Monthly Archives: August 2022

Fantasy Football, FEATURED, Serie A Fantasy

Serie A Fantasy: Player Picks for Gameweek 1

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Fantasy football enthusiasts have long awaited a Serie A fantasy football game, and now we finally have one. With less than 24 hours left for the start of another exciting season of top-flight football in Italy, we look at the best picks on gameweek 1 in this article.

Hello and welcome to our first article for the guys here at Fantasy Tipsters. We greatly appreciate the chance to write on Serie A Fantasy. Please find below our picks for the first round of Serie A this weekend.

 

LECCE VS INTER MILAN

The second-best side in Serie A last season kick off their 2022/23 campaign against Lecce. Looking over the Inter Milan side in Serie A Fantasy, we can have only two players per side. Thus, we’ve decided to pick players who we believe, for the first week, are going to come home with the points.

We’ve gone with a player up top who suddenly is back and feels loved by the Inter Milan Ultras and fans. Romelu Lukaku is picked by 22.7% of managers while also being priced at €10.6M. The same is happening in midfield. Nicolo Barella is our pick in midfield, picked by 22.8% of Serie A Fantasy managers.

Our question is, can Inter Milan kick things off in the right way against Lecce and perhaps go one step further in Serie A.

VERONA VS NAPOLI

Napoli who finished third ran the likes of Inter Milan who finished second last season, kick off their 2022/23 campaign away to Verona. Having taken a look over their squad ahead of the new season, they are full of kindly priced assets, who could be seen by some as differentials.

Currently knowing very little about Napoli, we’ve gone for certain players we know who will play. Polish international Piotr Zielinski, priced at €7.8M ahead of the season starting, is a possible differential for us, picked at under 5% (4.8%) ownership.

His colleague and not so much a differential in defence, Giovanni Di Lorenzo. €7.0M will allow you to bring in the Italian international for Napoli and join the other 11% of Fantasy managers whose squad he is part of.

JUVENTUS VS SASSUOLO

A super differential in the Juventus lineup comes in the form of their Italian right-back Mattia De Sciglio. Only picked by 0.7% of managers, De Sciglio is playing almost as a winger in Massimiliano Allegri’s Juventus side. He is seen as a versatile footballer, who can play as a right-back, left-back, or wide midfielder, having spent last season on loan with Lyon.

In attack, we are kind of taking a punt on Dusan Vlahovic ahead of Round One in Serie A Fantasy. We could’ve gone for players, such as Romelu Lukaku or Lautaro Martinez of Inter Milan. We’ve gone for Vlahovic, who signed only in January for €70 million. Serie A Fantasy has priced him at €11.0M.

This season, we see as one for consolidation for Juventus.

You can find additional Serie A Fantasy resources for the 22/23 season here.

Bundesliga Fantasy, Fantasy Football, FEATURED

Bundesliga Fantasy Player Rankings for Matchday 2

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After a thrilling first matchday of the Bundesliga season, we are back with our Bundesliga Fantasy player rankings for matchday 2.

Forwards

 

RankNameTeamOpponentValueComments
1Sadio ManéFCBvs WOB16.3MBayern is Wolfsburg's biggest boogie team, and are unbeaten against them in their last 25 home games. Add to that the fact that there have been at least four goals in each game between these two sides since 2019 (mostly from Bayern) and this match is a good bet for lots of goals and points.
2Alassane PléaBMG@S0411.4MPléa and Nkunku were the only two players to be in the top five for shots as well as key passes on MD1 and looked more influential than Hofmann. The last game proved that Schalke are still the team to target and Pléa should be among the goals again.
3Patrick SchickB04vs FCA15.1MHe was missing his shooting boots against Dortmund but almost every shot seemed to go in for Freiburg against Augsburg so I am a bit more confident now.
4Jamal MusialaFCBvs WOB12.4MHe was second in xG for the week after Mané but some would argue that he was the most dangerous player. With Bayern having three standalone fixtures in a row against teams such as Wolfsburg, Bochum and Borussia that they are expected to thrash, doubling up on Bayern's attack seems like a low risk, high reward strategy.
5Marvin DuckschSVWvs VFB6.3MHe was the main creator, set-piece specialist, and arguably goal threat, all at once in the first match. Werder Bremen showed that they are here to fight in the first game whereas Stuttgart let opponents Leipzig dictate the terms with 68% possession and 28 shots conceded which was almost as bad as Schalke but with 11 men. Expecting this game to be a shot fest again and Ducksch could be a great differential at 6.3M.
6Marcus ThuramBMG@S0410.3MPléa might've outscored him in the last game but Thuram is still the main force in the box.
7Anthony ModesteBVB@SCF11.9MConsidering the price after his move to Dortmund, Modeste seems like a bargain and the early game against Freiburg comes at a good time considering that he only has more goals in the Bundesliga against Wolfsburg (12 games, 8 goals, 3 assist) than the Breisgau Brazilians (10 games, 7 goals, 1assist). There is still a bit of uncertainty around him considering he only got a few days to settle in and Freiburg's defence looked solid on the opening weekend which is why he isn't ranked higher.
8Moussa DiabyB04vs FCA13.1MLeverkusen struggled to finish their chances and looked less than impressive but it is hard to overlook Diaby against Augsburg when he has scored in every home game against them including a hattrick the last time out.
9Theoson SiebatcheuFCU@M057.4M
10Andrej KramarićFCBvs BOC11.3MAn "ultra-differential" considering he is owned by just 2% managers but it is hard to expect much considering Hoffenheim only had two shots against Borussia although they were down to 10 men for most of the game. Bochum's backline looks like a stopgap defence and it is hard to not see them concede even if Hoffenheim are atrocious.



