{"id":588697,"date":"2021-04-08T07:22:55","date_gmt":"2021-04-08T11:22:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/?p=588697"},"modified":"2021-05-06T21:44:52","modified_gmt":"2021-05-07T01:44:52","slug":"fantasy-premier-league-gameweek-31-preview-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2021\/04\/08\/fantasy-premier-league-gameweek-31-preview-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 31 Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fantasy Premier League gameweek 31 has a Friday deadline. This is a very interesting gameweek with many FPL managers opting to deploy their second wildcards. Read on to find out more about this gameweek.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 31 Picks<\/span><\/h2>\n

Quick Tips<\/span><\/h3>\n

The teams involved in European competitions have to play twice almost every week. Hence, squad rotations will stay as prominent as ever before. It is perhaps better to pick players that have a point to prove or from teams that are fighting to achieve something in the league. A team like Arsenal right now will focus entirely on the Europa League. Manchester City have all but sewn up the title as well. On the other hand, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur only have the Premier League to play. Also, teams involved in the relegation battle tend to produce surprise results during this period of the season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Goalkeepers<\/span><\/h3>\n

Despite last week’s debacle,\u00a0<\/span>Edouard Mendy<\/a>\u00a0remains a great choice this week. Chelsea have been very solid under Thomas Tuchel and kept yet another clean sheet on Wednesday night in the Champions League. One should treat last week’s match as a freak result and trust in Chelsea’s defence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Arguably the best keeper this season\u00a0<\/span>Emiliano Mart\u00ednez<\/a>\u00a0has some tough fixtures coming up. However, this week’s opponents Liverpool have struggled badly in front of goal at home and the potential is there for Aston Villa to keep a clean sheet. Opposition keepers have produced a lot of points at Anfield recently. Will Martinez continue that trend? He has kept eight clean sheets away from home including at\u00a0<\/span>Leicester City<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Arsenal<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nick Pope<\/a>\u00a0has a very good chance of keeping a clean sheet this week against struggling\u00a0<\/span>Newcastle United<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fraser Forster<\/a>\u00a0is starting regularly for Southampton now. If one is on a wildcard, he is probably the best second keeper option.<\/span><\/p>\n

Defenders<\/span><\/h3>\n

C\u00e9sar Azpilicueta<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Antonio R\u00fcdiger<\/a>\u00a0are probably the best options from Chelsea as they face defensive-minded Crystal Palace.\u00a0<\/span>Ben Chilwell<\/a>\u00a0played the whole game on\u00a0<\/span>Wednesday night<\/span><\/a>\u00a0so Thomas Tuchel might decide to go with\u00a0<\/span>Marcos Alonso<\/a>\u00a0for this one. However, with Chelsea fighting for a top-four finish, three points from this game are very much required. So, there is no guarantee especially as Chilwell has been performing very well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Burnley defenders should do well this week. The likes of\u00a0<\/span>Ben Mee<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>James Tarkowski<\/a>\u00a0and Matthew Lowton<\/a> all have the potential to get six points or more.<\/span><\/p>\n

The expensive\u00a0<\/span>Trent Alexander-Arnold<\/a>\u00a0could be worth bringing in considering the kind run of fixtures ahead for Liverpool. However, their atrocious home record remains a big worry.<\/span><\/p>\n

Manchester City defenders will likely do well but it is very difficult to predict who will start.\u00a0<\/span>Aymeric Laporte<\/a>\u00a0should start this one after sitting out the Champions League match.\u00a0<\/span>Benjamin Mendy<\/a>\u00a0should do very well if he starts.<\/span><\/p>\n

The injuries to\u00a0<\/span>Kieran Tierney<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>David Luiz<\/a>\u00a0will severely weaken Arsenal’s defence. The gunners have a very good fixture this week against rock bottom Sheffield United. However, it may not be an easy outing in Yorkshire for\u00a0<\/span>Mikel Arteta<\/a>‘s men, especially after their Thursday night Europa League match.\u00a0<\/span>Rob Holding<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>C\u00e9dric Soares<\/a>\u00a0are being considered by many FPL managers although it is doubtful whether they will start.<\/span><\/p>\n

With good fixtures coming up, Wolves defenders have come into the picture.\u00a0<\/span>Conor Coady<\/a>\u00a0is the one to take if one is after a nailed-on starter. However,\u00a0<\/span>Romain Sa\u00efss<\/a>\u00a0offers more attacking threat from set-piece situations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Midfielders<\/span><\/h3>\n

Not long ago, captaining Mohamed Salah<\/a> at home to a mid-table opponent would have been a no-brainer. However, those days are long gone. The last time Liverpool won at Anfield in the premier league was in December against\u00a0<\/span>Tottenham Hotspur.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0Since then, they have managed to gain a\u00a0<\/span>shocking two points from eight games<\/span><\/a>\u00a0on home soil.<\/span><\/p>\n

Liverpool lost 3-1<\/span><\/a>\u00a0against\u00a0<\/span>Real Madrid<\/span><\/a>\u00a0on Tuesday night and have it all to do in the second leg. However, Salah has scored two goals in the last two matches so he looks in decent scoring touch.\u00a0<\/span>Aston Villa<\/span><\/a>\u00a0are no pushovers though and have performed quite well away from home this season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Second-guessing\u00a0<\/span>Pep Guardiola<\/a>\u00a0is a dangerous thing. He is well-known for his squad rotation and has been doing it more this season. So, captaining a\u00a0<\/span>Manchester City<\/span><\/a>\u00a0player is very risky indeed. However,\u00a0<\/span>Raheem Sterling<\/a>\u00a0did not see a single minute of action on Tuesday night and\u00a0<\/span>only played for around half an hour<\/span><\/a>\u00a0last Saturday. This gives him a very good chance to start this weekend. Sterling has happy memories of playing against Leeds United as well as he scored earlier in the season at Elland road. He offers a tantalizing captaincy option with the potential of a huge score.<\/span><\/p>\n

Diogo Jota<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Jesse Lingard<\/a>\u00a0are in great form. Lingard was sensational last week. With injuries to key players,\u00a0<\/span>West Ham United<\/span><\/a>\u00a0fans will hope he can continue his brilliant form till the end of the season. There is a worry with Jota’s starting status though after he started in midweek.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other midfield options to consider are\u00a0<\/span>Pedro Neto<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Bukayo Saka<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>James Ward-Prowse<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Strikers<\/span><\/h3>\n

Tottenham\u2019s performances have not impressed their fans in recent times. One man has kept their Champions League qualification hopes alive in recent weeks and that man is\u00a0<\/span>Harry Kane<\/a>. He is doing almost everything for the side.\u00a0<\/span>Son Heung-min<\/a>\u00a0should return to the starting lineup this week which will help Kane. However, this could be a very cagey match as\u00a0<\/span>Ole Gunnar Solskj\u00e6r<\/a>\u00a0won\u2019t want a repeat of the 6-1 defeat at home earlier in the season. On form, Kane is a good shout for the armband. His\u00a0<\/span>record<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is not great against the red devils though, with just four goals in 14 matches.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chris Wood<\/a>\u00a0is a very unfashionable candidate for the armband on any given week. As a team,\u00a0<\/span>Burnley<\/span><\/a>\u00a0are also rather unfashionable. However, the New-Zealander has scored three matches on the trot and faces a very poor Newcastle United side. The clarets need to win to ease their own relegation worries and this provides an ideal opportunity to pick up three points. Burnley won 1-0 at Turf Moor\u00a0<\/span>last season<\/span><\/a>\u00a0with Wood scoring the winner.<\/span><\/p>\n

Danny Ings<\/a>\u00a0produced an excellent display last week and has a decent fixture this week as well. If one is looking for a one-week punt, he is a fantastic option. However,\u00a0<\/span>Southampton<\/span><\/a>\u00a0will have a blank week in gameweek 33 so one should plan accordingly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sergio Ag\u00fcero<\/a>\u00a0looks likely to start this week. The Argentine will likely take the penalties as well especially if\u00a0<\/span>Kevin De Bruyne<\/a>\u00a0is rested.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 31 Captaincy Picks<\/span><\/h3>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to find out about the best captaincy picks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fantasy Premier League Top Picks<\/span><\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Mohamed Salah<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(\u00a312.4)<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Raheem Sterling (\u00a311.3)<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Chris Wood (\u00a36.2)<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Trent Alexander-Arnold (\u00a37.3)<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Danny Ings (\u00a38.4)<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Jesse Lingard<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(\u00a36.3)<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. C\u00e9sar Azpilicueta<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(\u00a35.9)<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Edouard Mendy<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(\u00a35.2)<\/span><\/li>\n
  9. Harry Kane<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(\u00a311.7)<\/span><\/li>\n
  10. Nick Pope (\u00a35.5)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    Main Photo<\/p>\n

    Embed from Getty Images<\/a>