Dream Team

VERY few Dream Team managers would have predicted the extent of Douglas Luiz’s (£3.9m) success this season.In his latest outing, the Aston Villa midfielder took advantage of a Nottingham Forest defence in disarray to bag a first-half brace on home soil.
The hosts eventually registered a 4-2 win on Saturday to strengthen their position in fourth place and Luiz was the biggest beneficiary as he banked a whopping 18 points by the final whistle.
At the time of writing, only hat-trick hero Jarrod Bowen (£4.5m) has scored more points in Gameweek 25.

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An underrated gemCredit: Dream Team
Naturally, Luiz’s season-best haul has propelled him up the Dream Team rankings.
The Brazilian is now sixth in his position having racked up 192 points in total this campaign.
The list of midfielders who have scored fewer points to date includes Bruno Fernandes (£4.8m), Martin Odegaard (£4.4m), Luis Diaz (£4.1m) and a host of other popular individuals.
Luiz features in 4.5% of teams and is currently the fourth most-popular recruit ahead of Gameweek 26.
Some gaffers may view this as a snap reaction to his 18-point haul at the weekend – chasing lost points is often futile – but a quick look at the schedule suggests it may be a viable strategy.
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Unai Emery’s side face Luton and Ajax in Gameweek 26 in what has to be considered a favourable double header.
The Hatters fight tooth and nail but the reality is they’ve earned just 20 points from 25 league games since promotion while the Dutch giants have been way off it throughout 2023/24 – they’ve won ten of their 23 Eredivisie fixtures this term.
A popular man ahead of Gameweek 26Credit: Getty
Ollie Watkins (£4.5m) will justifiably be the first port of call for many gaffers who intend to target Villa’s upcoming fixtures but adding Luiz to the mix may also be worthwhile.
The 25-year-old used to be an out-and-out defensive midfielder but his role has changed in the last year.
Having scored seven goals in 122 appearances under Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard, he’s scored 15 goals in 64 games under Emery.

The former Manchester City youth player is now encouraged to arrive late in the penalty box in support of Watkins – as evidenced by his first goal against Forest.
And of course, his improved goal tally is also down the fact he’s been instated as Villa’s primary penalty taker.
Add in seven assists, 27 bonus points plus a heap of tackles and it’s no wonder Luiz is mixing it with Dream Team’s top midfielders right now.
Leon Bailey (£3m) and John McGinn (£3.7m) are also worth a mention ahead of Gameweek 26 – the former now has 20 goal involvements in 2023/24.

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WEST HAM registered their first win of 2024 at Brentford’s expense on Monday night.At the risk of oversimplifying things, it’s probably no coincidence that the Hammers scored four goals in front of their home fans at the London Stadium in the very game their first-choice front three was reunited.
Lucas Paqueta (£4.1m) returned to the starting line-up after a lengthy spell on the sidelines to join Mohammed Kudus (£4.6m) and Jarrod Bowen (£4.5m) in David Moyes’ preferred forward line.
The England international benefited most as he bagged a hat-trick in the 4-2 win against the Bees to bank 20 Dream Team points in one fell swoop.

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Hat-trick heroCredit: Dream Team
This represents a dramatic reversal of fortunes as Bowen had mustered just 13 points across his previous five outings.
Naturally, the 27-year-old’s ownership dropped during his fallow spell of form but Monday night’s performance has changed the outlook.
In fact, Bowen is currently the second most-popular recruit ahead of Gameweek 26, though it’s early days in that regard.
There can be little doubt that the Hammers are significantly more threatening when Bowen is flanked by Kudus and Paqueta, with the former now having scored 17 goals in all competitions this season.
Only Mohamed Salah (£6.7m), Joao Pedro (£4.3m) and Erling Haaland (£7.5m) have scored more goals at the time of writing and they’re all forwards – Bowen is generously categorised as a midfielder.
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Paqueta is a key player for West HamCredit: Getty
Dream Team bosses might consider this a timely return to form as West Ham are among the select group of five clubs with two fixtures to fulfil in Gameweek 26.
They travel to Everton on Saturday before flying to Freiburg for the first leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie on Thursday night.
Given the out-of-form German outfit are currently ninth in the Bundesliga, this has to be considered a favourable double header for Bowen, who now has 226 points to his name this season.
However, some gaffers will be understandably reluctant to back one of Moyes’ troops off the back of one win given how the last two months have played out.

Fourth in the Dream Team rankingsCredit: PA
Prior to Monday’s result, West Ham endured a miserable run that featured a 6-0 defeat to Arsenal, a draw against bottom-of-the-league Sheffield United, and a loss to Bristol City in the FA Cup.
Certainly, there will be no rush to recruit Alphonse Areola (£2.1m) or any of the defenders ahead of him but Paqueta, Kudus and particularly Bowen have provided boat-loads of points in combination with one another.
After his latest hat-trick, the latter averages 7.1 points-per-game in 2023/24.

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ONE particularly impressive aspect of Liverpool’s Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea was that they managed to get over the line without their three top scorers.Diogo Jota (£4.3m) was an expected absentee at Wembley as he’s facing at least two months on the sidelines following a knee injury.
But the absence of both Mohamed Salah (£6.7m) and Darwin Nunez (£4.5m) came as something of a surprise, despite the forwards being flagged as doubts in the days leading up to the fixture.
The injured trio have scored 46 goals between them this season – serious firepower missing from the Reds’ squad.
A popular man for Gameweek 25 but no appearance yetCredit: Dream Team
From a Dream Team perspective, the Egypt international’s omission was a particularly cruel blow.
Salah was by far and away the most-popular recruit ahead of Gameweek 25 following his ten-point haul against Brentford upon his return to action.
The 31-year-old was subsequently absent from Liverpool’s win over Luton in midweek but with Jurgen Klopp citing “fatigue” as the reason, it was expected the prolific goalscorer would feature against the Blues in some capacity with a trophy on the line.
Evidently, it was not worth the risk to include either Salah or Nunez on the bench.
Many, many Dream Team managers have therefore been left to regret their latest transfers.
Salah was over twice as popular as next most-recruited player prior to the deadline and his ownership is now up to 24.5%.
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Salah watched his team-mates get the job done at WembleyCredit: Reuters
His price tag of £6.7m also makes him the second-most expensive asset in the game, meaning many gaffers would have comprised with downgrades elsewhere in order to facilitate the ill-judged transfer.
Liverpool’s FA Cup fifth round meeting with Luton on Wednesday might provide a lifeline of sorts.
It’s possible Salah may be deemed available in midweek and therefore could end up providing his owners with some points after all.
However, with the league very much a priority for Klopp, especially with the German tactician having now ticked off a domestic cup this season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Salah was saved until the weekend for Liverpool’s trip to Nottingham Forest.
That visit to the City Ground will obviously take place after the Gameweek 26 deadline, meaning Dream Team bosses who opted to delay their recruitment of the 222-point forward can hop aboard having not been punished by their rivals who jumped the gun.
Darwin Nunez seemed sprightly enough during the celebrationsCredit: Getty
Klopp’s side also travel to Sparta Prague in Gameweek 26 for the first leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie.
Of course, there’s no guarantee Salah will be selected for either of those fixture at this stage either.
Thankfully, Dream Team bosses will be updated on the matter well in advance of the Gameweek 26 deadline.
It’s early days but Salah is currently the second most-popular recruit ahead of Gameweek 26 – transfers are able to be reversed prior to Saturday’s deadline.

