Dream Team

GAMEWEEK 12 consists of just ten Premier League fixtures so that’s all Dream Team managers need to evaluate when deciding which player to captain.Erling Haaland (£7.6m) toyed with gaffers in Gameweek 11 as he was substituted amid Manchester City’s 6-1 victory over Bournemouth having twisted his ankle.
The prolific poacher registered just one point against the Cherries but he made up for that disappointment with a 15-point haul against Young Boys in midweek.
Manchester City’s No9 will always be the default captain when fit but a trip to Stamford Bridge this Sunday represents represents a trickier fixture – although Pep Guardiola’s side will start as favourites in West London.
The easy choice for a reasonCredit: Getty
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For those who feel Gameweek 12 is a good time to take Haaland on, consider these alternatives for the armband…
Bukayo Saka (£6.3m)
Arsenal host Burnley on Saturday and so all eyes will once again be on the Gunners’ gifted No7.
Saka sent a message to his midfield rivals with a 21-point haul this Gameweek, mostly thanks to his fantastic display against Sevilla on Wednesday night.
The England winger has registered six goals and eight assists already this season and he’s now level with Eberechi Eze (£3.6m) on 22 bonus points at the top of that particular metric.
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The Clarets have lost nine of their 11 league games since promotion and only Sheffield United have conceded more goals.
Everything seems aligned for another Saka masterclass this weekend but one potential drawback is his latest availability concern.
The 22-year-old limped off in midweek for the what felt like the hundredth time this year but Mikel Arteta has made it clear Saka will always play if available, even if he can only operate at half capacity.
Dream Team bosses should keep their eyes and ears peeled for further updates but at this stage it seems likely Dream Team’s top midfielder will be unleashed upon the league’s second-worst defence and that dynamic alone makes him a worthy captain.
Dream Team’s best midfielder!Credit: Dream Team
Kieran Trippier (£5.5m)
Another potential to mismatch to target is Bournemouth v Newcastle.
The Cherries have conceded just as many goals as Burnley while Eddie Howe’s side are second only to City in terms of goals scored.
That would suggest it may be best to back an attacking asset among the visitors’ starting line-up but Trippier is just as likely to register attacking returns as he is to bag a clean sheet.
The reliable right-back has created nine big chances and provided seven assists in all competitions – he ranks in the top five for both metrics among all players.
He’s also one of the most prolific bonus point collectors – only Saka, Eze and James Maddison (£4.4m) have more to their name at this stage.

Ollie Watkins (£4.7m)
Aston Villa were dealt a reality check by Nottingham Forest last weekend but they have the luxury of a home fixture against Fulham this weekend.
Unai Emery’s troops have been rampant at Villa Park, scoring 20 goals in five league fixtures compared six goals in as many games on the road.
The Villains’ No11 is evidently his side’s primary threat in the final third – he’s notched six goals and eight assists so far in 2023/24.
Goal involvements have come freely for Watkins at Villa Park of lateCredit: Getty
Fulham are not the worst side in the league by any means but they’re massively dependant on Joao Palhinha (£3.4m), who is once again leading the way in terms of tackles among all Premier League players.
Only the three sides currently in the relegation zone have generated fewer xG than the Cottagers and their rank only marginally improves to 15th in terms of xGA (expected goals allowed – essentially measuring defensive quality).
All signs point to one-way traffic in the hosts’ favour and that should result in healthy returns for Watkins.
Some Dream Team gaffers may feel the captain’s armband is a bridge too far but Villa really are a formidable beast on home soil.
Kaoru Mitoma (£4m)
Perhaps too bold of a shout here as Brighton’s results have tailed off of late.
However, the Seagulls have the most favourable Premier League fixture possible on Sunday in the form of Sheffield United at home.
The Blades are bottom of the table having conceded 30 goals in 11 league fixtures.
Brave Dream Team bosses may choose to captain Mitoma in Gameweek 12Credit: Getty
Granted, Paul Heckingbottom’s men did beat Wolves last time out but if Brighton play at even 75% capacity there should be substantial points on offer for Mitoma.
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The skilful winger has banked 48 points across the last six Gameweeks and he may add to that tally if selected against Ajax this evening.
Make sure you lock in your captaincy selection before the 11:30am deadline this Saturday.

