Fantasy Football

We all know Dream Team is the centre of the universe, right?And with that in mind, we’ve decided England manager Gareth Southgate might like to consider picking his best starting XI based entirely on this season’s Dream Team points.
Here’s what we’ve conjured up. Fans of the current Three Lions team might want to look away now…
Spoiler alertCredit: GETTY
GOALKEEPER: Nick Pope (£4.3m)
Newcastle’s Nick Pope isn’t just England’s top-scoring goalkeeper — he’s the highest scoring stopper among ALL Dream Team keepers!
The 31-year-old, who didn’t make Southgate’s squad, has accumulated 55 points this season, meaning he’s comfortably ahead of England rivals Jordan Pickford (27 points) and Aaron Ramsdale (21 points).
Crystal Palace’s Sam Johnstone (£1.7m) is our back-up option.
DEFENDERS: Kieran Trippier (£5.6m), Ben White (£4.5m), Dan Burn (£3.9m), Levi Colwill (£2.9m)
An interesting back four, granted. But we MUST stick to the data to preserve the legitimacy of our experiment. Southgate is counting on us…
Newcastle’s in-form Kieran Trippier gets priority at right-back considering he’s gathered a colossal 75 points this season.
He’s provided a whopping six assists in ten appearances and only five players in the entire game have outscored him.
The versatile Ben White slots in at centre-back having played 207 of his 286 senior appearances there.
White has 66 points this season but – much like his England career – is being overlooked by managers just a lowly 8.8% ownership.
Levi Colwill makes the cut at centre-back.
The Chelsea defender has enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign, which has seen him rise to sixth in the overall defender standings with 52 points – averaging eight in his last three games.
And finally – man, myth, legend Dan Burn joins his Newcastle colleague on the opposite flank.
The Geordie gladiator (and surprisingly good dancer) has developed an appetite for goals having scored against both Sheffield United and Paris Saint-Germain.
Ignored by Gareth Southgate, not by usCredit: GETTY
MIDFIELDERS: James Maddison (£4.3m), James Ward-Prowse (£4.3m), Jarrod Bowen (£4.8m), Phil Foden (£4.6m), James Garner (£2m)
Alas, we’ll NOT be going with Mike Bassett’s traditional 4-4-2 formation here. However, there are shades of Bassett’s Christmas Tree formation. Is this the ultimate hipster quintet?
Anyway, Tottenham’s James Maddison is an obvious inclusion having registered 76 points this season including a massive 18 bonus points to boot. He’s not exactly going under the radar with 41.% of gaffers picking him for their squads.
Phil Foden is another chosen by Southgate for the games against Australia and Italy, and rightly so given he’s relished the opportunity to step into Kevin De Bruyne’s boots at Manchester City.
Jarrod Bowen completes our attacking trio on the right flank. He’s the fifth highest-scoring midfielder in Dream Team right now after scoring five goals and providing an assist in nine matches.
Now this is where it gets interesting.
Maddison is pushing hard for a place in England’s starting line-upCredit: Rex
The most under-appreciated player in the English game James Ward-Prowse is absent from England’s squad – and nobody can quite understand why.
The 28-year-old has hit the ground running at West Ham with two goals and seven assists, while accumulating 72 points at an average of 6.8 per game.
Martin Odegaard is the only midfielder with more points in Dream Team and has double the ownership. JWP is the seventh-highest scorer in the game and has more bonus points than quite literally anyone.
Sneaking in alongside him is Everton’s James Garner, who’s quietly been going about his business on the way to 61 points. Just 1.4% of managers have selected Garner, leaving Southgate is in the clear majority by not picking him for England.
It would be remiss not to mention Jude Bellingham, who would clearly make this XI if Real Madrid fell under Dream Team’s jurisdiction. We’ve also omitted Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze, who are both injured.
STRIKER: Ollie Watkins (£4.3m)
With Harry Kane unavailable for selection, Aston Villa hitman Ollie Watkins will be spearheading our attack.
Watkins is the top-scoring English forward in Dream Team with 65 points and a fairly modest 10.2% ownership. Only attackers Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak have outscored him but nobody has a higher average points than Watkins’ 10.7 over the last three game weeks.
Dominic Solanke is our back-up option, and would get in ahead of Marcus Rashford on points.
Here’s what our XI would look like…
It’s… interesting
In conclusion, we don’t hate it. Kind of.

