Haaland Delivered, Saka Limped, and Chelsea Lost Their Keeper: Your Gameweek 8 Weekly Review

Gameweek 7 did what this site said it would, which is not something this column gets to write every week. Haaland scored twice against Ipswich and returned 39 points to the 724,000 managers who played the Triple Captain on him. Bruno Fernandes, the fade, scored one. Joao Pedro, the second choice, scored two while Pedro Neto took 15 from the same match. Brighton beat Crystal Palace 5-0, and Manchester City are seven from seven.

Gameweek 8 brings an early deadline and a long injury list. The round opens on Friday night, when Ipswich host Nottingham Forest, so the deadline is 18:30 BST on Friday, 23 October. In the five days since the weekend, Antoine Semenyo has been ruled out until December, Bukayo Saka has limped off in Munich, Dominik Szoboszlai’s hamstring has gone again and Chelsea have lost their goalkeeper to a fractured jaw. Every section below links to its full article.

Gameweek 7 Roundup

Manchester City beat Ipswich 3-2, with Haaland scoring twice and Foden once, and sit top on 21 points from seven wins. Arsenal won 1-0 at Nottingham Forest through Noni Madueke and are second on 18. Brighton are third on 16 after beating Crystal Palace 5-0, and they have now scored more goals than anyone, 23, and kept the most clean sheets, five. Chelsea won 2-0 at Everton and are fourth. At the bottom, Sunderland lost 2-0 at Bournemouth and have four points, with Forest and Fulham on five.

The armband market had its best week of the season. Haaland, the most-captained player, returned 13, 26 as captain and 39 for the Triple Captain. Pedro, the most popular vice-captain, scored two. Saka scored three at Forest, Fernandes one at Leeds. Neto led the gameweek with 15, ahead of Yasin Ayari and Haaland on 13. The gameweek average was 59 and the top score 122.

Captain Recommendations

Haaland again, away this time. City go to Aston Villa at 12:30 BST on Saturday, and Villa have not won at home all season, with two defeats and a draw and five goals conceded in three home matches. Haaland has eight goals, three more than anyone else, has scored in six straight gameweeks and takes the penalties. Enzo Maresca says he is fully available after limping off on Saturday. City have won all three away matches, conceding one.

The second choice is Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Sunderland, the league’s worst defence by expected goals against. He takes Leeds’ penalties and scored last weekend, but Leeds have scored only nine and his returns come in bursts. Bryan Mbeumo at home to Bournemouth is the alternative. Joao Pedro is a hold, not an armband, after two points at Everton. Saka is the fade, at 50 percent with a thigh injury and without a goal since Gameweek 4. Pedro Neto, owned by 2.7 percent, is the differential.

Read the full Captain Recommendations article

Chip Strategy

Last week’s Triple Captain call paid: about 724,000 managers played it on Haaland, more than played any other chip, and banked 39. This week nothing makes a chip urgent. Every gameweek to 19 has ten fixtures, and the first set of chips expires at the Gameweek 19 deadline, which the official game currently lists as 18:30 GMT on Friday, 1 January. Villa away is not a Triple Captain fixture. Fulham at home in Gameweek 11 and Hull at home in Gameweek 16 are better targets for anyone still holding the chip.

The 335,000 managers who Wildcarded in Gameweek 7 have the one chip decision that matters: this is the Bench Boost week, with all three promoted sides at home and their opponents’ fixtures rated a 2. For everyone else, the Wildcard test has a new list of names. Three or more of Semenyo, Saka, Szoboszlai, Martinez and James is a reason to press it. One or two is a job for free transfers. Save the Free Hit.

Read the full Chip Strategy article

Differential Picks

Last week’s column named Vuskovic, Tavernier and Dewsbury-Hall. They returned 11, 10 and 2. This week’s list is a midfielder, a forward and a wide man, each owned by fewer than one in twenty managers.

Phil Foden (Manchester City, £6.8m). Owned by 2 percent, with 2.23 expected goals in only 293 minutes, a midweek hat-trick against AEK Athens, and a place opened by Semenyo’s injury. The risk is that he has started only four of seven. Evanilson (Bournemouth, £6.1m). A goal and an assist against Sunderland, a 9.5 form rating matched only by Haaland among forwards, and a trip to a Manchester United side without a clean sheet all season. Alex Iwobi (Fulham, £5.4m). The winner against Hull, the most expected assists of any player in the game, and a trip to Coventry, who have conceded 14. A one-week pick.

Read the full Differential Picks article

Fixture Analysis

Gameweek 8 opens with Ipswich v Nottingham Forest at 20:00 BST on Friday, 23 October. Saturday has Aston Villa v Manchester City at 12:30, Arsenal v Everton and Coventry v Fulham at 15:00, and Chelsea v Tottenham at 17:30. The clocks go back overnight, so Sunday’s kick-offs are in GMT: Crystal Palace v Newcastle, Hull v Brentford, Liverpool v Brighton and Manchester United v Bournemouth at 14:00, and Sunderland v Leeds at 16:30.

