Erling Haaland was so good last season that it’s impossible to leave him out and he’s more than likely going to be my captain for week one. There are still a few bargains to be had with players like Kaoru Mitoma, Bryan Mbeumo and Morgan Gibbs-White worth considering while Matt Turner and Issa Kabore are available at a very good price to at least keep the bench warm.
Friday August 11
Burnley v Manchester City
8pm BST, Turf Moor, Burnley
Burnley couldn’t ask for a tougher test in their first game back in the top flight with a home match against the reigning champions. Like any promoted team their home form will decide their fate, but that home form is unlikely to get off to a good start. They are the most likely of the three promoted teams to perform well in the top flight, but they don’t have a game next week.
Burnley players aren’t exactly popular with fantasy managers at the moment which isn’t surprising as they don’t play next week and it could take a few weeks before we get a good idea of their best options.
City won their third title in a row last season and they will be favourites to retain that title yet again this season. Only Arsenal took more points away from home than City last season and they will be expected to get off to a winning start in this game. City still have a lot of work to do in the weeks before the transfer window closes and that could have an effect on how their season starts.
Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and John Stones are the City players most likely to start the season well for fantasy managers with Haaland a must have.
I can’t see anything other than a comfortable victory for City in this game.
Prediction: 1-3
Saturday August 12
Arsenal v Nottingham Forest
12.30pm BST, Emirates Stadium, London
Arsenal faded at the wrong time last season and ended up in second place behind City, but they have set about strengthening their squad for a fresh challenge this season. They conceded too many goals at home last season for a team chasing for the title, but they scored a lot too. If they’re going to go one better this season they need to hit the ground running and contend with their Champions League games too.
There are so many Arsenal players to choose from for fantasy managers with Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Magahales and William Saliba probably the best choices early on.
Forest finished last season strongly to just about avoid relegation and they will be looking to improve on that position this season. They only won away from home once last season and they conceded more goals on the road than any other team. If they’re going to finish higher than they did last season they have to do an awful lot better on their travels, but this will be a very tough test for them.
Morgan Gibbs-White is the Forest player who can make a difference for fantasy managers despite their difficult start to the season while Brennan Johnson and Taiwo Awoniyi could do well too.
I can’t see anything other than Arsenal taking the three points in this game.
Prediction: 3-1
Bournemouth v West Ham United
3pm BST, Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth
Bournemouth did very well to keep their Premier League place last season and that has to be their primary aim this season too. Like any other team fighting to stay up their home form will be crucial and they have three very tough home games after this one. They have a very hard start to their campaign and if they concede goals like they did last season they could be propping up the table very quickly.
I’m not sure which Bournemouth players will do well for fantasy managers this season, but Philip Billing and Dominic Solanke did fairly well last season.
West Ham might have narrowly avoided relegation last season, but they won the Europa Conference League Final to make it a season to remember. They only managed 12 points on the road last season and three of their first four games are away from home. Like Bournemouth they have a tough start to their season and they could really do with all three points in this game.
Jarrod Bowen is probably the West Ham player most likely to perform well for fantasy managers.
I think this will be a very close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the spoils shared.
Prediction: 1-1
Brighton And Hove Albion v Luton Town
3pm BST, AMEX Stadium, Brighton
Brighton had a fantastic season which saw them qualify for European football for the first time last season. Three of their first four games are at home and that could give them the chance to start the season strongly. Only three other teams scored more goals last season and they have managed to hold on to almost all of the squad that did so well so far at least.
Kaoru Mitoma and Pervis Estupinan are the stand out Brighton options for fantasy managers, but Evan Ferguson, Julio Encisco, Pascal Gross and Solly March are all good choices too.
Luton won the play off final to gain promotion to the Premier League last season and their aim has to be to maintain that status. With six of their first nine games away from home Luton could find themselves struggling to keep up with the other teams at the wrong end of the table early on. They don’t play next week due to the construction work at Kenilworth Road so the chances are they will be playing catch up from the start.
It’s not easy to know which Luton players to recommend to fantasy managers, but Carlton Morris might be worth considering while John McAtee and Amari’i Bell might offer some value for bench players at least.
I think Brighton will continue on from where they left off last season and win this game with a few goals to spare.
Prediction: 3-0
Everton v Fulham
3pm BST, Goodison Park, Liverpool
Everton just about managed to avoid relegation last season and they don’t look to have done much to strengthen their squad so far. Only Southampton lost more home games than Everton last season and no other team scored less goals on their own patch. They have a very good run of games to start the season and that should give them the chance to keep themselves a bit above the wrong end of the table.
I can’t see any Everton players to suggest to fantasy managers at the moment other than possibly Jordan Pickford given their good early fixtures.
Fulham finished in the top half of the table last season and they will hope to match that again this season, but I’m not sure they will be able to do it. Only five other teams managed more points on their travels last season and they will fancy their chances against an Everton team who struggled at home in that campaign. They need to get something out of their first two games because they travel to both of last season’s top two in the following games.
Bernd Leno and Andreas Pereira are the Fulham players who could possibly do well for fantasy managers.
I think this will be a very close game and the chances are it will end in a draw.