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THREE of the four top points scorers so far this season are three of the four most expensive players available.So to score big and include the likes of Erling Haaland, Bukayo Saka and/or Mohamed Salah in your side, you need to spend wisely elsewhere.
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Only Trippier and White have more points as a defender than Andersen
That’s where your bargain buys come in. But it’s important you don’t just fill spots with no-hopers, just because they’re cheap.
That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the top 5 points scorers under £4million, to give you plenty of food for thought this international break.
Top 5 points scorers that cost less than £4m

Eberechi Eze – £3.6m – 63 points
Joao Pedro – £2.8m – 63 points
James Garner – £2m – 61 points
Mathias Jensen – £3.3m – 60 points
Joachim Andersen – £3.1m – 60 points

Crystal Palace star Eze really hit the ground running at the start of the season.
The added pressure of having no Wilfried Zaha in the line-up seems to have done him wonders and he looks to take on that extra responsiblity.
He came out the blocks flying with 44 points by the end of Game Week 4 and has slowed down slightly but a great option at the price.
Eberechi seems an Eze optionCredit: Reuters
Joao Pedro being as high up this list is a testament to him, given he’s played the full 90 minutes just once this season.
Has registered five goals across all competitions for the Seagulls and has matched the points return of Eze, despite costing less than £3m.
No surprise to see his price increasing recently and his ownership numbers will likely follow suit.
James Garner will surprise a few managers in Dream Team, given Everton have flown under the radar despite their recent uplift in form.
At just £2m, Garner is one of the best value-for-money purchases available, which only 1.3% of managers are currently benefitting from.
Has two goals in his last three Toffess appearances and will be hoping this international break doesn’t halt his progress.
Mathias Jensen has surpassed both Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa in the Brentford rankings for points – both of whom were considered shrewd business earlier in the campaign – and is now the top Bees scorer.
Mathias JensenCredit: Getty
Brentford’s results have tailed off recently, but Jensen has still chipped in with two goals in his last five outings and his position in the midfield sees him able to accumulate plenty of points for managers.
Only Kieran Trippier and Ben White have more points as a defender at this stage than Joachim Andersen.
Arsenal and Manchester City are the only two clubs to have conceded less goals than Palace in the league so far this season (7 goals in 8 games).
Andersen has scored twice himself this season too. Word of caution though – Palace have Newcastle and Tottenham in their next two.
Special shout out to Alexander Isak who ranks as eighth best in the game so far with 72 points and sits bang on the £4m mark.
He’s a much cheaper option than the likes of Haaland (£7.7m) and Salah (£6.5m) who currently sit ahead of him in the charts.
But he’s surprisingly cheaper than Ollie Watkins (£4.3m) and Son (£4.8m) who he’s outscored so far.
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DREAM TEAM brings you all the latest injury, suspension and availability news ahead of Gameweek 8 in one easily digestible dose.Roy Hodgson confirmed the rumours that Eberechi Eze (£3.7m) has suffered a “serious” hamstring injury with Crystal Palace’s No10 expected to be sidelined for approximately six weeks.
The talented midfielder is joint-fifth in his position and leads the way among all assets for bonus points.
In more positive news for the Eagles, Odsonne Edouard (£2.9m) was pictured in training and has a decent chance of being involved this weekend.

