Over 8 million players will be hastily applying the finishing touches to their teams ahead of Friday’s 18:30 (UK) deadline.
Players are tasked with £100m to spend on a squad of 15 players but, to make that prospect all the more difficult, only three Premier League stars can be selected from each respective club.
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So, does our new No.10, Jack Grealish, go straight into your squad? Will Ruben Dias or John Stones be marshalling your back four? Or do one of our young guns who impressed in pre-season, like Sam Edozie, get the nod?
In a weekly series, the Scout provides expert insight into one of our City stars, an opponent to keep your eye on and another player across the Premier League expected to thrive, to hopefully ease the pressure on those last-minute decisions…
City star
Riyad Mahrez (£9.0m) offers FPL managers an exciting differential for Gameweek One.
The winger is owned by just 7.1 per cent of squads for Manchester City’s visit to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.
Mahrez’s 20 goals and 22 assists over the past two seasons in Fantasy underlines his all-round ability.
The Algerian averaged an astonishing 5.4 points per match in 2020/21, the eighth highest of all Premier League midfielder.
And Mahrez has continued that form into pre-season, playing a part in more goals than any teammate over the summer friendlies.
He scored three and assisted a further two across his five appearances.
Opponent to watch
Son Heung-min (£10.0m), meanwhile, has made an immediate impact for Spurs’ new head coach Nuno Espirito Santo.
Playing up front, the South Korean’s contribution helped the north London outfit to an unbeaten pre-season schedule.
Son produced three goals and four assists in his five summer outings, including the decisive goal in a 1-0 derby win over Arsenal last weekend.
He welcomes Manchester City on the back of his best-ever campaign in Fantasy, combining 17 goals and 11 assists for 228 points.
Son’s potential for explosive hauls is another big draw for managers.
His total of 11 double-figure hauls placed second only to the 12 of Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m) last season.
Premier League pick
Liverpool’s visit Norwich City makes Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) a top captain contender for Gameweek 1.
The Egyptian thrived on his travels in the previous campaign.
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Away from home, Salah’s totals of 13 goals and 17 big chances were both more than any other player in Fantasy.
His ownership of 50.2 per cent, the second highest in the game, will be hoping for a repeat of his exploits in the opening round of matches last term.
Salah scored a hat-trick against promoted Leeds United in Gameweek 1, earning a 20-point haul.
Join the MANCHESTER City FPL Fan League!
When you create your FPL squad, be sure to select Manchester City as your preferred club in order to be automatically entered into our fan league.
Prizes will be available to each month’s highest scoring manager, while our Matchday Live presenters and guests will also be locking horns with each other to see who comes out on top across the campaign.
Be sure to tune in to our live show, which gets underway one hour before the action gets underway in each of our first team matches, as they’ll be sharing and scrutinising each other’s picks and predictions.
Matchday Live makes for unmissable viewing for those looking for a City-centric build-up to their gameday experience, and is available to watch on all of our digital platforms.
For more information on how to enter FPL, click here.