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CHANGES to Dream Team’s scoring system have made defensive midfielders more viable than ever this season.However, gaffers should always be aware of which midfielders are leading the way in terms of goal involvements.
Bonus points, tackles and the like should certainly be considered but goals and assists remain the game’s primary currency.

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Away day specialistCredit: Dream Team
With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the midfield assets who have notched the most goal involvements so far this campaign.
MIDFIELDERS WITH MOST GOAL INVOLVEMENTS THIS SEASON:

Bukayo Saka (£6.3m) – 12 (five goals, seven assists)
Jarrow Bowen (£5m) – 11 (eight goals, three assists)
Bryan Mbeumo (£3.9m) – 9 (six goals, three assists)
Phil Foden (£4.5m) – 9 (five goals, four assists)
Jeremy Doku (£3.9m) – 9 (three goals, six assists)
James Maddison (£4.4m) – 9 – (three goals, six assists)
Pedro Neto (£3.2m) – 9 – (one goal, eight assists)

Arsenal’s No7 leads the way with a dozen goal involvements but West Ham’s top scorer edges out his international team-mate in pure goals.
Fittingly, the pair are the top two points-scorers among midfielders in Dream Team right now with Saka (109) one point ahead of Bowen (108) – further evidence of the unmatched importance of attacking returns.
The Gunners’ homegrown star tops the pile despite being hampered by persistent injury niggles – imagine the numbers he’ll rack up when he eventually gets back to 100%.
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A Dream Team favourite for a reasonCredit: Getty
Mbeumo’s presence in this list is mightily impressive given the Cameroon international doesn’t have midweek European fixtures to bolster his schedule.
All nine of his goal involvements have come in 11 league outings.
Many fans expected the 24-year-old to step up for Brentford during Ivan Toney’s suspension and he’s done just that throughout the first quarter of the season.
Foden is still a young man but he’s already carved out a reputation as a consistent Dream Team midfielder who delivers year upon year.
The talented playmaker has largely been immune to Pep Guardiola’s dreaded rotation policy this term – he came off the bench to score against Bournemouth at the weekend to prove he doesn’t need to play every minute of every game to tick along nicely.
And the same can be said of Doku to an even greater extent.
The skilful Belgian has played fewer than half the available minutes so far in 2023/24 and yet only Saka and Bowen have provided more goal involvements among midfielders.
In fact, Doku averages a goal or assist every 73.9 minutes for City – a stat that owes plenty to his recent exhibition against the Cherries.
An effective combinationCredit: Reuters
Looking forward, the rapid winger may be the biggest threat to Saka and Bowen’s respective statuses, if Guardiola gives in to the clamour for increased playing time for arguably the most exciting talent in the Premier League right now.
Like Mbeumo, all Maddison’s contributions have come in the Premier League and these stats only tell half the story of the positive impact provided by Tottenham’s No10.
Barring the unique nature of their defeat to Chelsea on Monday night, Ange Postecoglou’s side have impressed and their playmaker-in-chief has been at the heart of a swashbuckling attacking unit.
On top of his goals and assists, Maddison has racked up 21 bonus points – the second-highest total – and ranks highly for shots and target and big chances created.
His availability question mark is a massive talking point in the realm of Dream Team as he’s currently the game’s most-selected player after Erling Haaland (£7.6m).

Maddison’s fitness is a concernCredit: Getty
Wolves’ talisman completes this list although his Dream Team viability is null and void while he recovers from a hamstring injury.
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Neto boasts the joint-highest assist tally alongside Ollie Watkins (£4.7m) among all players and it’s probably not a coincidence than his side’s run of five unbeaten games came to an end in his absence with a shock defeat to Sheffield United last weekend.
Dream Team bosses should endeavour to keep track of which midfielders are racking up the most goal involvements throughout the season.

