Fantasy Football

GAMEWEEK 8 is a crucial juncture in the Dream Team calendar for two reasons.Primarily, because it hosts the first meeting between Arsenal and Manchester City, meaning a vast number of the game’s most-popular assets will be in direct competition.
Secondly, because no gaffer will want to spend the upcoming international break mulling over underwhelming returns.
In hope of inspiring readers to achieve plentiful points this weekend, here are some transfer recommendations…

PLAY SCORE PREDICTOR AHEAD OF THE WEEKEND’S ACTION – FREE TO PLAY, FANTASTIC WEEKLY PRIZES!

Picture perfectCredit: Getty
James Maddison (£4.4m) & Son Heung-min (£4.7m)
We’ve grouped Tottenham’s two main men together because the same logic applies to both.
While the Gunners’ unbeaten record will be tested against the might of Pep Guardiola’s winning machine, Ange Postecoglou’s men will be very confident of extending their undefeated streak away to Luton on Saturday.
The Hatters beat Everton last weekend but were dealt a reality check by Burnley in midweek and they’ll have to produce an ultra resilient performance to keep Spurs at bay – the North Londoners average a shade under two and a half goals per league game this season.
With 68 points to his name, Maddison is Dream Team’s third-best midfielder at the time of writing – a superb effort without European fixtures.
Most read in Football
While Son is fourth among forwards with 60 points – only Erling Haaland (£8m) has scored more goals in all competitions at this stage of the campaign.
Many gaffers will be conscious of ensuring their XI is stacked full of players set to pull double duty in Gameweek 9 but there’s plenty to be said for recruiting Spurs’ two most potent threats ahead of a favourable match-up – even if only for some sweet, short-term gains.
Unsurprisingly, this pair are the most transferred-in players ahead of Gameweek 8 with the England midfielder slightly more popular than the South Korean superstar.
Gameweek 7’s top performerCredit: Dream Team
Ollie Watkins (£4.1m)
Some Dream Team bosses will feel the horse has bolted here.
Aston Villa’s No11 scored three of his side’s six goals last weekend and was credited with an assist for two others.
Watkins’ masterclass against Brighton yielded 25 points, the biggest return for a single game yet in 2023/24 – no wonder he’s earned an England recall.
While gaffers should resist chasing lost points, the Villains’ top scorer is very much a viable option for the weeks ahead.
Unai Emery’s side travel to Wolves this weekend before facing West Ham, Luton, Nottingham Forest and Fulham around favourable Europa Conference League fixtures.
Julian Alvarez (£4.5m) is the only player in any position with more goal involvements than Watkins’ ten right now – the latter is the third-most popular recruit this week.
Chelsea have been defensively sound amid problems up frontCredit: Reuters
Levi Colwill (£2.7m)
Gaffers looking to target a clean sheet in Gameweek 8 would do well to consider Chelsea defenders.
The Blues have been excessively wasteful in the final third but that’s distracted from the fact they’ve actually been rather solid at the back.
In fact, only Man City have conceded fewer league goals this season.
This weekend, Mauricio Pochettino’s troops travel to Turf Moor where they’ll meet a Burnley side who have mustered just five goals since promotion.
Statistically, this should be a low-scoring affair but that would probably mean more healthy returns for Colwill, who is up to sixth in the defensive rankings after a 12-point haul at Craven Cottage on Monday.
Again, this may be a short-term strategy as Chelsea will host Arsenal immediately after the international break but two transfers per Gameweek allows for such ploys.

