Dream Team

DREAM TEAM managers might be able to work Arsenal’s injury problems to their advantage.Bukayo Saka (£6.6m) and Gabriel Martinelli (£4.1m) aren’t expected to return until March while Gabriel Jesus (£3.7m) and Kai Havertz (£4.7m) have both been ruled out for the remainder of the season.These absences have left the Gunners short in attack and while some Dream Team bosses will see that as a reason to stay clear, others might be tempted by bargain option Ethan Nwaneri (£1.9m).The door has opened for NwaneriCredit: Dream TeamMikel Arteta has used the 17-year-old sparingly this season but he seemingly has little choice but to give the academy graduate a run in the side over the next few Gameweeks.And based on recent evidence, it’s certainly not inconceivable that the teenager will rise to the challenge.Nwaneri, who features in just 0.7% of teams at the time of writing, has scored seven goals in all competitions this season at an impressive rate of one every 100 minutes.His two most recent strikes, against Girona and Manchester City in Gameweeks 21 and 22 respectively, were both expertly guided left-footed efforts from just outside the box, which is fast becoming his trademark goal.Consequently, he banked 21 points across his last three outings and that was before Martinelli and Havertz were deemed unavailable.The numbers suggest Nwaneri has the ability to supply more than his fair share of points if given enough minutes on the pitch.Nwaneri has exhibited a keen eye for goalCredit: GettyLeandro Trossard (£3.9m) and Raheem Sterling (£1.7m) are considerably more experienced but it’s simply a fact that Nwaneri has scored more goals than the two 30-year-olds combined in 2024/25.Most read in FootballGaffers should consider this alternative option for Gameweek 24 as Arsenal have a favourable fixture in the form of a trip to 18th-placed Leicester.The Foxes were thrashed 4-0 by Everton in their last league game and beaten by a beleaguered Manchester United in the FA Cup fourth round.Whereas Arteta’s side head into Saturday’s fixture fresh off a mini break to Dubai, something that worked wonders for them last season.Arsenal have had a long time to prepare for their trip to LeicesterCredit: GettyLooking further ahead, Arsenal are due to face West Ham and Nottingham Forest in Gameweek 25.Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are flying high in third right now and should not be taken lightly but it’s worth remembering that Forest lost 3-0 at the Emirates back in November.And who scored Arsenal’s third goal that day? Ethan Nwaneri…Score PredictorPlay Score Predictor with Dream Team this season!FREE to play£250 weekly prizePredict scores of five selected Premier League fixtures and earn points for accuracyMost points wins weekly cash prizePLAY NOW More

DREAM TEAM managers should always be alert to potential difference-makers, especially those who are cheap as chips.At this point in time, might Jacob Ramsey (£2.7m) fit the bill?99.6% of Dream Team managers are overlooking Ramsey at presentCredit: Dream TeamThe Aston Villa midfielder has been on a role of late with 35 points in four appearances across the last three Gameweeks.The 23-year-old scored against West Ham and provided two assists at home to Celtic in Gameweek 21 for a combined return of 22 points.Like most of Unai Emery’s troops, he underwhelmed away to Wolves in Gameweek 22 but bounced back with a strong showing against Tottenham in the FA Cup in Gameweek 23.Ramsey scored within a minute at Villa Park on Sunday, thanks in no small part to Antonin Kinsky’s error, and received 12 points for his efforts come the final whistle.From a Dream Team perspective, this fruitful form has come at a good time as gaffers should be very interested in Villa players at this stage of the season.Ramsey struck early against SpursCredit: GettyVilla are one of just three teams set to fulfil two fixtures in Gameweek 24 with Ipswich and Liverpool due in the Midlands within four days of each other.A home game against the Tractor Boys has to be considered a favourable match-up and while Arne Slot’s league leaders are quite the opposite, that midweek fixture is