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Welcome back
We must stop bumping into each other like this. Honestly, it’s ridiculous.
We now find ourselves in the abyss between Christmas and New Year. Nobody knows what day it is, nobody cares. Some people have gone back to work, some are still recovering from inhaling their body weight in food. Whatever your situation, we are united here by our common love of football – and fantasy football. Gameweek 20 is fast approaching, but don’t panic, we’ve got five tips for you ahead of the weekend’s fixtures.
1. Marc Albrighton – Leicester, £5.1
Possibly the most underrated player in the league and definitely the best uncapped Englishman in the league, Albrighton proved decisive against Manchester City, guiding a delicately cushioned header past Ederson to level the scoring. At just £5.1m he is an absolute bargain, especially considering he has only been selected by 0.5% of managers despite a decent points tally of 46. Leicester welcome Cardiff to the King Power this weekend after back to back wins against Chelsea and City.
2. Kieran Trippier – Tottenham, £6.1m
The Bury Beckham was given a rest on Boxing Day when Spurs hosted Bournemouth at Wembley, but will be brought back into the starting XI for their game against Wolves, despite Kyle Walker-Peters bagging three assists. We know what Trippier offers, excellent deliveries from the half-spaces to onrushing attackers. That has made him Spurs’ fourth highest FPL point scorer over the first half of the season, with 74 – three higher than Christian Eriksen.
3. Richarlison – Everton, £7m
He’s Brazilian, he only cost £50m, we think he’s bloody brilliant, Richarlison. Not only one of the best finishers in the league, he also has one of the best chants, which counts for a lot in my eyes. Having sat out of Everton’s thrashing of Burnley at Turf Moor, the forward is likely to come back into the starting XI at the expense of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has started the past two games against Spurs and Burnley. Almost a third of managers have him, but why wouldn’t you? He’s racked up 93 points and costs £7m.
4. Patrick van Aanholt – Crystal Palace, £5.4m
One defender who has gone somewhat under the radar this season is Patrick van Aanholt. The Dutchman got an assist on the opening day of the season against Fulham, and scored soon after against Bournemouth, but has not managed to double his tally in either since then. Despite that, he has managed to accumulate 70 points this season – more than Kyle Walker. Van Aanholt will face a tough test in Pedro this weekend when Chelsea travel to Selhurst Park, but he is well equipped to deal with that threat and will be vital to Palace on the break, as he and Wilfried Zaha look to tie Cesar Azpilicueta in knots.
5. Anthony Martial – Manchester United, £7.4m
A slight risk, considering his missed United’s win over Huddersfield through illness, but one worth taking. Martial already looks a different, revitalised player now that he is free of the shackles of José Mourinho’s negative tactics. An excellent goal against Cardiff topped off a fantastic performance from the Frenchman, and with Rashford starting United’s last two games up front, Martial will likely be brought back into the fold.
He also counts as a midfielder, despite basically being a striker.