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Eze is a big miss for PalaceCredit: Dream Team
Mikel Arteta told reporters that Bukayo Saka (£6.4m) is “in contention” to face Manchester City on Sunday despite the winger’s premature substitution against Lens.
Arsenal’s No7 has limped off in his last three outings and will be monitored closely in the coming days.
As for Pep Guardiola’s side, John Stones (£5m) is still not quite ready to return, though he’s been named in the latest England squad.
Rodri (£4.2m) will serve the final game of his domestic suspension.
Tottenham’s Manor Solomon (£2.4m) faces a long spell on the sidelines because of a “significant knee injury” while Gameweek 8 also comes too soon for Brennan Johnson (£2.5m).
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However, both Bryan Gil (£2m) and Giovani Lo Celso (£1.9m) have returned to training.
Key players James Maddison (£4.4m) and Son Heung-min (£4.7m) are “fine” according to Ange Postecoglou – the pair are Dream Team’s most-popular recruits this week.
Cody Gakpo (£3.2m) is progressing well already but Liverpool won’t be able to call upon the Dutchman’s services until after the international break.
The Reds will also be without Diogo Jota (£3.4m) and Curtis Jones (£2m) for their trip to Brighton following the pair’s red cards at Spurs last Saturday.
As for the Seagulls, Pervis Estupinan (£3.4m) is expected to be out of action for a month “more or less” – the Ecuador international is Dream Team fifth-most popular defender at the time of writing.
Estupinan features in almost a fifth of all teamsCredit: Getty
Moussa Diaby (£3.4m) is scheduled to train on Saturday and has a chance of making Aston Villa’s trip to Wolves but Unai Emery stressed that the Frenchman is a doubt – he was not in the squad for the Villians’ Europa Conference League game on Thursday night.
Unfortunately, both Jacob Ramsey (£2.7m) and Alex Moreno (£2.5m) have suffered recurrences of their previous injuries and are once again unavailable.
Anthony (£3.4m) is available to start for Manchester United having been reintegrated into the squad in midweek.
Newcastle will make late decisions on Callum Wilson (£4.3m) and Joelinton (£2.8m) ahead of their game against West Ham at the London Stadium.
Anthony Gordon (£3m), who was among the transferred-in players last week, is suspended having raced to five yellow cards.

Diaby is a doubt but could still travel to MolineuxCredit: Getty
ARSENAL
Injuries: Jurrien Timber, Gabriel Martinelli (doubt), Bukayo Saka (doubt)
Suspensions: None
ASTON VILLA
Injuries: Tyrone Mings, Emi Buendia, Tim Iroegbunam, Jacob Ramsey, Alex Moreno, Moussa Diaby (doubt), Boubacar Kamara
Suspensions: None
BOURNEMOUTH
Injuries: Alex Scott, Ryan Fredericks, Emiliano Marcondes, Chris Mepham, Lloyd Kelly, Tyler Adams
Suspensions: None
BRENTFORD
Injuries: Josh Dasilva, Shandon Baptiste, Rico Henry, Mikkel Damsgaard, Ben Mee, Kevin Schade
Suspensions: Ivan Toney
BRIGHTON
Injuries: Julio Enciso, Pervis Estupinan, James Milner (doubt), Adam Lallana
Suspensions: None
BURNLEY
Injuries: Michael Obafemi, Hjalmar Ekdal, Nathan Redmond, Manuel Benson, Johan Berg Gudmundsson
Suspensions: None
CHELSEA
Injuries: Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, Christopher Nkunku, Beniot Badiashile, Wesley Fofana, Marcus Bettinelli, Carney Chukwuemeka (doubt), Romeo Lavia, Ben Chilwell
Suspensions: Malo Gusto
CRYSTAL PALACE
Injuries: Michael Olise, Matheus Franca, Naouirou Ahamada, James Tomkins, Jefferson Lerma, Dean Henderson, Eberechi Eze, Odsonne Edouard (doubt)
Suspensions: None
EVERTON
Injuries: Seamus Coleman, Dele Alli, Andre Gomes (doubt)
Suspensions: None
FULHAM
Injuries: Tosin Adarabioyo, Adama Traore, Kenny Tete
Suspensions: None
LIVERPOOL
Injuries: Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic, Cody Gakpo
Suspensions: Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota
LUTON
Injuries: Dan Potts, Jordan Clark, Gabriel Osho, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Amari’i Bell (doubt)
Suspensions: None
MANCHESTER CITY
Injuries: Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones
Suspensions: Rodri
MANCHESTER UNITED
Injuries: Luke Shaw, Amad Diallo, Kobbie Mainoo, Tyrell Malacia, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Lisandro Martinez, Sergio Reguilon
Suspensions: None
NEWCASTLE
Injuries: Joe Willock, Emil Krath, Harvey Barnes, Sven Botman, Callum Wilson (doubt), Joelinton (doubt)
Suspensions: Anthony Gordon
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Injuries: Danilo, Nuno Tavares, Nicolas Dominguez (doubt), Ryan Yates (doubt), Ola Aina (doubt)
Suspensions: Moussa Niakhate
SHEFFIELD UNITED
Injuries: Rhys Norrington-Davies, Daniel Jebbison, John Fleck (doubt), Max Lowe, Ben Osborn, Will Osula, George Baldock, John Egan
Suspensions: None
TOTTENHAM
Injuries: Ivan Perisic, Rodrigo Bentacur, Ryan Sessegnon, Alfie Whiteman, Brennan Johnson, Manor Solomon
Suspensions: None
WEST HAM
Injuries: Aaron Cresswell (doubt), Michail Antonio (doubt), Ben Johnson (doubt)
Suspensions: None
WOLVES
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Injuries: Santiago Bueno (doubt), Hugo Bueno (doubt)
Suspensions: Jean-Ricner Bellegarde