Inject a little chaos into your Dream Team this weekCredit: Reuters
Darwin Nunez (£4.2m)
A passing mention for everyone’s favourite agent of chaos.
With Cody Gakpo (£3.2m) injured and Diogo Jota (£3.4m) suspended, it’s virtually guaranteed that Nunez will be unleashed upon Brighton this weekend.
Read More on The Sun
The Seagulls pack a punch in attack but they’ve conceded the same number of goals at Luton and were thrashed 6-1 by Villa last time out.
Liverpool’s No9, a potent counter-attacker, is well equipped to take on Roberto De Zerbi’s side and the Reds will be highly motivated to get their Premier League campaign back on track after the controversial nature of their defeat to Spurs.

talkSPORT BET Welcome offer
Get £30 in free bets when you bet £10 – CLAIM HERE
18+ New customers only. Opt in & bet £10 on any sports at 2.00+ odds within 7 days. No Cash out. Get 3x £10 Free Bets on selected markets. Free bets expire in 7 days. Card payments only. T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org More

WE’RE once again putting up a PlayStation 5 for the user who earns the most points in Score Predictor in Matchweek 8.Sunday’s mouthwatering line-up of Brighton v Liverpool followed by Arsenal v Manchester City gets the juices following but there are three Saturday fixtures to predict first.
Let’s run through each match-up in chronological order.

PLAY SCORE PREDICTOR AHEAD OF THE WEEKEND’S ACTION – FREE TO PLAY, FANTASTIC WEEKLY PRIZES!

When it rains, it poursCredit: Getty
Manchester United v Brentford
Two teams in a rut are set to meet at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The Red Devils have lost six games in all competitions already this season while the Bees are without a win since August 19th.
It’s hard to justify a clean sheet prediction for the hosts given their injury-ravaged defence and the shaky form of Andre Onana between the sticks.
However, Mark Flekken at the opposite end hasn’t looked all that reliable either and the combination of Rasmus Hojlund and Bruno Fernandes packs a punch, even if some of those around them are out of sorts.
For all their problems, Erik ten Hag’s side have generally got the job done against bottom-half opposition this term so we’re inclined to back a unconvincing home win.
Most read in Football
Our Prediction: 2-1 to Manchester United
Have Chelsea turned a corner?Credit: Alamy
Burnley v Chelsea
Chelsea failed to score a single league goal in the month of September and their 2-0 win over Fulham on Monday night means they average just one goal per game in 2023/24.
However, while the Blues have been wasteful in the final third, only Man City boast a better defensive record at this stage.
Couple this stat with the fact Vincent Kompany’s side have mustered just five goals since promotion (two of them against Luton) and a clean sheet for the visitors feels likely.
Mauricio Pochettino has won 85.4% of his Prem games against newly-promoted clubs – the highest ratio of any manager to have overseen at least ten games.
We predicted a narrow 1-0 win for Chelsea last week and they outperformed our expectations by one goal so we’ll back them more confidently this time around.
Our Prediction: 2-0 to Chelsea
Eze is a big miss for PalaceCredit: Getty
Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest
The Eagles are coming off the back of an impressive victory at Old Trafford but Eberechi Eze’s injury is a sizeable spanner in the works.
The skilful midfielder is expected to miss the next six weeks with a hamstring injury and while Palace are certainly not a one-man team, they are heavily reliant on their No10 to provide much of the creative inspiration.
Roy Hodgson’s side have scored seven goals and conceded the same amount in their seven fixtures while Forest have drawn 1-1 against Burnley and Brentford recently.
All signs point to one result.
Our Prediction: 1-1 draw

