Dream Team

HERE’S the scenario.You’ve locked in your transfers ahead of the upcoming Gameweek and your Dream Team is looking good.
There’s just one final decision to make: which of your players to captain?
It’s not a matter to take lightly either as too many wrong selections could conceivably cost you well over a hundred points over the course of a season.
In the spirit of generosity, we’ve created a handy guide to follow when choosing your skipper.
Dream Team captains earn double pointsCredit: Dream Team
Availability
First things first, it’s always best to ensure you’re clued up on all your players’ availability as possible.
At the most basic level, we’re talking about injuries and suspensions (Dream Team publish an article containing all the latest news prior to each Gameweek deadline) but there are other aspects to consider.
It may be that a manager hints at the need to rest one of his top stars with a view to ensuring their availability for tougher tests to follow.
Opting to double this player’s points would be sub-optimal to say the least.
Generally speaking, your captain should be someone who is almost completely immune to rotation – at least in the context of the relevant Gameweek.
Sometimes it’s worth rolling the dice on an availability risk as captain; if Erling Haaland is only a minor doubt ahead of a juicy home fixture against weakened opposition then the potential rewards may be sufficient to justify such a gamble.
However, most the time you’ll want to guarantee your skipper’s minutes before considering anything else.
Captaining a player who doesn’t even make it onto the pitch can be a real hammer blow – avoid this misfortune at all costs.
A popular captain and with good reasonCredit: Getty
Fixtures
Next up, check how many fixtures your potential captains are set to fulfil that Gameweek.
A good player with two games at his disposal will often outscore a great player with just one fixture.
One particularly useful statistic to check in this regard is points-per-game average – displayed in the Stats Centre at all times.
For example, say you’re debating between Bukayo Saka (7.5 points-per-game average) and Pascal Gross (5.5 points-per-game average).
On a level playing field, Arsenal’s No7 is surely the superior option but if the Gunners had just one fixture in the same time Brighton had two, the German midfielder would deliver more points if the pair both performed in line with expectations.
This logic isn’t foolproof by any means as there are several other factors to consider.
In our hypothetical scenario, if Saka scored a hat-trick and Gross produced a below-par performance in their respective league games, the latter would have to pull something truly special out of the bag in his second fixture of the Gameweek to justify his status as captain.
Weighing up such probabilities is all part of the game but it pays to remember that Dream Team is often a numbers game – more fixtures usually equals more points.
Saka is usually among the most-popular captain optionsCredit: Getty
It’s not just the number of fixtures you need to consider when dishing out the armband, the difficulty of your candidates’ match-ups should also be examined.
It goes without saying that a player set to face Sheffield United is more likely to bag a double-digit haul than a player of similar quality who faces a daunting trip to Anfield.
But there are levels to such analysis.
For example, say you’ve narrowed it down to Son Heung-min and Jarrod Bowen for captaincy.
Tottenham are set to host Bournemouth while West Ham are due to face Arsenal at the Emirates – surely an easy decision in favour of the South Korean forward, right?
But hang on, what if the Cherries were on a run of five games undefeated at the same time the Gunners were suffering a dip in form?
What if Bournemouth had kept three consecutive clean sheets on the road and Spurs actually boasted a better record away from North London?
What if Arsenal’s three best defenders were injured for the Hammers’ visit?
Suddenly Bowen’s match-up looks more favourable than Son’s and so perhaps the former would be more worthy of the armband.

