Teams to target: Liverpool, Manchester City & Aston Villa
Liverpool vs. Bournemouth
There are very few “gimmes” in GW2, with Liverpool the only side at odds of less than 1.50 this Premier League weekend.
Liverpool looked good going forward in their opening day draw with Chelsea and Mohamed Salah owners were perhaps a little unlucky with just a single assist return.
He is the one to captain this weekend and I’d only be looking to sign him if you were going to give him the armband over Erling Haaland this week. Either way in a dream team perspective he’s a must have.
Trent Alexander Arnold wasn’t at his best on Sunday but he’s a must have in this side and I’d be looking to triple up on Liverpool assets.
For the final spot, you can take your pick of either Diogo Jota or Luis Diaz, with a personal preference for the former.
Darwin Nunez could come back into the XI this week and should he start then he’d be a really good option also, but there is a little too much risk with him.
Liverpool thrashed Bournemouth 9-0 in the meeting last year and whilst I don’t expect them to get anywhere near that scoreline on Saturday, a comfortable victory is probable.
Manchester City vs. Newcastle United
Manchester City welcome Newcastle United to the Etihad, just a few days after their Super Cup appearance against Sevilla.
I wouldn’t be desperate to bring a City asset into my side this week, but again from a one off game week perspective, I’d want a second alongside Erling Haaland.
Kevin de Bruyne’s injury increases the appeal of both Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez, whilst defensively Nathan Ake appears the main man at the moment for Pep Guardiola, although John Stones and Ruben Dias will likely be in contention again.
Given the difficulty level of the fixture combined with the obvious rotation risks, two City options are more than enough.
Aston Villa vs. Everton
Aston Villa were thrashed in their season opener at Newcastle; however their rise under Unai Emery has been impressive.
Ollie Watkins will likely be a popular transfer this week and is a lock in the GW2 dream team.
Tyrone Mings was stretched off with a serious injury at St. James, meaning Pau Torres at £4.5m is a really good defensive option, not just for GW2, but as a long-term pick.
Everton weren’t that bad in their loss to Fulham, but their lack of a goalscorer was once again evident as they wasted numerous good chances.
Opposition to target: Sheffield United
Nottingham Forest vs. Sheffield United
Sheffield United looked very blunt in their opening day loss to Crystal Palace and they go into the new season with a weaker squad than what they had at Championship level.
They’ve lost their two best players in the form of Iliman Ndiaye and Sande Berge and on paper their squad is nowhere near good enough.
Nottingham Forest were unlucky in defeat to Arsenal in their opener and their home record last season was impressive, losing just five of their 19 matches at the City Ground.
I expect them to win on Friday evening, meaning the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White and Taiwo Awoniyi, if fit, are really good options.
Other options
Wolves vs. Brighton
Wolves performed a lot better than most expected they would in their narrow loss to Manchester United in their opener.
Despite this, no one will be selling their Brighton assets and any of the heavily owned options could return well on Saturday.
Crystal Palace vs. Arsenal
Arsenal’s trip to Selhurst Park is by no means a gimme and I’m only expecting a narrow win for the Gunners.
They created less than one XG in their win over Nottingham Forest, but the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli remain good options.
GW2 Dream Team: Turner; Alexander-Arnold, Torres, Estupinan; Salah (C), Jota, Saka, Mitoma, Gibbs-White; Watkins, Haaland
