With an international break looming, gameweek eight of FPL looks to be a vital early round. We picked up a good points haul from Chelsea pair Edouard Mendy and Hakim Ziyech, not so much from the injured Michail Antonio and Patrick Bamford. We are aiming for an even bigger return with this week’s picks. Here are our picks for gameweek eight:
Bernd Leno (Arsenal, £5m)
Arsenal have conceded the least goals in the Premier League this season, as no team has conceded less than the Gunners seven goals this season. Head coach Mikel Arteta has shown that he does have a pragmatic side in recent games.
A clean sheet at Manchester United last time out ended a run of five league games without a clean sheet for the team from north London. At £5m, Arsenal’s number one seems to represent good value ahead of a home game against Aston Villa. The former Bayer Leverkusen star also faces Leeds and Wolves in the next three weeks.
Kurt Zouma (Chelsea, £5.3m)
It seems that Chelsea may have found their feet when it comes to defensive solidity. The Blues have now kept five straight clean sheets in all competitions, largely due to the presence of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy in-between the sticks has helped.
With Chelsea keeping clean sheets, Blues defenders are starting to look like viable FPL options. While full-backs Ben Chilwell and Reece James look the obvious choices in Chelsea’s defence, centre-back Kurt Zouma also offers a good option.
The French centre-back has scored three times in his seven top-flight appearances this season. A home game against strugglers Sheffield United offers Zouma the chance for points at both ends of the pitch. No team in the English top-flight has scored fewer than the Blades tally of three goals.
Pablo Fornals (West Ham, £6.4m)
The Spanish attacking midfielder has made a good start to the Premier League campaign, having scored twice and produced three assists. The former Villarreal star is maybe unfortunate not to have more points than the 39 he has picked up so far this season. He did score in a 2-1 defeat at reigning champions Liverpool last time out.
A home game this weekend against struggling Fulham could give Fornals the chance to add to his big points tally. The Irons then face a trip to another struggler in Sheffield United and a home game against fading Aston Villa.
Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace, £7.4m)
The Ivory Coast winger has been highly inconsistent throughout his Premier League career. However, he has started the current campaign in decent form, scoring five times and producing an assist this season. He has scored two and produced an assist in his last three appearances for the Eagles in the top-flight.
This weekend Palace host goal-friendly Leeds United before Roy Hodgson’s team face Burnley, Newcastle and West Brom. All four of the games look highly winnable and Zaha could take advantage of those nice fixtures.
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Will any of our FPL picks be in your team for gameweek eight?
