This week unfortunately has another international break in store, so with many star players on show in friendlies and qualifiers alike, let’s see who we should look out for over the next few days before making our FPL transfers for gameweek 13.
England, having already qualified for the Euros have friendlies against France at Wembley as well as having visited Spain last night. Let’s see what key battles there were and what will be taking place in the game on Tuesday.
Goalkeepers
These friendlies will be Del Bosque, Deschamps and Hodgson’s first chance to play against world class opposition, so there will be a mixture of proven superstars and young talent on show. The goalkeepers for each side will likely be Joe Hart, Hugo Lloris and Casillas. David De Gea was also an option for Spain, meaning 3 of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League were and are up for selection . Hart currently sits on 51 points, with Lloris and De Gea behind him on 45 and 41 respectively.
Hart has 7 clean sheets in the league from 12 games, but only 2 in his last 7. With difficult matches against Liverpool and Southampton coming up, he isn’t likely to be getting as many clean sheets. Lloris has had a solid start to the season, with 4 clean sheets in 11 games, only conceding 9 in this time, making his cost of 5.1m seem small for his consistency. After missing the first 4 games of the season, De Gea has been in excellent form recently scoring 36 out of his 41 points in the last 6 games, including clean sheets against the likes of Everton and Manchester City.
My choice: De Gea, as he has matches against Watford and West Ham coming up, where he is unlikely to concede.
Defenders
These matches will be big tests for many defensive players, who will need to keep out some in-form attacking threats. The likes of Chris Smalling, Alberto Moreno and Laurent Koscielny will be kept busy if they make an appearance in these friendlies. With 64, 26 and 53 points respectively, who should you be looking to put in your team?
Smalling has scored the most points out of every defender in the Premier League, due to his impressive record of 8 clean sheets in 12 games, with more likely to come against Watford and West Ham in the coming weeks. Moreno is only on 26 points, but this comes from only 7 games. With Klopp’s Liverpool looking stronger at the back, Joe Gomez out injured and upcoming games against Newcastle and Swansea, the Spaniard will be scoring more points in the coming weeks. Arsenal are this year looking more like title contenders, and Koscielny has been a key part of this, keeping 4 clean sheets in 10 games. He’s also scored 2 goals, making him a solid defender who will score points further up the field.
My choice: Koscielny, as upcoming matches against West Brom, Norwich and Sunderland should see him pick up at least 2 clean sheets, and potentially a goal.
Midfielders
Many of the key battles in these friendlies will be fought in the centre of the park and in wide areas. Raheem Sterling has picked up 53 points after his big money summer move from Liverpool. The Crystal Palace midfielder, Yohan Cabaye has gained 56 points and is likely to play in the England vs France match due to Dimitri Payet’s injury. Cesc Fabregas has had a poor start to the season in a faltering Chelsea side, but the Spanish midfielder has got 25 points so far this season.
Sterling has had a great start to the season, scoring 4 goals and contributing 2 assists in only 8.5 games this season. With upcoming fixtures against Liverpool and Southampton however, his 8.9m price tag may be too steep. Crystal Palace have shocked many with their start to the season, with Cabaye being a key part of this. His 4 goals, 1 assist and 3 clean sheets have helped the Eagles climb to 8th in the table. Fabregas hasn’t contributed much to Chelsea at all this season, picking up only 1 assist from over 850 minutes of football. However, Chelsea’s run of misfortune must change soon, so picking up Cesc for 8.5m with matches at home to Norwich and Bournemouth coming up, could be a bargain.
My choice: Yohan Cabaye, as his performances all season have been very consistent and this is likely to continue against Sunderland and Newcastle in his next 2 games.
Forwards
The most in-form player in the Premier League at the moment is Jamie Vardy and having scored in 9 consecutive games and gained a whopping 86 points, he is surely a must to start in the game against France if he passes fit. Diego Costa has had a similar start to the season as Fabregas has, picking up 35 points including 2 goals and 2 assists. With no other world class out-and-out striker who has the same style as Costa, he is likely to start for Spain in both friendlies. At Arsenal, Olivier Giroud has been competing with Theo Walcott for the number 9 role, but this hasn’t stopped him picking up 43 points so far.
Vardy has been on fire recently, and as the Premier League’s top scorer on 12 goals, he is going to be looking for the Golden Boot this season, especially with his next matches being against sides such as Swansea and Newcastle. Costa must come good soon this season, and the next few matches against Norwich, Spurs and Bournemouth will give him the perfect chance to do so, even if his disciplinary record isn’t perfect. Arsenal’s next matches are against West Brom, Norwich and Sunderland, so this means Giroud must be incredibly confident to get a few chances to score, whether he is starting or coming off the bench.
My choice: Jamie Vardy, the man can’t seem to stop scoring, and as the cheapest of these 3 players, he is a must for any fantasy football team.
Thank you for reading, I hope this article has helped you make some big decisions about transfers for gameweek 13. Best of luck!
By Alex Nuttall
