Fantasy Premier League: Will Gameweek Six seen an upturn in points for FPL players?
If any of you cranked out a solid score of, say, more than 55 points in the last round (even though it usually doesn't mean great success at all), then you are in a really narrow group of lucky ones and you must have felt it in your position in the league tables.
Almost all the most sought-after players disappointed. Erling Haaland (14.1) scored six points and his score was repeated by Bukayo Saka (8.7). Not very much, but always something.
Next up? Pervis Estupinian (5.3) didn't play a minute, Kaoru Mitoma (6.5) scored one point, as did James Maddison (7.9).
Marcus Rashford (8.9) earned all of two points and Ben Chilwell (5.7) played but did not score. Only Kieran Trippier (6.5) broke out of the game's most owned players with eight points. Those were tough times.
Who to captain?
There were quite a few daredevils who, seeing the home game against Sheffield United, decided to give the armband to Maddison or Heung-Min Son (9.1). In the end, they rode painfully on this as the Roosters tired terribly against a weaker opponent and the aforementioned two did nothing. Haaland, on the other hand, played a potentially tougher away game against West Ham, and admittedly he could have scored three or even four goals, but he did net at least once. And so it is with this Norwegian that everything starts and ends with him in this game.
Are there any other candidates for captaincy in the next round? Haaland will play at home against Nottingham and the only risk is his possible rest on the substitutes' bench. Arsenal and Tottenham play each other, so their players are out. Liverpool have West Ham at home, but is Mo Salah (12.5) an option worthy of dropping Haaland? Probably not.
What are we hearing after midweek?
For the first time this season, Europe's top teams have played in European competitions. So let's focus on those performing in the Champions League. Manchester City were not without problems, but managed to defeat Red Star Belgrade 3-1 in a controlled manner.
The most important news from this encounter from an FPL perspective is certainly the injury to Bernardo Silva (6.4), which further limits the rotation in Pep Guardiola's team and gives room for other players who are willing to be bought in the game.
Arsenal put in a great performance after a six-year break in the world's best club competition and smashed PSV 4-0. Gabriel Jesus (7.9), Saka, Leandro Trossard (6.6) and Martin Odegaard (8.5) scored their goals. For the Gunners, everyone is playing and buzzing, with the only problem being the injury to Gabriel Martinelli (7.9), who picked it up in the last round against Everton. So it's worth rethinking his sale if he's on your books.
Newcastle put in a very mediocre performance against Milan, but 'won' a goalless draw at the San Siro. Eddie Howe opted for Alexander Isak (7.6) from the first minute, while Callum Wilson (7.8 ) and Harvey Barnes (6.4) started the match on the bench. This could foreshadow their game time in the next round of the Premier League, but let's agree - the Magpies did not thrill with their play and it is better to approach them with caution. Their defence, on the other hand, kept a clean sheet and that is certainly important news.
Finally, Manchester United lost 4-3 to Bayern Munich after another poor match by Erik ten Hag's charges. Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes (8.4) each recorded an assist and an unexpected double was recorded by Casemiro (5.4), but you should not expect too many points from the Red Devils' players.
Who to buy?
We wanted to devote a little more paragraph to Manchester City's situation, but it would be better to simply recommend a few players from that team.
Guardiola is complaining about a lot of injuries in the team, and this means that he will be forced to stick to the same names a bit more. Several players should therefore feature regularly in the first team in the coming matches. Check out who we recommend you buy along with Flashscore's Czech colleagues.
Julian Alvarez (6.9) - Yes, I know, I'm not going to discover America, but the duty must be fulfilled here. The Argentine world champion has been a revelation of sorts this season in the Citizens' team - he combines assists with goal-scoring and seems necessary for this team's offensive performance to function well. The power players are therefore selling Nicolas Jackson (7.0) and turning to Alvarez. His double in the Champions League has only turned up the expectations for his performance.
Jeremy Doku (6.5) - A rather uncharacteristic choice, but nevertheless rare for someone to come into a strong Manchester City team with such brilliance and confidence. Guardiola admitted he lacked boldness in the first game, but against West Ham a week ago it was he who scored the all-important goal for the visitors, spinning Vladimir Coufal and creating situations for his colleagues. Against Red Star he started on the bench, but even before the break he came on for the injured Silva and should have a place in the line-up this weekend.
Sven Botman (4.6) - Newcastle's investment in players should be fairly secure when closing in on their defensive players alone. The Dutchman returned straight back to the line-up after injury and scored as many as nine times by keeping a clean sheet against Brentford, and contributed to the draw against Milan a few days later. At such a price and with such a calendar, he really is a tempting proposition.
Filip Novak (11Hacks chief analyst)
Marcus Rashford (8.9) - Although you may be a little frustrated with Manchester United's players, I wouldn't consider selling them just yet. That's especially true of Rashford, who, looking at the schedule over the coming weeks, looks like one of the better options in the game. He regularly creates great goal-scoring opportunities and although he only has one goal and an assist to his name, there is a double-digit score hanging in the air. Quite possibly that will happen in the upcoming match against Burnley.
James Tarkowski (4.4) - A short-term pick for those of you intending to play the wildcard in the ninth or 10th round. Everton will play at home against Luton and Bournemouth in the seventh and eighth rounds of games, giving them a good chance of keeping a clean sheet and a potential goal from a fixed part of the game. Everton pose the biggest threat from these in the league and the aforementioned rivals may struggle to defend them.
Radim Horak (one of the best Czechs playing in FPL)
Odsonne Edouard (5.6) - Somewhat against other stars, Edouard has scored four goals in his first five games. He is second only to the Manchester City duo in the Premier League goalscoring charts, and his good performances are also borne out by the statistics. He is second behind Haaland in terms of shots taken in the penalty area and will play his next two home games against Fulham and Nottingham.
A trip to Old Trafford with Manchester United's current form doesn't look terrible either. If there is room for Edouard in your attack and you want to save some pennies in the process, he shouldn't let you down.