Midfielders

 

RankNameTeamOpponentValueComments
1Christopher NkunkuRBLvs KOE15.4MScored a goal ✅
Led the league in shots ✅
Led the league in key passes ✅

The MVP hype is very real.
2Jonas HofmannBMG@S0414.1M
3Joshua KimmichFCBvs WOB15.4MIf you expect Bayern to score 3+ goals, there is a good chance that Kimmich will be involved.
4Marco ReusBVB@SCF14.4MReus is central to almost every Dortmund move in attack but the fact that he hasn't scored or assisted against Freiburg since three years puts me a bit off. That being said, the record is meant to be broken eventually.
6Jesper LindstrømSGE@BSC11MThis game won't be straightforward for Frankfurt but now that Kostić is gone, Lindstrøm has massive shoes to fill and will be even more important to the team in attack.
6Florian NeuhausBMG@S0411.3MI don't think much of central or deep-lying midfielders fantasy-wise but I can make an exception against Schalke.
7Dani OlmoRBLvs KOE12.4MHow do I know this game is broken? It rewards Olmo more with bonus points for wasting half of the team's chances than it does actual goal-scorers.

Note: He is a forward now not a mid.
8Anton StachM05vs FCU9.3MAs if Stach wasn't already good enough, he is now playing a lot more advanced than he did last season. This is an early call if you want to hop early on a future template player who is owned by just 4% managers.
9Kevin StögerBOC@TSG5.4MCall it a fluke or a wonder goal it won't change the fact that Stöger might be the most important player in attack for Bochum this season. He is similar to Stach with a high floor and might also score or assist occasionally.
10Ritsu DoanSCFvs BVB8.3MFreiburg have won each of their last two home games against BVB but even Leverkusen's overpowered attack failed to score against them so it might be slim picking here.

Defenders

 

RankNameTeamOpponentValueComments
1Jeremie FrimpongB04vs FCA11.1MPlenty of attacking potential and one of the week's best clean sheet chances.
2Alphonso DaviesFCBvs WOB15.1MBayern have kept a cleansheet against Wolfsburg in the last 3/4 home games. Davies had 0 involvement in the attack against SGE but I would like to think that getting him over Pavard should still pay off over the next three matchdays. Unless you can do better things with the 4.1M saved.
3Ramy BensebainiBMG@S0411.2MWhile I am never confident about Borussia keeping a cleansheet even against Schalke, him scoring another goal this week would be perfect.
4David RaumRBLvs KOE12.1MA hot take but unless he gets a goal involvement I think Henrich will have better scores playing OOP from midfield.
5Thomas MeunierBVB@SCF8.2MPretty similar to Guerreiro right now and won't require an extra transfer if he ever moves to Manchester City (keyword: ever).
6Christopher LenzSGE@BSC7MKostić is gone and Lenz should be in charge of spamming crosses in the box until Pellegrini arrives.
7Julian RyersonFCU@M055MIn just 60 minutes, he had four shots and finished on 14 points without a return. Imagine how destructive he could be if he gets more game time but for now he will be splitting minutes with Niko.
8Aarón MartínM05vs FCU8.1MWidmer is a doubt but Martín is not a bad second choice to have.
9Christian GünterSCFvs BVB12.3M
10AngeliñoTSGvs BOC11.9M



Goalkeepers

 

RankNameTeamOpponentValueComments
1Andrey LunevB04vs FCA3.9MA good one-week punt but don't expect him to hold the spot beyond that.
2Manuel RiemannBOC@TSG8MDecent cleansheet + saves potential.
3Florian MüllerVFB@SVW7.3MWerder Bremen are going to bombard his goal in this game so he could repeat last week's haul.
4Yann SommerBMG@S048.9M
5Mark FlekkenSCFvs BVB10.2MFlekken has always been one for the big games.

Value Rankings

 

RankNamePositionTeamOpponentValueComments
1Mitchel BakkerDEFB04vs FCA9MIf you watched Augsburg last week, I would be surprised if that snooze-fest didn't make you fall asleep.
2Joe ScallyDEFBMG@S047.1M
3Alexander SchwolowGKPS04vs BMG6.1MIf the first game of the season is anything to go by, Schwolow will be a very busy man in goal this season.
4Oliver ChristensenGKPBSCvs SGE3.9M
5Karim OnisiwoFWDM05vs FCU9.4MBurkardt was the one that drew most of the attention last season but Onisiwo looks much more sharper now and could thrive as a lone striker.
6Kiliann SildilliaDEFSCFvs BVB3.4M
7Mitchell WeiserDEFSVWvs VFB2.9MWeiser pressed forward more than Fullkrug in the last game and it is only time till he is rewarded for it.
8Leonardo BittencourtMIDSVWvs VFB5.2M
9Tiago TomásFWDVFB@SVW7.9M
10Jan ThielmannMIDKOE@RBL7.4MKoln are hell bent on turning him into a striker by playing him up top but thankfully the developers haven't noticed it yet.