essentially a bonus point-scoring opportunity – a helpful quirk in the schedule.Not only that, Emery’s side will also double up in Gameweeks 25 (Chelsea & Crystal Palace) and Gameweek 26 (Cardiff & Champions League round of 16 first leg).Most read in FootballThis combination of form and fixtures surely makes Ramsey, who currently features in just 0.4% of teams, an appealing option for the next month or so.Villa have plenty of fixtures to fulfil in the coming weeksCredit: AlamyVilla’s No41 has started the last four games in a row and delivered enough goal involvements to retain his place but some Dream Team bosses may be concerned about his minutes given the level of competition within the squad.January recruits Donyell Malen (£2.9m), Marco Asensio (£3.5m) and Marcus Rashford (£3.4m) have added extra dimensions in attack and it will be interesting to see how Emery shuffles his pack.Many gaffers will feel Morgan Rogers (£3.5m) allows them to cover Villa’s busy period and that may well be the case.The 22-year-old has scored 11 goals and provided seven assists in all competitions this season.His tally of 195 points is only bettered by six midfielders at the time of writing.Rogers is a popular man this weekCredit: AlamyAfter a wave of transfers this week, Rogers is now the third-most popular player in his position (21.7% ownership).He probably is the first port of call for Villa points, with Ollie Watkins (£5.1m) also a strong option when fit, but Dream Team managers who like to go against the grain should at least consider Ramsey ahead of Gameweek 24.Score PredictorPlay Score Predictor with Dream Team this season!FREE to play£250 weekly prizePredict scores of five selected Premier League fixtures and earn points for accuracyMost points wins weekly cash prizePLAY NOW More

DANIEL MUNOZ (£4.9m) is the Dream Team defender who refuses to drop down the rankings.We tipped the Crystal Palace wing-back in last week’s transfer recommendations article and he delivered in spades with a 15-point haul against Doncaster on Monday night.RelentlessCredit: Dream TeamThe Colombia international scored the opening goal and contributed to a clean sheet in the Eagles’ 2-0 win over their League Two opponents in the FA Cup fourth round.At the time of writing, Munoz is the top-scoring asset in his position for Gameweek 23.More broadly, he’s the most in-form defender in the game having plundered 35 points from his last three outings.But even that doesn’t tell the full story of his fruitful form of late.Munoz has been on a tear since Boxing Day, banking a mighty 88 points across the last eight Gameweeks!Munoz does it allCredit: ReutersThis surge has propelled the 28-year-old up to third in the defensive rankings.TOP DREAM TEAM DREAM DEFENDERS THIS SEASON:223 pts – Trent Alexander-Arnold (£6m)195 pts – Pedro Porro (£4.5m)189 pts – Daniel Munoz (£4.9m)187 pts – Virgil van Dijk (£5m)173 pts – Gabriel (£4.8m)Most read in FootballThe fact Munoz is rubbing shoulders with the absolute cream of the crop without European fixtures to bolster his schedule is highly impressive.One of the reasons he’s been able to amass such a high total is Oliver Glasner’s reluctance to rest him in the domestic cups.Munoz has earned 42 points from six appearances split between the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in 2024/25.And it’s this boon that makes him a particularly tempting option for the foreseeable future.Palace have four fixtures to fulfil across the next three Gameweeks and Munoz should start them all so long as he remains fit: Everton, Fulham, Aston Villa, Millwall.Munoz is the first name on Oliver Glasner’s team sheetCredit: GETTYThe ex-Genk defender is such a strong Dream Team asset because he has multiple routes to points.Glasner’s side have tightened up in recent weeks with five clean sheets in their last six games in all competitions – half their tally for the season.Munoz is also one of just two players to have made 100+ tackles in 2024/25, with Noussair Mazraoui (£2.9m) being the other.In fact, he’s earned a whopping 45 points from tackles alone this season.Factor in three goals plus five assists and it’s recipe for sustained success.READ MORE SUN STORIESOnly Alexander-Arnold averages more points-per-game than Munoz among defendersCredit: GettyAmazingly, only Alexander-Arnold (7.2) averages more points-per-game than Munoz (6.8m) among defenders this season.Palace’s No12 features in 3.3% of teams right now but he deserves a steep popularity spike this month.Score PredictorPlay Score Predictor with Dream Team this season!FREE to play£250 weekly prizePredict scores of five selected Premier League fixtures and earn points for accuracyMost points wins weekly cash prizePLAY NOW More