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STOP the presses!Is it actually possible that Erling Haaland (£8m) is NOT the safe, smart choice for captain in Gameweek 8?
Manchester City’s No9 is still by far and away the most-popular selection to have his points doubled among Dream Team managers but if ever there was a week to take him on, this is surely it.

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Dare you take Haaland on this weekend?Credit: Getty
Pep Guardiola’s side travel to the Emirates for a top-of-table clash on Sunday in what should be a competitive fixture.
Granted, the treble winners have an impressive recent record against the Gunners – they won 3-1 in North London earlier this year – but Mikel Arteta’s men ultimately triumphed in the Community Shield and when Rodri (£4.2m) is unavailable City are noticeably more vulnerable.
The same logic can be applied to several other captaincy candidates: Martin Odegaard (£5m), Julian Alvarez (£4.5m), etc.
So, with Gameweek 8’s headline fixture a difficult one to read, perhaps gaffers should look elsewhere for captaincy options?
Tempting alternativesCredit: Dream Team
James Maddison (£4.4m)
There’s a chance Tottenham could head into the international break as league leaders.
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With Arsenal and City going to battle, Ange Postecoglou’s troops have a relatively favourable fixture in the form of Luton.
The Hatters beat Everton last weekend but defeat to Burnley in midweek came as something of a reality check and Rob Edwards will know his side will have to be at their resilient best to keep a free-flowing Spurs at bay.
Maddison is his side’s playmaker-in-chief and he’s not shy of a effort on goal either – no midfielder has registered more shots on target this season.
Even without European fixtures, Spurs’ No10 is the joint-third best asset in his position this term.
Son Heung-min (£4.7m)
Much of what applied to Maddison is also relevant here.
In fact, Dream Team gaffers with both Spurs stars in their XI will have a tough time deciding who to select as captain if they do decide to target the Luton fixture.
The South Korea international has scored six goals in his last four outings, a run that includes tricky match-ups against Arsenal and Liverpool.
Son is the fourth-most popular captain ahead of Gameweek 8.
A man in formCredit: Reuters
Mohamed Salah (£6.7m)
Many gaffers will defer to Liverpool’s main man if they feel Haaland isn’t a suitable captain this weekend.
Salah is the second-most selected striker in Dream Team and his return of four goals and four assists, while impressive, doesn’t even tell the full story.
The 31-year-old has created ten big chances in all competitions this season – no other player has registered more than six.
And his tally of 14 shots on target is only bettered by the aforementioned pair of Alvarez and Haaland.
The Reds travel to Brighton on Sunday and while that may well prove to be a tricky fixture, it’s a match-up that virtually guarantees goals.
The Seagulls are the Premier League’s top scorers but they’ve also conceded as many goals as Luton – they simply don’t do clean sheets.
Aston Villa hit six past them last weekend and Salah will be licking his lips at the prospect of an open game with counterattacking potential.
Levi Colwill (£2.7m)
48 points and countingCredit: Getty
A proper outside-the-box suggestion to finish.
With so much of the talk around Chelsea focusing on their inefficiency in front of goal, their solid defensive record has gone somewhat unnoticed.
The Blues have kept four clean sheets in all competitions and only Man City have conceded fewer league goals this campaign.
This parsimony has translated to Dream Team success with Robert Sanchez (£2.7m) second in the goalkeeper rankings and both Colwill and Axel Disasi (£3.5m) among the top eight defenders.
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The 20-year-old, who is included in Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad, took Fulham for 12 points on Monday night and looks well placed to thrive again at Turf Moor on Saturday.
Burnley have scored just five league goals since promotion and so they are unlikely to get much joy out of Colwill and company on current form.