You can find additional Bundesliga Fantasy resources for the 22/23 season here.

Eliteserien Fantasy, Fantasy Football, FEATURED

Eliteserien Fantasy: Gameweek 18 Preview

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With a massive Champions League qualification match for FK Bodø/Glimt in the upcoming week, the player picks in Eliteserien Fantasy don’t seem so straightforward. Still, Tipster Jacob Silkstone is backing his differentials to come up big in gameweek 18, especially Hólmbert Friðjónsson, who is being trusted with the captain’s armband.

Eliteserien Fantasy GW17 Recap

After an uneven start to the season, it looks like we’re back to status quo: Bodø/Glimt are dominating the league, looking a level ahead of everybody else, and able to put a hatful of goals past virtually anyone. The 7-0 win over Odd last week brought some real ‘rough with the smooth’ fantasy stories, as popular picks Lars-Jørgen Salvesen and Joel Mvuka (both in our recommended Team of the Week) blanked while Amahl Pellegrino (our recommended captain) and Hugo Vetlesen recorded a staggering 42 points between them. In defence, Brice Wembangomo was hauled off at half-time for the second time in the last three weeks.

Aside from the Pellegrino haul, our picks had a slightly disappointing week. Ole Christian Sæter cemented his status as the best budget forward in the game with another goal, but our three defenders contributed just four points between them. Overall, our score of 61 was enough to beat the gameweek average (55) but far from being one of our more memorable performances of the season.

Gameweek 18 might be another tricky one to navigate. Bodø/Glimt will be looking ahead to the Champions League play-off round and managing the minutes of their key assets, while current league leaders Molde are one of four clubs with a blank gameweek. Odd, Viking, and Strømsgodset are also without a fixture, so a number of Eliteserien managers might be considering whether to play a chip or take a hit. Whatever your strategy, here are eleven players on our watchlist right now, with the usual mix of ‘essentials’ and differentials..



Eliteserien Fantasy GW18 Picks

 

Goalkeeper

After last week, we can temporarily pretend that we’re focusing on Lillestrøm’s Mads Hedenstad Christiansen (5.7M) for his attacking threat. Christiansen’s last-gasp equaliser against Tromsø made him the first Eliteserien keeper to score a goal since Håkon Opdal in 2015, and we’re confident in predicting that he’ll be the top scorer among Eliteserien keepers this season. In the reasonably likely event that he never gets another attacking return for the rest of his career, he’s still a great pick this week as a rock-solid Lillestrøm backline come up against Jerv, still the league’s lowest scorers.

 

Defence

While defensive double-ups are always risky, Tom Pettersson (5.2M) carries plenty of genuine attacking threat and offers an underpriced route into one of the league’s strongest defences. We’re willing to give him another chance in our team after a blank last time out.

Double gameweek hero Lasse Nilsen (5.5M) returns from a one-match suspension to face Kristiansund in GW18. Perhaps surprisingly, Tromsø have the second best defence in the league in terms of expected goals conceded, only narrowly behind Bodø/Glimt. Nilsen ranks higher for expected assists than any of his defensive teammates, and delivered 16 fantasy points in his last two starts.

Isak Helstad Amundsen (4.3M) has been going under the radar as a budget option at Bodø/Glimt, starting each of the last four games. As mentioned above, he’s part of statistically the strongest defence in the league; whisper it quietly, but he also has a relatively impressive goalscoring record at the youth level.

 

Midfield

Rosenborg’s Carlo Holse (9.5M) has been in coruscating form recently, with a goal, six assists, and an incredible 14 bonus points across his last seven matches. The Trondheim team are pushing for a place in the top three this year, and Holse is crucial to their hopes. He ranks higher than any other Rosenborg player for expected assists.

It would take a fool to bet against Amahl Pellegrino right now, but we’re doing exactly that. With concerns over Pellegrino’s playing time (although an early substitution last week did nothing to prevent a haul), we’re keeping the faith in teammate Joel Mvuka (6.7M). Mvuka passes the ‘eye test’ every week, although he remains a frustratingly inconsistent finisher. Looking at the stats alone, he should have come close to matching Pellegrino and Vetlesen last week.

Eric Kitolano (7.3M) has emerged as the star man for Tromsø recently, returning maximum bonus points again as they came desperately close to shocking Lillestrøm last time out. In a purple patch and about to face the side at the bottom of the table, he looks like an obvious pick.

Vålerenga have overcome a horrific start to the season and are currently playing some of the best football in the league. With Osame Sahraoui an injury doubt, we turn to Amor Layouni (8.5M) as our midfield selection for the game against HamKam. Layouni has three goals from his last five games, but remains in only 5% of fantasy teams for the moment.