IT’S an excellent time for Dream Team managers to put their faith in Bournemouth’s impressive stars.The Cherries have won plenty of admirers this season and find themselves three points off top four in the Premier League table.Bournemouth have exceeded expectations this seasonCredit: GettyThe schedule has been against Andoni Iraola’s troops at times this campaign, limiting the viability of their top players from a Dream Team perspective, but the fixture list appears to favour them at this point in time.Gameweek 24 brings an away day to bottom-of-the-league Southampton, the most favourable match-up on offer in the top flight this term.Gameweek 25 features a double header against Wolves (h) and Brighton (a) while Gameweek 26 will play host to an as yet undecided FA Cup tie.Gaffers who have been reluctant to recruit Bournemouth assets need not be so timid now as there could be plenty of points on offer across the next three weeks or so.Shot happyCredit: AlamyAntoine Semenyo (£3.9m) is the top points scorer in the squad with 172 in total to his name.The Ghana international also boasts the highest points-per-game average (6.6) among Bournemouth players.Interestingly, only two Dream Team midfielders – Cole Palmer (£5.9m) and Alejandro Garnacho (£3m) – have registered more shots on target than Semenyo in all competitions this season.Justin Kluivert (£3.9m) is just five points behind his team-mate on 167.Most read in FootballThe Dutchman is the most selected Bournemouth asset with a current ownership of 8.5%.He’s scored 12 goals and provided five assists in 2024/25, averaging a goal involvement every 97.4 minutes.Kluivert is also first-choice penalty taker, a very useful trait in the world of Dream Team.Kluivert could feast in the coming weeksCredit: GettyElsewhere, Dango Ouattara (£3.5m) has risen to the occasion since stepping into the boots of injured strikers Evanilson (£3.9m) and Enes Unal (£1.9m).The 22-year-old has amassed 65 points across the last seven Gameweeks.At the back, Milos Kerkez (£3.6m) is clearly the optimum option among Bournemouth defenders.The highly-rated Hungarian left-back has contributed to seven clean sheets, chipped in with five goal involvements, and leads the way among Bournemouth players for bonus points.Simply put, if ever there was a time to go cherry picking, it’s now.Score PredictorPlay Score Predictor with Dream Team this season!FREE to play£250 weekly prizePredict scores of five selected Premier League fixtures and earn points for accuracyMost points wins weekly cash prizePLAY NOW More

DREAM TEAM brings you all the latest injury, suspension and availability news for Gameweek 23 in one convenient location.Trent Alexander-Arnold will not be risked at Plymouth on Sunday and is considered a doubt for next week’s Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.Speaking to journalists, Arne Slot said: “Trent? It’s too early for him. Difficult to say for Everton. It won’t take months or even weeks but it is only three days after Plymouth so let’s wait and see.”Liverpool’s No66 currently features in more than 25% of teams.Alexander-Arnold has the most points among Dream Team defendersCredit: Dream TeamUnai Emery named five absentees ahead of Aston Villa’s FA Cup clash with Tottenham on Sunday: Matty Cash, Tyrone Mings, Pau Torres, Ross Barkley and Ollie Watkins.The latter is the fifth-most selected striker in Dream Team at the time of writing.Speaking on Watkins, Emery told reporters: “I think he is not going to train because he will need more days to recover. Hopefully for next week, he will be available.”Axel