Transfer recommendations ahead of Gameweek 31 – Bernardo Silva to step up for Manchester City?

IT’S almost a case of “same again” for Dream Team managers in Gameweek 31.

That’s because the same five teams – Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, West Ham and Aston Villa – are the only sides with two fixtures to fulfil because of the European quarter-final second legs.

In theory, an XI crafted to Gameweek 30 should also suit Gameweek 31 and so many gaffers may choose to roll a transfer.

However, others will feel the need to make changes, especially if they’ve fallen foul of availability mishaps.

Allow us to propose some transfer recommendations…

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Bernardo Silva (£4m)

Manchester City host Luton this weekend before they welcome Real Madrid to the Etihad for the decisive second leg of their Champions League knockout tie.

Dream Team bosses will remember that Erling Haaland (£7.1m) scored FIVE goals against the Hatters back in February and given only Sheffield United and Burnley have conceded more league goals than Rob Edwards’ side this term, Saturday’s fixture should yield plentiful points for the hosts.

There’s no pointing recommending the Norwegian poacher as a transfer option as he’s the most-popular player in the game with a massive ownership of 80.4% – he’s a default season-long selection.

But it’s not all that clear which other City assets are best placed to capitalise this coming Gameweek.

Phil Foden (£5.9m) looked in some discomfort as he limped off at the death at the Bernabeu, Kevin De Bruyne (£5.7m) was an unused substitute because of illness, and Rodri (£4.1m) openly called for a rest in his post-game interview.

With all this in mind, it may be the case that Bernardo steps up for Pep Guardiola’s side in midfield, as he has many times before.

The Portuguese playmaker scored a free-kick against Los Blancos on Tuesday night and banked 11 points for the Gameweek in total.

Predicting Guardiola’s line-ups is fraught with risk but it does seem likely the technically-gifted midfielder will get plenty of minutes in Gameweek 31.

Following a similar logic, Julian Alvarez (£4.1m) might also be a smart short-term selection, if only for the favourable match-up of Luton at the Etihad.

Bukayo Saka (£5.5m)

Arsenal’s No7 would usually fall alongside Haaland and Mohamed Salah (£6.7m) in the too-obvious-to-mention category but it’s worth underlining his credentials at this juncture.

The 22-year-old was among the most transferred-out players ahead of Gameweek 30 because he was deemed a major doubt after failing to make the matchday squad against Luton.

However, as he so often does, Saka pulled through to start both of the Gunners’ fixtures – scoring in both!

The England international took Brighton and Bayern Munich for a combined tally of 21 points which makes him Gameweek 30’s top performer prior to the Thursday night games.

With 18 goals, 14 assists and 311 points to his name, he’s a must-have asset when available.

Gaffers who ditched him last week shouldn’t hesitate to bring him straight back in, despite the fact Arsenal’s double header of Aston Villa (h) and Bayern Munich (a) is a tricky one on paper.

Mohammed Kudus (£5.2m)/Lucas Paqueta (£4.2m)

Injury will prevent Jarrod Bowen (£5m) from playing against Bayer Leverkusen this evening and it’s not yet known whether the 23%-owned asset will recover in time to face Fulham on Sunday.

Fortunately, West Ham have an abundance of viable replacements for gaffers who still want to target the Hammers’ Gameweek 31 fixtures.

David Moyes’ side host the Cottagers before a daunting second leg against the Bundesliga champions elect in the Europa League.

It’s a borderline scandal that Kudus features in just 4.2% of teams given he’s sixth in the midfield rankings on 241 points.

The Ghana star’s immense dribbling ability has helped him earn 52 bonus points this season – only Bruno Guimaraes (£4.4m) has more to his name at the time of writing.

Alternatively, Paqueta is a decent option as he gets through plenty of tackles alongside his stylish attacking output.

The well-rounded Brazilian has produced 40 points across the last four Gameweeks with one fixture still to play later today.

Lock in your transfers for Gameweek 31 before Saturday’s 11:30am deadline!

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk