Dream Team

JOAO PEDRO’S (£3.6m) success has undoubtedly been one of the stories of the current Dream Team season.At the time of writing, only Erling Haaland (£7.9m) and Mohamed Salah (£6.7m) have more points than the 22-year-old among Dream Team strikers.
Only fools overlook him now!Credit: Dream Team
Pedro took his place on the podium on Saturday courtesy of a 15-point haul away to Stoke amid Brighton’s 4-2 win in the FA Cup.
The ex-Watford forward bagged a brace to take his goal tally for the season to 15 in all competitions.
Again, Haaland and Salah are the only players above him in this metric.
His goal tally is helped by no fewer than EIGHT penalties but, if anything, that should only spur on Dream Team managers.
Roberto De Zerbi admitted he hadn’t heard of Pedro prior to his appointment at the Amex but the pair are ultra familiar now and with Kaoru Mitoma (£3.4m), Simon Adingra (£3.2m) and Ansu Fati (£3.5m) currently unavailable for a variety of reasons, the Brazilian will have to bear much of the responsibility in attack in the coming weeks.
What makes Pedro’s success particularly impressive is that he started the season as a rotational player.
In fact, he was on the pitch for just over half of the available minutes between Gameweeks 1 and 7.
Even now after a sustained spell as a regular starter, he averages 62.6 minutes of playing time per Brighton fixture in 2023/24.
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15 goals in all competitions is no jokeCredit: AP
Initially, Pedro was something of a Europa League specialist.
He banked 54 points across Brighton’s six group stage fixtures via six goals – no Dream Team player has scored more points in Europe so far this season.
But Pedro’s brilliance has since extended to the domestic game.
He’s amassed a whopping 38 points in his last three outings, including a mighty 20-point haul at Tottenham’s expense in Gameweek 17.
Less than half of his goals have come in the Premier League but Dream Team gaffers should know by now not to underestimate the additional competitions.
Despite his mountainous points tally of 169, Pedro is still relatively affordable at £3.6m.
In fact, he’s the cheapest asset among Dream Team’s top 20 performers (based on total points) at this stage.

Pedro has been excellent in Euroe this seasonCredit: Getty
Dream Team bosses should also be encouraged by Brighton’s schedule.
De Zerbi’s side face Wolves, Luton, Crystal Palace, Tottenham, Sheffield United, Everton, Fulham and Nottingham Forest in their next eight league games.
They’re also in the hat for the FA Cup fourth round and will resume their Europa League campaign in February.
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The Seagulls’ No9 currently features in 9.6% of teams but his ownership will surely increase in the wake of his fifth double-digit return of the season.
In terms of value-for-money, he’s arguably Dream Team’s MVP right now!

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MANCHESTER CITY’S routine victory over Huddersfield in the FA Cup hardly came as a surprise.The Terriers are battling relegation in the Championship and so a 5-0 defeat at the home of the treble winners was par for the course, even in Erling Haaland’s (£7.9m) continued absence.
Pep Guardiola’s side enjoyed 84% possession as they strolled into the fourth round of the competition they won for the seventh time in June of last year.
Plenty of Dream Team managers were pleased with the points achieved by Phil Foden (£5.1m) and Julian Alvarez (£4.2m) in the one-sided affair but the headline news concerned the return of Kevin De Bruyne (£6.7m) and Jeremy Doku (£4.1m) from injury.
Return of the KingCredit: Dream Team
The pair came off the bench in the 57th minute and combined for City’s fifth goal to remind the Etihad faithful of what they’ve been missing.
In what was a classic Guardiola goal, De Bruyne found his international team-mate in space with a delicate chip from the byline – meaning the former marked his return with a trademark assist.
Doku’s return is significant as the 21-year-old made huge waves in Dream Team earlier this season, mostly because his unmatched dribbling statistics ensured a torrent of bonus points.
But De Bruyne’s comeback may prove to be a pivotal turning point in the Dream Team campaign.
City’s playmaker-in-chief hasn’t been seen since the opening weekend of 2023/24 when he limped off in the 23rd minute.
Dream Team bosses old and new will know that he’s capable of mighty returns when in full flow.
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Nobody can match his creative output and it would be a surprise if the bonus point system failed to recognise the positive impact of his overall performances.
KDB or not to KDB? That is the question…Credit: PA
Clearly, De Bruyne is a Dream Team asset capable of providing a volume of points that can reshape Mini Leagues but when should gaffers pull the trigger?
Guardiola made a point of telling journalists that he does not want to rush the 32-year-old back into sustained action after two lengthy lay-offs in recent times.
However, City have just three more games to fulfil before the end of the month as it stands due to the winter break so it should be easy enough to manage De Bruyne’s workload before things ramp up in February with the return of the Champions League.
Not that recruiting him will be all that easy for Dream Team managers given he’s the joint-second most expensive asset in the game at the time of writing.
Then there’s the question: how many Man City midfielders is too many?
Doku has an X FactorCredit: Getty
Foden is in undroppable form right now having plundered 44 points from his last four outings.
Only Bukayo Saka (£6.1m) has more total points among midfielders and the Etihad’s homegrown starlet is closing the gap at a rapid rate – he’s now just nine point shy of his compatriot after a brace against Huddersfield.
Prior to his injury, Doku was verging on ‘must-have’ status and De Bruyne is simply one of best players of the modern era.
Three City midfielders is a viable strategy but such a ploy would mean missing out on in-form players from other clubs – Saka, Jarrod Bowen (£5.5m), Anthony Gordon (£3.9m), Cole Palmer (£3.6m) and several others are also pushing hard for selection.
A trio of City midfielders would also be somewhat vulnerable to rotation frustrations.
It can be stressful enough owning one Guardiola midfielder, let alone three, although Foden has been a lock for months on end now and Doku proved earlier in the season that he doesn’t need much time on the pitch to provide healthy returns.

19 goal involvements and countingCredit: Reuters
Thankfully, gaffers have some time to weigh up the pros and cons as City have just one fixture (vs Newcastle) in Gameweek 20 whereas several other clubs will pull double duty so De Bruyne and Doku are probably not essential.
The thing about a player of De Bruyne’s calibre is that he generates a palpable FOMO (fear of missing out) that many gaffers will be unable to resist.
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Officially, The Belgian playmaker has scored 64 goals and provided 102 assists in the Premier League alone and that doesn’t even account for the alternative definition of assists adopted by Dream Team and most other fantasy football games.
Decisions, decisions…

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DREAM TEAM brings you all the latest injury, suspension and availability news ahead of Gameweek 19 in one easily digestible dose.The first thing to note in regards to availability is that dozens of Premier League players have been called up to play in either the Asian Cup or Africa Cup of Nations.
Son Heung-min (£4.7m), Mohamed Salah (£6.5m) and Mohammed Kudus (£4.9m) are the biggest names to have already departed.
Andre Onana (£3.8m) will stay with Manchester United through to the end of Gameweek 20 so his backers have more time to identify a replacement.
We haven’t listed AFCON/Asian Cup players as either injured or suspended in the lower section of this article so Dream Team bosses should ensure they’re aware of any relevant absentees.

PLAY SCORE PREDICTOR AHEAD OF THE FA CUP WEEKEND – SOMEBODY MUST WIN A £500 AMAZON VOUCHER!

Kieran Trippier features in almost a quarter of teamsCredit: Dream Team
Kieran Trippier (£4.9m) faces a late fitness test ahead of Saturday’s Tyne-Wear derby.
Speaking about Callum Wilson’s (£4.3m) issue, Eddie Howe said: “It’s not too bad but it’s enough to keep him out of this game and next game. We’ll hopefully have him back for Aston Villa.”
Dominik Szoboszlai (£3.8m) is expected to miss both of Liverpool’s Gameweek 19 fixtures but Jurgen Klopp hopes he’ll be fit again the following week.
Pep Guardiola told reporters that John Stones (£3.5m) “is not training” but “progressing well”.
When asked about Erling Haaland’s (£7.9m) availability, Manchester City’s decorated tactician said: “I don’t know about Sunday, maybe Newcastle.”
Kevin De Bruyne (£6.7m) was an unused substitute against Sheffield United but Guardiola suggested the Belgian’s comeback would not be rushed.
Jeremy Doku (£4.1m) supposedly feels “really, really good” so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the tricky winger got some minutes against Huddersfield this weekend.
Doku is close to a returnCredit: Getty
Vladimir Coufal (£3m) and Lucas Paqueta (£4.2m) have returned to West Ham training but late calls will be made on both ahead of the Hammers’ trip to Bristol City on Sunday.
Ben Chilwell (£3.8m) and Carney Chukwuemeka (£1.6m) resumed Chelsea training this week but Saturday’s FA Cup meeting with Preston comes too soon for both players.
However, the duo may be in contention in midweek when the Blues face Middlesbrough in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.
Mauricio Pochettino “doesn’t know” when Romeo Lavia (£2.4m) will be available again after the midfielder suffered a setback upon his return to action.
Roberto De Zerbi told journalists that he doesn’t expect Ansu Fati (£3.5m) or Julio Enciso (£2.2m) to be available again until early February.
Van de Ven has been a big miss for SpursCredit: Getty
Ange Postecoglou said he’s glad to have Micky van de Ven (£2.9m) in contention for Tottenham’s squad to face Burnley on Friday night.
“Obviously, he’s missed a fair bit, so we’ll have to be careful with him,” the Australian coach told reporters.
Spurs will also be able to call upon Dejan Kulusevski (£3.4m) after his one-game suspension.
Oleksandr Zinchenko (£3.5m) is said to be “progressing well” but Mikel Arteta will make a late decision on the Ukraine international’s involvement against Liverpool.

ARSENAL
Injuries: Jurrien Timber, Thomas Partey, Fabio Vieira, Mohamed Elneny, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko (doubt)
Suspensions: None
ASTON VILLA
Injuries: Tyrone Mings, Emi Buendia, Bertrand Traore, Robin Olsen, Youri Tielemans, Matty Cash (doubt), Pau Torres
Suspensions: None
BOURNEMOUTH
Injuries: Ryan Fredericks, Emiliano Marcondes (doubt), Tyler Adams, Lloyd Kelly, Hamed Traore, Antoine Semenyo (doubt), Milos Kerkez
Suspensions: Marcos Senesi
BRENTFORD
Injuries: Aaron Hickey, Rico Henry, Kevin Schade, Bryan Mbeumo, Kristoffer Ajer, Shandon Baptiste (doubt)
Suspensions: Ivan Toney, Ben Mee
BRIGHTON
Injuries: Julio Enciso, Solly March, Tariq Lamptey, Adam Webster (doubt), Ansu Fati, Joel Veltman, Igor Julio (doubt)
Suspensions: None
BURNLEY
Injuries: Jack Cork (doubt), Luka Koleosho, Jordan Beyer (doubt), Hjalmar Ekdal
Suspensions: None
CHELSEA
Injuries: Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, Carney Chukwuemeka (doubt), Romeo Lavia, Ben Chilwell (doubt), Lesley Ugochukwo, Reece James, Marc Cucurella, Robert Sanchez
Suspensions: None
CRYSTAL PALACE
Injuries: Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, Cheick Doucoure, Joel Ward, Rob Holding, Sam Johnstone, Michael Olise
Suspensions: None
EVERTON
Injuries: Dele Alli, Seamus Coleman (doubt), Ashley Young (doubt), Abdoulaye Doucoure, Dwight McNeil
Suspensions: Dominic Calvert-Lewin
FULHAM
Injuries: Adama Traore, Tim Ream
Suspensions: None
LIVERPOOL
Injuries: Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic, Andy Robertson, Kostas Tsimikas, Joel Matip, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ben Doak
Suspensions: None
LUTON
Injuries: Dan Potts, Reece Burke (doubt), Tom Lockyer, Marvelous Nakamba
Suspensions: None
MANCHESTER CITY
Injuries: Jeremy Doku (doubt), Erling Haaland (doubt), John Stones
Suspensions: None
MANCHESTER UNITED
Injuries: Tyrell Malacia (doubt), Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Mason Mount, Harry Maguire (doubt), Victor Lindelof, Anthony Martial (doubt), Luke Shaw
Suspensions: None
NEWCASTLE
Injuries: Javier Manquillo, Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy, Elliot Anderson, Matt Targett, Joe Willock, Nick Pope, Callum Wilson, Kieran Trippier (doubt)
Suspensions: Sandro Tonali
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Injuries: Taiwo Awoniyi, Felipe (doubt)
Suspensions: None
SHEFFIELD UNITED
Injuries: Daniel Jebbison, John Egan, Chris Basham, Tom Davies
Suspensions: Anel Ahmedhodzic, Gustavo Hamer
TOTTENHAM
Injuries: Ivan Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon, Alfie Whiteman, Manor Solomon, James Maddison, Micky van de Ven (doubt), Alejo Veliz, Cristian Romero
Suspensions: None
WEST HAM
Injuries: Lucas Paqueta (doubt), Michail Antonio, Vladimir Coufal (doubt)
Suspensions: None
WOLVES
Injuries: None
Suspensions: None

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GAMEWEEK 18 provided a timely reminder of why Dream Team gaffers should squeeze the schedule of all it’s worth.Anton Careti earned more points than anyone else this past Gameweek worldwide and he did so by targeting the extra fixture.

PLAY SCORE PREDICTOR AHEAD OF THE FA CUP WEEKEND – SOMEBODY MUST WIN A £500 AMAZON VOUCHER!

Unlikely heroesCredit: Dream Team
After a full round of Premier League games, Crystal Palace and Everton met in the FA Cup at Selhurst Park on Thursday night.
This scheduling quirk came about because all nine London-based clubs from the Premier League and Championship were gifted home draws in the FA Cup third round and so the fixtures had to be spread out over several days for practical reasons.
Consequently, the Eagles and the Toffees had two fixtures within Gameweek 18 – presenting an opportunity for Dream Team bosses with eyes for the £100 weekly prize.
And Anton did just that, banking 168 points thanks to the 0-0 draw in south London on Thursday night.
A thing of beautyCredit: Dream Team
As is customary, the Gameweek’s top manager made effective use of the Park the Bus Booster to double all their defenders’ points.
Marc Guehi (£2.6m), Tyrick Mitchell (£2.6m), Joachim Andersen (£2.5m), Nathaniel Clyne (£1.7m) and James Tarkowski (£3m) all notched a clean sheet in the final fixture of the Gameweek to propel Anton to the top of the weekly leaderboard.
The two England internationals in Palace’s defence made the most significant contributions as they both provided an assist during their side’s 3-1 win over Brentford last Saturday.
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Sean Dyche’s side succumbed to a 3-0 defeat at Wolves in the league but Tarkowski limited the damage by earning three bonus points for his individual efforts.
When all was said and done, Anton’s five-man defence combined for 53 points, doubled to 106 with Park the Bus!
It’s worth noting here that Anton is likely to be in a pickle for Gameweek 19 as neither Palace nor Everton have a fixture to fulfil but for now let’s focus on the fact he’s £100 richer because of a fantasy football game – how’s that for a late Christmas present?
Anton’s midfield chipped in with goals tooCredit: Getty
It wasn’t just the defence that helped Anton to victory.
Martin Dubravka (£2m) pocketed six points despite the fact Newcastle shipped four goals to Liverpool on Monday night.
The Magpies would have been truly humbled had the Slovak goalkeeper not produced TEN saves.
Arsenal may have lost to Fulham but Declan Rice (£3.7m) came away with a respectable haul thanks predominantly to three bonus points.
Bukayo Saka (£6.2m) scored his ninth goal of the season and the Gunners’ No7 now needs just one more point to bring up his double century.
Moussa Diaby (£3.2m) scored against Burnley for a nine-point haul while Ollie Watkins (£4.4m) provided two assists for an eight-point return as Aston Villa eventually won 3-2 on home soil.

Last not least, Dream Team’s outright leader, Mohamed Salah (£6.5m).
The Egyptian superstar ran amok against Newcastle to bank 18 points despite the fact he missed his first penalty.
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Liverpool’s No11 will be sorely missed while he’s away at AFCON.
Superb work, Anton – treat yourself to something nice with the cash!

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