We also advise you judge each team on their own merit.
It’s easy to group all bottom-half teams into one under the general umbrella of “favourable opponents” but dig a little deeper and the outlook changes.
Some teams are struggling because they have trouble scoring goals but such sides may boast a relatively tight defence.
Other bottom-half clubs might be conceding loads of goals but scoring a fair few of their own as well.
You may feel it’s a no-brainer to captain one of your superstar forwards when they’re up against the team 16th in the table but what if that team had the fourth-best defensive record in the league at the time?
Furthermore, some match-ups have interesting recent histories.
It’s not that uncommon for a brilliant player to have a bogey team that they consistently struggle against for whatever reason.
Applying this level of fixture analysis will lead to more captaincy points over the course of a season.
Keep an eye on players’ points-per-game averagesCredit: Alamy
Form
It sounds obvious but many Dream Team bosses fail to fully consider form when selecting their captain.
The Stats Centre is your friend again here as it helpfully displays each player’s average point-per-game across their three most recent outings.
This will give you a strong idea of which individuals have been thriving of late without having to trawl through each player profile.
Say a fully-fit Phil Foden was about to face an relegation-threatened team with a leaky defence.
That ticks a lot of boxes in regards availability and fixture difficulty but if the Manchester City starlet had mustered just nine points from his previous four appearances that might suggest he’s not adequately prepared to take advantage of the friendly match-up.
Conversely, Foden might be on a hot scoring streak having impressed against several supposedly difficult opponents.
In this case, form should probably take preference over his fixture(s) and he would therefore make an excellent captain regards of his upcoming schedule.
Some players are capable of tapping into a degree of form that means there’s essentially no such thing as “bad fixtures” – Haaland being a prime example.
Another popular captain among gaffersCredit: AFP
Conclusion
We understand that you may not have the time to research form guides and underlying statistics – we try to do as much of that for you as we can on a weekly basis.
Plus, there are always exceptions and freak outcomes that bamboozle even the most prepared gaffers.
If you’ve got a strong gut feeling when it comes to captaincy selection then by all means go for it – it’s just a bit of fun after all.
And the truth is it’s impossible to select the best possible captain every single Gameweek – if football was that predictable it would be boring – but hopefully you’ve picked up something useful from this guide that will increase your returns in the long run.

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HERE at Dream Team HQ it’s our duty to highlight players who are unfairly overlooked.We’ve assembled a list of five brilliant assets who should be far more popular they than are right now.

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Overlooked by 97.8% of Dream Team gaffersCredit: Dream Team
Vitaliy Mykolenko (£3.5m)

130 points
2.2% ownership

Everton’s defence has been genuinely excellent this season.
Only the current top four of Liverpool, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Arsenal have conceded fewer league goals than Sean Dyche’s troops.
The Toffees’ intense left-back has been the main beneficiary, as evidenced by back-to-back clean sheets in Gameweek 20.
Mykolenko is now the fourth-best defender in the game, behind only Pedro Porro (£3.7m), Kieran Trippier (£5m) and top dog Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.7m).
The Ukraine international has contributed to nine clean sheets this season and he racks up plenty of tackles.
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See also: James Tarkowski (£3m), 122 points and 2% ownership.
A Dream Team darling of lateCredit: Reuters
Matheus Cunha (£3.6m)

149 points
2.1% ownership

We pushed the Wolves forward hard ahead of Gameweek 20 and he repaid our faith with a goal and an assist against Brentford in the FA Cup – fingers crossed for more returns against Brighton on Monday night.
The Brazilian’s tally of seven goals in all competitions may seem modest but he’s a well-rounded forward who dictates a lot of his side’s build-up play as well as letting off his fair share of shots.
Cunha has provided six assists and his impressive dribbling stats have helped him claim 22 bonus points – the joint-most among assets in his position.
The former Atletico Madrid man averages 6.5 points-per-game in 2023/24, only Julian Alvarez (£4.3m) boasts a better rate among forwards currently available for selection.
England’s No1Credit: Getty
Jordan Pickford (£3m)

100 points
4.6% ownership

This one links back to Everton’s parsimonious defence but it’s worth repeating as their No1 recently became just the third goalkeeper to reach three figures in terms of total season points.
In an unexpected reversal, Pickford is now underrated having historically been a Dream Team asset with a bloated ownership – usually as a knock-on effect of him being England’s regular between the sticks.
Andre Onana (£3.6m) is the only keeper with more points at the time of writing and he’s currently away on Cameroon duty.
Pickford has made 68 saves in total, the seventh-highest tally, which works out at 2.72 per game.
He’s earned 29 points through saves to date.

