It’s been only two weeks since the world’s most competitive league kicked off, but it seems that things are taking shape as far as its unpredictability is concerned. Liverpool will look to bounce back from their 2-0 away defeat against Burnley when they travel to White Hart Lane for Saturday’s early kick-off against Spurs. Manchester City is expected to continue their fine start to the season under new manager Pep Guardiola as they take on West Ham United at the Etihad.
Meanwhile, the red side of Manchester has a tricky fixture at their hands as they travel to the KC Stadium to face Hull City, who have collected maximum points so far despite the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the club. Antonio Conte’s revived Chelsea side will hope they can get a clean sheet at home this time against newly promoted side Burnley. Defending champions Leicester will host Swansea while Arsenal travels to Vicarage Road to face Watford, with both Claudio Ranieri and Arsene Wenger’s side still searching for their first three points of the season.
Here are the top five picks of the week to consider about:
Ross Barkley (Everton) vs Stoke City
The Englishman’s FPL potential has been known to managers since last season as he netted six times and provided five assists in the first 14 Gameweeks in 15/16. However, the points soon dried up when he struggled under former manager Roberto Martinez, but the arrival of Ronald Koeman has rejuvenated the young midfielder. Barkley made a quick impact under the Dutchman by providing a goal and assists over the first two Gameweeks, and he looks set to be the main spark of the team when Everton host Stoke City.
Dusan Tadic (Southampton) vs Sunderland
The Serbian midfielder’s inclusion in this list might be a surprise since he only gotten 4 points after two games, but to be fair it is not a true reflection of his current form. He is second among all midfielders for chances created and shots on goal, besides being heavily involved in set-piece deliveries. Southampton will take on Sunderland at the St. Mary’s this weekend as Tadic look set to deliver the goods this time around.
Hull City vs Luke Shaw (Manchester United)
The former Southampton left-back’s promising career hit a snag last season after suffering the horrific broken leg injury against PSV Eindhoven, but he came back stronger this season and looked to have cemented a spot in Jose Mourinho’s first 11. Known for his ability to provide constant support from the flanks, Shaw produced six touches in the final third against Bournemouth and the numbers shot up to 19 with Paul Pogba in the line-up. He even received more passes in the final third than fellow full-back Antonio Valencia and he will be a threat against Hull after notching an assist last week.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Adam Lallana (Liverpool)
It’s not surprising to find FPL managers having a hard time to choose from Liverpool’s plethora of attacking midfielders, with the likes of Phillipe Coutinho and Sadio Mane being preferred over the rest. However, they might find a bargain in the form of Lallana. He was expected to be warming the bench, but the Englishman has defied expectations so far with a stellar showing against Arsenal by getting a goal and an assist. He even posed problems in the defeat against Burnley with five out of six shots in the box, only second behind Coutinho’s eight attempts. Lallana will be in the heart of The Reds’ creative outlet against Spurs as they look to bounce back from last week’s disappointing result.
Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace) vs Bournemouth
The Belgian forward used to be an automatic choice during his days in an Aston Villa shirt, and then Liverpool happened. Alan Pardew splashed the cash to bring him to Crystal Palace and he looks set to benefit from their reliance on wing play, as only Southampton have crossed the ball more last season. The home game against Bournemouth will be the perfect stage for Benteke to reignite his aerial prowess with the support from Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha on the flanks.
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