Having checked out the stand-apart Fantasy Premier League (FPL) forwards and midfielders for Gameweek 8 we presently change concentration to the pick of the defenders. The article underneath takes a gander at the best purchases at the back in light of those FPL managers yet the targets are, obviously, additionally important for those utilizing ‘free’ moves in Gameweek 8. Link to all our FPL Gameweek 8 blogs.
Let’s take a quick look at the Gameweek 8 fixtures:
FPL Defenders to Target Ahead of FPL GW8
If you’re thinking to wildcard before Gameweek 8 then these are the teams from which you must have at least one FPL asset. The reason behind picking up a defender (who have a higher chance of game involvement) from the above mention teams is:
Spurs defense is out of form since GW 3, Arsenal is still under a bit of risk, the return of Gabriel is a boost and their next three fixtures are Palace(H), Villa(H) and Leicester City (A) with a Clean Sheet of 44% and we’ll discuss about them shortly but we’ll first discuss about the obvious ones, Villa is a bit shaky defensively this season as they are trying a new system for the first time with back 3, personally we feel for Brentford, Raya is a better idea than any other Brentford defender, Raya will get saves points plus effective bonus points which can be very effective for your team.
Manchester City Defenders to target in FPL:
1. Rúben Dias (£6.1)
Playing Position: CB
Appearances (starts): 7 (7)
Minutes per game: 90
⚽️ 0 goals 🅰️ 1 assists 📝 5 clean sheets
Per game: 🔑 1.1 KPs
🎨 1 big chances createdRuben Dias for obvious reason tops our defender’s list, Manchester City looks very strong defensively, their attacking threat reduces so much burden from their defenders as for the most part of the game they remain in the opposition’s half. Dias posses a minimal set-piece threat but in their attacking system of 2-3-5, Dias has a higher successful pass completion rate which gives a huge boost to his owners as he enlists his name in the bonus point list. He has the 2nd most touches (85.7 per game) on the ball among the Manchester City players.
He’s the most reliable and consistent defender to own at the moment and is not a target of Pep Roulette which is a huge relief for fantasy managers. He’s currently owned by 28.4% of managers which clearly shows his impact and the trust gained by his fellow managers.
Further Read: Teams and Players to Target for the next 5 Gameweeks in FPL
2. João Cancelo (£6.2)
Playing Position: RB/LB
Appearances (starts): 7 (7)
Minutes per game: 90
⚽️ 0 goals 🅰️ 2 assists 📝 5 clean sheets
Per game: 🔑 1.1 KPs
🎨 1 big chances createdJoão Cancelo, one of the best attacking fullbacks in the league, and has created 8 Chances with an xA of 0.82. Cancelo has the most final third passes (188) from all defenders. Manchester City host Burnley and it is almost certain that he’ll definitely keep a clean sheet with a 60% predicted odds from Drafthound. According to Fantasy Football Hub prediction tool, Cancelo is the highest scoring defender this week and he’s also first for “anytime return” with a massive 76% odds.
Yes, you can definitely double up City defense and this is the best opportunity to get the maximum out of your defense. The next three fixtures are really mouth-watering ones with Burnley(H), Brighton (A), Palace(H) and you can definitely double up City defense without any real worries.
Further Read: Popular Player Comparisons Ahead of FPL GW8 ~ Son vs Vardy, Mbuemo vs Toney and Foden vs Grealish
3. Kyle Walker (£5.5)
Playing Position: RB
Appearances (starts): 6 (6)
Minutes per game: 83
⚽️ 0 goals 🅰️ 0 assists 📝 4 clean sheets
Per game: 🔑 0.7 KPs
🎨 1 big chances createdIf you don’t have funds to double up Dias and Cancelo then Kyle Walker becomes your definite option. He’ll be involved more into the game and City have a full back short and their third full-back, Zinchenko, is still out injured. He’s not at all a bad option, on his day he can be even more influential than Cancelo.
Walker has only 7% TSB which indeed makes him a great differential for GW 7, Laporte at £5.5 is really a good option but Walker will be more involved in the game with going forward and putting in early crosses into the box, Laporte has more of a goal threat than Walker.
Further Read: FPL GW8 Double-Digit Returns Metrics-Wildcard Special
Chelsea Defenders to target in FPL:
1. Antonio Rüdiger (£5.8)
Playing Position: CB
Appearances (starts): 7 (7)
Minutes per game: 90
⚽️ 1 goals 🅰️ 0 assists 📝 4 clean sheets
Per game: 🔑 0.6 KPs
🎨 0 big chances createdRudiger is perfectly nailed Chelsea FPL asset at the moment with 21% TSB, he started all the games and is not a victim of Tuchel’s rotation, the only reason is that Chelsea do not have a player who is as comfortable as Rudiger in the left Center-Back position. xG and xA of Rudiger is 0.36 and 0.26 respectively. He posses a huge aerial threat during the set-pieces.