 

Attack

Icelandic international Holmbert Fridjonsson (8.9M) continues to lead the line for Lillestrøm in the absence of Akor Adams. Opponents Jerv have (by far) the highest expected goals conceded total in the league, and we expect Fridjonsson to capitalise on the chances that are almost certain to come his way.

Added to the game only just before the last deadline, Danish striker Casper Tengstedt (9.5M) made a hugely impressive debut for Rosenborg, scoring the opening goal as they beat an obdurate HamKam side 2-1. Expectations will be high for the rest of the season…

Henrik Udahl (8.4M) ranks fourth among active players for expected goal contributions per 90 minutes,  but he’s started only a handful of games all season. It’s surely no coincidence that Vålerenga’s upturn in form has coincided with his reintroduction to the starting eleven.



Fantasy Eliteserien Team of the Week Gameweek 18

You can find additional Fantasy Eliteserien resources for the 2022 season here.

Eliteserien Fantasy, Fantasy Football, FEATURED

Eliteserien Fantasy: Gameweek 17 Preview

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FK Bodø/Glimt’s teenage sensation Joel Mvuka has been on a roll with five assists in his last four games, solidifying his spot in Jacob Silkstone’s Eliteserien Fantasy TOTW for gameweek 17 with a fixture against Odd.

Eliteserien Fantasy GW16 Recap

Regular fantasy players will be all too familiar with the DGW drill by now. You spend a few weeks getting overly enthusiastic about average assets with a double fixture, fill your team with as many as possible (preferably taking at least a -8 along the way) and then watch the doublers blank/get rotated/’do a Dennis’ while the single gameweek players you’ve just sold march serenely on to their inevitable points hauls.

At least, that’s how it usually works. But where the likes of Man City and Liverpool so often let us down in FPL, Tromsø and Kristiansund have delivered spectacularly in the Eliteserien version of the game. They might not update the transfers or add the bonus points on time, but apparently, Eliteserien Fantasy still can’t be beaten when it comes to a top-quality double gameweek. Our three Tromsø picks (captain August Mikkelsen, plus Eric Kitolano and Lasse Nilsen) recorded a fairly decent 73 points between them, with 11 more from Kristiansund’s Bendik Bye. To balance things out, our single gameweek selections all blanked, but our final score of 98 was more than double the overall average for the gameweek (40). Had Martin Linnes been substituted just a few minutes later, we’d have recorded a single successive triple-figure score.

With no doubles or blanks, and possible rotation as the bigger clubs look ahead to crucial European fixtures, GW17 is harder to call…



Eliteserien Fantasy GW17 Picks

 

Goalkeeper

HamKam have had to let go of influential midfielder Kristian Eriksen after a bidding war between Bodø/Glimt and Molde, with the latter emerging victorious. Even with Eriksen, HamKam had scored just twice in their last five games, and now face a trip to a Rosenborg side with two clean sheets in their last three. André Hansen (5.6M) takes his place between the posts for us this week.

 

Defence

With some caveats about possible rotation risk, Martin Linnes (7.4M) remains our first-choice defender this week. A head injury to Kristoffer Haugen in Molde’s European game and reduced minutes last week both increase Linnes’ chances of starting against Kristiansund. His last full ninety minutes produced a goal and two assists, highlighting his attacking threat.

Lillestrøm suffered a tough defeat in their Conference League game, but the budget-friendly Tom Pettersson (5.0M) returns to our line-up before a home match with Tromsø. Despite missing the first three games of the season with injury, Pettersson has more bonus points than any other player in the Lillestrøm squad, and his last three home starts have produced two goals from set pieces.

At home to Jerv and currently in just 1.3% of fantasy teams, Haugesund’s solid centre-back Søren Reese (4.9M) is one of our favourite budget picks this week.

 

Midfield

Although we’re not expecting him to play the full ninety minutes, Amahl Pellegrino (12.1M) is our premium midfielder ahead of Bodø/Glimt’s home match against Odd. The defending champions have been in sizzling form lately, scoring nine in their last two Eliteserien home games and five more in their midweek Champions League clash. Pellegrino is a good bet to be the most captained player among the elite managers this week, and he’s increasingly hard to ignore. He’s our captain for this gameweek.

As long as Molde remain in Europe, Magnus Grødem (8.0M) is in the unusual position of being one of their key fantasy assets by virtue of not being one of their key players. While the main men are at risk of rotation, Grødem was subbed off before the 60-minute mark on Thursday evening and should be ready for a start against Kristiansund.

Joel Mvuka (6.6M) was another player subbed early in a key European fixture this week. Despite being profligate in front of goal, Mvuka has five assists in his last four and shows every sign of delivering a major haul soon. He’s currently sixth among active players for xA per 90 minutes.

Christos Zafeiris (5.5M) takes our budget midfield slot ahead of Haugesund’s game against Jerv. Zafeiris finally registered his first goal of the season last week, and sits second for expected assists among the Haugesund squad.

 

Attack

Summer signing Lars-Jørgen Salvesen (9.3M) was immediately off the mark for Bodø/Glimt in their hugely impressive Champions League victory over Zalgiris. Having looked marginally over-priced at Strømsgodset earlier in the season, he now looks underpriced at his new club, especially with Victor Boniface’s departure to Union Saint-Gilloise. One to buy soon and probably hold for the rest of the season.

