Dream Team

EVERY Premier League club has a clean slate for the new season but Dream Team gaffers should be studying the fixtures from the get-go.Proper form may not be established for a few weeks yet but even so there’s points to be had from favourable match-ups from the very first Gameweek.
With that in mind, take this whistle-stop tour of every Premier League team’s August fixtures and start plotting how you might use your first few transfers.
Remember, you’ll get TWO transfers per Gameweek this season!

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Will the Gunners fly out of the blocks again this season?Credit: DREAM TEAM
ARSENAL

Nottingham Forest (h)
Crystal Palace (a)
Fulham (h)

Steve Cooper’s side had the worst away record last season so in that sense it’s the perfect start for the Gunners on paper.
Mikel Arteta’s troops burst out of the blocks this time last year and they could well do the same again looking at these match-ups.
ASTON VILLA

Newcastle (a)
Everton (h)
Burnley (a)

Please be aware that the Villains’ Europa Conference League play-off legs will NOT count towards Dream Team.
Ollie Watkins (£4.5m) and company will only start scoring points in the competition if they make it through to the groups stages.
A trip to St James’ Park represents a tricky domestic opening but that’s offset by a couple of favourable match-ups against teams expected to finish in the bottom half.
BOURNEMOUTH

West Ham (h)
Liverpool (a)
Tottenham (h)

Andoni Iraola promises ambitious, attacking football – good on him!
That being said, a mauling at Anfield early doors wouldn’t be great for morale.
Newcastle v Villa is a tasty fixture for Gameweek 1Credit: GETTY
BRENTFORD

Tottenham (h)
Fulham (a)
Crystal Palace (h)

The Bees start with three London derbies.
It will be interesting to see how they adjust to life without the suspended Ivan Toney.
BRIGHTON

Luton (h)
Wolves (a)
West Ham (h)

The Seagulls couldn’t have asked for a more friendly opening month, especially with Wolves having been destabilised by Julen Lopetegui’s dramatic exit – his signature move.
Kaoru Mitoma (£3.5m) and Pervis Estupinan (£3.5m) are among the most-popular assets in their respective positions ahead of Gameweek 1.
BURNLEY

Manchester City (h)
Aston Villa (h)

Vincent Kompany’s newly-promoted side will play just twice in August because Luton’s stadium is not ready to host Premier League football.
And it’s a tough pair of fixtures too!
How many points will Haaland take off Burnley on Friday night?Credit: GETTY
CHELSEA

Liverpool (h)
West Ham (a)
Luton (h)

It’s very difficult to predict how the Blues will perform out of the traps with Mauricio Pochettino at the helm.
The squad has been thinned out but star signing Christopher Nkunku (£4m) is expected to be sidelined until December with injury.
Liverpool’s visit to Stamford Bridge is the standout fixture of Gameweek 1 and that contest is likely to give Dream Team gaffers a better feel for Chelsea’s prospects.
CRYSTAL PALACE

Sheffield United (a)
Arsenal (h)
Brentford (a)

A bit of everything for the Eagles this month – one favourable game, a challenging test, and a even match-up on paper.
Eberechi Eze (3m) has swaggered his way through pre-season and could well be a contender for Gameweek 1’s top performer.
EVERTON

Fulham (h)
Aston Villa (a)
Wolves (h)

Jordan Pickford (£3m) is the Toffees’ most-selected player at the time of writing but even he appears in just 3.3% of teams created.
It’s fair to say Dream Team gaffers don’t have much faith in Sean Dyche’s troops at this stage.
Everton’s most-popular player ahead of Gameweek 1Credit: GETTY
FULHAM

Everton (a)
Brentford (h)
Arsenal (a)

Even fewer managers are backing the west Londoners to make waves early on.
Aleksandar Mitrovic (£4m) is his club’s most-popular asset with an ownership of just 1.1% – and he doesn’t even want to play for them!
LIVERPOOL

Chelsea (a)
Bournemouth (h)
Newcastle (a)

If Chelsea come out swinging then Jurgen Klopp’s side could face two tricky away days in the first month of the season.
All eyes on the revamped midfield and the pecking order among the front three – at least Mohamed Salah (£7m) is a given.
LUTON

Brighton (a)
Chelsea (h)

Like Burnley, the Hatters have just two fixtures in August and difficult ones at that.
The Championship play-off winners will embrace their reputation as underdogs but there’s no doubt they face a steep uphill task this season.
Dream Team bosses are backing City players to start strongCredit: AFP
MANCHESTER CITY

Burnley (a)
Newcastle (h)
Sheffield United (a)

