Holly Shand from Fantasy Football Community returns with captaincy corner and her three player picks in three positions for Gameweek 11.
Gameweek 10 finally delivered some captaincy points, after a highly frustrating spell of blanks. Raheem Sterling was in the thick of it, with Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne owners left clutching at straws. Those who went rogue with Liverpool, Spurs or Leicester players were rewarded for their bold decision making.
It's a busy week for many of our Premier League sides who feature in EFL Carabao Cup ties in the midweek preceding Gameweek 11. Then we follow up with another full round of Champions League and Europa League ties for the seven clubs involved in Europe this season. As always, rotation could impact on our fantasy squads and it's wise to leave transfers until at least Friday, since injuries and suspensions could occur.
Captaincy Corner
The shield pick is likely to be the most captained player of the week, allowing you to play safe and keep pace with the pack. The sword pick will be a less popular selection: if they perform it can shoot you up the overall rankings, but the risk from failure is higher.
Shield Pick: Raheem Sterling vs Southampton (H)
Anytime Goalscorer Odds: 8/13
Raheem Sterling is back among the fantasy points, having grabbed two goals, one assist and three bonus from his last four Premier League games. His actual form streak extends even further than this: in his last four games for club and country he's amassed six goals and four assists. What makes Sterling an even more appealing pick for this weekend is the fixture: City have the good fortune of facing a Southampton side who slumped to a disastrous 9-0 defeat on home soil. Could it be another car crash when they visit the Etihad in Saturday afternoon? Saints have conceded more big chances (15) in their last four games than any other club, meanwhile Manchester City have a league high for big chances (17) over the same period. It's worth noting that in this fixture last season, Manchester City won 6-1, with Sterling grabbing two goals and two assists. His stock will rise even further if Pep gives him a rest in the midweek Cup fixture that these two sides are set to play out. Another 90 minute outing would see the captain template shift to another City asset, with Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero the most likely candidates. Will you play safe with the Shield Pick?
Sword Pick: Mohammed Salah vs Aston Villa (A)
Anytime Goalscorer Odds: 10/11
Liverpool are another quality side with an enticing fixture this weekend, as they travel away to Aston Villa. Even though The Lions have shown some defensive consistency, they have struggled against the top attacking teams in the league this season, having conceded three to Spurs, Arsenal and Manchester City; although admittedly those fixtures did come away from Villa Park. More of the same this weekend could see Salah in the goals once more: he's expected to return to the matchday squad having missed the game at Old Trafford before being substituted late on against Spurs last weekend. Penalties have been his bread and butter this season, with another looking promising here as Aston Villa have already conceded a couple this season. Liverpool have been awarded three penalties this season, with Salah converting two of them: only Manchester United have been awarded more. Aston Villa have conceded more shots (77) than any other club in their last four games, with Liverpool ranking fourth for total goal attempts, with 65. Are you going to take a risk in selecting the Sword Pick?
Holly's Hopefuls
I share my top three players for each Gameweek, selecting one defender, one midfielder and one striker. These are players that I'm tipping for the FPL Dream Team and they could also make intriguing differential captain decisions for you to consider too.
DEF: Benjamin Mendy vs Southampton (H)
Benjamin Mendy has slipped back into our fantasy thoughts, having managed to string together two starts for Manchester City, backed up by two clean sheets. He's generally plagued by injury and attitude problems, so isn't likely to be a mainstay in our fantasy squads for long, but he does look like a great option for the weekend. He's always a creative threat for City, having taken six assists from just 900 minutes (or around ten games) last season. As mentioned earlier with Raheem Sterling in mind, Southampton are very poor defensively. Leicester's left-back Ben Chilwell, managed a goal and two assists against this same backline last weekend.
MID: Mason Mount vs Watford (A)
Mason Mount is proving to be fantasy gold this season. His price is rapidly rising since he provides amazing value, and another haul could be just around the corner. The fixture looks great on paper, but Watford have started to provide some solidarity in their backline, with two clean sheets in four and just three goals conceded. Mount has one goal and two assists in his last four, and is an absolute pest for defenders to deal with, forcing plenty of errors and headaches. Can Mount turn the Hornets into a mess once more?
FOR: Harry Kane vs Everton (A)
This selection may come as a bit of a surprise, but I can see Harry Kane grabbing a big haul against Everton this weekend. Both sides have seen some patchy form in recent games, and Kane has just two goals from his last four games, last scoring more than one goal in a game back in Gameweek 1. However, he does have an excellent record against Everton, scoring nine goals in nine games, including braces the last four times he's faced The Toffees. In addition, he scored an emphatic brace for Spurs in the Champions League just a few days ago, plus two goals and three assists for England in the last International Break.
Until next time…
Good luck!
Holly
Find even more Fantasy Premier League Tips over on Holly's website: Fantasy Football Community