Brighton v Liverpool
A match-up that surely promises plenty of goals.
The Seagulls are still the league’s top scorers despite losing 6-1 to Aston Villa last time out.
For pure entertainment, Roberto De Zerbi’s men can’t be matched – they’ve outscored Man City but conceded the same number of goals as Luton.
As for the Reds, they also average over two goals scored per league fixture this season and if they can keep all eleven men on the pitch – something they’ve struggled with in recent weeks – fans at the Amex could be in for a thriller.
There’s no harm submitting a prediction now as it can be edited right up until 3pm on Saturday but it would be wise to review this match-up after the two clubs’ respective Europa League adventures this evening.
Our Prediction: 3-2 to Liverpool
Strap in!Credit: Dream Team
Arsenal v Manchester City
A massive fixture in the context of the title race.
The Gunners are undefeated, something Pep Guardiola’s side can no longer claim, but they remain one point adrift of the treble winners in the table.
Arsenal got the better of City in the Community Shield but the recent history of this match-up is massively in favour of the Mancunians.
City won 14 of the last 16 meetings prior to this season’s curtain raiser, a run which includes a 3-1 win in North London back in February.
However, the visitors will be without the suspended Rodri and their record when the Spaniard is absent is notably below par.
Saying that, there’s a good chance the hosts won’t be able to call upon a star player of their own after Bukayo Saka limped off for a third game in a row in midweek.
A fascinating contest, one that is dividing Score Predictors users to a significant degree.
Excuse us while we take a seat on this fence…
Read More on The Sun
Our Prediction: 1-1 draw

PLAY SCORE PREDICTOR AHEAD OF THE WEEKEND’S ACTION – FREE TO PLAY, FANTASTIC WEEKLY PRIZES!
talkSPORT BET Welcome offer
Get £30 in free bets when you bet £10 – CLAIM HERE
18+ New customers only. Opt in & bet £10 on any sports at 2.00+ odds within 7 days. No Cash out. Get 3x £10 Free Bets on selected markets. Free bets expire in 7 days. Card payments only. T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org More

ONE key feature of Dream Team’s revolutionised scoring system this season is the reward of one point for every shot on target and big chance created.This improvement benefits players who pose a serious threat, therefore allowing the rankings to reflect the true nature of any given game, rather than just the outcome.
Goal involvements remain the game’s primary currency but gaffers should be aware of which players are ticking over with shots on targets and big chances created – the metrics are intrinsically linked.
With that in mind, let’s analyse which midfielders have earned the most points from these avenues so far this season.

PLAY SCORE PREDICTOR AHEAD OF THE WEEKEND’S ACTION – FREE TO PLAY, FANTASTIC WEEKLY PRIZES!

Cream of the cropCredit: Dream Team
Most shots on target and big chances created (combined) among midfielders:

17 – James Maddison (£4.4m)
16 – Bruno Fernandes (£5.9m), Martin Odegaard (£5m)
15 – Moussa Diaby (£3.4m)
13 – Anthony Gordon (£3m)
12 – Rodri (£4.2m), Bukayo Saka (£6.4m), Jarrod Bowen (£4.6m)
11 – James Ward-Prowse (£4.1m), Pascal Gross (£4m), Eberechi Eze (£3.7m)

Tottenham’s No10 leads the way despite the fact he doesn’t have additional European fixtures to bolster his schedule.
Only Manchester City forwards Erling Haaland (£8m) and Julian Alvarez (£4.5m) have registered more than Maddison’s 13 shots on target at the time of writing.
This seems to indicate that the England international should probably have scored more than two goals so far but his personal xG of 1.9 suggests he’s roughly on track – many of his shots are from distance (relatively low-quality chances).
Most read in Football
Arsenal’s captain has also notched 13 shots on target.
This is interesting as many Dream Team bosses would identify Saka as the Gunners’ primary threat – the England winger does have five goals and five assists to his name already this term.
However, it’s notable the 22-year-old features lower down on this list than Odegaard.
If Saka is forced to miss some games having now limped off in his last three outings, the Norway international seems like the best replacement for Dream Team gaffers who still want to benefit from Arsenal’s attacking verve.