There’ll be no points earned during the treble-winners’ meeting with Sevilla in the Super Cup but with two promoted teams in their first three domestic fixtures, Erling Haaland (£8.5m) and company could pick up where they left off.
With all due respect to the Blades, that match-up at Bramall Lane could be brutally one-sided.
MANCHESTER UNITED

Wolves (h)
Tottenham (a)
Nottingham Forest (h)

Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs are almost as unpredictable as Pochettino’s Chelsea so let’s put a pin in that trip to the capital for now.
Erik ten Hag will feel confident of a positive start at Old Trafford though with a disjointed Wolves preceding a Forest team that earned just eight points on the road in 2022/23.
NEWCASTLE

Aston Villa (h)
Manchester City (a)
Liverpool (h)

Arguably the most difficult set of August fixtures of the lot.
In the not too distant past, fans of the Magpies would be fearing the worst this month but Eddie Howe’s ever-improving side have proven to be ultra competitive regardless of the opposition.
Still, you fear for Nick Pope (£4.5m) and Kieran Trippier’s (£6m) early returns.
Newcastle face a tough opening monthCredit: GETTY
NOTTINGHAM FOREST

Arsenal (a)
Sheffield United (h)
Manchester United (a)

Forest’s miserable away record really can’t be stressed enough and what a pair of fixtures to throw up early doors for the fans who follow their team everywhere.
In contrast, Steve Cooper will be targeting an emphatic win at the City Ground when the Blades come to town.
SHEFFIELD UNITED

Crystal Palace (h)
Nottingham Forest (a)
Manchester City (h)

To be frank, the club’s transfer window activity has bred pessimism among the supporters, understandably so.
Two points would probably be seen as a decent outcome given the current circumstances but football is inherently unpredictable.
TOTTENHAM

Brentford (a)
Manchester United (h)
Bournemouth (a)

It’s hard to know what to make of this set as most Dream Team gaffers are waiting for their first proper look at Spurs under Postecoglou.
It goes without saying that Harry Kane’s (£7m) presence or absence will make a huge difference to the north Londoners fortunes.
Will he stay or will he go?Credit: GETTY
WEST HAM

Bournemouth (a)
Chelsea (h)
Brighton (a)

Life without Declan Rice (£3.5m) begins with a relatively friendly trip to the Cherries but sterner questions are likely to be asked beyond the opening weekend.
Will last season’s Europa Conference League glory give the Hammers’ confidence heading into 2023/24?
WOLVES

Manchester United (a)
Brighton (h)
Everton (a)

Lopetegui’s late exit has thrown a spanner in the works and those first two fixtures have the potential to compound the uneasy feelings around Molineux.
Not a single Wolves player has an ownership higher than 0.5% right now – that says it all.

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THIS season, Dream Team managers have the luxury of selecting a captain .The chosen player will have their points doubled for the duration of the Gameweek, no matter how many fixtures that encompasses.
It’s imperative that gaffers give due consideration to this element of the game if they want to bank as many points as possible – click here to read more about captains.

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Haaland is Dream Team’s most-selected captain for Gameweek 1Credit: GETTY
Let’s analyse the best captaincy options for Gameweek 1.
Erling Haaland (£8.5m)
Manchester City’s prolific No9 is categorised as “the obvious choice” until further notice.
The Etihad’s resident cyborg racked up 400+ points last season thanks mostly to his obscene goal tally of 52 in all competitions.
Haaland is a strong option no matter his fixtures but he’s particularly popular ahead of Gameweek 1 because he travels to newly-promoted Burnley on Friday night – make sure you’ve selected a captain before 7pm!
The Clarets swaggered to the Championship title last season but the enormity of their promotion could slap them in the face when they welcome the treble-winners to Turf Moor.
Manchester City beat Vincent Kompany’s men 6-0 in the FA Cup back in March – Haaland scored a hat-trick.
See also: Kevin De Bruyne (£7m).
Eberechi Eze (£3m)
Style and substanceCredit: DREAM TEAM
Haaland has scored one goal in his last eight competitive appearances for City, nine if you include the Community Shield.
Perhaps his form at the end of last season is irrelevant because of the summer break but Dream Team gaffers may feel Gameweek 1 is actually the perfect time to take him on.
Crystal Palace’s No10 has thoroughly enjoyed himself in pre-season having sparkled since Roy Hodgson’s return to the Selhurst Park dugout.
The talented midfielder kicks off his 2023/24 campaign with a trip to Bramall Lane to face a Sheffield United side seemingly intent on entering the top flight with a worse squad than they had in the Championship.
Bukayo Saka (£6m)
Top GunCredit: PA
Arsenal start at the Emirates against a Nottingham Forest side who mustered just eight points away from home last season – no team registered fewer on the road.
It’s therefore a mightily favourable match-up for the Gunners and who better to exploit it than their resident Star Boy?
Saka would have been his side’s top scorer (313 points) by a country mile last season had the new scoring system been implemented.
Victory in the Community Shield over Pep Guardiola’s side has set Arsenal up for another flying start and it wouldn’t be a surprise if their homegrown No7 bagged a double-digit haul to open his account in style.
Kaoru Mitoma (£3.5m)
Bright sparkCredit: GETTY
Brighton v Luton is another tempting fixture to target.
Most neutrals are willing the Hatters to upset the odds this season but the fact is they are perhaps the biggest underdogs to ever grace the Premier League.
The Seagulls have played free-flowing, attacking football under Roberto De Zerbi with their Japanese winger arguably being the star attraction.
Mitoma is Brighton’s most-popular player at the time of writing and while the captain’s armband may be a stretch too far, he’s certainly an excellent option for Gameweek 1.
MOST-POPULAR CAPTAINS FOR GAMEWEEK 1