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EARLIER this month, Ollie Watkins (£4.5m) was among the most transferred-out Dream Team players for two Gameweeks in a row.Needless to say, many gaffers have since regretted the decision as the Aston Villa striker has been on a roll of late.
The 28-year-old scored one goal and assisted another as Unai Emery’s men beat Nottingham Forest 4-2 on Saturday.
This impressive showing took Watkins’ tally for the season to 31 goal involvements, divided into 16 goals and 15 assists.
31 goal involvements already this seasonCredit: Dream Team
At the time of writing, he leads the way among all Dream Team assets for goal involvements!
MOST GOAL INVOLVEMENTS (GOALS + ASSISTS) THIS SEASON:

31 – Ollie Watkins
30 – Erling Haaland
29 – Mohamed Salah
28 – Bukayo Saka
27 – Darwin Nunez
26 – Phil Foden
24 – Julian Alvarez
23 – Cole Palmer

Naturally, this haul has translated to a boat-load of Dream Team points, 218 to be precise.
An 11-point return at Forest’s expense propelled Watkins up to third among forwards with just top-tier assets Haaland and Salah above him.
More broadly, he’s currently fifth among all players.
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The England international suffered a lean run of returns from late-December through January but he’s answered his doubters with 60 points in his last six outings.
This productive streak has featured four goals and four assists.
A fantastic Dream Team asset under Unai Emery’s guidanceCredit: Getty
Watkins is likely to be a immensely popular recruit ahead of Gameweek 26 and not just because of his impressive form.
The Villains are due to play Luton at the weekend before travelling to Amsterdam to face Ajax in the Europa Conference League round of 16.
The famous Dutch outfit are a huge name in Europe’s tertiary competition but the current iteration of the side are vulnerable.
Jordan Henderson and company are without a win in their last four league games and are currently fifth in the Eredivisie table, 29 points adrift of league leaders PSV.
Given this context, Watkins’s upcoming double header has to be considered a favourable one – he averages 6.4 points-per-game this term so a big double-digit haul is certainly on the cards.
It’s early days but Villa’s No11 is currently the most-popular recruit ahead of Gameweek 26 – he now features in 26.1% of teams.

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LIVERPOOL may have won the Carabao Cup final with a host of youngsters on the pitch but it was their experienced captain who dealt the crucial blow.Virgil van Dijk (£3.9m) glanced a 118th-minute corner into the far corner to spare Wembley the nerve-shredding agony of a penalty shootout and secure the seventh major honour of the Jurgen Klopp era.
Liverpool’s hero once again!Credit: Dream Team
The 32-year-old centre-back appeared to have given the Reds the lead in normal time with an imperious header from a wide free-kick but the goal was disallowed for an offside upon VAR review.
No doubt that decision would have been a major point of contention had Chelsea ended up lifting the trophy after spot-kicks but, incredibly, Van Dijk was able to repeat the trick in the nick of time without any infringements to send Liverpool fans home happy.
Sunday’s final underlined the Dutchman’s potent threat at set-pieces.
In fact, he’s now scored three goals in his last seven appearances.
Naturally, this profitable run has catapulted him up the Dream Team rankings.
Van Dijk is now fourth in his position overall having taken his season total to 162 points, just four shy of third-placed Gabriel (£4.1m).
Job doneCredit: PA
When all was said and done at Wembley, Van Dijk banked 15 points for his second-best single-game return of the campaign.
He’s also Dream Team’s most in-form defender statistically having averaged 9.7 points-per-game across his last three outings.
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Van Dijk’s tally of four goals is the joint-highest among assets in his position at this stage – level with Fabian Schar (£3.4m), Dan Burn (£3.3m) and Lewis Dunk (£2.8m).
Couple this attacking threat with nine clean sheets (only Everton and Arsenal’s regulars have contributed to more) and it’s no wonder Liverpool’s No4 now finds himself among the cream of the Dream Team crop.
Furthermore, his tally of 21 bonus points is only bettered by six defenders at the time of writing.
Plenty of Dream Team bosses have benefited from Van Dijk’s fruitful form of late.
An ownership of 23.8% makes him the fourth-most selected player in his position and 12th-most popular overall.
Klopp mostly rested Van Dijk during the Europa League group stageCredit: Getty
Looking forward, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Van Dijk was rested against former club Southampton in midweek with Klopp likely to see the FA Cup as a low priority all the while his injury-hit side top the Premier League table, especially now they’ve checked off a domestic cup this term.
In Gameweek 26, Liverpool face Nottingham Forest and Sparta Prague, a double header which could yield more healthy returns for Van Dijk.
However, it’s worth noting that Liverpool’s skipper played just 90 minutes during the Europa League group stage campaign – will Klopp see things differently in a knockout environment?
Having re-established himself as one of Europe’s best defenders, Van Dijk is obviously a tempting option right now but gaffers should monitor his minutes closely to be certain.