Top gunnersCredit: Getty
These stats underline the fact Manchester United’s skipper has been trying his best to propel his side out of their funk.
Mohamed Salah (£6.7m) is the only player to have created more big chances than Fernandes’ six among all assets and so the latter can count himself unlucky not to have registered more than two assists.
The Red Devils face Brentford, Sheffield United and Coperhagen in their next three games so Fernandes owners may be better off ignoring the team’s general malaise and sticking by him for that relatively favourable run at least.
Both Diaby and Gordon have to be considered excellent value-for-money options given their efforts so far.
The former has quickly become a key player for an Aston Villa side that are currently the joint-second highest scorers in the Premier League.
The Villains’ fixtures look friendly for the foreseeable future too.
Hammer time!Credit: Getty
Rodri’s presence is intriguing as he’s primarily seen as a defensive midfielder but, because City dominate so many of their games, he actually spends a lot of time in advanced areas.
Where would the Spaniard be in this ranking had he not been suspended for the last two fixtures?
Statistical confirmation of the threat posed by West Ham’s key midfielders here.
Ward-Prowse, with his fearsome set-pieces, ranks highly for big chances created while Bowen, who is essentially a forward, has quickly reached double figures for shots on target.
Read More on The Sun
Lastly, Gross is expected to return for Brighton soon (possibly on Thursday night) while Crystal Palace will reportedly have to go without Eze for the next six weeks while the bonus point king recovers from a hamstring injury.

talkSPORT BET Welcome offer
Get £30 in free bets when you bet £10 – CLAIM HERE
18+ New customers only. Opt in & bet £10 on any sports at 2.00+ odds within 7 days. No Cash out. Get 3x £10 Free Bets on selected markets. Free bets expire in 7 days. Card payments only. T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org More

ALL is not well at Manchester United.Having lost to Crystal Palace in the Premier League at the weekend, the Red Devils lost to Galatasaray on Tuesday night, despite taking the lead twice at Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag has overseen six defeats already this season to leave his side tenth in the league and bottom of their Champions League group.
Multiple factors have contributed to this stuttering start, not least a litter of injuries, but Marcus Rashford’s (£5.7m) form is a major concern, not least for the 13.3% of Dream Team gaffers currently backing him.
Time for a Rash move?Credit: Dream Team
The England international’s decision-making has been questionable since the start of the campaign and while he was undoubtedly one of the world’s most in-form players earlier this year, he simply doesn’t look right at the moment.
With that in mind, here are five potential replacements for Dream Team’s sixth-most popular striker…
Rasmus Hojlund (£3.7m)
A straight swap from one Man United forward to another is certainly a viable option.
The rapid Dane scored both his side’s goals against their Turkish opposition in midweek and his performances since recovering from injury have provided fans with a reason to be hopeful that the club can eventually settle in 2023/24.
Whereas Rashford averages just 2.7 points-per-game across his last three outings, Hojlund averages 6.3 points-per-game in the same time frame.
Most read in Football
Many Dream Team bosses will feel like staying away from Man United assets altogether but their fixtures are relatively friendly leading up to a daunting Manchester derby at the end of the month.
This coming weekend, Ten Hag’s side host a Brentford side without a win since Gameweek 2 before a trip to 20th-placed Sheffield United and another home European game against Copenhagen.
Ollie Watkins (£4.1m)
Just the 25 points this GameweekCredit: Getty
Not only would this transfer allow gaffers to swap an out-of-sorts striker for one bang in form, it would also free up an additional £1.6m to spend on improvements elsewhere.
Aston Villa’s No11 plundered 25 points against Brighton last Saturday via a hat-trick and two assists for the highest single-game return among all players so far this season.
While it would unreasonable to expect Watkins to repeat that masterclass on a weekly basis, he’s well placed to build upon his overall tally of 58 points in the coming weeks.
Unai Emery’s troops face Wolves, West Ham, Luton, Nottingham Forest and Fulham in their next five league games – plus favourable match-ups in the Europa Conference League (on paper at least).
Watkins started the season with a series of assists but some frustratingly wasteful finishes in the league but he’s well and truly found his shooting boots now and, given the Villains’ attacking verve, may well embark on something of a scoring streak in the coming Gameweeks.
Julian Alvarez (£4.5m)
Hunting Haaland down point by pointCredit: Getty
The World Cup winner has arguably been Manchester City’s best player this season and his total of 75 points is bettered only by team-mate Erling Haaland (£8m) among forwards.
The Argentina international has scored five goals and provided five assists in nine outings and only Jordan Ayew (£2.8m) has more bonus points among players in his position.
Alvarez has registered a whopping 16 shots on target this term – only Haaland has more to his name – and his new role as the treble-winners’ specialist set-piece taker has made him a top-tier Dream Team performer.
He’s likely to feature against RB Leipzig this evening where he’ll almost certainly extend his 30-point lead over Rashford further.

