Hudson-Odoi Set To Shine As The Fantasy Premier League Returns

Now October’s UEFA European Championship qualifiers are over, we turn our attention towards our Fantasy Premier League teams once again as Gameweek 9 approaches.

GW9 Fixtures:

Saturday

• Everton vs West Ham

• Aston Villa vs Brighton

• Tottenham vs Watford

• Wolves vs Southampton

• Chelsea vs Newcastle

• Bournemouth vs Norwich

• Leicester vs Burnley

• Crystal Palace vs Manchester City

Sunday

• Manchester United vs Liverpool

Monday

• Sheffield United vs Arsenal

Take Note

With the international break now over, we’ve dug into the upcoming fixtures and have picked out four teams with the best match-ups ahead.

• Arsenal: SHU (A), CRY (H), WOL (H), LEI (A), SOU (H), NOR (A), BHA (H), WHU (A)

• Chelsea: NEW (H), BUR (A), WAT (A), CRY (H), MCI (A), WHU (H), AVL (H)

• Leicester:  BUR (H), SOU (A), CRY (A), ARS (H), BHA (A), EVE (H), WAT (H), AVL (A), NOR (H)

• Wolves: SOU (H), NEW (A), ARS (A), AVL (H), BOU (A), SHU (H), WHU (H), BHA (A)

Similarly, we’ve noted three teams with the least attractive set of fixtures coming up.

• Crystal Palace: MCH (H), ARS (A), LEI (H), CHE (A), LIV (H)

• Liverpool: MUN (A), TOT (H), AVL (A), MCI (H)

• Sheffield United: ARS (H), WHU (A), BUR (H), TOT (A), MUN (H)

Potential FPL Gems

For those who are looking to deploy their Wildcard chip or possess spare transfers ahead of GW9, we’ve picked out two potential FPL gems to consider who will most certainly free up funds.

Paulo Gazzaniga (£4.4m)

After sustaining a serious arm injury against Brighton & Hove Albion in GW8, Hugo Lloris looks set to face a long period on the sidelines for Tottenham Hotspur.

Eight minutes into the game against the Seagulls, Paulo Gazzaniga stepped in for his second appearance of the season in Lloris' stead.

The Argentine shot-stopper looks the clear favourite to take the No.1 spot for the time being and costs a mere £4.4m.

Any starting goalkeeper below the value of £4.5m in one of the ‘Top Six’ sides creates an appealing proposal and Gazzaniga seems difficult to neglect.

Although Spurs have had a shaky start to the 2019/20 campaign, Gazzaniga forms another rotational option in front of goal and would make a good pairing with another low-value FPL goalkeeper.

Aaron Connolly (£4.5m)

On his first full Premier League start, Brighton’s Aaron Connolly produced a massive 13-point haul, earning his first top-flight brace and pocketing all three bonus points against Tottenham.

The 19-year-old is the cheapest starting price any forward can be in FPL and will most certainly free up funds to scatter on big-hitters elsewhere while offering a strong option on the bench.

If he can reproduce the devastating form he demonstrated against Spurs then it’s a no-brainer.

Looking at Brighton’s upcoming fixtures, their next three opponents display a Fixture Difficulty Rating of 2, therefore it might be worth giving Connolly the nod over the coming weeks.

GW9 Pointers

Harry Kane (£10.9m)

England’s No.9 features this week as a top pick following his outstanding returns over the international break, firing home two goals and recording three assists combined against the Czech Republic and Bulgaria.

When you realise the 26-year-old faces a struggling Watford side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in his next fixture, it’s hard to ignore.

The Hornets sit rock bottom of the Premier League having conceded 20 goals so far and possess a -16 goal difference with no wins to their name all season.

It feels as though Kane hasn’t been hitting the headlines as frequently as we’d hoped for so far this season, yet the Three Lions captain has still mustered up five goals and an assist.

With four of his attacking returns recorded at home this campaign, we’ll be hoping the Spurs forward can add more to his tally.

Callum Hudson-Odoi (£5.9m)

Another Englishman with great form coming out of the international break is Callum Hudson-Odoi. The 18-year-old produced a divine solo goal, securing a brace and a single assist for England’s under-21s.

Hudson-Odoi stands out as a solid differential over the coming weeks with Chelsea’s good run of fixtures.

The winger has earned 106 minutes of game time under Lampard so far this season, supplying attacking returns in both games he has featured in.

Following the youngster’s outstanding performances on the international stage, we’re expecting the Blues boss to give the midfielder more minutes this weekend, especially considering Lampard’s reputation for giving opportunities to youth players.

Chelsea host Newcastle at Stamford Bridge this Saturday and away from home the Magpies have conceded the second-most goals this season. We’ll be looking for Hudson-Odoi to capitalise on their weaknesses.