By Graham Ruthven, in conversation with Jonas Sand Låbakk
Introducing our expert
Jonas is a 21 year old student who, like FotMob, hails from Norway. He was Fantasy Premier League champion for the 2023/24 season, finishing ahead of 11 million other managers. So who better to provide expert advice?
Read his expert advice every week.
*Don’t forget the FPL deadline for this round – make your transfers and get your team sorted before 13:30 GMT on Saturday 15 March*
The Eye Test vs. The Stats
Towards the end of last season, Joško Gvardiol (5.9m) was in the form of his life.
The Croatian was a key figure for a Manchester City team that won a fourth successive Premier League title and was widely seen as one of the best in the world.
This season has been more challenging for Gvardiol – and City in general – but he has still demonstrated his threat from left back, scoring five goals – more than any other defender.
City’s struggles continued with a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest last weekend, but Pep Guardiola’s team could still build some momentum between now and the end of the season, making Gvardiol a viable pick.
Gvardiol’s attacking numbers make for good reading. The 23-year-old is averaging 0.25 Expected Goal Involvements (xGI) per 90 minutes this season with 0.16 of that coming from his Expected Goals (xG).
It’s worth noting, however, that Gvardiol has registered 0 xG in his last four appearances. This is largely due to Matheus Nunes playing at right back with Guardiola keen to keep one of his full backs as part of the defensive structure. This has pinned Gvardiol back at times.
Nonetheless, Gvardiol still carries an attacking threat. With City facing Brighton and Leicester City in their next two fixtures, there is potential for him to rack up clean sheet points and attacking returns.
Anyone looking for a replacement for the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold (7.4m) or Lewis Hall (4.9m) should have Gvardiol on their radar.
Bournemouth have been one of the biggest success stories of this season in the Premier League and Justin Kluivert (6.1m) has been one of their best players.
Kluivert’s 18 goal involvements rank him eighth in the Premier League for that metric. He is also ranked eighth for total points earned in FPL this season. This comes from a solid xGI per 90 minutes of 0.6.
The Dutchman was lively against Tottenham Hotspur in Gameweek 28. Indeed, he registered an assist, also having a goal disallowed and hitting the post. On another day, he could have had a hat trick.
With Bournemouth chasing European football, their next two fixtures could prove fruitful from an attacking perspective. Indeed, the Cherries face Brentford in Gameweek 29 before Ipswich Town in Gameweek 30, with both matches at home.
Not only is Kluivert an attacking livewire for Andoni Iraola’s team, he is their designated penalty taker. He could be in line for another haul of points.
Long shot
This season has been a struggle for Wolves with the Molineux outfit just one place above the relegation zone.
However, Rayan Aït-Nouri (4.8m) and the suspended Matheus Cunha (7.0m) have been reliable performances from a FPL point of view. The former could be an option with so many FPL managers facing up to a blank gameweek for Liverpool and Newcastle United due to their participation in the Carabao Cup final.
Wolves have a game against bottom-of-the-table Southampton this weekend and so Aït-Nouri might be a solid pick for your FPL team this weekend. The Algerian has three goals and five assists to his name this season and is averaging 0.14 xGI per 90 minutes.
Upcoming games to follow
Only eight fixtures are on the docket for gameweek 29 due to this weekend’s Carabao Cup final.
The meeting between Bournemouth and Brentford promises to be an interesting one. Both teams are attack-minded, meaning there could be goals. Kluivert, Antoine Semenyo (5.7m), Evanilson (5.6m) and Milos Kerkez (5m) are the standout picks from Bournemouth while Bryan Mbeumo (8.1) and Yoane Wissa (6.5) are good options from Brentford.
Manchester City’s home fixture against Brighton is another match to monitor.
Many managers might be tempted to sell Mohamed Salah for this weekend in order to buy Erling Haaland (14.7m) with Liverpool not playing in the league. Other City players to track are Gvardiol and Phil Foden (9.2m). João Pedro (5.5m) is my favourite pick from Brighton.
Finally, the match between Leicester and Manchester United is worth your attention.
While United have struggled for firepower this season, Bruno Fernandes (8.3m) is my pick for this weekend with Diogo Dalot (5.0m) another good option against the relegation-threatened Foxes.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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