Prediction: 2-2
Sheffield United v Crystal Palace
3pm BST, Bramall Lane, Sheffield
United were promoted in second place from the Championship last season and their main ambition has to be to avoid going straight back down. They will be anxious to get something from this game as their next home game is against last season’s champions. Three of their first four games are against teams who could potentially be at the wrong end of the table with them so we might get a good idea of their capabilities early on.
I’m not sure there are any United players who can make a difference for fantasy managers and it might be best to wait a few weeks to see if any emerge.
Palace finished strongly last season after Ray Hodgson took the reins and they will hope to match that finish at the start of this season. They only won four away games last season, but I think this game gives them a great chance to get off to a flyer. They have a pretty good run of fixtures to start their season and they will hope to take advantage of that.
Eberechi Eze is the Palace player most likely to do well for fantasy managers with Michael Olise an option too if he’s fit to play.
I think this will be a close game with Palace probably winning it by a single goal.
Prediction: 1-2
Newcastle United v Aston Villa
5.30pm BST, St. James’ Park, Newcastle
Newcastle had a fantastic season last season with their top four finish qualifying them for the Champions League, but it won’t be easy for them to retain that top four place. They only lost two home games last season and they didn’t concede too many goals on their own patch either. Their first four fixtures are all far from easy and they will be pushed to keep up with the pacesetters early on.
Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson can both do very well for fantasy managers and the Newcastle defenders and keeper could be good choices too if they can match their performances from the first half of last season.
Villa did very well to finish seventh last season after Unai Emery turned things around for them and they will want to build on that this season. Villa struggled to score goals away from home last season and they have some tough away games at the start of this season. Their next two games after this are a lot less difficult and they will be more than happy to get anything from this game going into them.
Ollie Watkins is the outstanding pick in the Villa team for fantasy managers while Emiliano Martinez, Tyrone Mings, Emiliano Buendia and Youri Tielemans are possibilities too.
I think this will be another very close game and the chances are home advantage will count for Newcastle.
Prediction: 2-1
Sunday August 13
Brentford v Tottenham Hotspur
2pm BST, Gtech Community Stadium, London
Brentford did really well to finish comfortably in the top half of the table last season, but maintaining that position could be a good deal more difficult. They only lost two home games last season and they will probably need to be just as good at home this season if they are going to do as well. I’m not so sure they will do as well though and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them struggle more than they did last season.
With Ivan Toney suspended for the first half of the season Bryan Mbeumo could do well for fantasy managers if he’s fit to play and David Raya is worth watching unless he departs.
Spurs had a really poor season last season and their hopes of improving must surely rest on their ability to retain Harry Kane at this late stage. No other team in the top half of the table lost more games on their own ground last season and that’s something they have to put right if they’re going to improve. If Kane does leave it could be a very difficult season for them, but they do have a fairly good run of games to start their season.
If Kane decides to stay he’s the obvious choice in the Spurs team for fantasy managers considering how well he did in such a poor team last season while James Maddison could do well too.
I can’t see too much between these two teams and the most likely result is a score draw.
Prediction: 1-1
Chelsea v Liverpool
4.30om BST, Stamford Bridge, London
Chelsea had an absolutely awful season last season and they have again attempted to sign every player possible to make themselves a better team. They only won six of their 19 home games last season and they only scored 20 goals in those games. They have seven good fixtures in s row after this game and that should give them the chance to build some momentum or who knows we could see another managerial change if things don’t go their way.
With so much change in the Chelsea ranks it’s not easy to know which players to recommend to fantasy managers, but they have a very good run of games after this one.
Liverpool had a very disappointing season last season too and like Chelsea they won’t have Champions League football to look forward to. They lost eight away games last season and they conceded more goals than they scored on the road too. Only the top two scored more goals though and their hopes of finishing in the top four probably depend on sorting out their defensive issues.
With so much change in their midfield it’s not easy to predict how Liverpool players will do for fantasy managers, but Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold are still very good options.
Both teams will really want to get their season off to a flyer, but the chances are they will have to settle for a point each.
Prediction: 2-2
Monday August 14
Manchester United v Wolverhampton Wanderers
8pm BST, Old Trafford, Manchester
United finished second and won the EFL Cup last season, but their expectations have to be even higher this season. They only lost one home game last season and they conceded less goals on their own patch than any other team. They didn’t score enough goals last season, but they will hope the addition of Rasmus Hojlund will help to put that right.
Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw are probably the United players most likely to return points for fantasy managers with Andre Onana worth considering too.
Wolves had a strong second half to last season which kept them in the top flight for another season, but things aren’t looking too healthy at the moment. Only two other teams took less points on the road last season and only Forest scored less goals on their travels. The last minute change of manager might just be what they need, but I’m not so sure it will work out.
I can’t see any Wolves players to suggest for fantasy managers until we get an idea of where their season is going.
I think this should be a relatively straightforward start to the season for United and they should win comfortably.
Prediction: 3-0
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
These predictions are meer assumptions. Yes, the league is getting harder and harder by the seconds but one thing i respect this league for is its unpredictability unlike others wherein two or three teams are dominant. I believe that we shall see few black horses other than the expected big names to upset the league as it wares on.......
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