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DREAM TEAM brings you all the latest injury, suspension and availability news ahead of Gameweek 25 in one easily digestible dose.Rasmus Hojlund (£3.8m) is expected to be sidelined for “two to three weeks” with a muscular injury.
Manchester United’s No11, who has scored in each of his last six games, is among the most transferred-in players ahead of the Gameweek 25 deadline at the time of writing – many gaffers will need to reverse their transfers and think again.
The Red Devils will also be without Luke Shaw (£3.9m) for the foreseeable future.
The England left-back suffered a recurrence of his leg injury against Luton last Sunday and may not return before the end of the season.
Shaw is a long-term absenteeCredit: Dream Team
Mohamed Salah (£6.7m) and Darwin Nunez (£4.5m) are considered doubts for Sunday’s Carabao Cup final.
Both forwards skipped Liverpool’s midweek win over Luton and will be assessed before Jurgen Klopp selects his squad for Wembley.
The Egyptian superstar is said to be suffering “fatigue” but is likely to to feature against Chelsea is some capacity.
Earlier this week, the club confirmed Diogo Jota (4.3m) will be out for “months” after he was stretchered off against Brentford with a knee injury.
Alisson (£3.4m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.1m) are also likely to be unavailable until after the international break in mid-March.
Mauricio Pochettino generally kept his cards close to his chest ahead of Sunday’s final, although he did offer an update of sorts on Thiago Silva (£3.1m): “He has the chance. Tomorrow we will see if he’s ready to play in the game.”
Salah is a doubt for the Carabao Cup finalCredit: Alamy
Eddie Howe informed journalists that he “won’t take any risks” in regards to Alexander Isak (£4.4m) and Joe Willock’s (£2.6m) return to action, although the Newcastle gaffer is prone to misleading updates.
Fabian Schar (£3.5m) has recovered from the wrist injury he sustained against Bournemouth last time out.
Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Kevin De Bruyne (£6.2m) is “not injured” but neither is the Belgian 100% fit.
“I think we took a good decision not to take a risk,” Manchester City’s boss said of the midfielder’s absence against Brentford. “We took a decision because he did not feel comfortable… I’m pretty sure he will travel [to Bournemouth].”
New Crystal Palace coach Oliver Glasner confirmed key players Marc Guehi (£2.3m), Michael Olise (£4.1m) and Eberechi Eze (£3.9m) remain sidelined, though the latter isn’t far away.
Mikel Arteta told reporters a late decision will be made on Thomas Partey (£2.6m), Gabriel Jesus (£4.8m) and Oleksandr Zinchenko (£3.4m) following Friday’s training session.
Takehiro Tomiyasu (£2.7m) is thought to be further away from a comeback.
Sean Dyche is hopeful Vitaliy Mykolenko (£3.6m) will be able to shake off a knock ahead of Everton’s trip to Brighton on Saturday.
As for the Seagulls, Kaoru Mitoma (£3.5m) is a major doubt having felt something in his back but Julio Enciso (£2.2m) should return to the squad after a lengthy lay-off.
Pep Guardiola will probably manage De Bruyne’s workload again in Gameweek 25Credit: Getty
Fulham talisman Joao Palhinha (£3.6m) will serve the first of his two-game suspension this weekend having been shown his tenth yellow card of the campaign in his last outing.
Armando Broja (£1.7m) should be available having recovered from illness this week.
Lucas Paqueta (£4.1m) has returned to training and therefore “in contention” for West Ham’s Monday night game against Brentford.
Kalvin Phillips (£1.7m) is suspended having been sent off last weekend.

