31 Oct, 2024

Game Week 10: Key-Match-Ups

Game Week 10 Key Matchups

Nottingham Forest vs West Ham:

This is a key matchup between two sides in good form, and a win for either would paint a clearer picture for what they could achieve this season. Forest have been the pleasant surprise of the season so far, and a victory would cement them as a genuine contender for European football. West Ham struggled mightily in their opening games but have steadily found their feet over the past few weeks and results following suit.

A win could potentially propel them as high as 8th place, shifting their focus from relegation concerns to the hope of European qualification next season. Best of all, it promises to be a great game for fans and a crucial one for FPL managers in Game week 10.

Check out our Game Week Tips section for more expert advice!

Matz Sels (£4.6m – GK):

Sels is having a fantastic season and for fantasy managers that believed in him from Game week 1, he has delivered and then some. He is currently the number one scoring goalkeeper in FPL and he has, at a price tag of £4.6m, potentially been the best value for money other than perhaps his teammate Chris Wood. Forest have incredibly conceded the second least number of goals in the Premier League, two less than Man City and three less than Arsenal.

That is not a fluke or short sample size aberration, as they have conceded the 4th least xG in the league and kept a clean sheet at Anfield. However, Sels is not just riding the coattails of his defence.

The Belgian keeper has 82nd percentile save percentage and even contributed an assist last Friday against Leicester City. Despite facing a West Ham team with a dearth of talented attacking players, that are tied for the 6th most xG in the league, if owned, you are starting Sels in Game week 10. Predicting clean sheets is always tricky and West Ham will continue to be without suspended talisman Mohammed Kudus.

Looking forward however, Forest and Sels’ upcoming fixtures is a gauntlet of the best attacking teams in the division over the next 8 Game weeks and FPL managers may want to consider an alternative for that stretch of games, with an eye to transferring Sels back in to their teams for either Game week 17 or 19. Head over to the Transfer Wizard to take a look at what your best alternative goalkeeper options are during that run of tough fixtures for Sels!

Jarrod Bowen (£7.4m – MID):

Bowen is having an under the radar stellar season once again, and cementing his place amongst the league’s best forwards. He can play almost anywhere along the forward line and is a one of the Premier League’s most complete attackers. The data backs that up: Bowen has scored 3 goals from 1.88xG which is 77th percentile for wingers, not only indicate that he is a constant goal threat but also that he is an efficient and ruthless finisher, as he showed while playing striker last season.

Back out on the wing this season he is also showing off his top playmaking talents with 3 assists, which is supported by him sitting 7th in xA and tied for 15th in big chances created. This complete of an attacking profile is a dream for Bowen’s managers and fantasy managers alike. There are few players that are a legitimate

threat to leave any game with multiple goal contributions and if owned, even against a formidable Forest defence, Bowen is a must-start in Game week 10. With fixtures against the likes of Everton, Leicester, Wolves and Bournemouth on the horizon, at only 6.1% ownership, Bowen is a great differential option and owning him should be given serious consideration.

Man United vs Chelsea:

This is a somewhat unusual version of the classic matchup between a good team facing a previously struggling team, that may have the notorious “new manager bounce”. Man United have sacked manager Erik Ten Haag and look set to appoint Sporting Lisbon’s title winning coach Ruben Amorim.

Chelsea are looking to string together back-to-back wins after beating Newcastle with an impressive display last weekend. The Blues have looked the clearly superior of these two sides through nine games, displayed by the league table, but United’s talented squad will be focussed on beginning a new era with a big victory at home.

Pedro Neto (£6.2m – MID):

Neto may have supplanted Sancho on the left wing for Chelsea, as he started there last Sunday against Newcastle, just a week after he was subbed on at half-time to replace Sancho against Liverpool. Neto has displayed elite playmaking and creative ability this season in fairly limited minutes, only starting three games. No player in Europe’s top 5 leagues has more key passes per 90 than Neto.

He is creating nearly 3 chances per 90, which is 90th percentile for Premier League winners, and 0.2xA per 90 which is high level creative output. These playmaking and chance creation skills blend nicely with the goal scoring talents of Jackson, Palmer and Madueke. While Neto is yet to score in the league this season, he did score in the EFL Cup and the hope is with more minutes to build chemistry with teammates and build rhythm, the goals will also follow.

If owned, against a United team that has struggled defensively (tied with West Ham for the 6th most xG conceded) fantasy managers can feel good about a return from Neto in Game week 10. Neto is a talented, cheap option at £6.2m playing in attack for the side that is 3rd in xG and big chances created, he is certainly a player that should be on FPL manager’s radars.

I would advise patience, to see if he is locked in as the starting left winger under Maresca, but if he does, at 1% ownership, he could prove to be a quality differential pick that pays dividends.