Son Heung-min (£4.7m)
Continuing the theme of players second only to Haaland in key metrics, Tottenham’s captain has six goals to the Norwegian poacher’s eight this season.
The South Korean superstar kickstarted his campaign with a hat-trick against Burnley in Gameweek 4 and not looked back.
Son was Spurs’ derby day hero against Arsenal for his brace at the Emirates and he scored against another tough opponent in Liverpool most recently.
The 16.5%-owned forward is a popular recruit ahead of Gameweek 8 with Ange Postecoglou’s side set to face Luton.
Get in my Son!Credit: Reuters
Darwin Nunez (£4.2m)
Dream Team managers may find it a struggle to swap Rashford for Mohamed Salah (£6.7m) because of the price difference and so the Uruguay international offers a cheaper route into Liverpool’s dynamic attacking unit.
The 24-year-old possess a distinct chaotic energy but this trait makes him a nightmare to defend against when he’s full of confidence.
Nunez didn’t feature against Spurs but with Cody Gakpo (£3.2m) seemingly set for a stint on the sidelines, the former should be back in favour.
The ex-Benfica man banked 42 points between Gameweeks 3 and 6 – his tally of four goals and three assists is only marginally shy of Salah’s record with the Egyptian having played considerably more minutes.
Read More on The Sun
Jurgen Klopp’s side desperately need to improve their discipline as regular red cards have been an unwelcome hindrance to what has otherwise been an encouraging start to the season.
The Reds face Brighton in Gameweek 8 and then play Everton, Toulouse, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, and Luton in their first five games after the international break.

talkSPORT BET Welcome offer
Get £30 in free bets when you bet £10 – CLAIM HERE
18+ New customers only. Opt in & bet £10 on any sports at 2.00+ odds within 7 days. No Cash out. Get 3x £10 Free Bets on selected markets. Free bets expire in 7 days. Card payments only. T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org More

HERE at Dream Team HQ we consider it our duty to flag up successful players who may be flying under the radar.Take Mathias Jensen (£3.2m) for example.
At the time of writing, Brentford’s No8 is the ninth-best midfielder in the game having collected 52 points from seven Gameweeks.
Pulling weight and them someCredit: Dream Team
This impressive total puts him above the likes of Bruno Fernandes (£5.9m), Phil Foden (£4.5m), Pedro Neto (£3.2m), Dominik Szoboszlai (£3.8m), Moussa Diaby (£3.4m) and several other assets who have deservedly received praise so far this season.
In fact, Jensen is the Bees’ best performer at this stage, having recently surpassed Yoane Wissa (£2.3m) and Bryan Mbeumo (£3.6m) – two players considered smart options during the opening month of the campaign.
Thomas Frank’s side were undefeated in their first five games of the season (all competitions) but results have tailed off lately.
Defeat to Newcastle at St James’ Park was followed by a shock loss to Everton and elimination from the Carabao Cup at the hands of Arsenal.
On Sunday, Brentford drew 1-1 with Nottingham Forest, extending their winless run to seven games.
However, despite this drop-off as a collective, Jensen has pulled twice his weight in the middle of the park.
The Denmark international’s assist at the City Ground was his fifth goal involvement of 2023/24.
Most read in Football
Brentford are without a win in the league since August 19thCredit: Getty
He scored against the Toffees, Bournemouth and Newport in addition to his other assist against Tottenham in Gameweek 1.
This increase in attacking output is something the 27-year-old has developed in the last year or so.
He wasn’t a regular scorer in the Championship and he registered just two assists (and zero goals) in all competitions upon promotion to the top flight in 2021/22.
Last season, he registered a very respectable eleven goal involvements (five goals, six assists) and he’s on course to beat that personal best return this term.

