Game-Week 34 presents another great opportunity for FPL managers to climb up the ranks and catch up to their mini-league rivals. Apart from the standout Liverpool Manchester United fixture at the weekend, there are great games and differential options to target as Tottenham Hotspur face off against Sheffield United while Manchester City play a struggling Crystal Palace side.
With only five game weeks left till the end of the season, every transfer and captaincy decision are going to be incredibly crucial and here are the players you should be targeting for Game-Week 34:
GK: Edouard Mendy (CHE) – £5.2m
Chelsea continues to be the most reliable team for clean-sheets under Tomas Tuchel and Mendy should have another 6 pointer at the weekend against the relegation-threatened Fulham.
DEF: Benjamin Mendy (MCI) – £5.9m
Guardiola has consistently rotated his full backs this season and with Cancelo and Walker featuring against PSG on Wednesday, Benjamin Mendy is expected to get the nod at the weekend. City have the best defensive record in the league and Mendy offers significant attacking potential down the left as well.
DEF: Stuart Dallas (LEE) – £5.3m
Stuart Dallas has bagged 10 goals and assists this season for Leeds and comes up against a Brighton side this weekend that have failed to score in their last three league games.
DEF: Calum Chambers (ARS) – £4.5m
Despite keeping only one Premier League clean-sheet since January, Arsenal have been posting good defensive underlying stats and face a Newcastle side that will be without one of their main goal threats in Joe Willock. Calum Chambers also offers some assist potential from right back and is a good differential option for this week with less than 1% ownership.
MID: Jesse Lingard (WHU) – £6.7m
Jesse Lingard’s five-game scoring streak came to an end on matchday 33 against Chelsea but the West Ham midfielder could make amends for that this week against a Burnley side that have conceded eight goals in their past four league games.
MID: Raheem Sterling (MCI) – £11.1m
Like Mendy, Sterling didn’t feature in the first leg of the semi-final against PSG and is expected to start versus Crystal Palace at the weekend. With no goals in his last three league starts, Sterling has struggled off late but could offer great upside for those managers looking for a differential this week.
MID: Gareth Bale (TOT) – £9.1m
Bale scored 9 points in his first start under Ryan Mason and with only 3% ownership, the Welshman is the best differential option for game-week 34 as Tottenham come up against 20th place Sheffield United at home.
MID: Son Heung Min (TOT) – £9.4m
Doubling up on the Tottenham midfielders Son and Bale might prove to be a great decision for FPL managers given that they face the bottom ranked side Sheffield United in game-week 34. After an eight-week barren run, Son has scored two goals in the last three games and could also be an alternative captaincy option for those managers that don’t have Harry Kane.
FWD: Harry Kane (TOT) – £11.8m
After a one-week injury absence, Harry Kane returned to the Tottenham line up for the Carabao Cup final and should also return to our FPL teams for one of the easiest fixtures of the season against Sheffield United.
FWD: Kelechi Iheanacho (LEI) – £6.2m
Kelechi Iheanacho has registered 3 double-digit hauls in the last six game-weeks and has now scored nine goals in the last seven games. This is more than just a hot streak for Iheanacho as the Leicester striker has the underlying stats to back up his form and he is a must-have for this week’s fixture against Southampton.
FWD: Jamie Vardy (LEI) – £10.3m
Jamie Vardy was unlucky to walk away from last week’s fixture against Crystal Palace with a blank but he could reward owners this week against Southampton. The Saints have conceded 14 goals in their previous five league games and are currently near the bottom of the PL form table.
Captaincy Pick
Harry Kane is likely to be the most popular captain option this week as Tottenham take on 20th place Sheffield United. However, the one lingering question surrounding Kane is his fitness considering he just recovered from an ankle injury and looked off the pace versus Manchester City in the Carabao Cup Final. One alternative to Kane that I am strongly considering is Kelechi Iheanacho who has both form and fixtures on his side for this week.
Shivaan Shah