Ering Haaland (£8.5m)
Kevin De Bruyne (£7m)
Bruno Fernandes (£6.5m)
Bukayo Saka (£6m)
Martin Odegaard (£5m)

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THERE’S no better feeling for a Dream Team manager than a bargain selection paying off handsomely.Expensive assets such as Erling Haaland (£8.5m), Mohamed Salah (£7m) and Kieran Trippier (£6m) are all well and good but Mini Leagues are often determined by the effectiveness of the less popular, cut-price players.
With that in mind, we’ve identified five midfielders with a maximum price of £3m capable of mixing it with their more fashionable peers this season.

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Entertainment guaranteedCredit: GETTY
Eberechi Eze (£3m)
Crystal Palace’s No10 finished 2022/23 in swaggering form and he’s thoroughly enjoyed himself throughout pre-season as well.
The return of Roy Hodgson to Selhurst Park seemed to unshackle Eze’s natural talent and with Wilfried Zaha having departed, the onus will be on the 25-year-old to inspire and entertain the Eagles’ supporters.
The ex-QPR man would have amassed 222 points last season had the new scoring system been implemented and only six midfielders would have earned more bonus points.
Eze looks a great selection for Gameweek 1 as well with Palace starting against a depleted Sheffield United.
His chief co-conspirator Michael Olise (£3m) is a viable option too.
Bruno Guimaraes (£3m)
A fan favourite at St James’ ParkCredit: AP
Truth be told, the Brazilian’s hot streak in front of goal the season before last was something of an anomaly.
Five goals in 40 appearances last term was a more accurate reflection of his profile but the good news is that Dream Team’s improved scoring system should recognise his overall efforts.
With points for successful tackles, big chances created and shots on target – plus bonus points determined by various other stats – well-rounded midfielders like Guimaraes could clean up.
The 25-year-old would have earned 199 points last season had the new scoring system been applied and that was without the additional European fixtures he’ll have at his disposal this time around.
Joao Palhinha (£3m)
Tackle machineCredit: Rex
This suggestion all boils to down to one aspect of the game: tackles.
Fulham’s resident hard man was in a league of his own in terms of midfield donkey work last season – he attempted 147 tackles in the Premier League alone.
To put that into perspective, Moises Caicedo (£2.5m) was the only other player to reach three figures (100) and only just – the Ecuador international is decent option.
Dream Team assets will receive one point for every two successful tackles (per fixture) this season, something Palhinha should benefit from more than any other player in the top flight.
In fact, he would have been more than 100 points better off last season!
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Morgan Gibbs-White (£3m)
Blocking out the hatersCredit: AFP
Nottingham Forest’s No10 pulled thrice his weight to ensure his side’s Premier League survival earlier this year.
The 23-year-old produced several talismanic performances, in conjunction with Brennan Johnson (£3m), to muster 108 points but that total is revised to 185 when factoring in the new scoring system.
Gibbs-White’s tally of five goals and eight assists may appear nothing more than respectable but the underlying stats suggest he was among the best players in his position last term – he just didn’t have the necessary quality around him.
Going forward, his individual efforts will be acknowledged in greater detail.
Moussa Diaby (£3m)
Will Diaby hit the ground running?Credit: Aston Villa
If none of the established names float your boat then how about a shiny new toy?
Aston Villa’s summer signing plays predominantly from the right and while he’s categorised as a midfielder, he could just as easily be described as a wide forward.
Diaby plundered 14 goals and eleven assists in all competitions for Bayer Leverkusen last season and that impressive tally was no fluke – he registered 31 goal involvements in 2021/22 and 25 in 2020/21.
Granted, several players have struggled to transfer their Bundesliga success to English shores but at £3m the France international may be worth a whirl.
Unai Emery’s troops finished last season strongly and they’re likely to have favourable Europa Conference League fixtures to bolster their schedule this term.