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DREAM TEAM managers have a whole host of injury concerns to negotiate ahead of Gameweek 12.There are question marks over several of the game’s most-popular assets and so many gaffers may have their hand forced this week in terms of which players to ditch.
However, there are several tempting options in regards to potential recruits, allow us to highlight a few.

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Arsenal have injury concerns but Martinelli is ready to take on Burnley this weekendCredit: Dream Tea
Gabriel Martinelli (£4.3m)
Gameweek 12 simply consists of ten Premier League fixtures ahead of the international break so there’s no need for gaffers to take midweek exploits into account when setting up their XIs this time around.
Saturday’s meeting between Arsenal and Burnley at the Emirates has to be considered a mismatch on paper.
The Gunners have taken 24 points from their first 11 league fixtures this season while Vincent Kompany’s side have earned just four points since promotion.
Bukayo Saka (£6.3m) remains the primary threat having scored five goals and provided seven assists already this term but the England winger continues to be hampered by injury niggles to some degree.
Gabriel Jesus (£5.2m) is sidelined and Martin Odegaard’s (£4.9m) availability is also uncertain at this stage and so it seems as if Martinelli may be best placed to benefit against the Clarets’ leaky defence – only Sheffield United have conceded more goals in the top flight.
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The Brazil international has registered 35 points in three and a half Gameweeks since returning from injury.
Or it may be that Dream Team bosses target an Arsenal clean sheet in Gameweek 12, given that Burnley are the league’s lowest scorers.
Ben White (£4.3m) and William Saliba (£3.6m) are the two best options if such a tactic appeals.
Anthony Gordon (£3.5m)
A popular recruit in Dream Team this weekCredit: Getty
Newcastle travel to Bournemouth this weekend in what is expected to be another one-sided contest.
The Cherries lost 6-1 to Manchester City last time out and currently find themselves in the relegation zone whereas Eddie Howe’s side are undefeated in their last nine domestic games.
Only Pep Guardiola’s troops have scored more league goals than the Magpies in 2023/24 so it would be reasonable to expect healthy attacking returns from the visitors on Saturday.
Gordon leads the way among Newcastle assets in terms of goal involvements – he’s scored four goals and provided four assists.
The quick winger has also made more tackles than any of his team-mates.
At the time of writing, Gordon is Dream Team’s fifth-best midfielder having amassed 89 points.
Jarrod Bowen (£5m)
108 Dream Team points and countingCredit: Reuters
West Ham’s form has fallen off a cliff of late but their No20 continues to prosper individually.
Recruiting Bowen as a midfielder is something of a Dream Team hack as he’s more of a forward in reality – he’s even led the line at times in recent weeks.
This is reflected in his tally of eight goals in all competitions, the most among midfield assets at this stage.
Granted, he’s generally performed better away from home this season but that’s probably more of a quirk than a long-term pattern.
The Hammers host Nottingham Forest on Sunday and while Steve Cooper’s men will have taken confidence from their 2-0 win over Aston Villa at the City Ground last weekend, their away record remains a concern – they’ve taken four points from a possible 18 on the road.
Bowen has registered 17 shots on target in all competitions this season – the four players above him in this metric are all categorised as strikers.

Jeremy Doku (£3.9m)
Man of the momentCredit: Reuters
A quick one to finish – and quick is the right word.
Dream Team bosses shouldn’t chase points that have already been distributed but they should look to jump upon in-form players if they believe more returns will follow.
Doku’s 24-point haul in Gameweek 11 is in the record books but the scintillating nature of the tricky Belgian’s performances suggest he’ll continue to make headlines throughout his first season at Man City.
The 21-year-old’s electric dribbling has seen him race to 20 bonus points – only James Maddison (£4.4m) and Eberechi Eze (£3.6m) have more at this juncture.
The only caveat with this suggestion is the ever-present threat of Pep Roulette.
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Doku probably will start against Chelsea on Sunday but it wouldn’t be all that surprising if Jack Grealish (£4.1m) got the nod at right wing either.
Dream Team managers need to lock in their transfers for Gameweek 12 before the 11:30am deadline on Saturday.

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