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It’s been a good start to the season for a majority of FPL managers, with an average score of 56 points in Gameweek 1 followed by a 60-point average last week showing that plenty of coaches are thriving at the beginning of this Premier League campaign.
And with some of the league’s star players already in top form, there are points on offer for most managers as long as they get their picks right.
Whether the next round of fixtures is about continuing a good start or turning around a poor one, there are plenty of options to make your team a winning one this weekend.
Here are our expert picks for Gameweek 3.
CAPTAIN – SERGIO AGUERO | MANCHESTER CITY| 11.1M
We picked Sergio Aguero for captain last week. He only went and bagged a hat-trick as Manchester City routed Huddersfield 6-1 at the Etihad Stadium. The Argentine also hit the woodwork once, and took a total of nine shots.
With form like that, there’s no reason to pick anyone else in Gameweek 3. Plus, he’s got a ringing endorsement from his manager, with Pep Guardiola insisting that this is the fittest the striker has been in a long time – a scary prospect given that he’s been one of the Premier League’s top forwards over the last seven seasons anyway.
The 30-year-old has the second-most hat-tricks in league history, with nine, behind only Alan Shearer on that particular list, and there’s every chance he can grab a few more goals this weekend with the way the champions are playing.
City face newly-promoted Wolves, and even though the fixture is away from home, the former Atletico Madrid ace will fancy his chances of racking up the goals against a defence still getting used to the Premier League. He may even hit consecutive trebles – would anyone put it past him?
Sergio Aguero
ALTERNATIVES
SADIO MANE (9.8m)
The way Liverpool have started the season has seen their players become hot property on FPL, with Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah especially vying for managers’ attention. With a home game against Brighton coming up, the Reds can again be expected to be on the front foot in attack, giving their forwards more chances to bring points. Mane currently has more goals, 3 to 1, and more overall points, 26 to 17, but the biggest reason to pick the Senegalese attacker is the price. Salah is listed at 13m, making Mane a much more affordable option.
MARCOS ALONSO (6.6m)
Marcos Alonso has carried on from where he left off last season, taking his perch atop the points rankings for defenders after two weeks of the new campaign. The Spaniard scored against Arsenal last weekend, and should be good for more points in Gameweek 3, when Chelsea travel to face a struggling Newcastle side. The Blues lost 3-0 in their last trip to St. James’ Park on the final day of last season, so they’ll be looking for revenge, and the nature of their attacking play should give Alonso plenty of chances to add to his points tally.
BOLD CHOICE
PAUL POGBA (8.0m)
Paul Pogba put the onus on himself after Manchester United‘s shock defeat to Brighton last weekend, saying his attitude wasn’t right in that game. He’ll want to back up his words with a strong performance, especially given United’s opponents this gameweek are Tottenham. The first significant match of the Red Devils’ season is the perfect time for the French star to come good.
Paul Pogba
TWO TO WATCH
HENRIKH MKHITARYAN | ARSENAL | 7.1M
Henrikh Mkhitaryan kick-started his season against Chelsea last weekend, scoring a goal and providing an assist in Arsenal‘s 3-2 loss. Given the Gunners’ kind run of fixtures coming up, starting with West Ham on Saturday. Their following five games include encounters with Cardiff, Newcastle, Watford and Fulham, with a home date with Everton the only tough-looking fixture on paper. It’s a run that should allow the Armenian playmaker to discover his best form.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
DANNY INGS | SOUTHAMPTON | 5.5M
Ings impressed when coming on for his Southampton debut in Gameweek 1, then followed that up by scoring in his first start for his new team last week. The Saints face Leicester City at home this weekend, and the Foxes were one of the league’s poorer travellers last season, with Ings set to benefit from his opponents’ poor away form. Southampton have a kind run of fixtures coming up as well, making the Englishman a solid option for the coming weeks.
Danny Ings
TWO TO AVOID
HARRY MAGUIRE | LEICESTER CITY | 5.5M
Leicester City have three away games in their next six, a worrying fixture list for a team that wasn’t good on the road last season. And one of their home matches is against Liverpool, making the coming weeks a tough time for the Foxes, and especially for the defence. Harry Maguire hasn’t hit the heights of last season yet, and it might be too much to expect him to do so immediately given his side’s upcoming fixtures.
Harry Maguire
DAVID DE GEA | MANCHESTER UNITED | 6.0M
United have let in four goals in their opening two games of this campaign – a mark it took nine games to reach last season. Not good signs for any goalkeeper behind that defence, even if that keeper happens to be David de Gea. And the Spaniard’s own form is in question, having conceded 10 times from the last 14 shots on target that he’s faced since the start of the World Cup.
David de Gea