Akor Adams’ unfortunate injury last week leaves Holmbert Fridjonsson (8.8M) as Lillestrøm’s undisputed first-choice striker. Fridjonsson already has a hat-trick in Europe this season, and provided a goal and an assist after coming off the bench last week. Having played the full ninety just once in the league, this is his chance to cement a regular place for the surprise title challengers.

Ole Christian Sæter (6.4M) can count himself unlucky not to have been awarded a single bonus point last week following a goal and an assist, probably a reflection of a couple of big chances squandered. Still, the Rosenborg striker looks a constant threat, averaging close to a goal every 90 minutes this season.



Fantasy Eliteserien Team of the Week Gameweek 17

You can find additional Fantasy Eliteserien resources for the 2022 season here.

Fantasy Football, Fantasy Premier League (FPL), FEATURED

FPL Gameweek 1 Preview

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With FPL GW1 coming up we preview each team, their predicted lineups and what you should know about as a Fantasy Premier League manager.

Hello! This is Arturo Hernández, I am from México and I will be writing every gameweek about Fantasy Premier League, giving the preview for the games and a small summary of what happened during those games. Feel free to follow me on Twitter as @arturohdezseg for the latest info.


I won’t be giving a preview for the whole Premier League now, as the fate of many teams can change a lot in the remaining days of the transfer window (Chelsea looking desperately for signings, Manchester United and their search for a central midfielder, the arrivals for the promoted teams and Leicester City trying not to lose their key players), I will just focus this time on the first gameweek. Hope you all have already picked your team and the best of luck!


Crystal Palace vs Arsenal (Friday, 21:00 GMT+2)

Arsenal features again in the opening game of the season; last year they lost 2-0 at Brentford, they will try to change their luck this time against a very exciting Palace side.


Predicted lineups:
• CRY: Guaita, Ward, Guéhi, Andersen, Mitchell, Doucouré, Schlupp, Eze, Ayew, Edouard, Zaha
• ARS: Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Partey, Xhaka, Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli, Jesus


Keys to the game:

• Tomiyasu’s injury problems have forced Arteta to play centre back Ben White to play as a full back. He will be facing one of the most dangerous players in the league, Wilfried Zaha. The Ivorian has improved his numbers under the management of Patrick Vieira and will try to start the new season as he finished the last one.

• The Gunners signed Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City and the Brazilian has been one of the big names of the preseason tour: 7 goals in 5 games are the reason of him being the highest-owned player of the game, let’s see how he links up with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and the new captain Martin Odegaard.


Fulham vs Liverpool (Saturday, 13:30 GMT+2)

Newly promoted Fulham will host the Champions League and Premier League runner-up on the early kick-off on Saturday.


Predicted lineups:
• FUL: Rodák, Tete, Tosin, Ream, Robinson, Palhinha, Reed, Kebano, Andreas, De Cordova-Reid, Mitrovic
• LIV: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Henderson, Thiago, Salah, Firmino, Díaz


Keys to the game:

• Aleksandar Mitrovic broke last kind of goal records last season in the Championship (43 goals in 44 games played). He has been in the Premier League before without having the same impact; on his debut he will face the solid Liverpool defense, let’s see what can he give to his team.

• Luis Díaz had a great debut for the Reds last season. With Sadio Mané gone, he has earned a spot on the starting XI and will try to improve those numbers against one of the weakest teams in the competition.


Bournemouth vs Aston Villa (Saturday, 16:00 GMT+2)

Steven Gerrard’s boys will travel to the south of England to take on the Cherries, who are still missing many signings on his return to the Premier League.


Predicted lineups:
• BOU: Travers, Kelly, Hill, Mepham, Smith, Cook, Lerma, Zemura, Billing, Christie, Solanke.
• AVL: Martinez, Cash, Diego Carlos, Mings, Digne, Kamara, McGinn, Ramsey, Bailey, Watkins, Coutinho


Keys to the game:

• Scott Parkers spoke yesterday on a press conference about how his current tea mis weaker than the one that achieved promotion 3 months ago. He is still expecting some arrivals for his team to fight and stay in the Premier League, so we might see very unfamiliar faces on the bench this time.

• Leon Bailey was the most exciting signing for the Villains last season and he couldn’t show his qualities due injuries (only 1 goal in 18 games played). He had a great preseason and will look to maintain that form when the season starts.


Leeds United vs Wolverhampton (Saturday, 16:00 GMT+2)

After maintaining their Premier League spot in the last game, Jesse Marsch and Leeds United start the season against Wolves which will look very different from what we have seen from them in the last 4 years.


Predicted lineups:

• LEE: Meslier, Kristensen, Koch, Llorente, Struijk, Roca, Adams, Aaronson, Harrison, Rodrigo, Bamford

• WOL: Sá, Jonny, Collins, Kilman, Ait-Nouri, Neves, Dendoncker, Moutinho, Gibbs-White, Neto, Podence.


Keys to the game:

• The hosts will play without at least 7 players from the first team; James is suspended while Sinisterra, Ayling, Dallas, Firpo, Cooper and Forshaw are injured, so don’t expect many surprises on the starting lineup.