Disasi is cup-tied but Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio could make their debuts for the Villains.As for Spurs, Ange Postecoglou doesn’t expect any of his injured players to return this weekend.Furthermore, Richarlison is due for an assessment having limped off with a calf problem at Anfield on Thursday night.Most read in FootballWatkins won’t play against Spurs this weekendCredit: GettyRuben Dias, Jeremy Doku, Ederson and Nathan Ake all returned to full Manchester City training this week but Pep Guardiola did not provide any concrete updates on availability ahead of his side’s trip to Leyton Orient.Sven Botman will play no part for Newcastle against Birmingham on Saturday.The Dutch centre-back took a knock to his knee against Arsenal but Eddie Howe doesn’t believe it’s a serious injury.Joelinton will be missing for “weeks not months”.Oliver Glasner confirmed that Eberechi Eze “won’t be available” for Crystal Palace at Doncaster on Monday night.Late decisions will be made on Chris Richards (illness) and Eddie Nketiah (twisted ankle).Fulham midfielder Harry Wilson underwent surgery earlier this week having sustained a nasty injury against Manchester United in January.Marco Silva also revealed that Reiss Nelson has suffered a significant setback on his road to recovery.It’s been widely reported that Lisandro Martinez faces several months on the sidelines having sustained a serious ACL injury against Crystal Palace.Martinez suffered a serious ACL injuryCredit: GettyARSENALInjuries: Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ben White, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel MartinelliSuspensions: NoneASTON VILLAInjuries: Pau Torres, Tyrone Mings, Ross Barkley, Matty Cash, Ollie WatkinsSuspensions: NoneBOURNEMOUTHInjuries: Luis Sinisterra (doubt), Alex Scott, Julian Araujo, Marcos Senesi, Adam Smith, Evanilson, Enes Unal, James HillSuspensions: NoneBRENTFORDInjuries: Aaron Hickey, Josh Dasilva, Gustavo Nunes, Igor Thiago, Rico HenrySuspensions: NoneBRIGHTONInjuries: James Milner, Ferdi Kadioglu, Jason Steele, Mats Wieffer (doubt), Igor Julio, Solly March, Pervis Estupinan, Yasin Ayari (doubt), Carlos Baleba (doubt)Suspensions: NoneCHELSEAInjuries: Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Romeo Lavia, Nicolas Jackson (doubt), Marc GuiuSuspensions: Mykhailo MudrykCRYSTAL PALACEInjuries: Cheick Doucoure, Joel Ward, Chadi Riad, Eberechi Eze, Eddie Nketiah (doubt), Chris Richards (doubt)Suspensions: NoneEVERTONInjuries: Dwight McNeil, Youssef Chermiti, Armando Broja, Seamus Coleman, Orel Mangala, Dominic Calvert-LewinSuspensions: NoneFULHAMInjuries: Kenny Tete, Reiss Nelson, Harry WilsonSuspensions: NoneIPSWICHInjuries: Chiedozie Ogbene, Conor Chaplin, Christian Walton, Wes BurnsSuspensions: NoneLEICESTERInjuries: Ricardo Pereira, Abdul FatawuSuspensions: NoneLIVERPOOLInjuries: Joe Gomez (doubt), Trent Alexander-ArnoldSuspensions: NoneMANCHESTER CITYInjuries: Oscar Bobb (doubt), Rodri, Nathan Ake (doubt), Ruben Dias (doubt), Jeremy Doku (doubt), Ederson (doubt)Suspensions: NoneMANCHESTER UNITEDInjuries: Luke Shaw, Mason Mount, Jonny Evans, Lisandro MartinezSuspensions: NoneNEWCASTLEInjuries: Jamaal Lascelles, Harvey Barnes, Sven Botman, JoelintonSuspensions: NoneNOTTINGHAM FORESTInjuries: Murillo (doubt), Callum Hudson-OdoiSuspensions: NoneSOUTHAMPTONInjuries: Ross Stewart, Jack Stephens, Ryan Fraser, Nathan Wood-Gordon, Taylor Harwood-Bellis (doubt), Cameron Archer (doubt)Suspensions: NoneTOTTENHAMInjuries: Cristian Romero, Wilson Odobert, Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, Timo Werner, Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson, James Maddison, Radu Dragusin, Richarlison (doubt), Micky van de Ven (doubt)Suspensions: NoneWEST HAMInjuries: Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen (doubt), Jean-Clair Todibo, Niclas Fullkrug, Crysencio Summerville (doubt), Lucas Paqueta (doubt)Suspensions: NoneWOLVESREAD MORE SUN STORIESInjuries: Sasa Kalajdzic, Enso Gonzalez, Boubacar Traore (doubt), Yerson Mosquera, Jorgen Strand Larsen, Leon ChiwoneSuspensions: None More

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