ARSENAL
Injuries: Jurrien Timber, Thomas Partey (doubt), Gabriel Jesus (doubt), Oleksandr Zinchenko (doubt), Takehiro Tomiyasu
Suspensions: None
ASTON VILLA
Injuries: Tyrone Mings, Emi Buendia, Jhon Duran, Ezri Konsa, Boubacar Kamara, Diego Carlos
Suspensions: None
BOURNEMOUTH
Injuries: Ryan Fredericks, Tyler Adams, James Hill, Max Aarons
Suspensions: Philip Billing
BRENTFORD
Injuries: Aaron Hickey, Rico Henry, Kevin Schade, Bryan Mbeumo, Josh Dasilva, Ethan Pinnock
Suspensions: None
BRIGHTON
Injuries: Solly March, Joao Pedro, James Milner, Jack Hinshelwood
Suspensions: None
BURNLEY
Injuries: Luka Koleosho, Jordan Beyer, Nathan Redmond, Lyle Foster, Aaron Ramsey
Suspensions: None
CHELSEA
Injuries: Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, Lesley Ugochukwo, Reece James, Marc Cucurella (doubt), Beniot Badashile, Carney Chukwuemeka, Thiago Silva (doubt)
Suspensions: None
CRYSTAL PALACE
Injuries: Cheick Doucoure, Will Hughes (doubt), Rob Holding, Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi
Suspensions: None
EVERTON
Injuries: Dele Alli, Andre Gomes, Arnaut Danjuma, Seamus Coleman (doubt), Vitaliy Mykolenko (doubt)
Suspensions: None
FULHAM
Injuries: Raul Jimenez, Willian (doubt)
Suspensions: Joao Palhinha
LIVERPOOL
Injuries: Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic, Joel Matip, Dominik Szoboszlai (doubt), Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson, Curtis Jones (doubt), Mohamed Salah (doubt), Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez (doubt)
Suspensions: None
LUTON
Injuries: Tom Lockyer, Marvelous Nakamba, Mads Juel Andersen, Daiki Hashioka, Alfie Doughty (doubt), Albert Sambi Lokonga (doubt), Elijah Adebayo, Jacob Brown
Suspensions: None
MANCHESTER CITY
Injuries: Josko Gvardiol, Jack Grealish
Suspensions: None
MANCHESTER UNITED
Injuries: Tyrell Malacia, Mason Mount, Anthony Martial, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Rasmus Hojlund
Suspensions: None
NEWCASTLE
Injuries: Elliot Anderson, Matt Targett, Joe Willock (doubt), Nick Pope, Joelinton, Alexander Isak (doubt), Callum Wilson
Suspensions: Sandro Tonali
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Injuries: Chris Wood, Ibrahim Sangare, Gonzalo Montiel, Willy Boly, Ola Aina
Suspensions: None
SHEFFIELD UNITED
Injuries: Daniel Jebbison, John Egan, Chris Basham, George Baldock (doubt), Ben Brereton Diaz, Rhys Norrington-Davies, Max Lowe, Cameron Archer (doubt)
Suspensions: Mason Holgate
TOTTENHAM
Injuries: Ryan Sessegnon, Manor Solomon, Fraser Forster, Destiny Udogie, Pedro Porro
Suspensions: None
WEST HAM
Injuries: Lucas Paqueta (doubt)
Suspensions: Kalvin Phillips
WOLVES
Injuries: Matheus Cunha
Suspensions: None

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