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POUND for pound, Ricky Hatton’s Dream Team selection could be one of the strongest a-bout.Want to take him on? Well throw your hat in the ring and see what you’ve got!

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If you’ve not yet signed up to this season’s Dream Team, you better act fast!
With the first Premier League game kicking off this Friday night, you don’t want to be losing ground on your mates or other managers.
Particularly when there’s £50,000 up for grabs for the winner – and 20 runners-up prizes of £1,000 each.
There’s also a cool £100 to be won EVERY game week.
If that hasn’t grabbed your attention (we’re sure it did), you can also take on your mates in your own Mini Leagues, or join Celebrity Leagues with big names such as Piers Morgan, Rhian Sugden and Jeremy Clarkson.
Ricky Hatton’s side packs a punchCredit: Alamy
To join Ricky’s Celebrity League use the pin: HATTON23
However, judging by his team selection, you’ll have quite the challenge overcoming the former puncher.
That’s because Manchester City-daft Hatton has selected SEVEN of Pep Guardiola’s side to feature in his XI.
And it starts in goal with Brazilian shot stopper Ederson (£4.5m) selected between the sticks.
John Stones (£5m) and Manuel Akanji (£4.5m) look set for a prolonged run in the team and come in cheaper than top-priced City defender Ruben Dias (£5.5m).
The duo are joined by Brighton skipper Lewis Dunk (£3m) in a back three.
Man City with a few gatecrashersCredit: DREAM TEAM
There’s then three in sky blue in the five-man midfield, with Rodri (£4m) and Jack Grealish (£4.5m) alongside Kevin de Bruyne (£7m) – who features in more than 28% of teams submitted.
Michael Olise (£3m) of Crystal Palace looks a good value-for-money option, with Dejan Kulusevski (£3m) also involved and seemingly in a better frame of mind playing under new boss Ange Postecoglou.
Of course, City’s main man Erling Haaland (£8.5m) makes the cut, with over 84% of managers picking the striker so far.
With a lot of the budget going on Haaland and De Bruyne, Hatton’s opted for Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson (£3m) to round off the side.
Think you can beat him? Join Dream Team today and take Ricky on (HATTON23 is the pin), your mates and managers all over the world in a bid to win cash and bragging rights.
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AT the time of writing, just 15.7% of Dream Team gaffers will start the new season without Erling Haaland (£8.5m) in their ranks.It would be generous to describe this minority as brave given the mountain of points Manchester City’s No9 assembled last season but what if they’re onto something?

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Betting against Haaland is a risky tacticCredit: DREAM TEAM
Betting against the Norwegian goal machine feels foolish but he’s by far the most-expensive player in the game.
Omitting Haaland frees up a lot of budget and opens up intriguing new possibilities.
Playing devil’s advocate, we attempted to create the strongest possible team that doesn’t feature the Etihad’s resident cyborg.
All killer, no fillerCredit: DREAM TEAM
Without Haaland, there’s no need to spend much time browsing Dream Team’s bargain aisle at all.
Bruno Guimaraes (£3m) is the cheapest player selected here and the Brazilian is a quality midfielder for a team who will play in the Champions League this season.
World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez (£3.5m) takes his place between the sticks, a choice that will hopefully pay dividends if Aston Villa progress to the Europa Conference League group stages where they should enjoy the luxury of some favourable match-ups.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (£6m), Manuel Akanji (£4.5m), William Saliba (£3.5m) has to be considered a strong back three that covers most bases.
The former’s creativity puts most playmakers to shame while the latter pair should be across most clean sheets achieved by the two standout teams of 2022/23.
Dream Team’s joint-most expensive defenderCredit: GETTY
The aforementioned Guimaraes is the only member of the midfield quintet who wouldn’t have registered 200+ points last season had the new scoring system been implemented – and he would have only been a fraction short on 199.
Free from the financial constraints that come with Haaland’s selection, it’s possible to select genuine quality across the board.
And look at that strike partnership!
The main concern if you overlook Haaland is that you’ll lack firepower up front but we’ve managed to pair Harry Kane (£7m) with Mohamed Salah (£7m) – the tried-and-tested duo scored 62 goals between them last season.
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Obviously this strategy is dependent on the England captain staying at Tottenham, which isn’t a given by any means, but as things stand our XI looks great on paper.
All that being said, betting against Haaland is clearly a strategy that comes with immense risk.
If he opens his account with a hat-trick against Burnley on Friday night – a realistic scenario – then gaffers without him will feel very silly indeed.
Good luck to all those willing to take the risk!

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