Bruno Fernandes (£8.2m – MID):

Fernandes has been a supremely disappointing asset for FPL managers through 9 games. Many FPL managers may be done with him this season, which is understandable, but if we look deeper, he is the prime candidate in United’s team to benefit from Ruben Amorim’s appointment as United manager. Somehow Fernandes has not scored in the Premier League this season despite registering an impressive 2.5 xG, 86th percentile for advanced

midfielders, which is more than the likes of FPL stars Saka and Bowen this season. This is a number that will undoubtedly positively regress in Fernandes’ favour, as he is one of the few attacking players alongside Hojlund that will not have his role changed too drastically in Amorim’s 5-2-3 system. Bruno will likely play as one of two attacking midfielders behind Hojlund and he will continue to get high xG opportunities.

A proven goal scoring commodity getting high quality chances, is bound to be the top beneficiary of the new manager bounce and fantasy managers who stick with the Portuguese midfielder, may see the goals begin to rack up quickly.

Bruno’s strongest skillset has always been his chance creation and playmaking, and that has not diminished this season. He has notched 2 assists from 1.7 xA, which exceeds the xA numbers of higher owned players such as Salah, Eze and Rogers. If we trust the data, and believe in Amorim as a coach, then fantasy managers should buy the dip and own Fernandes during one of the rare periods he can be a differential pick.

In a matchup against a Chelsea defence that has struggled, only keeping 2 clean sheets all season and conceding the same amount of xG as Bournemouth, Fernandes may begin to turn his season around this weekend. He is a must-start in Game week 10 if owned and with fixtures against Leicester, Ipswich and Everton over the next 3 weeks, FPL managers that are brave enough to own him may reap big rewards. Your league-mates may shortly be following in your footsteps.

Fulham vs Brentford:

Fulham and Brentford are two of the best coached teams in the Premier League and currently sit beside each other in the top half of the table in 9th and 10th place. Managers Marco Silva and Thomas Frank always have their teams well drilled and playing high-level, entertaining football and this has provided us with a multitude of options in FPL from these two teams.

This is a fascinating matchup between two very evenly matched sides battling to qualify for Europe next season, and we are going to take a look at some key players that may define this matchup and  game week 10 for FPL managers.

Emile Smith Rowe (£5.7m – MID):

Smith Rowe has had a wonderful start to his Fulham career, notching 2 goals and 2 assists, being that key link between midfield and the forward line. After not playing many minutes ast season for Arsenal, you would not have blamed Smith-Rowe if it took time to begin showcasing his talents and producing, but any transition period has been skipped entirely.

The Arsenal academy product has quickly adapted to Silva’s system, producing 1.82xG, a similar number to more expensive assets like Bowen, Son and Rogers, and has provided 2 assists to boot. Against a team with a profile of team like Brentford, who essentially intend to outscore other teams in high scoring affairs, Smith-Rowe will have a great shot at adding to his season goal or assist tallies. Brentford have conceded the 5th most xG and just shipped 3 goals to the worst attacking side in the league in Ipswich. Smith-Rowe owners should be

salivating at this matchup and he is a must-start in Game week 10, and also the next 2 game weeks with similarly enticing fixtures against the lowly Wolves and Crystal Palace defences.

Yoanne Wissa (£5.9m – FWD):

In Gameweek 9, we suggested that Wissa, who returned from injury last week, was a great dark horse Forward option whose performances and production should be monitored. He immediately proved that prescient, returning to action with 2 goals against Ipswich (registered as a goal and assist in FPL as the second was originally ruled an own goal). He has been in truly devastating goal scoring form all season.

The Congolese striker has recorded 5 goals in his 5 starts, and despite missing 3 full games due to injury, he has astonishingly has a higher xG than his teammate Bryan Mbeumo, who has been on fire this season. This points to the kinds of high xG chances Wissa finds himself on the end of through great movement and the design of his role as the finisher of moves in Thomas Frank’s system.

Within his current role, on the team that is 5th in xG, bettering the likes of title contenders Arsenal in that category, at a bargain price tag of £5.9m, Wissa is not only a must-start if-owned, but a near must-own. Even a matchup against a Fulham team that has conceded the 6th least xG of any team in the league, Brentford and Wissa are hard to look past in Game week 10.

In the scenario Fulham’s defence is able to marshal Wissa, it will likely be a short-lived blip as matchups against Bournemouth, Everton and Leicester provide the platform for Wissa to become one of the most important players in the entire FPL landscape. His price tag is sure to rise, and with these elite fixtures that fantasy managers will want him in for, using your free transfer before the Game week 10 deadline on Wissa would almost certainly be a wise decision.

Keep an eye on the Prem News Page for all Press Conference related updates.

By: Ahsan Ejaz

Last Updated: 31/10