FPL GW8 Fixtures To Target With Team Analysis

FPL fever is set to return after 2 weeks of international football. In this article, we look at some fixtures that we could target in order to get FPL returns. FPL pros would argue that FPL is simple if you target fixtures & what better game week to do than after a relaxing 2 week break. A lot of players have been travelling all over the world with their national teams & for them it is not exactly a ‘break’. So plan your transfers wisely & if possible wait until the deadline or at least before managers give out proper player updates. Players like Jesus (jet lag/lack of preparation), Torres (foot injury) & Jota (possible injury) all have good fixtures in GW8, but could miss their respective matches in GW8. However, we could get reliable news on them being rested or injured before the deadline. So unless on a wildcard, wait for all possible team news before you make transfers judiciously. Let’s then dive into our FPL GW8 fixtures to target.

Link to all our FPL Gameweek 8 blogs. (Completely free to access as always)

FPL GW8 Fixtures To Target

Watford vs Liverpool

Remember the last time Liverpool faced Watford? The match ended 3-0 to Watford & it caused huge embarrassment for The Reds, who were on an 18-match winning streak. Sarr was brilliant that day & similar to this time around no one gave Watford a chance. This is a prime fixture to target, with at least 2 Liverpool players. Liverpool is undoubtedly among the top 3 attacking teams this season. Klopp would want his team to top the table with a win since this is the early kick-off fixture.

Watford:

The first manager casualty this season has (unsurprisingly) happened at Watford. Claudio Ranieri is back in the Premier League with Watford & they will be looking to find inspiration from the manager who was at the helm of arguably the greatest achievement in English top flight football. Watford, currently 15^th, have lacked the defensive solidity that helped them finish 2^nd in the Championship last season. Also, the team is super reliant on Ismaila Sarr to win games. He has definitely been influential but as a team they are yet to show consistency in their performances. The team stats below might seem redundant due to the managerial change, but against Liverpool except for a few formation tweaks there might not be much change in the team mentality.

Defensive stats – last 4 GWs (Liverpool players that could benefit are mentioned beside some stats as well)

• Big chances conceded – 19^th
• xG conceded – 17^th
• Goal attempts conceded – 17^th
• Attempts from set plays conceded – 19^th – TAA & VVD owners
• Headed goal attempts – 18^th – Mane/Jota/VVD owners
• Chances conceded (left zone) – 17^th – Salah/TAA

Watford players are in a no-go zone. Attacking wise, they rank among the bottom half teams & their defenders are not reliable enough. Foster (4m budget keeper) is the only player to consider if you are buying. However, if you have Sarr, do hold him since Alisson & Fabinho could miss this match due to late arrival from Brazil.

Liverpool:

Liverpool have shown us that they have stepped up a level this season. The 2nd half performance they displayed against Man. City in GW7 was one to remember. Teams that have played them would have realized Salah playing on FIFA world-class difficulty mode – unstoppable. The attacking trio of Salah, Mane & Jota managed to create enough problems even for the miserly City defence. Salah scoring that beauty & assisting Mane, showed us the understanding the trio have between them. With Jota seemingly injured, it might be Firmino who comes back into the starting lineup & prove his doubters wrong.

Attacking stats – last 4 GWs

• Goal attempts – 2^nd
• Chances created – 2^nd
• Big chances created – 1^st
• Shots inside box – 1^st  
• xG – 1^st (10.2)

Defensive stats – last 4 GWs

• Goal attempts conceded – 5^th
• Big chances conceded – 4^th
• Clean sheets – 2^nd

Salah – last 4 GW stats:

• Shots on target – 8 (1^st)
• Goal attempts – 15 (2^nd)
• Penalty area touches – 29 (2^nd)
• xG – 3.5 (1^st)
• Chances created – 9 (3^rd)

Salah is the only must have FPL pick as of now & the best captaincy option for GW8. Mane is on 99 Premier League goals & would be eager to score & enter the 100 club!

👌 Best FPL picks: Salah, Mane, TAA, VVD

🦾 Differential pick: Firmino (2%), Matip (3.4%)

Score prediction: 3-1

Further Read: Fixture Analysis for GW8 Wildcard

Manchester City vs Burnley

Man. City’s last 4 home games against Burnley have all finished 5-0! With their dominant display in GW7 against Liverpool, it would take a brave heart to bet against them scoring 5 again. Ederson & Jesus might be unavailable due to their late return from Brazil. Torres also seems to be injured which makes the City team a bit more predictable.

Manchester City:

Man. City showed their class with their brilliant displays against leaders Chelsea & Liverpool. Many would argue that City should have won the game based on their 1^st half performance against Liverpool, so we can surely expect another haul from any of the City attackers. Burnley will be without Ben Mee & Charlie Taylor this time around, so this adds to the appeal of players like Mahrez & Foden. Defensively, they are the best team to invest in. Dias & Laporte have been main stays along with the marauding Cancelo. With Zinchenko back, there could be some rotation with him.

Attacking stats – last 4 GWs

• Goal attempts – 3^rd
• Chances created – 3^rd
• Shots inside box – 3^rd
• Big chances created – 4^th   
• xG – 5^th (6.27)

Defensive stats – last 4 GWs

• Goal attempts conceded – 1^st (best)
• Big chances conceded – 2^nd
• xG conceded – 1^st
• Clean sheets – 1^st

Going with 3 City players for their brilliant fixtures ahead looks like a no brainer. 2 defenders along with a punt on an attacker looks like the most reliable strategy when considering City players. Foden & Grealish are the affordable players that have the most potential.

Burnley:

Burnley lie 18^th in the PL table. Even though they are considered to be a defensive unit, they have only kept 1 clean sheet this season, that too against lowly Norwich City. The Clarets are still struggling to find consistent form & could have a hard time against the ultra-efficient City team. Maxwel Cornet (6m) has shown promising signs & could cause some trouble. Interestingly, he has scored 4 goals in 3 Champions league games against City while at Lyon. Burnley have shown attacking intent sporadically this season, but a draw would be the least they can expect away from home based on current form, & that too would require City squandering most of their chances.

Defensive stats – last 4 GWs

• Big chances conceded – 16^th
• Goal attempts in box conceded – 12^th
• Goal attempts conceded – 14^th
• Attempts from set plays conceded – 16^th – Laporte/Dias/KDB/Mahrez
• Chances conceded (centre zone) – 15^th – Foden/KDB/Grealish
• Chances conceded (left zone) – 17^th – Sterling/Mahrez
• Headed goal attempts conceded – 17^th – Laporte/Dias/Rodri

👌 Best FPL picks: Dias, Cancelo, Laporte, Foden, Grealish

🦾 Differential pick: Foden (2.3%), Laporte (3.7%)

Score prediction: 4-0

Further Read: Popular Player Comparisons Ahead of FPL GW8 ~ Son vs Vardy, Mbuemo vs Toney and Foden vs Grealish

Leicester City vs Manchester United

Both Leicester & Man. United have been defensively vulnerable this season. This should be a good match to target for attacking options from both teams. Leicester have only kept one clean sheet & their defenders have underperformed when compared to last season. Ronaldo could feast on the lack of connection between the Foxes’ back 4. Also, with Varane & Maguire out, Vardy & Co. could be licking their lips as well. Essentially this could be the matchup of the weekend – Attack vs Attack.

Leicester City:

Currently at 13^th in the table, Leicester will hope to start pushing to win matches. Defensively they are one of the most vulnerable teams, hence there is that added onus on Vardy to score one more than they concede to win a match! With Iheanacho back in the starting XI, their attacking play went up a notch in GW7. Both of them are sure to torment the injury-riddled United defence.

Attacking stats:

• Goal attempts – 10^th  
• Chances created – 9^th
• Big chances created – 6^th
• Shots inside box – 7^th

Manchester United:

United look like a disjointed team that is dependent on Bruno creating chances & Ronaldo finishing them off. They have found it hard to break down teams & have shown to be easily vulnerable on the counter even with Varane & Maguire as the centre-back pairing. Now with both of them out this GW, it could be struggle for Lindelof & whoever partners him as CB. If not for De Gea’s crucial saves, they would have been even lower down the table than their present 4^th position.  Ole at the wheel has also started losing steam & without a positive result this week, more fans will start turning against him. With such high stakes, Ole might even revert to a 3-man CB formation to safeguard against the attacking duo of Vardy & Iheanacho. This is a prime fixture for Ronaldo who will be motivated to carry on his international scoring form in the PL as well. Do not sell him & Bruno this GW.

Attacking stats:

• Goal attempts – 1^st  
• Chances created – 1^st
• Big chances created – 2^nd
• Shots inside the box – 2^nd
• xG – 2^nd (7.56)

👌Best FPL picks: Ronaldo, Bruno, Vardy

🦾Differential pick: Iheanacho (2.4%)

Score prediction: 2-2

Thanks for reading & hope you enjoyed it. Look forward to your valuable comments & opinion. May your arrows be green!

All stats are courtesy of Fantasy Football Scout.

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.

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The results and the captaincy metric blog will be published soon based on the votes.

Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 8:

Budget Forwards to Consider Ahead of FPL Gameweek 8
Fixture Analysis for GW8 Wildcard
Teams and Players to Target for the next 5 Gameweeks in FPL
FPL GW8 Transfer Trends Analysis | Popular Transfer Combinations
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
Best FPL Defenders To Target Ahead Of FPL GW8
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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