Best run: Leeds United, averaging 2.8 with only Chelsea away above a 3, and a defence that has conceded six, the third-fewest in the league. Jayden Bogle is the obvious buy. Attack run: Chelsea, whose opponents include a United side without a clean sheet and the league’s softest defence, though Chelsea’s own back line has lost its goalkeeper and Reece James. Worst run: Brighton, at 3.4 with Liverpool and Manchester City away first, which matters because Gross and De Cuyper are owned by more than 40 percent each.

The runs that aren’t: Coventry and Sunderland. Coventry have the kindest average in the league, 2.6, and have conceded 14. Sunderland average 2.8 and have the worst expected goals against. Target their opponents. Swing to watch: Aston Villa, who face City this week and then Fulham, Manchester United, Sunderland and Ipswich. Last week’s calls held up: City and Chelsea won, Everton lost, Fulham finally beat a promoted side, and only Tottenham’s 3-1 win over Coventry went against the column.

Read the full Fixture Analysis article

Injury Updates

Everything below is the latest public information as of Thursday, 22 October, checked against the official FPL flags and this week’s press conferences. Liverpool and Tottenham had not held theirs at the time of writing. Treat anything marked “doubt” as exactly that.

Good news: Haaland is fully available, in Maresca’s words. Morgan Gibbs-White trained all week and is ready for Ipswich on Friday, with Nikola Milenkovic fit to start alongside him. Isak scored at Brentford and Gakpo is fit, so last week’s Liverpool forward crisis is over. Gravenberch is back from suspension, Piero Hincapie could be available for Arsenal, and Sunderland expect Brian Brobbey to be ready for Leeds.

Read the full Injury Updates article

Player Performance

Neto’s 15 came from 0.37 expected goals, so treat it as a very good afternoon rather than a new normal, though he played the full 90 for the first time this season. Haaland’s 71 on the bonus points system was the highest of the round, and his eight goals have come from 5.69 expected. Brighton’s 5-0 sent the points to the players the market had not bought: Ayari, Kostoulas, Vuskovic and Boscagli outscored De Cuyper and Gross, who returned 6 and 5. Fernandes has now blanked in six of seven league matches.

Read the full Player Performance Review

Predicted Lineups

These are the calls that matter. Friday’s press conferences will settle most of them, and with a Friday deadline there is very little time afterwards.

Manchester City (at Aston Villa): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Guehi, Gvardiol; Bouaddi, Kovacic; Ndiaye, Cherki, Foden; Haaland. Three of those are being assessed, and Maresca says Cherki and Foden can play together. Chelsea (v Tottenham): the same ten outfield players who won at Everton, with Robin Penders replacing Martinez in goal. Arsenal (v Everton): Madueke is the likeliest replacement for Saka on the right. The sources disagree on Timber or White at right back and Eze or Gyokeres elsewhere.

Liverpool (v Brighton): Isak leads the line, Gravenberch returns for Szoboszlai, and Munoz is a 75 percent doubt. Brighton are close to the side that beat Palace, with Hinshelwood in for Chema Andres. Leeds (at Sunderland): unchanged, and the calmest team sheet of the week. Manchester United (v Bournemouth): Matheus Cunha did not start at Leeds, so check Friday’s news before counting on him.

Read the full Predicted Lineups article

Transfer Suggestions

The market this week has been written by injuries. Szoboszlai, Semenyo, Fernandes, Wissa and Saka lead the sales. Cherki, Tavernier, Gross, De Cuyper and Rogers lead the purchases, and all five have already risen.

Bring in: Rayan Cherki (Manchester City, £8.0m). The straight swap for Semenyo, and Maresca rates him highly. He did not start against Ipswich, so the minutes are not guaranteed. Bring in: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds, £6.1m), a penalty taker with the best run in the league. With caution: Pedro Neto (Chelsea, £6.5m), the budget route out of Saka. Goalkeeper: Robin Penders (Chelsea, £4.4m), the likely starter until mid-December.

Moving on: Semenyo, Martinez and James, who are out for weeks, Szoboszlai unless Friday’s news is unexpectedly good, and Yoane Wissa, who has one goal from 2.97 expected goals and a hard run ahead. Make the Saka decision after Friday’s press conference.

Read the full Transfer Suggestions article

The deadline is 18:30 BST on Friday, 23 October, a day earlier than usual. Last week the advice was to read Friday’s news and put the armband on Haaland. This week it is the same advice with less time to follow it. Read the press conferences on Friday morning, make the moves by the afternoon, and put the armband on Haaland.