A criminally underrated footballerCredit: Reuters
Pascal Gross (£4.2m)

146 points
2.3% ownership

The 32-year-old is never going to be among the most trendy Premier League players but it would be a mistake to underestimate him.
Now a full Germany international, his adaptability and technical skills have made him a key cog in Roberto De Zerbi’s machine at Brighton.
Whether he’s playing as a deep midfielder, more advanced, or even as a full-back, Gross contributes both in and out of possession, hence his tally of 25 bonus points.
Only Bukayo Saka (£5.9m) and James Ward-Prowse (£3.9m) have registered more assists than Gross’ nine this term.
The Seagulls’ midfielders is currently eighth in his position, just ahead of Cole Palmer (£3.9m) who features in 21.1% of teams.
Goals are finally flowing for Richarlison at SpursCredit: PA
Richarlison (£3.1m)

102 points
2.4% ownership

This final suggestion is all about form.
Just over a hundred points is nothing more than respectable for a striker at this stage of the campaign but over half of them have come from his last seven games – that’s the rub.
The Brazil international has scored six goals in his last six league games and has the luxury of spearheading one of the most attacking sides in the top flight right now.
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After a disastrous first season at Tottenham, Richarlison now has seven goals and three assists to his name in 18 league outings in 2023/24.
Dig deeper and that works out at a goal involvement every 101 minutes!

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THE elongated nature of Gameweek 20 allows us time to reflect upon the Dream Team season so far.What better way than the construction of the best XI of the campaign?

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Stars of the showCredit: Dream Team
GOALKEEPER: Andre Onana (£3.6m)
The Cameroon international has led the way in his position for a while now but it still comes as something of a surprise when viewing the Stats Centre.
Onana’s form has been shaky at best since his transfer to Manchester United, more so during the Red Devils’ failed Champions League group campaign.
However, Erik ten Hag’s side haven’t actually conceded that many goals on the domestic front and Onana’ s nine clean sheets (all comps) is the highest tally among Dream Team goalkeepers.
The 27-year-old has also made the most saves (98) which is a concern for the Old Trafford faithful but a profitable source of points for Dream Team gaffers.
Onana is currently 22 points clear of his closest rivals at the top of the rankings among keepers with 122 overall.
Look at the stats, not his performances…Credit: Rex
DEFENDERS
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Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.7m) – 169 pts
Kieran Trippier (£5m) – 162 pts
Pedro Porro (£3.7m) – 148 pts

The perfect illustration of the need for attacking impotence in your back line.
This trio have combined for 27 assists already in 2023/24 with Liverpool’s homegrown hero the pick of the bunch with 11.
Obviously clean sheets have played a role too – Alexander-Arnold has contributed to nine this term – but it’s no coincidence these three defenders make up the podium for big chances created among assets in their position.
They’re all among the top five defenders for bonus points as well with Trippier having delivered a whopping 67 accurate crosses, the most among all players.
If you didn’t already know the benefit of selecting defenders who contribute in the final third, now you do!
Just as important to Newcastle’s attack as their defenceCredit: Reuters
MIDFIELDERS

Bukayo Saka (£5.9m) – 204 pts
Phil Foden (£5.3m) – 198 pts
Jarrod Bowen (£5.6m) – 193 pts
Anthony Gordon (£3.8m) – 161 pts

An all-English midfield – it’s coming home!
Arsenal’s resident ‘star boy’ has become the most-popular player in the game during Erling Haaland’s (£7.9m) injury and it’s a measure of his pedigree as a Dream Team asset that he’s continued to tick over nicely despite looking in need of a rest in recent weeks.
Saka is one of just two players to have celebrated his double century at this stage of the season, he’s scored nine goals and registered 12 assists.
But Manchester City’s own academy success story has been hunting down his international team-mate at a rapid rate of late.
Foden has racked up 49 points across his last five outings and is therefore one of the game’s most in-form players – only Bruno Guimaraes (£3.8m) has earned more bonus points this season.
The 23-year-old has bagged ten goals but he’s not the top-scoring midfielder, that honour belongs to Bowen.