• Wolves don’t have any striker available (Silva left on loan and Jimenez will be out for at least a month); Lage has played with a system which allows Neto and Podence to switch positions constantly, they might cause some problems.


Newcastle vs Nottingham Forest (Saturday, 16:00 GMT+2)

The Magpies are ready for an exciting season ahead and are hosting Nottingham Forest, who are back in the top tier of English football for the first time since 1999.


Predicted lineups:
• NEW: Pope, Trippier, Lascelles, Botman, Targett, Longstaff, Guimaraes, Joelinton, Almirón, Wilson, Saint-Maximin
• NFO: Henderson, Worrall, Cook, Niakhaté, Williams, O’Brien, Colback, Toffolo, Lingard, Johnson, Awoniyi


Keys to the game:
• Miguel Almirón has looked Sharp during the preseason. 4 goals for the midfielder from Paraguay has earned him a spot in the starting lineup; he has not always looked great when it comes to scoring goals but he will try to change his luck this season.
• The visitors have spent big money in the market (almost 95 million euros according to Transfermarkt); unfortunately for them, this doesn’t always mean good in Premier League. At least 8 new faces could start on Saturday, so we might not yet see a good level of chemistry between them.


Tottenham vs Southampton (Saturday, 16:00 GMT+2)

After a busy summer transfer window, Spurs are ready to welcome a new season when they host a very young-looking side of Southampton.


Predicted lineups:
• TOT: Lloris, Romero, Dier, Sánchez, Doherty, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Sessegnon, Kulusevski, Kane, Son.
• SOU: Bazunu, Walker-Peters, Bella-Kotchap, Bednarek, Salisu, Perraud, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Lavia, Aribo, Adams.


Keys to the game:
• Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son are one of the best partnerships in football. They had their best performance together 2 years ago against Southampton; Sonny scored 4 goals while the Hurrikane assisted all 4 and netted one more for a memorable game. We will see if the Saints learned the lesson.
• Many youngsters have arrived this season to Southampton; Aribo, Mara, Lavia and Bazunu will try to have the same impact that Livramento and Broja had last season. It’s a risky challenge for Hasenhuttl’s team, but they will try to have a nice style of play and to have a calm season.


Everton vs Chelsea (Saturday, 18:30 GMT+2)

Two times European champions will visit Goodison Park and former manager Frank Lampard on Saturday’s Match of the Day.


Predicted lineups:
• EVE: Pickford, Patterson, Tarkowski, Keane, Godfrey, Mykolenko, Doucouré, Iwobi, Gordon, McNeil, Dele
• CHE: Mendy, Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Koulibaly, James, Kanté, Jorginho, Alonso, Mount, Havertz, Sterling


Keys to the game:
• Calvert-Lewin’s latest injury is a massive blow for the hosts. With both strikers out (Rondón is suspended), we might see Dele Alli playing as a false nine. A central midfielder is also missing for the Toffees, with the club trying to sign back Gueye, so I expect Iwobi to play in that position.
• Chelsea have missed out on many signings this summer (De Ligt, Kounde or Raphinha, to give a few examples), so the side we expect on Sunday will not look so different from last season. Cucurella’s deal has been announced so there is a small chance we get to see the Spaniard in action.


Leicester City vs Brentford (Sunday, 15:00 GMT+2)

Foxes and Bees collide on King Power Stadium on Sunday’s early kick-off.


Predicted lineups:
• LEI: Ward, Amartey, Fofana, Evans, Castagne, Ndidi, Dewsbury-Hall, Justin, Maddison, Iheanacho, Vardy.
• BRE: Raya, Hickey, Jansson, Mee, Henry, Janelt, Norgaard, Jensen, Mbeumo, Toney, Wissa.


Keys to the game:

• Barnes’ injury changes all plans for Leicester, who will not have Ricardo as well. The Foxes haven’t signed anyone yet and are expected to still let go of some players, so we expect a weaker team with still many great players to make the difference such as Maddison and Vardy.• Thomas Frank has left behind the 3 at the back formation and will try to have a more offensive team in its second season in the Premier League. Wissa had a great second half of the season and Mbeumo will play more on the right, with Toney as the main man in attack.


Manchester United vs Brighton (Sunday, 15:00 GMT+2)

Erik ten Hag’s debut at home will be on Sunday when his Red Devils host a very exciting Brighton side which beat them 4-0 last time they played.


Predicted lineups:
• MUN: De Gea, Dalot, Maguire, Lindelof, Malacia, McTominay, Fred, Elanga, Fernandes, Sancho, Rashford
• BHA: Sanchez, Veltman, Dunk, Webster, Lamptey, Mwepu, Caicedo, March, Mac Allister, Trossard, Welbeck


Keys to the game:
• The home side had a good preseason, with players such as Sancho, Rashford and Martial (out with an injury) showing that they can get back to their best. With all the Ronaldo saga going on, the club has yet to decide what to do with the Portuguese legend, who is expected to play. The question is whether he will start or not.
• To guess correctly a starting lineup with Graham Potter’s team is almost impossible. Maupay has been rumored to leave the club, while Duffy just went to Fulham on a loan. Some exciting names like Caicedo, Undav, Sarmiento and Enciso might get a start.


