Premier League Gameweek 8 brings along another round of exciting fixtures, with the biggest one being Manchester City’s showdown with Liverpool on Sunday. Other games include Manchester United’s trip to Goodison Park to square off against Everton while a free-flowing Leicester City welcome Wolves at King Power Stadium.
With some high-profile clashes in store, the fantasy managers are bound to have that sweet conundrum while picking their teams for the week. So with that being said, we give you five players that are bound to have an impact for their respective teams:
Player: Hakim Ziyech
Team: Chelsea
Match: Chelsea vs Sheffield United
Sheffield United are one of the three teams that are yet to win a game this season. They travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea on Saturday knowing that a point will do a world of good for them. The Blues, on the other hand, are on a goal-scoring streak, notching as many as 10 goals in their last three games, with a certain Hakim Ziyech playing his part in three of them. The Moroccan may have scored a solitary goal in the league this season, but he has well and truly found his footing, and one can expect him to play a big role against Sheffield on Saturday.
Player: Aaron Cresswell
Team: West Ham United
Match: West Ham United vs Fulham
Fulham have shipped in 14 goals this season - third-highest in the league so far - and are rightly prone to conceding more when they face West Ham United away from home. As for the Hammers, they are expected to ride on the back of Aaron Cresswell’s breathtaking form. The 30-year-old full-back has three assists in seven league games and provided 15 successful crosses - a league-high. His deliveries from the touchline or even from the set-pieces are tipped to give you bonus points. If you are hunting for a defender, Cresswell is your man.
Player: Jamie Vardy
Team: Leicester City
Match: Leicester City vs Wolves
Three of Leicester’s last five meetings with Wolves have ended in a 0-0 draw, but two games have seen a total of nine goals, with Diogo Jota’s sensational hat-trick inspiring Wolves to a 4-3 win in January 2019, while a goal from James Maddison guided Leicester to a 2-0 victory in September 2018. And while Jamie Vardy has provided a single assist in these two games, his current form tips him to be the difference on Sunday. The 33-year-old has bagged six goals and an assist in his last five appearances, meaning that he is certain to be a menace for the Wolves defence which has conceded just eight goals in the league (second-lowest) so far.
Player: Raheem Sterling
Team: Manchester City
Match: Manchester City vs Liverpool
In arguably the biggest showdown of the week, expect Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling to grab the headlines one way or another. Manchester City vs Liverpool has produced a whopping 18 goals in their last five meetings and it is safe to say that the games have duly lived up to their billing. As for Sterling, he was on target the last time these two met, which saw a thumping 4-0 win for Manchester City. While he has struggled to live up to the potential he has set for himself, being a former Red, Sterling will want to be on the scoresheet once again.
Player: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Team: Arsenal
Match: Arsenal vs Aston Villa
Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ended his goalless run against Manchester United last week. Sure, he has struggled to be amongst goals this season, but you just cannot write him off. Arsenal host Aston Villa on Sunday (Monday as per IST), and the Gabonese will certainly be the one his team will build their attack around, and thus, we put our punt on the 31-year-old. With Villa conceding seven goals in their last two outings, Arteta will want Aubameyang to step up and pile further misery on their fate.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Shaun Botterill
