Liverpool v West Ham: Three player tips for Fantasy Premier League
Sadio Mane wasted little time in reprising his role as a difference-maker on his return from injury - and Liverpool’s No.10 will surely feature prominently in the thoughts of Fantasy Premier League managers ahead of gameweek 27.
Having missed the Reds’ previous two Premier League games due to a hamstring problem, Mane made his comeback from the bench during last Saturday’s game at Norwich City.
It didn’t take long for the forward to prove decisive at Carrow Road, either, as he arrowed in a 78th-minute winner to earn a 17th consecutive top-flight victory for Jürgen Klopp’s table-toppers, who host West Ham United on Monday night.
A 12th league goal of the season took Mane’s FPL points total to 152 and his short spell on the sidelines is a likely contributory factor behind his ownership currently standing at a little over 20 per cent.
By contrast, the only two players in the FPL’s ‘midfielders’ category boasting more points - Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne - are owned by around 50 per cent of FPL bosses.
Mane costs £12.2m and his impressive record against West Ham could make him a strong captaincy candidate.
The Senegalese has been directly involved in seven goals in his last five Premier League appearances versus the Hammers (four goals, three assists), scoring in each of his last three.
Another recent returnee from injury, James Milner, may be considered a cost-effective midfield option, meanwhile.
The vice-captain also appeared as a substitute at Norwich and then replaced Jordan Henderson in Tuesday’s game against Atletico Madrid after the skipper picked up a hamstring issue.
Milner is Liverpool’s regular penalty taker and the Reds were awarded a spot-kick - successfully converted by Salah - in the reverse fixture against West Ham in January.
Priced at £5.2m, the No.7’s ‘teams selected by’ figure is presently below one per cent - meaning he offers the potential of scoring points few other FPL managers will benefit from.
Liverpool’s formidable defensive statistics make members of Klopp’s backline popular FPL choices, of course.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson are placed first, second and third in terms of points scored by defenders this term - but the Scot’s significantly lower ownership rate may persuade managers to plump for him this week.
Robertson, who costs £7m, is a cornerstone of a Reds side that has kept 10 clean sheets in their last 11 Premier League outings while conceding just once during that run.
An ever-present in the division this season, the left-back has scored once and registered six Premier League assists so far in 2019-20.
But, while Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk are each owned by upwards of 40 per cent of FPL bosses, Robertson’s ‘teams selected by’ percentage currently sits just above 20.