There are just three matchdays left in the English Premier League ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and here are the biggest talking points in FPL ahead of GW14.
Phil Foden
Phil Foden was one of the most heavily bought players in GW13, only for the FPL gods and Pep roulette to strike as the Englishman was benched for the first time this season. Foden returned only one point last week at home to Brighton but is still the best player to buy for the next three fixtures ahead of the World Cup.
The attacker has an incredible non-penalty xGi per 90 of 0.73 and three favourable fixtures ahead of the World Cup break, with Manchester City playing Leicester City away in GW14 before two home games against Fulham and Brentford. Foden should start all three of those games, given his recent rest, and the doubts over Haaland’s fitness might also make him a possible differential candidate for the armband in one of the home fixtures.
Gianluca Scamacca (6.8m)
With Dominic Solanke injured and Aleksandar Mitrovic playing Manchester United and Manchester City in his last two matches, FPL managers may be in the market for a striker before the World Cup break. One player to look at if a striker replacement is needed is West Ham forward Gianluca Scamacca.
After a slow start to his campaign, the Italian has grown into his role at the Olympic Stadium. Scamacca has a promising non-penalty xGi of 0.35 per 90 and could be an option for the last two FPL GWs before the World Cup break, as West Ham take on Crystal Palace and Leicester City at home. Doing Mitrovic to Scamacca in GW15 could be a popular option among FPL circles due to their fixtures, and monitoring how the Italian performs this weekend against Manchester United will likely guide my decision next week.
CAPTAINCY CANDIDATES | ||
PLAYER | FIXTURE | NPxGi per 90 |
Haaland (12.1 m) | Leicester City (H) | 1.03 |
Salah (12.8 m) | Leeds (H) | 0.63 |
Jesus (8.0 m) | Nottingham Forest (H) | 0.77 |
Captaincy is a bit trickier in GW14, due to the possible injury and availability of Erling Haaland.
If Haaland is fit in GW14, the Norwegian is the go-to captaincy choice due to his immaculate record in the Premier League so far this campaign. However, the doubts over his fitness mean that other options should be considered by FPL managers.
Mohamed Salah is likely to be the other popular candidate in Fantasy Premier League. Although the Egyptian has just three Premier League goals this season, his underlying numbers are great, and Liverpool take on a relegation-threatened Leeds United in GW14.
Shivaan’s FPL Team Selection for GW14: Danny Ward to Aaron Ramsdale, Haaland Captain
Following a run of a few strong weeks, GW13 saw my rank drop by 100k places after my Bukayo Saka for Leandro Trossard transfer failed to pay dividends.
That move is likely to pay off in GW14 as Arsenal take on Nottingham Forest at home, but there are other fires I need to put out in my Fantasy Premier League squad for this week. Danny Ward plays Manchester City, Dominic Solanke is injured, Erling Haaland might not feature against Leicester City, and I have a long list of players I want to bring in.
There are plenty of moves I could do in GW14, but I am yet to finalize a single decision, with the Friday press conferences and injury news likely to guide my judgement. The transfer options currently include moving Danny Ward to Aaron Ramsdale for a free transfer or getting in one of Darwin Nunez or Gabriel Jesus in place of Dominic Solanke.
As for the captaincy, Haaland gets the armband if he is fit. Otherwise, I might go with a differential and stick it on Bukayo Saka. Best of luck for Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 14!
Shivaan Shah