Fantasy Premier League: Haaland is back but be mindful of double Gameweeks
We are going to return to the classic layout of our article before each round and start with our captain pick. Mohamed Salah (13.1) is still injured, Heung-Min Son (9.7) is still at the Asian Cup as South Korea eliminated Saudi Arabia in the last 16, but Erling Haaland (14.0) is back playing, which leaves us with a dilemma.
Who should you captain?
The Norwegian is one option, as he has returned to Premier League action after almost two months out. In the game against Burnley, he came on during the second half and the Etihad greeted him with a resounding ovation. Haaland did not put himself back amongst the goals but his return suggests he will soon.
His main rival for captain is his teammate Kevin De Bruyne (10.7). The Belgian made his first start for Manchester City since the first game of the season and recorded a brilliant assist to his credit. It was De Bruyne who came off the pitch when Haaland was brought on. Which of the two will produce more points in the clash against Brentford?
Let's start with the fact that the Bees are not at all a comfortable opposition for Guardiola's team. Last season, in which City won the treble, it was Brentford who were the only team to beat City twice. In addition, Ivan Toney (8.0) has recently returned so it certainly won't be easy for the defending champions. Nevertheless, we, as FPL players, are hoping for points in this match.
However, it is hard to predict which of the above two will play more minutes on Monday. Haaland has only just returned and played 19 minutes against Burnley. Is a scenario possible in which he starts the match on the bench again and this time comes on at half-time, for example? By all means.
On the other hand, we have De Bruyne, who has gradually returned from injury and recently played from the first minute, but perhaps this time he will return to the bench to avoid overloading his body.
The snag is that you have to choose between these two, as there are no other interesting candidates. Arsenal play against Liverpool this round, so in a way, players from both of these teams write themselves off our list as they face a title rival.
You could take a chance with Dominic Solanke (7.1), who will play Nottingham Forest, or Ollie Watkins (8.8), who plays against Sheffield United, but it's a dangerous gamble. However, it could succeed.
Double Gameweeks coming up
It's worth considering in the next few weeks when making transfers that as spring approaches so too do double Gameweeks (I know it's only early February, but I'm trying to think positively). This is when some teams will be playing two games during a single round, giving a much better chance of scoring more points. It's also an ideal opportunity to take advantage of chips such as 'Triple Captain' and 'Free Hit'.
At the moment it is known that Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool and Luton will not play a match in round 26 because Liverpool face Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final that weekend. So it is worth preparing your lineup for this round without a large number of players from those four teams.
It is also known for sure that Manchester City and Brentford will play two matches in the 25th round. They will be catching up on December fixtures lost due to the English champions' trip to the Club World Cup. This is, of course, an ideal opportunity to triple captain City players, who will play at home against Chelsea and Brentford in the 25th gameweek.
There is, however, one other mystery. Luton should also play two games during Gameweek 25. They may then play a fixture against Liverpool, which will not take place because of the aforementioned final. Yesterday, however, news started to come out that Luton could, however, play against Bournemouth in Gameweek 25 instead. It was originally postponed by Tom Lockyer's (4.2) cardiac arrest during the match. If such a scenario did indeed occur, it would be tempting to bring in Solanke, who would then have two games in Gameweek 25.
Who to buy?
Dominic Solanke (7.1) - Once again it's the perfect time to buy the Bournemouth striker. The Englishman only just scored against West Ham and is likely to be facing a double Gameweek soon (we're waiting for official confirmation).
He will play against Nottingham and Fulham in the next two clashes, which gives him a good chance of scoring, and then there will be the 25th round, where he may well play two games. If confirmed, owning him will then be almost mandatory.
Fabian Schar (5.2) - Newcastle broke a bad streak and finally scored in the league, and the Swiss defender contributed strongly to that by scoring a double against Aston Villa.
Of course, such an achievement in his case should be seen as a one-off, as he is not renowned for many goals, but his stability, a secure place in the squad and the upcoming schedule encourage us to bring him in. You can't expect cosmic scoring numbers from him, but he only makes just more than 6% of teams and his ownership could make all the difference.
Elijah Adebayo (4.8) - Adebayo already has eight goals to his credit this season and just bagged a hat-trick as Luton thrashed Brighton. In addition, it is almost certain that his team will play two games in round 25 - the only question mark comes from how likely it is he will score against Newcastle this weekend. The price tag of 4.8 million makes him a solid candidate for a substitute, who can appear in our line-up in case of injury.
Radim Horák (one of the best Czechs playing FPL)
Erling Haaland (14.0) - The Norwegian needs no introduction. In the match against Burnley, he played his first minutes after being out for almost two months, and for the managers who have sold him in the meantime, it is time to bring him back into the line-up. Especially as Manchester City face a double-header in a fortnight. The Norwegian has managed to raise his price back to its original 14 million, and it should go up again shortly. Last season's goalscoring king is already training normally and although it is not out of the question that Guardiola will gradually bring him back into the starting line-up, as he did with De Bruyne, I expect him to play from the first minute in Monday's game against Brentford.
Anthony Gordon (6.1) - Just in time, Newcastle's players managed to break a run of four league defeats in a row and unexpectedly snatch all three points from Aston Villa. The next three rounds see the Magpies face relatively weaker opponents whom they should score against.
They play Luton at home, Nottingham Forest away and Bournemouth at home. As both of Eddie Howe's key strikers, Callum Wilson (7.8) and Alexander Isak (7.6), are plagued by injuries, Anthony Gordon should be the biggest offensive threat. The Englishman already has seven goals and seven assists this season, and he also performs well against strong opponents. What's more, he still only costs 6.1 million, which is not a bad price to save some money.
Jan Paul van Hecke (4.0) - in the last round, Roberto de Zerbi's side suffered an unexpected defeat at Luton when they lost 4-0. Thus, they failed to repeat their successes from the two previous league games when they kept a clean sheet. Jan Paul Van Hecke played in all three of those matches, and the main argument for buying him is his low price.
For managers who need a low-cost defender who will be a replacement for our core defenders, he is one of the best choices currently in the game. The Seagulls play against Crystal Palace at home in their next fixture and will face rivals from the bottom half of the table until Gameweek 28.