Fantasy football transfer tips including in-form Benteke and Cech’s sure cleansheets
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Fantasy football transfer tips
The Premier League is back after the international break with its eighth instalment of games and features some intriguing encounters and individual match-ups.
With the next wave of fixtures just around the corner and World Cup qualifying form taken into account, you may be tempted into some alterations.
Here, Coral football writers have picked out some Premier League fantasy football transfer tips…
Note that you must make your changes by 11:30 BST on Saturday this week.
Add in-form Benteke
Many questioned Christian Benteke’s £27m move to Crystal Palace in the summer, but it appears to have paid off after he hit the ground running at Selhurst Park.
In five games for his new side, the big Belgium international has found the net three times and is building a real understanding with wingers Wilfried Zaha and fellow new arrival Andros Townsend.
On international duty, Benteke hit a hat-trick in 2018 world Cup qualifying and in doing so, scored the fastest goal in the competition’s qualification history at 8.1 seconds.
Benteke is bang in form after scoring twice in his last two league games and should be seriously considered for your team at the fantasy price of £7.6m.
Alan Pardew’s players face struggling West Ham United this weekend, a team with the worst defensive record in the league. This, combined with Benteke’s recent potency, provides a recipe for the striker to bag points-a-plenty against a side in the relegation places.
Benteke is 4/1 with Coral to net first in his encounter with Slaven Bilic’s outfit.
Cech sure to keep clean sheets
Arsenal have been on a run of four straight victories, each won with a clean sheet. This has seen Petr Cech’s points rocket and solidifies his place among fantasy league managers’ top choices.
Nearly 17 per cent of players have selected the Czech goalkeeper and that will soon increase thanks to some upcoming favourable fixtures.
First up after the international break is Swansea, a team hovering precociously above the relegation places thanks to a poor attacking record and are without a Premier League win since the season’s curtain raiser.
After that, Middlesbrough will take a trip to the Emirates. Boro are struggling for goals and a Gunners shutout looks likely.
To round off these favourable fixtures, David Moyes’ Sunderland will host Arsene Wenger’s men at the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats are bottom of the league and look unlikely to challenge Cech’s rock solid goal.
Alternatively, instead of choosing £5.5m Cech, why not go for Laurent Koscielny? The Frenchman has amassed the most points of any defender so far this term and has forged perhaps the league’s best centre back pairing with new signing Shkodran Mustafi.
Van Dijk dominates defence
Claude Puel has continued Ronald Koeman’s fine work at Southampton and they are on a fantastic defensive run. The Saints are yet to concede in six games in all competitions and Virgil van Dijk has been a huge part of that extraordinary feat.
Van Dijk at just £5.4m is a fantasy bargain. He is not only collecting clean sheets and fantasy points for fun, but is also goal threat from set pieces.
The Dutch international arrived to the Premier League with a reputation of scoring at Celtic and has netted 18 goals in his last three seasons thanks to a dominating aerial presence and audacious efforts from direct free-kicks.
Towering over most at 6ft 4in, the Dutchman makes full use of it, recording 158 successful headers last term, 36 more than any other defender.
Southampton’s opponents bring the worst away record in the division to St Mary’s Stadium, a stat that should buoy both Saints fans and fantasy managers alike.
Sean Dyche’s side only have a single win in six games in all competitions and possess the league’s most blunt attack. With this in mind be sure to add Van Dijk or Fraser Forster to your line up.
Forster is a cheaper option to Cech at £4.7m, but is joint third highest scoring keeper in fantasy football with a defensively water-tight team.
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