Jensen’s minuscule ownership of 0.3% is understandable; Brentford’s form is on the slide and without European fixtures to bolster his schedule it will be a tough ask for him to maintain his lofty position in the coming weeks.
But he evidently deserves to be acknowledged for his efforts to date – the numbers don’t lie.

talkSPORT BET Welcome offer
Get £30 in free bets when you bet £10 – CLAIM HERE
18+ New customers only. Opt in & bet £10 on any sports at 2.00+ odds within 7 days. No Cash out. Get 3x £10 Free Bets on selected markets. Free bets expire in 7 days. Card payments only. T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org More

DREAM TEAM managers are turning their backs on Brighton players in droves this week.With several fixtures still to play before Gameweek 7 is complete, Pervis Estupinan (£3.4m) and Kaoru Mitoma (£3.8m) are among the most transferred-out players ahead of Gameweek 8.

CLICK HERE TO PLAY SCORE PREDICTOR AHEAD OF THE WEEKEND’S ACTION

A dip in popularityCredit: Dream Team
Only the suspended Rodri (£4.2m) has been shipped out of more teams than the Ecuador left-back this week, with the Japan winger third in the list of recently ditched assets.
Clearly this is a response to the Seagulls’ capitulation at Villa Park on Saturday.
Ollie Watkins (£4.1m) inspired Aston Villa to an emphatic 6-1 win in what many anticipated to be a competitive contest.
It was a particularly brutal encounter for Estupinan, who missed a gilt-edged chance early on and was then all over the shop defensively before being hooked at half time.
The 25-year-old incurred minus one point to continue what has been a relatively lean period of late.
He burst out of the blocks with 18 points in his first two outings but has mustered just 15 points across the five Gameweeks since.
Dream Team bosses are looking elsewhere this weekCredit: Rex
As for Mitoma, he claimed just one point at the weekend.
Most read in Football
The skilful dribbler has more credit in the bank as he pouched 15 points the previous Gameweek, mostly through his match-winning display against Bournemouth.
Roberto De Zerbi’s enterprising tactics ensure plenty of goals but clean sheets are few and far between, so perhaps it’s understandable that so many gaffers feel there are better alternatives to Estupinan.
Mitoma’s popularity dip feels harsher but, with an ownership of 20.4%, it’s worth noting he’s still the fourth-most selected midfielder in the game.
Perhaps Dream Team bosses are moving away from Brighton assets because of the fixture list.
Having suffered a heavy defeat to the Villains, De Zerbi’s side suddenly look vulnerable ahead of Liverpool’s visit to the south coast this coming weekend.
And a trip to Manchester City first up after the international break has to be considered among the most-difficult match-ups in world football at present.

Brighton will hope to respond with a win in the Europa League on Thursday nightCredit: Getty
However, it may not be long before Mitoma and company are back in favour as Brighton’s league fixtures from the end of this month through to mid-December look rather friendly.
They’re due to host Fulham at the end of October and will then face: Everton, Sheffield United, Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Brentford, Burnley.
Read More on The Sun
There’s also the small matter of Europa League commitments to consider.
Gaffers would also do well to remember that Brighton won five of their six league games prior to their Villa Park humbling and they remain the league’s top scorers.

talkSPORT BET Welcome offer
Get £30 in free bets when you bet £10 – CLAIM HERE
18+ New customers only. Opt in & bet £10 on any sports at 2.00+ odds within 7 days. No Cash out. Get 3x £10 Free Bets on selected markets. Free bets expire in 7 days. Card payments only. T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org More