Mbeumo to continue hot streak - FPL tips & team of week
Four gameweeks to go. Four gameweeks to shape your destiny. Four gameweeks to cement your name in Fantasy Premier League folklore.OK, maybe a bit dramatic but this is the time when mini leagues are won and lost, the moment to take risks if you are chasing a rival and when every transfer is more precious than before.This week captaincy is far from clear - FPL managers have a big decision to make.Our team of the week is here for some inspiration.
Join us on Friday at 14:00 BST when FPL expert Holly Shand will be our special guest on the BBC Sport website for a Q&A session before gameweek 35.
Keeper and defence
Jordan Pickford, Everton, keeper, £5.1m - Ipswich (h)Ipswich were very poor at Newcastle last week, ending a second straight game with 10 men.Their season is over, and Everton are generally strong at home and have as many clean sheets (10) as Manchester City this season.Ipswich's expected goals (xG) in their past five games is 3.47 - the lowest in the league - and they have managed only eight shots on target.That screams Everton clean sheet.Jake O'Brien, Everton, £4.5m - Ipswich (h)Ipswich did not defend set-pieces well last week, conceding twice from corners (well, one was a short corner).O'Brien has been by far and away the most threatening Everton defender, based on his statistics per 90 minutes on the pitch.He is top of shots and shorts on target of all Everton defenders and his 0.21 big chances is miles ahead of his team-mates - Jarrad Branthwaite is next with 0.08.Josko Gvardiol, Manchester City, £6.3m - Wolves (h)There aren't many clear clean-sheet opportunities this week, so in comes trusty Gvardiol, whose five goals is a league high for defenders.Kieran Trippier, Newcastle, £5.7m - Brighton (a)This pick is potentially chasing points, but in the past four gameweeks Trippier has been head and shoulders ahead of all other defenders in several key creative statistics.He has 26 crosses in that time - the next best player has nine - and 143 final-third passes (77 is the next best).Brighton have conceded twice in each of their past six games, so we're looking for an attacking return for Trippier here - a clean sheet would be a bonus.
Midfielders
Bryan Mbeumo (captain), Brentford, £8.1m - Manchester United (h)You don't need much of a reason to pick Mbeumo, FPL's second-highest points scorer.But the situation this week is a dream scenario.Manchester United are almost certainly going to put out a weakened team, with their focus on the Europa League, and it is not like they have been great.Mbeumo is in form, he takes penalties, is Brentford's talisman and might be up against 18-year-old left-back Harry Amass.Jarrod Bowen, West Ham, £7.6m - Spurs (h)Another in-form player (four returns in four games) in a similar scenario to Mbeumo.Tottenham will be focused on Europe - and they can't defend anyway.Bowen has been involved in 56% of West Ham's goals this season.Kevin de Bruyne, Manchester City, £9.4m - Wolves (h)Neither of the three expensive midfielders - Mohamed Salah, Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka - have ideal match-ups this week.Chelsea v Liverpool is very difficult to call given the Reds have wrapped up the title, and Arsenal's Saka could easily start on the bench.So why not look at De Bruyne, who will surely play after being rested in the FA Cup in a game that could be high-scoring.The great Belgian has nine assists this season in only 16 starts - with 0.56 assists per 90 minutes played.As long as he starts you can feel confident of a return and, with only two home games of his City career left, surely Pep Guardiola selects him on Friday night.Marco Asensio, Aston Villa, £6.2m - Fulham (h)Morgan Rogers is the popular Villa pick but Asensio is the high-risk, high-reward choice.Since he arrived he has topped every stat among Villa midfielders.The Spaniard has taken 3.56 shots per 90 minutes on the pitch (Rogers is 1.56) and his xG per 90 is 0.78. Rogers is next best on 0.24.Asensio has 6.96 FPL points per 90 - and don't forget he missed two penalties.The issue is game time, but Marcus Rashford's injury should make Asensio's path to the first XI smoother - and there are big rewards waiting if you take a punt.
Strikers
Matheus Cunha, Wolves, £7m - Manchester City (a)The Brazilian was fantastic last week and has 30 points in his past three games.A trip to City is not an issue - Wolves could concede a few but they are likely to score too.City have only four home clean sheets this season and two of those were against Southampton and Leicester.Jamie Vardy, Leicester, £5.2m - Southampton (h)Vardy was a player to watch last week and a decent budget striker for the end of the season - especially if you are wildcarding.The 38-year-old probably has only four games of his Premier League career left and will want to go out with a bang.If Leicester score, there's a strong chance he is involved, and if they can't find the net against Southampton...Ollie Watkins (vice-captain), Aston Villa, £8.9m - Fulham (h)Watkins is the perfect end-of-season FPL punt.He will start, with Rashford injured, and has a fine track record.Watkins' 22 FPL returns in 27 starts - in a season when he has had dips in form - is superb and Villa need a strong finish to secure Champions League football. That could start with strong home peformance against Fulham.
Subs bench
Alphonse Areola, West Ham, goalkeeper, £4.2m - Spurs (h)Ben White, Arsenal, defender, £6.1m - Bournemouth (h)Dwight McNeil, Everton, midfielder, £5.1m - Ipswich (h)Neco Williams, Nottingham Forest, defender, £4.5m - Crystal Palace (a)Team total cost: £93.9mThe 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.
Player to watch
Erling Haaland, Manchester City, striker, £14.8mHe's back in training and could be a massive differential in the final weeks . Can you shuffle your budget to get him in your team?
Team to target
Everton - Ipswich (h), Fulham (a), Southampton (h)Packed full of budget options, particularly in defence, and with two plum home ties remaining. Great team to target if you are wildcarding.
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