Cunha, Barnes and Sessegnon to shine - FPL tips and team of week
After two Fantasy Premier League double gameweeks in a row, we now have a blank with four teams not playing.It's the perfect time for a Free Hit - if you still have that chip to hand.If not, you could be looking at your team and wondering how on earth you get 11 players out!Our team of the week should help you sort out your strategy.As a reminder, it is Arsenal, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Manchester City who are out of action.Join us on Friday at 15:00 BST when FPL expert Pras, external will be our special guest on the BBC Sport website for a Q&A session before gameweek 34.
How did last week's FPL team of the week do?
A total of 69 points on a double gameweek is a little disappointing.Bukayo Saka's four points as captain really hurt - his expected goal involvement (xGI) for the week was a massive 1.57 but FPL managers had to settle for two one-pointers. Oh well!Listen to the latest Fantasy 606 podcast on BBC Sounds.
Keeper and defence
Robert Sanchez, Chelsea, keeper, £4.5m - Everton (h)Visitors Everton only have four goals in their past six games and their 10 big chances is the third lowest in the league.Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool, £7.2m - Tottenham (h)This might be one of the last times we can pick maybe the greatest FPL defensive asset of all time - if rumours of a summer move to Real Madrid are true.Alexander-Arnold has only started 26 games this season but is still the top-scoring FPL defender.Liverpool could easily keep Spurs from scoring - especially if their focus is on the Europa League semi-final they have four days later - and his attacking potential is off the charts.Marc Cucurella, Chelsea, £5.4m - Everton (h)Everton at home is a great FPL match-up for Chelsea assets, but which forward players can you rely on? Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson are out of form and every other one is a minutes risk.Step forward Cucurella. Boss Enzo Maresca joked about the Spaniard's scoring prowess last week and Chelsea have needed him this season, with six goals in all competitions.He is the club's fifth top scorer in the Premier League.The goals have dried up for Everton so this is a simple form-plus-fixtures pick.Ryan Sessegnon, Fulham, £4.1m - Southampton (a)A budget defender playing OOP (Out of position) as a wide forward against the league's lowest-scoring team?Sessegnon has started Fulham's past three and been productive too.In his past seven games - only four of them starts - the 24-year-old has three goals and two assists. In that time, only forward Rodrigo Muniz has more shots, big chances and goals for Fulham.He's also had more shots than any other defender in the league in that time.Rayan Ait-Nouri, Wolves, £5m - Leicester (h)Another cheap, high-upside defender with a great chance of a clean sheet against Leicester's turgid attack - as well as attacking-haul potential.Ait-Nouri gets into such attacking positions and his statistics back that up.Only Manchester City's Josko Gvardiol has scored more goals and he is joint third for shots in the box.
Midfield
Mohamed Salah (vice-captain), Liverpool, £13.8m - Tottenham (h)It might be a bit stubborn to keep including Salah in this team of the week given he has just one assist in his past four games.But Liverpool put six goals past Spurs last time and he scored 21 points. It is not worth the risk going without him this week.Luis Diaz, Liverpool, £7.5m - Tottenham (h)Diaz also had a field day last time against Spurs, scoring 13 FPL points.The atmosphere at Anfield will be incredible - a win to clinch the league title, facing a Spurs side whose main focus for the rest of the season is the Europa League and a defence which has conceded six goals in the past two games.It all lines up to a potential goalfest. Diaz has had a brilliant season so far (11 goals and seven assists) and is the next-best forward pick for Liverpool.Harvey Barnes, Newcastle, £6m - Ipswich (h)In the past six games, Barnes is top of all Newcastle players for attacking stats. His run of form has been incredible and he is keeping a fit-again Anthony Gordon out of the team.Barnes has four goals and four assists in those six games, more shots (19) than even Alexander Isak and an incredible 18 of those from in the box. He has been involved in 50% of Newcastle's goals in that time and it will be hard for manager Eddie Howe to leave him out of this juicy game against Ipswich.Justin Kluivert, Bournemouth, £6m - Manchester United (h)Manchester United are another side whose season is now firmly focused on Europe. Who knows what kind of team Ruben Amorim will play against Bournemouth, with a trip to Bilbao coming up in their Europa League semi-final first leg.Kluivert is fit again, on penalties and, if you are on a Free Hit this week, why not include a player who has had hauls of 20 and 22 points this season?
Strikers
Matheus Cunha (captain), Wolves, £6.9m - Leicester (h)The Brazilian has been one of the FPL stories of the season, with 14 goals and five assists. Not bad, considering he has only started 25 games.Cunha is also a bonus-point magnet - only Salah (51) and Chris Wood (39) have more this season. If he gets a return, he tends to be in and around the bonus which makes him a great captain shout this week.Relegated Leicester have conceded 73 goals in 33 games - this is a game set up for Cunha to explode.Chris Wood, Nottingham Forest, £6.9m - Brentford (h)Backing another of the season's stars this week in kind-of-forgotten-man Wood. As mentioned above, if he scores he's a solid bet for bonus points.Wood is someone who laughs in the face of fancy statistics such as expected goals (xG). He has an xG of 11 this season but has scored 19!
Subs' bench
Filip Jorgensen, Chelsea, keeper, £4.2m - Everton (h)Danny Welbeck, Brighton, striker, £5.5m - West Ham (h)Alex Iwobi, Fulham, midfielder, £5.5m - Southampton (a)Tino Livramento, Newcastle, defender, £4.6m - Ipswich (h)Team total cost: £93.1mThe 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
Jamie Vardy, Leicester, £5.3m, strikerHear me out. He hasn't scored in 10 games but has Southampton and Ipswich at home in the next four gameweeks, in what could be his last Premier League season.Vardy to go out with a bang?
Team to target
Nottingham Forest - Brentford (h), Crystal Palace (a), Leicester (h)Forest have possibly the best remaining fixture run and, if they beat Manchester City in their FA Cup semi-final, might get a double gameweek.Chris Wood aside, there are plenty of viable assets at both ends of the pitch.
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