a favourable fixture at home against Fulham who are currently placed below the Toffees ahead of GW11, Ndiaye is definitely one to watch.