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IMAGINE earning 249 Dream Team points in a single week.An unrealistic dream for most gaffers but reality for Stuart Hanson, who achieved this massive tally in Gameweek 7 to earn himself £100!
Let’s take a closer look at how he racked up such an imposing total…

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Stuart’s XI if fullCredit: Dream Team
To get the boring part out of the way, gaffers who activate Park the Bus would generally be better off reverting to a formation with five at the back for that Gameweek to maximise the Booster’s effectiveness.
Consider that general advice for the masses and not a criticism of Stuart’s undeniably epic performance in Gameweek 7.
Stuart doubled his back four’s collective haul of 59 points to 118 with Park the Bus, mostly thanks to Newcastle’s near-perfect double header against Burnley and PSG.
The Magpies kept their fifth consecutive clean sheet with victory over the Clarets and while they did concede to the French champions, the emphatic 4-1 win at St James’ Park yielded more returns.
Dan Burn (£3.8m) scored past Gigi Donnarumma to propel himself up to third in the defensive rankings while Kieran Trippier (£5.5m) continued his majestic form with assists in both fixtures.
The England full-back has been on a tear of late, notching 55 points across the last three Gameweeks!
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Needless to say, Trippier is Dream Team’s outright best defender at this stage having amassed 70 points in total.
Good touch for a big manCredit: Dream Team
Ben White (£4.3m) is the defender sandwiched between the Newcastle pair at the top of the rankings.
Arsenal’s No4 only played 19 minutes against Lens in midweek for a single point but by then he’d already enjoyed himself against Bournemouth to the tune of 15 points.
The 25-year-old scored his side’s fourth goal against the Cherries in stoppage time to add to his clean sheet.
William Saliba (£3.5m) is the most-popular defender in Dream Team right now but White has outscored his team-mate by 15 points after seven Gameweeks.
It was a relatively modest week for Kyle Walker (£3.6m) as Manchester City failed to keep their sheets clean against either Wolves or RB Leipzig – the speedy right-back did earn three bonus points at Molineux as partial compensation.

Saka bags points even at 30% capacityCredit: Getty
In midfield, Stuart predicted that Mikel Arteta would pick Bukayo Saka (£6.4m) if available despite injury concerns.
The Gunners’ No7 limped off against Bournemouth and Lens but still he managed 14 points in Gameweek 7 via a goal and an assist.
However, it was Martin Odegaard (£5m) who benefited most from what should have been a favourable pair of fixtures for Arsenal – their Champions League defeat came at the hands of a team currently 15th in Ligue 1.
The Norway international scored 16 of his 20 points at the Vitality Stadium where he scored one goal (from the penalty spot) and assisted two others.
Given that Stuart activated Park the Bus, Odegaard proved to be the perfect choice for the captain’s armband.
James Ward-Prowse (£4.1m) was the most transferred-in player prior to Gameweek 7 and he justified his popularity with a 16-point return over two fixtures.
Shots on target, big chances created, tackles, assists, goals, bonus points… the West Ham midfielder does it all!
Dream Team’s joint-third best midfielderCredit: Rex
Phil Foden (£4.5m) mustered four points at Molineux but came good with a fine showing in Germany in midweek.
The treble winner scored City’s first goal against RB Leipzig and he was unlucky not to register an assist as well having created two big chances.
Stuart was happy to tackle Gameweek 7 without Erling Haaland (£8m) – who appears in 88.2% of teams – and this bold tactic proved to be a masterstroke.
While the prolific Norwegian had to settle for seven points, Julian Alvarez (£4.5m) added another 20 to his overall tally.
The World Cup winner scored a pinpoint free-kick in the defeat to Wolves and he came off the bench to finish the job in the Champions League with a goal and an assist during the final minutes of the game.
Alvarez actually leapfrogged Haaland in the overall rankings this past week – he’s level with Saka on 85 points at the top of the tree.
Top classCredit: AP
Finally, Alexander Isak (£3.8m) continued his resurgence with a 17-point haul spread over two outings.
The Swedish forward scored against Burnley and registered a further three shots on target in a threatening display, before being credited with an assist against PSG.
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Having clobbered together just nine points between Gameweeks 2 and 5, Isak is firmly back on track having pocketed 34 points across the two Gameweeks since.
Magnificent work, Stuart – good luck to you and all gaffers ahead of Gameweek 8!

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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…

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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.
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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.
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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.

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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.

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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.
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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…
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Our Prediction: 1-1 draw

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