Granted, West Ham’s No20 has played plenty of minutes as a centre-forward this term, which has undoubtedly help him score 14 goals.
There are rumours the Hammers’ main man will recover in time to face Sheffield United on Sunday – potentially life-saving news for the 13.8% of Dream Team bosses who didn’t transfer him out ahead of Gameweek 20.
Gordon completes the quartet having bagged nine points against Manchester City on Saturday.
The Newcastle winger averages 5.4 points-per-game this season and he’s supplemented his 15 goal involvements with 48 tackles.
14 goals and countingCredit: PA
FORWARDS

Mohamed Salah (£6.7m) – 212 pts
Erling Haaland (£7.9m) – 195 pts
Julian Alvarez (£4.3m) – 172 pts

Liverpool’s Egyptian hero remains Dream Team’s outright leader at the time of writing although his time away at the Africa Cup of Nations presents his rivals with an opportunity to catch up.
A modern Dream Team legend, Salah has raced to 18 goals and nine assists – it could be argued he deserves more of the latter given he’s created 18 big chances, the highest tally among all players.
The 31-year-old is on course for another 40+ goal involvement season despite his mid-season departure to AFCON – what a player.
Haaland’s stint on the sidelines has seen him drop down to fourth in the rankings but the stat to focus on is his points-per-game average of 9.8, the highest in the game.
Needless to say, the Norwegian poacher’s return from injury will be the next major turning point in the Dream Team campaign.
Plenty of firepowerCredit: AP
Last but not least, it’s Haaland’s understudy.
Alvarez started the season as a No10 but has spent the last few weeks as Manchester City’s centre-forward, a luxurious role to fulfil.
The Argentina international was a bit-part player in 2022/23 but he’s been a central figure this time around, as evidenced by his tally of 11 goals and ten assists.
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Whether his playing time will suffer once Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne (£6.4m) resume normal service as regular starters remains to be seen but Alvarez’s efforts throughout the first half of the season deserve proper recognition.
Joao Pedro (£3.8m) narrowly misses out having plundered 169 points for Brighton.
Now that’s a Dream Team!Credit: Dream Team
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JORDAN PICKFORD (£3m) has become just the third goalkeeper to reach 100 Dream Team points this season.Everton’s No1 joined Nick Pope (£4.1m) and Andre Onana (£3.6m) in the exclusive club with a nine-point return against Aston Villa on Sunday.

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One of just three goalkeeping centurionsCredit: Dream Team
In fact, he’s level with his England team-mate on a exactly a century with the Cameroon international top of the tree on 122 points having kept nine clean sheets in all competitions, despite his shaky form at times.
However, with Onana now at the Africa Cup on Nations and Pope sidelined with injury, Pickford is the highest-scoring Dream Team asset in his position among those currently available.
Last weekend’s goalless draw with the Villains was the 29-year-old’s eighth clean sheet in all competitions.
In the Premier League, Pickford leads the race for the Golden Glove with seven clean sheets, one more than his closest competitors, Onana and Alisson (£3.5m).
The Toffees boast one of the better defensive records in the top flight this campaign, they’ve shipped just 28 goals from their 21 league fixtures.
Only the current top four of Liverpool, Villa, Manchester City and Arsenal have conceded fewer league goals at this stage.
Everton are conceding fewer goals this seasonCredit: Reuters
Clean sheets remain the primary currency for custodians in the realm of Dream Team but this season’s improved scoring system means saves are a significant factor as well.
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Remember, keepers earn one point for every two saves they make per appearance.
Pickford has made 68 saves in total, the seventh-highest tally, which works out at 2.72 per game.
He’s earned 29 points through saves to date.

Everton have been hampered by a points deductionCredit: Reuters
Pickford’s most recent haul, the nine-pointer at home to Villa, was his joint-best return of the season.
And his owners may be hopeful of more points this evening as Sean Dyche’s side take on low-scoring Crystal Palace in an FA Cup third round replay, although Joao Virginia (£1.6m) did make a rare appearance between the sticks against the Eagles at Selhurst Park so rotation is possible.
Everton face Fulham in Gameweek 21 but Pickford may find substantial points hard to come after that with Tottenham, Man City and Brighton to come (either side of yet another meeting with Palace) between Gameweeks 22 and 25.
Regardless, the stats don’t lie – Pickford is enjoying a fine season.

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