Although there is a slight injury concern for Rudiger:
Understanding Chelsea Rotation:
Alongside Rudiger, Thiago Silva (£5.5), Marcos Alonso (£6.0), Reece James (£5.5), Andreas Christensen (£5.0) and Ben Chilwell (£5.6) are really good options but they’re not safe, Tuchel prefers Alonso in big games whereas the lack of Chilwell’s game time makes Tuchel to rethink about his form as well and as of now Chilwell will play the next few games as Alonso had a busy International Break. There will be some rotation at the back with Thiago Silva unavailable for GW 8, Christensen becomes an obvious choice alongside Chalobah with James back in training, which is really a piece of good news but Azpilicueta starts in the Right-hand side of Chelsea midfield.
Doubling up Chelsea defense is also a very good idea at the moment, they really have a great fixture run, if you pick Alonso/Chilwell/Christensen, we would suggest you to have a very solid bench. But this doubling can really be very fruitful, a double City, double Chelsea defense is the new trend before gameweek 8 and we see nothing wrong in it.
Further Read: Players In Focus Based On Eye Test Ahead Of FPL Gameweek 8
2. César Azpilicueta (£6.1)
Playing Position: RB
Appearances (starts): 7 (6)
Minutes per game: 78
⚽️ 0 goals 🅰️ 2 assists 📝 2 clean sheets
Per game: 🔑 0.9 KPs
🎨 2 big chances createdAzpilicueta is the second most safe Chelsea asset, with a 6.3% TSB he can a very good differential as well. Unless any injury issue, Tuchel will start him in almost every game, the return of Reece James never threat’s his position. Azpi plays as a Right Center Back role with a great link-up play with James which often gives a big advantage to Chelsea, this opens up a Thiago Silva and Christensen’s rotation. Tuchel in big matches often plays both of them and James drops to bench.
Azpilicueta is currently tied with Rudiger at the moment in terms of FPL points, he also has an xG of 0.34 and xA of 0.98 with some 14 touches inside the penalty area.
Further Read: FPL GW8 Wildcard Structure and Best Possible Drafts and Combinations
Liverpool Defenders to target in FPL:
1. Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5)
Playing Position: RB
Appearances (starts): 5 (5)
Minutes per game: 90
⚽️ 0 goals 🅰️ 2 assists 📝 3 clean sheets
Per game: 🔑 4.2 KPs
🎨 4 big chances createdThe above stat clearly shows why Trent Alexander-Arnold is absolutely a must-have in your team, even though he was out for the previous two-game with Groin’s injury, he’s back in contention for GW 8 against Watford, he had a good training session. Trent had an insane shots per game of 2.2 which is the highest for any defender. Trent tops the Chances per 90 chart with 4.2 chances per game, Bruno Fernandes is next to him with 3.3 per game.
Other Defensive Options:
Shane Duffy(£4.3) is a good option to have with 24% TSB. He made his name permanent on the team sheet, he looked very good defensively and possesses a huge set-piece threat, scoring a goal already from the set-piece, having 3 clean sheets locked to his name, he’s a decent 5th choice center back to have in your team and to support the marquee players in your team.
Marc Cucurella(£5.0) is another wing-back who loves to operate higher up the pitch, and put in some really good crosses down the left. He can be a great differential pick for GW 8 with just 0.9% TSB. He already have made some 6 key passes in just 4 appearances for Brighton.
Kieran Tierney(£4.9) with an xG of 0.05 and xA of 0.16 is a very good asset at the moment with Arsenal’s great run of fixture till gameweek 12, he has only 6.9% TSB which makes him another gameweek differential.
Do vote in this week’s FPL GW8 allaboutfpl captaincy poll. The same will be available in the captaincy analysis and metrics blog written by@AK_FPL1. The metrics has been delivering consistently with a 6/7 return record this year. Stay tuned for the GW7 Captaincy metric to see who tops it. Link to all our FPL Gameweek 8 blogs.
[Total_Soft_Poll id=”17″]
The results and the captaincy metric blog will be published soon based on the votes.
Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 8:
Teams and Players to Target for the next 5 Gameweeks in FPL
Popular Player Comparisons Ahead of FPL GW8 ~ Son vs Vardy, Mbuemo vs Toney and Foden vs Grealish
FPL GW8 Double-Digit Returns Metrics-Wildcard Special
Players In Focus Based On Eye Test Ahead Of FPL Gameweek 8
FPL GW8 Wildcard Structure and Best Possible Drafts and Combinations
Link to all our FPL Gameweek 8 blogs.
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Adhip Mukhopadhyay
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