Triple up on Villa - FPL tips & team of the week
With another double gameweek in Fantasy Premier League this week, half of this team picks itself, with three Liverpool and three Aston Villa assets.So where can you make those marginal gains?If you haven't used it last week, a Triple Captain chip on Mohamed Salah could be an option.And why not get Aston Villa boss Unai Emery in with your Assistant Manager Chip? He has Ipswich at home which should be a victory then a chance for table bonus against Liverpool - who are in the middle of a run of playing twice a week and could be tired.A Villa win over Liverpool is worth at least 16 points and I'd even recommend switching to Emery if you backed Arne Slot with the chip last week.Here's a reminder of those extra games:Liverpool - Wolves (h), Villa (a)Aston Villa - Ipswich (h), Liverpool (h)The team of the week is selected based on current FPL prices to fit within a £100m budget, as if you were playing a Free Hit.
How did last week's team do?
There were some mammoth scores out there this week and this team was no exception with 58 points from captain Salah, 29 from three Everton players and a grand total of 120.Listen to the latest Fantasy 606 podcast on BBC Sounds.
Keeper and defence
Emiliano Martinez, Aston Villa, keeper, £5m - Ipswich (h), Liverpool (h)Villa's defence has not been reliable this season with only three clean sheets but you can't pass it up in a double gameweek.I've gone for Martinez over a defender such as Lucas Digne because it is safer.He's guaranteed to play both games and the Argentine has earned a save point in 13 of his 24 games this season.If Villa are to get anything against Liverpool, it is likely to involve Martinez playing a blinder and making a few saves.Daniel Munoz, Crystal Palace, £4.8m - Everton (h)Munoz now has more points than William Saliba and is only one point behind a heavy hitter like Josko Gvardiol in the scoring charts.He is turning underlying statistics into FPL points with three clean sheets and two assists in his past four games - and a goal in the FA Cup on Monday.Don't be fooled by Everton's thrashing of Leicester last week - they are still a side that will struggle for goals on occasions so Munoz owners should expected a fruitful day for the Colombian.Virgil van Dijk, £6.4m, Liverpool - Wolves (h), Villa (a)As much as Trent Alexander-Arnold offers the upside in this Liverpool defence, his recent injury and a busy schedule makes him a risk I wouldn't take this week if you don't already own him.Van Dijk is nailed on to play, has been known to score a goal and has a double gameweek. Safe choice.Gabriel, Arsenal, £6.3m - Leicester (a)Leicester have conceded a league-high 79 chances from headers and their 24 shots conceded from corners is the fourth-worst in the division.Shots from headers? Chances from corners? Gabriel's ears will prick up hearing that, this is what he lives on - especially with a decent clean sheet chance added into the mix.
Midfield
Mohamed Salah (captain), Liverpool, £13.7m - Wolves (h), Villa (a)The best player in the game with a double gameweek. There's nothing to think aboutJustin Kluivert (£5.9m) & Antoine Semenyo (£5.7m), both Bournemouth - Southampton (a)The Bournemouth duo are grouped together to emphasize what an amazing run of games the Cherries have all the way up until week 34.Kluivert and Semenyo are the best options but if budget is an issue then Dango Ouattara (£5.1m) is an excellent third choice (he makes the bench).Over the past four weeks, Kluivert has been sensational, with five goals and two assists. He and Semenyo have both taken 13 shots in that time, but the Ghanaian has three fewer goals.However, Kluivert's four non-penalty goals have come from a NPxG (Non-penalty expected goals) of just 1.36. If you've watched his highlights, he has scored a few crackers.Semenyo has two goals from 1.16 NPxG. The point here is that both are great FPL assets but Kluivert has overperformed his underlying data a little so his production may come down a bit over the course of time.If you have to pick between the pair, it's a toss-up. Getting both in could pay huge dividends.Morgan Rogers, Aston Villa, £5.6m - Ipswich (h), Liverpool (h)Rogers does not have a return in his past three games but the double gameweek, his price and his productivity so far (11 FPL returns) make him an easy selection this week.Villa could be exciting going forward, with Marcus Rashford and Donyell Malen added to the squad with bags of FPL potential.It feels a little too early to take a punt on either though - but if you like a risk then why not.
Strikers
Ollie Watkins (vice captain), Aston Villa, £8.9m - Ipswich (h), Liverpool (h)Watkins is another safe choice for Villa's double. No competition for the central striker spot, on penalties and he's very steady.Last season's top-scoring striker is already fifth in the rankings this season despite being dropped for a short spell and you know he will have chances - it's just how many he can put away.Cody Gakpo, Liverpool, £7.6m - Wolves (h), Villa (a)Gakpo completes the Liverpool trio in this team as for gameweek 24. The home game against Wolves is most enticing here, given the 16 points he scored against fellow relegation battlers Ipswich in gameweek 23.Is there a worry about Arne Slot using the Wolves game to rest some players, with Liverpool playing every three to four days at the moment? Yes but that's the risk you have to deal with and Gakpo has started the past 15 league games for the Reds.Jean-Philippe Mateta, Crystal Palace, £7.3m - Everton (h)Palace have won three of their past four games and Mateta has five goals in his past six league games.He is rolling at the moment and so are his team. Everton showed in the FA Cup game against Bournemouth that a dynamic attacking team can carve them up and Palace can be that side on their day.Mateta will love the idea of a physical tussle with Everton centre-back James Tarkowski and he could well come out on top.
Subs bench
Alphonse Areola, West Ham, keeper, £4.2m - Brentford (h)Dango Ouattara, Bournemouth, midfielder, £5.1m - Southampton (a)Maxence Lacroix, Crystal Palace, defender, £4.5m - Everton (h)Neco Williams, Nottingham Forest, defender, £4.2m - Fulham (a)Team total cost: £95.2m
Player to watch
Marcus Rashford, Aston Villa, midfielder, £6.6mPretend you haven't watched Rashford play this season for United and try to remember instead the striker who scored 17 Premier League goals two seasons ago.That's the potential we are talking about here and he's a midfielder in FPL which make his goals more valuable.Perhaps wait to see how Unai Emery uses him in this double gameweek and then Chelsea at home but Rashford could turn into an end-of-season FPL superstar if he rediscovers his form.
Team to watch
Wolves - Liverpool (a), Bournemouth (a), Fulham (h)This week you should be jumping on Bournemouth assets. But in three weeks' time, it might be Wolves players.They have three home games - Fulham, Everton and West Ham - plus trips to fellow strugglers Southampton and Ipswich.Striker Matheus Cunha (£6.8m) stands out as a great option. He has been sold by more than two million teams since week 19 yet is fourth in the FPL scoring charts and is now a major differential.
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