The season has begun to take shape in terms of its unpredictability and dramatic upsets, as we head into GW6 which could be another entertaining affair. Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United will host Leicester City on Saturday’s early kick-off, with the Portuguese manager desperate to lift his side after three consecutive defeats against Manchester City, Feyenoord and Watford. Sixth-placed Liverpool will be looking to maintain their winning run on the back of the away victory against Chelsea, when they face Hull at Anfield.
Meanwhile, league leaders Manchester City will travel to the Liberty Stadium to play against Swansea City as Pep Guardiola aims for a sixth successive league victory. London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal will square off at the Emirates with the Blues looking to bounce back from their home defeat against Liverpool.
Here are the five players that might top the points chart for the week:
Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) vs Leicester
Fresh out of the Red Devils’ academy, Rashford enjoyed a dream debut when he scored twice to help United through to the last 16 of the Europa League on February. Most would expect the Englishman to maintain his development with patience, but he is showing no signs of slowing down as he was involved in more goals in all competitions than any other United player since his debut (11 goals, 3 assists). The England U-21 star is also on a good run of form with 2 goals in the last 3 league games, staking a claim for Mourinho to start him against Leicester this week.
Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) vs Hull City
The Brazilian used to be a popular figure among FPL managers after his 15-point haul on the opening game of the season, but his popularity dropped after dismal returns in GW2-GW4. Coutinho’s seven points against Chelsea last week has since reversed the trend as his owners look to benefit from his return to form. He has registered an effort on goal every 17.6 minutes this season, which is more frequent than any other midfielder. He also played a part in all of Liverpool’s goals in the 3-0 EFL Cup win against Derby County in midweek. Most importantly, the Reds will face favourable opponents up till GW11 and you can definitely count on the diminutive attacking midfielder to deliver the goods.
Stoke City vs Nacer Chadli (West Bromwich Albion)
The former Spurs winger used to be a bit-part player at White Hart Lane, but he might just claim a starting berth in Tony Pulis’ side after a stunning performance at his home debut last week. Chadli was utilised as an attacking midfielder and he repaid his manager’s faith in him by notching a brace and a pair of assists. It might still be early days to jump on the bandwagon, but it’ll be hard to discount the Belgian performing against rock-bottom Stoke City.
Swansea City vs Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
The Belgian attacking midfielder was touted to be one of the best young talents in football since his playing days at Genk, and he had proven so with his impressive performance, week in, week out. Guardiola has been a long-time admirer of de Bruyne since he was managing Bayern Munich and he is relishing the prospect of working with the former Chelsea man, which it’s clearly paying dividends. Having notched 4 consecutive assists with back-to-back goals against Manchester United and Bournemouth, Francesco Guidolin’s side will have a tough time to stop the in-form midfielder this week.
Burnley vs Troy Deeney (Watford)
Walter Mazzarri’s Watford has made a mark this season after impressive wins over West Ham and Manchester United. Etienne Capoue is undoubtedly their biggest star so far, but the form of Deeney proved to be vital as well. Having gotten only an assist in the first three GWs, the Englishman has since scored in two consecutive outings, with his late penalty against United sealing the 3-1 victory. It’s also a well-timed return to form in the Hornets’ point of view as they look to profit from a kind upcoming schedule.
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