West Ham vs Manchester City (Sunday, 17:30 GMT+2)

The English champions start their season at the London stadium against West Ham who will be paying attention to their Conference League play-offs which take place next Thursday.


Predicted lineups:
• WHU: Fabianski, Coufal, Zouma, Dawson, Cresswell, Rice, Soucek, Benrahma, Lanzini, Bowen, Antonio.
• MCI: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Días, Cancelo, Rodri, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Mahrez, Haaland, Grealish


Keys to the game:
• Last season, the Hammers caused a lot of problems for the Citizens, especially the Bowen-Antonio duo, who almost left Guardiola’s team with no league title. The question this time is if Moyes will choose a back 3 or a back 4 to contain City’s attack with so many talented players.
• City’s star signing, Erling Haaland, looked good on the Community Shield against Liverpool but failed to score after having at least 3 clear chances. With Mahrez, Foden, De Bruyne and Grealish providing him assists, I expect the big man to score sooner than later.


That’s it for this time, thanks for reading and please give me your feedback!

You can find Fantasy Premier League (FPL) resources for the 22/23 season here.

Bundesliga Fantasy, Fantasy Football, FEATURED

Bundesliga Fantasy Player Rankings for MD1

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Bundesliga Fantasy is back after almost three months, and we have created our own player rankings for the opening weekend to help you navigate your transfers for MD1.

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RankNameTeamOpponentValueComments
1Anthony ModesteKOEvs S0412MThis Schalke team is much better than the one which got relegated last year but after seeing them struggle to sign defenders in the summer and their young inexperienced midfield does not fill me with much confidence. I am expecting Köln to dominate this game so there should be plenty of bonus points and possibly even a goal for Modeste here.
2Patrick SchickB04@BVB15MLeverkusen has one of the strongest teams on paper, especially when it comes to the attack with players such as Diaby, Wirtz, Azmoun, Hložek, etc. And after Lewandowski and Haaland's departure, Schick is one of my favorites to win the golden boot.

Talking about MD1, the BVB-B04 fixture has always been high-scoring with an average of 5.1 goals the last 11 times these two teams met (per game!) so I am expecting plenty of goals in this game again.
3Sadio ManéFCB@SGE16MBayern's flashy Lewandowski replacement has the credentials to light the league up after 18 G/A in the Premier League last season and he will be in most teams as Bayern play first but with a match against Frankfurt who tend to do well against Bayern especially at home, I might look elsewhere for points with so many good forwards in the opening weekend and look to get Mané next week against Wolfsburg.
4Theoson SiebatcheuFCUvs BSC7MPefok's hype train is in full steam ahead of the massive Berlin derby, but deservedly so. He was the Swiss league top scorer last season with 22 goals and Union have always dominated this fixture being unbeaten at home against Hertha and I expect that gap to widen after two contrasting transfer windows for both sides.
5Donyell MalenBVBvs B0412MMalen has looked like a completely different player under Terzić and reminded me of Sancho during his peak at Dortmund with goal and an assist to go with two shots and seven key passes. He is full of confidence and could be a great differential from the BVB frontline now that Reus is a midfielder.
6Jonas WindWOBvs SVW11MWhile Kovač still has work to do to improve Wolfsburg's defence, the improvement in the attack is already visible with the team scoring an average of 4.3 goals in pre-season against some decent teams such as Brentford and Mechelen. On the other hand, opponents Werder Bremen have conceded the most goals per game in pre-season at 1.7 p/g and Wind could be a good differential.
7Alassane PléaBMGvs TSG11MHe has been on a free-scoring run in pre-season and just signed a new contract extension after one of his best seasons. Do you need any further analysis?
8Sardar AzmounB04@BVB11MLeverkusen have plenty of goal-scoring options to choose from but Azmoun has been the most impressive attacker after Schick and could thrive in Wirtz's #10 role.
9Serge GnabryFCB@SGE14MWill play OOP up front and loves taking shots. Sounds like a safe bet for bonus points.
10Marvin DuckschSVW@WOB6MHe isn't Pefok but at 6M with all free-kicks and corners plus games against Wolfsburg and Stuttgart in the first two matchdays make him worth a shout.



Midfielders

 

