Should Dream Team managers activate a Booster ahead of Gameweek 4?

HAVING endured an almost universally despised international break, Dream Team managers can now focus on preparations for Gameweek 4.

With 13 of the 20 Premier League teams set to fulfil two fixtures, many gaffers will be tempted to activate a Booster; and perhaps with good reason.

Boosters are generally best saved for opportunities when the majority of players (and all the top teams) have two games at their disposal – Gameweek 4 seemingly fits the bill.

GAMEWEEK 4 FIXTURES BY TEAM:

• Manchester City vs Brentford (h), Inter (h)
• Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest (h), Milan (a)
• Brighton vs Ipswich (h), Wolves (h)
• Arsenal vs Tottenham (a), Atalanta (a)
• Brentford vs Man City (a), Leyton Orient (h)
• Aston Villa vs Everton (h), Young Boys (a)
• Tottenham vs Arsenal (h), Coventry (a)
• Fulham vs West Ham (h), Preston (a)
• Manchester United vs Southampton (a), Barnsley (h)
• Crystal Palace vs Leicester (h), QPR (a)
• Wolves vs Newcastle (h), Brighton (a)
• Southampton vs Man United (h), Everton (a)
• Everton vs Aston Villa (a), Southampton (h)
• Newcastle vs Wolves (a)
• Bournemouth vs Chelsea (h)
• Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool (a)
• Chelsea vs Bournemouth (a)
• West Ham vs Fulham (a)
• Leicester vs Crystal Palace (a)
• Ipswich vs Brighton (a)

Some managers may choose to rotate in the third round of the Carabao Cup but Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, Arne Slot and Unai Emery will want to get their respective Champions League campaigns underway with a win.

It’s usually the case that European fixtures have a significant impact on the overall leaderboard (not mention Mini Leagues worldwide) and so Dream Team bosses could potentially get ahead of the game by playing a Booster in Gameweek 4.

Here’s a quick reminder about each Booster’s effect:

• Goal Bonus: Goals are worth nine points instead of the usual six
• 12th Man: Select an additional player for free
• Max Captain: Automatically captains the player who top scores in your XI (double points)

All three Boosters are viable in Gameweek 4 but Max Captain may not be necessary at this stage with Erling Haaland (£8.8m) in such devastating form.

The Norwegian poacher has plundered 59 points in just three outings so far this season.

If you activate your Max Captain Booster and Haaland ends up top-scoring, a relatively likely outcome, then that’s essentially a waste of a Booster because you probably would have captained him anyway.

Of course, if Haaland missed out against Brentford and Inter at the same time one of your lesser-owned assets bagged two or three goals then the Max Captain Booster would have a hugely positive impact – it’s just that you don’t really want to be in a position where you’re betting against Man City’s No9.

With Haaland and Mohamed Salah (£7.3m) both in such good form, gaffers who own both might consider activating the Goal Bonus Booster.

The pair have scored ten goals from six outings between them already this season and so Gameweek 4 has to be considered ripe with potential.

Alternatively, Dream Team bosses who only own one of Haaland or Salah currently might want to activate 12th Man to recruit the other’s services for the upcoming Gameweek at least.

While it’s undoubtedly a tempting time to play a Booster, it’s certainly not a necessity.

We’re only three Gameweeks into the new campaign and many gaffers will want a clearer lay of the land before they pull out the big guns.

Plus, it might be beneficial to wait until a Gameweek when Spurs, Man United (both Europa League) and Chelsea (Conference League) are active in Europe alongside the Champions League teams.

Remember, you can only play each Booster once throughout the season; and each one lasts the duration of just one Gameweek.

Read more about Boosters here.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk