Sam Bonfield selects her 6-a-side team as forwards priced at £7.5m and under score DOUBLE points
This weekend’s FPL Challenge is called “Striker Deal” as all forwards priced at £7.5m or under score DOUBLE points in Gameweek 16.
There is a limit of one player per club for your 6-a-side team, but there is an unlimited budget. Here, FPL expert Sam Bonfield reveals her team and explains her thinking, to help you pick your own line-up.
Pick your GW16 Challenge team NOW
Goalkeeper
Guglielmo Vicario (Spurs)
Once again I find myself in a position where the goalkeepers that I would bank on for a clean sheet are unpickable because we are only allowed to select one player per club and I want to choose an outfield player from their teams instead. This has ruled out David Raya, Emiliano Martinez and Bernd Leno.
Nottingham Forest have had a mixed season. While we have seen a lot of improvement under Sean Dyche, we also saw a 3-0 defeat to Everton last time out.
Meanwhile, their opponents Spurs have now kept back-to-back clean sheets in the last two matches. Vicario is therefore my goalkeeper for this challenge.
Vicario has made 44 saves this season, registering nine save points and five bonus points. Only Robin Roefs and Jordan Pickford have more bonus points among goalkeepers, with six each.
Forest have a goal conversion rate of just 7.7. Only Wolverhampton Wanderers have lower. This suggests there should be plenty of potential upside for Vicario this week from saves.
Defender
Matty Cash (Aston Villa)
Only forwards get double points this weekend, so I’ll be picking three of them and opting for a 1-1-3 formation.
In Gameweek 15, Cash highlighted his attacking threat with a goal against Manchester City. That followed an assist against Brighton & Hove Albion in Gameweek 14 and a clean sheet in Gameweek 13.
The defender has taken 28 corners for Villa this season, the most across the Aston Villa team. He has also had six shots from set-pieces, which can only be bettered by Emiliano Buendia in the Villa team.
He is also top for set-piece goals for Unai Emery’s side. Villa face West Ham United in Gameweek 16 and, with the Hammers having conceded 75 chances from set-pieces, Cash could be a good option for returns at both ends of the field.
Midfielder
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Bukayo Saka was rested during the UEFA Champions League match against Club Brugge in midweek, only coming on in the 71st minute. He has now returned at least a clean-sheet point in every week since Gameweek 7, registering 52 points.
In that time, only five midfielders in the game have returned more points than the Arsenal midfielder.
Saka now faces a Wolves side who are without a clean sheet this season and who have conceded 33 goals, more than any other side. Meanwhile, Arsenal have made the Emirates Stadium a fortress, so Saka looks like an excellent buy in both the main Fantasy game and in Challenge.
If it wasn’t for the £7.5m-and-under forwards getting double points, Saka would also have had my captain’s armband.
Forwards
Igor Thiago (Brentford)
Despite blanking against Spurs in Gameweek 15, Thiago has been an excellent option for Fantasy managers this season.
The Brentford forward is the second highest-scoring forward in the game, with only Erling Haaland ahead of him. Thiago has scored 11 goals this season, with seven of them coming in home fixtures.
Brentford now host Leeds United, with the visitors having conceded 18 goals on the road this season. Only Burnley and AFC Bournemouth have conceded more on their travels, with 23 and 19 respectively.
At under £7.5m, Thiago will have his points doubled in this challenge and therefore he wears my captain’s armband.
Raul Jimenez (Fulham)
Jimenez will also have his points doubled.
With Rodrigo Muniz still out with a hamstring injury until the new year, Jimenez looks set to continue leading the line for Fulham.
Jimenez has had four attacking returns since Gameweek 9 from a goal and three assists.
He has had the most big chances in the Fulham side and, with the exception of in-form Harrry Wilson, is top for shots so far with 23.
Jimenez has also had the most shots from set-pieces in the Fulham team and faces a Burnley side who have conceded the fourth-most attempts from set-plays.
Erling Haaland (Man City)
Many Fantasy managers have been disappointed by the returns from Haaland lately.
The Manchester City forward has blanked in three of his last four Premier League matches, despite City scoring more goals than any other side in that time, with 12.
Haaland was on target in Man City’s Champions League win in midweek at Real Madrid and now faces a Crystal Palace side who will be without the injured Daniel Munoz.