RankNameTeamOpponentValueComments
1Christopher NkunkuRBL@VFB15MStuttgart conceded 1.6 goals per game in pre-season and without any big transfers to speak of, I expect them to be the same side as last season that conceded a lot of shots. Leipzig should be able to break them down easily.
2Marco ReusBVBvs B0414MEven though Malen looked like the more involved player in the Pokal game, I expect Reus to still pull most of the strings given his record against Leverkusen (11G, 5A in 21 games).
3Jonas HofmannBMGvs TSG14MEven though Hoffenheim went unbeaten in pre-season, almost all of their games were against lower division teams and after their shocking nine-game winless streak to end last season I am not sure if they will be able to mount much of a challenge especially after losing Raum.
4Dominik SzoboszlaiRBL@VFB12M50/50 between him and Olmo.
5Ritsu DoanSCF@FCA8MLess set-piece reliant than Grifo for points and saves you an extra 5M. The team won't be as reliant on him as Arminia was for goals but I still expect similar high-floor performances as his last stint in the Bundesliga.
6Florian KainzKOEvs S048MKainz is wildly inconsistent but he loves a game against one of the weaker sides. Out of his 11 goal involvements last season, nine came against teams in the bottom half of the table. Not a bad punt when you have five transfers to burn. Plus, he plays last this week so you get another star option.
7Joshua KimmichFCB@SGE15MThere was once a time when Musiala as a 12M midfielder looked bad. Now we don't even have that option so it is either Kimmich or ditching the Bayern midfield.
8Patrick WimmerWOBvs SVW11MExpensive and hasn't scored in a major competition since February. Not sure where the hype is coming from but I hope Wimmer proves me wrong against one of the weaker defences in the league.
9Jesper LindstrømSGEvs FCB11MPredicted to play OOP as a striker.
10Kevin StögerBOCvs M055MWhat comes as a surprise to me is that despite Mainz's atrocious away form last season which was only better than Fürth's and after losing two of their best defenders, no one is talking about Bochum attackers. They don't have Polter or Löwen but Hofmann and Stöger are excellent replacements so they could definitely surprise.

Defenders

 

RankNameTeamOpponentValueComments
1Benjamin HenrichsRBL@VFB9MThe last time Stuttgart played without Sosa, they managed to score just one goal against Dresden from the third division. However, the most important fact is that Stuttgart have scored just once against Leipzig in the eight Bundesliga games they have played against each other since 2017. They are on a four-game cleansheet streak and Henrichs is a great placeholder till Raum settles into the XI.
2Alphonso DaviesFCB@SGE15MDavies' consistent bonus point generation, early fixture and the most favorable clean sheet chances makes him a strong contender for the #1 spot.
3Christian GünterSCF@FCA12MIn a shocking move, Augsburg traded their top goal-scorer Michael Gregoritsch and did not sign a playmaker despite struggling to score goals all season. It is worth noting that Freiburg have a higher win percentage against Augsburg (45%) than against any other Bundesliga side and all signs look positive for Freiburg assets in this game.
4Benno SchmitzKOEvs S047MFC Köln only managed one cleansheet last season and they have a good chance of equaling that record this week. Add to that the improved odds of a Schmitz cross finding Modeste's head now that Uth is out.
5Ramy BensebainiBMGvs TSG11MAfter watching Borussia concede a goal to an Oberliga (fifth division) side, I am not sure that the defence has improved much from last season. That being said, Bensebaini is a reliable set of bonus points and could also be on penalties.
6Christopher TrimmelFCUvs BSC9MVery much on my radar considering he is also on set-pieces against the team that conceded the most goals from it (15) after Fürth.
7Jeremie FrimpongB04@BVB11MBetter attacking potential than Meunier.
8Thomas MeunierBVBvs B048MBetter cleansheet potential than Frimpong. Not that I expect either side to keep one.
9Aarón MartínM05@BOC8M
10Konstantinos StafylidisBOCvs M054MIn the highly unlikely event that Bochum keep a cleansheet against Mainz.



Goalkeepers

 

RankNameTeamOpponentValueComments
1Péter GulácsiRBL@VFB10MSame as Henrichs ^^
2Marvin SchwäbeKOEvs S047MRotates with Christensen in each of the next six weeks.
3Yann SommerBMGvs TSG9MCheaper than most keepers now with a great chance at a high score against a trigger happy Hoffenheim team.
4Mark FlekkenSCF@FCA10MSafe and reliable but is now the second most expensive keeper after Neuer.
5Frederik RønnowFCUvs BSC6MPlays Hertha, Mainz and Schalke within the first four weeks and rotates with Christensen in the next 5/6 weeks.

Value Rankings

 

RankNamePositionTeamOpponentValueComments
1Marcel HalstenbergDEFRBL@VFB8MCheapest RBL defender you can buy. Might also get the eventual set-piece.
2Oliver ChristensenGKPBSC@FCU4MCheapest starting keeper in the game.
3Sheraldo BeckerFWDFCUvs BSC9MOne of the most underrated and overlooked players of the game despite scoring four goals and assisting eight because he is seen more as a goal scorer despite having the most assists for Union last season.
4Phillip HofmannFWDBOCvs M054MHad 19 goals and two assists in the 2. Bundesliga last season. A bargain at 4M.
5Jiri PavlenkaGKPSVW@WOB5M
6Michael GregoritschFWDSCF@FCA7M
7Kiliann SildilliaDEFSCF@FCA3M
8Youssoufa MoukokoFWDBVBvs B049MMight be a good differential until BVB find a Haller replacement if you believe in his potential.
9IagoDEFFCAvs SCF8M
10Mitchell WeiserDEFSVW@WOB3MOne of the cheapest starting players in the game but has nothing going for him except that and a bit of attacking potential as a wing-back.
BonusTobias MohrMIDS04@KOE3M8G+6A in 2. Bundesliga last season.

You can find additional Bundesliga Fantasy resources for the 22/23 season here.