Which fixtures should Dream Team managers target after the international break?

DREAM TEAM managers should be using this international break to plan their strategy for the weeks ahead.

A quick look at the schedule reveals some key fixtures to target throughout the rest of October.

Dream Team

Squeeze the schedule for every point available![/caption]

For starters, only seven of the 20 Premier League clubs have four fixtures to fulfil before Halloween, those with European commitments: Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Manchester United and Chelsea.

Six teams have three games in the same time frame: Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Brighton, Southampton, Brentford and Leicester.

While the remaining seven sides will play just twice across the next two Gameweeks: Bournemouth, West Ham, Everton, Wolves, Fulham, Nottingham Forest and Ipswich.

Given that more fixtures usually equals more points, it might be wise to avoid players who have just two games left this month as they are likely to slip down the rankings – although Dwight McNeil’s (£4.1m) owners will understandably be reluctant to let him go.

Let’s take a closer look at the seven teams with four fixtures in an attempt to identify which match-ups will produce the most points.

AFP

Liverpool have some testing fixtures coming up but Salah’s record speaks for itself[/caption]

LIVERPOOL

• Chelsea (h)
• RB Leipzig (a)
• Arsenal (a)
• Brighton (a)

The Reds face a tough run after the break and Dream Team bosses may be torn about whether to stick or twist with the likes of Mohamed Salah (£7.6m), Luis Diaz (£4.9m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£6.2m).

However, it’s important to remember that Arne Slot’s side are top of the league and the aforementioned players have provided plenty of points across the first seven Gameweeks.

MANCHESTER CITY

• Wolves (a)
• Sparta Prague (h)
• Southampton (h)
• Tottenham (a)

Spurs away has historically been a bogey fixture for Pep Guardiola but that road trip comes in the Carabao Cup and so a certain degree of rotation is possible, depending how both coaches prioritise the competition.

The fact City’s next two league games are against the teams currently 20th and 19th in the table, either side of a favourable Champions League home game, suggests there may be some big hauls for Erling Haaland (£9.1m) in the coming weeks.

It will be interesting to see whether Phil Foden (£5.9m) comes to the party now he’s getting plenty of minutes again – the 24-year-old was Dream Team’s top performer in 2023/24.

Reuters

Haaland could feast against the league’s basement boys[/caption]

ARSENAL

• Bournemouth (a)
• Shakhtar Donetsk (h)
• Liverpool (h)
• Preston (a)

That meeting with Liverpool jumps out as a must-see game in the context of the Premier League title race but Mikel Arteta won’t be overly concerned about the other match-ups – Shakhtar are yet to score in the Champions League this season.

Bukayo Saka (£6.5m) limped off during England’s defeat to Greece on Thursday night and a huge number of gaffers will be nervously awaiting an update – the Gunners’ No7 is second only to Haaland in the Dream Team rankings right now.

CHELSEA

• Liverpool (a)
• Panathinaikos (a)
• Newcastle (h)
• Newcastle (a)

Enzo Maresca’s men face a tricky spell across the next six weeks or so, starting with a daunting trip to Anfield.

The Carabao Cup draw conspired to give them a double header against the Magpies which promises to be competitive – both teams have lost just once in the top flight this campaign.

It’s worth remembering that points machine Cole Palmer (£6.5m) was not selected in the Blues’ Conference League squad so his backers can forget about that trip to Greece in Gameweek 8.

Reuters

Palmer won’t be active in Europe throughout the league phase[/caption]

ASTON VILLA

• Fulham (a)
• Bologna (h)
• Bournemouth (h)
• Crystal Palace (h)

The Villains produced a lacklustre display against Manchester United last time out but the overall outlook remains positive – their win over Bayern Munich will live long in the memory.

Fulham aren’t to be underestimated on current form – they gave Man City a scare in Gameweek 7 – but the rest of October is relatively favourable for Villa.

It’s early days but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Jhon Duran (£3.3m) started against the Eagles in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup at the end of the month.

TOTTENHAM

• West Ham (h)
• AZ Alkmaar (h)
• Crystal Palace (a)
• Manchester City (h)

Spurs tossed away a 2-0 lead at Brighton in their most recent outing which may have tempered expectations among Dream Team managers somewhat.

That being said, goals and assists are flowing freely for the likes of James Maddison (£4.5m), Brennan Johnson (£3.8m) and Dominic Solanke (£4.4m).

Three home games out of four should help Ange Postecoglou’s side after the break.

Getty

Johnson is a popular man among gaffers at the moment[/caption]

MANCHESTER UNITED

• Brentford (h)
• Fenerbahce (a)
• West Ham (a)
• Leicester (h)

Given the Red Devils have endured their worst start to a Premier League campaign, Dream Team bosses will hardly be queuing up to recruit their assets.

But it’s simply true that all their remaining domestic opponents this month are currently bottom-half sides.

Somebody like Marcus Rashford (£4.1m) is worthy of consideration at the very least – he notched 52 points in six outings between Gameweeks 4 and 6 earlier this season.

The Gameweek 8 deadline is a while away yet but it’s never too early to get your plans in place!

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