3 Players to pick and drop for Gameweek 27

The longest gameweek in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) history is finally over. The initial postponement and rescheduling of Man. City’s fixture against West Ham made the week even longer and we have only a few days to prepare for the next FPL deadline on Saturday. It is worth mentioning again – Manchester City, Arsenal, Sheffield United and Aston Villa do not have a fixture in gameweek 28, but that’s set to be played next week, due to City and Villa’s involvement in the Carabao Cup final.

Avoid bringing in players from those teams and any transfers you make should be with a view to help you field at least 9-10 players in a blank gameweek 28. I have kept this in mind when making this week’s picks with all three players having a fixture in gameweek 28, which is why no City players make the cut.

3 Players to Pick

1. Mohamed Salah (WHU)

Liverpool will be looking to get back to winning ways after their midweek loss in the Champions League and Mohamed Salah is likely to be at the forefront with five goals in the last six gameweeks. No midfielder has taken more shots (29) or shots in the box (SiB) (25) than the Egyptian and he is also top for ‘big chances’ (six). Only Heung-Min Son (12) has landed more shots on target (SoT) than his 11. His creativity numbers are up there as well, no midfielder created more ‘big chances’ (seven) over this period.

Liverpool have scored 14 goals over the last six gameweeks, the highest in the league. Only Man. City (120) took more shots than their 107. They are also top for ‘big chances’ 23 and shots on target (SoT) 44. Their opponents West Ham have conceded 13 goals over the same period, only Villa (14) have been more porous. Only Newcastle (35) allowed opponents more SoT than their 34. They also conceded 21 ‘big chances’ with only Newcastle (23) and Villa (26) faring worse.

2. Danny Ings (AVL)

Danny Ings scored a brilliant goal from outside the penalty area against Burnley taking his total to three goals over the last six gameweeks, only Sergio Agüero (six) scored more amongst forwards. His total of 17 shots is beaten only by Agüero, Dominic Calvert-Lewin (both 20), Raul Jiménez (22) and Roberto Firmino (23). Only Gabriel Jesus (nine) and Agüero (10) landed more SoT than his eight.

Southampton have scored eight goals in the last six gameweeks and are ranked sixth for shots (81) over that period. Only Everton (32), Leicester (38), Man. City (41) and Liverpool (44) have landed more SoT than the Saints’ 29. The Villa defence continues to be obliging, no team conceded more goals (14), shots in the box (SiB) (70) or ‘big chances’ (26) over the last six gameweeks.

3. Anthony Martial (WAT)

Anthony Martial returned to scoring ways with a deft header against Chelsea, his second goal in the last six gameweeks and also scored in the Europa League. Amongst midfielders, only Armstrong (16), Son (22) and Salah (29) have taken more shots over that period than the Frenchman’s 14. He was also afforded two ‘big chances’ and landed five SoT. Only Fred and Mata (both eight) created more chances amongst Man. United players than Martial’s six.

The Red Devils have scored six goals in as many gameweeks and are also ranked sixth for shots (81). They have landed 29 SoT with only Everton (32), Leicester (38), Man. City (41) and Liverpool (44) managing more. Watford have conceded seven goals over the same period keeping just two clean sheets. They are ranked seventh-worst for shots conceded (80) and 10th for SiB conceded (50).

3 Players to Drop

1. Heung-Min Son (CHE)

Heung-Min Son suffered an elbow injury in the first minute of Spurs’ game against Aston Villa last gameweek but still played on and delivered a goal and an assist. Unfortunately, the South Korean is now ruled out for an extended period after undergoing surgery on his elbow and is not expected to feature again this season.

His premium price point means getting rid is a priority with price drops imminent. Switching to other Spurs players such as Dele Alli or Lucas Moura is not something I’d recommend. They looked toothless in the Champions League and I think their attack suffers significantly in the absence of both Son and Harry Kane.

2. Sergio Aguero (LEI)

Much of the last week’s news has been dominated by UEFA’s decision to ban Man. City from the Champions League next season due to Financial Fair Play violations. The importance of that competition to the reigning champions has gone to another level now and the fact that Sergio Aguero played 90 mins midweek against West Ham does not bode well for his minutes against Leicester given that he surely starts away to Real Madrid.

Pep Guardiola is unlikely to give his star man three starts in the space of seven days. Man. City also have a blank after this gameweek in FPL due to their involvement in the Carabao Cup final so it looks a good time to ship the Argentine.

3. Mason Greenwood (WAT)

Mason Greenwood missed United's midweek game through illness and the youngster has featured for just a total of 130 minutes across the last eight Premier League matches. With the signing of Odion Ighalo, he’s been pushed further down the pecking order and is likely to be used primarily for the cup competitions – Europa League and FA Cup. While it usually would not be a priority to get rid of a cheap bench option, the upcoming blank gameweek 28 as well as Champions League rotation means you cannot afford passengers in your squad at this stage of the season. If you’re short on cash, Shane Long is an excellent alternative to Greenwood.

3 Players to pick and drop for Gameweek 27 | FPL Tips 2020