Ahead of the new Premier League season, we've enlisted the help of AbuBakar Siddiq to break down the best FPL differentials to utilise in gameweek one.
FPL Differentials: The best for gameweek 1
Jordan Pickford (£4.5m)
Currently, I'm finding it challenging to distinguish between the £4.5m goalkeepers.
Under Dyche's management last season, he secured the 4th position in terms of saves among all goalkeepers.
With Sean Dyche having a complete pre-season, there's a potential for an improvement in Everton's defensive performance.
Their record of four clean sheets in six of their pre-season matches augurs well for their defensive prospects.
READ HERE: FPL 23-24: The Best Budget Forwards To Build Your Attack Around
Ruben Dias (£5.5m)
Ruben Dias with the Champions League trophy (Photo: Shutterstock)
Dias is a reasonable alternative to the more popular Stones.
Last season, Manchester City experienced an unfortunate lack of clean sheets despite holding the top position for the fewest expected goals (xG) and big chances conceded. Curiously, they seemed to concede sporadic goals in nearly every other match.
They go into Gameweek 1 as the bookmakers favorites for a clean sheet out of all teams in the league.
Alejandro Garnacho (£5.0m)
If you're looking for an enabler to release funds for the rest of your team, Garnacho v manager-less Wolves could be your man.
Garnacho impressed on the left wing in the recent friendly against RC Lens, registering an assist in his run-out. He also teed up a great chance for Mason Mount and spurned two opportunities of his own.
READ HERE: FPL 2023-24: Best Midfielders For £6.0m Or Less
James Maddison (£7.5m)
James Maddison in action for Leicester City (Photo: Shutterstock)
I'm very excited to watch James Maddison this season.
The new manager of Tottenham Hotspur, Ange Postecoglou, appears to be firmly committed to implementing an attacking style of football:
"We want to entertain. Score more goals than anybody else. Winning 4-3 is better than winning 1-0."
Notably, there has been a discernible shift in Spurs' playing approach during the friendly matches, consistently outshining their opponents in terms of shots taken and significant scoring opportunities.
Postecoglou's Celtic side accumulated a total of 114 goals last season, averaging an impressive nearly 3 goals per game. Maddison is expected to assume the role of the advanced midfielder within Postecoglou's 4-3-3 formation, with the added advantage of taking set pieces.
Even amidst Leicester's struggles last season, Maddison managed to deliver 19 attacking contributions in 30 appearances. In fact, in his previous 48 starts for Leicester, he has a staggering 41 goal involvements!
The potential is there.
READ HERE: FPL 2023-24: The Best Budget Defenders For £4.5 Million Or Less
Gabriel Martinelli (£8.0m)
Gabriel Martinelli playing for Arsenal in the Europa League (Photo: Shutterstock)
No Arsenal midfielder registered more big chances than Martinelli last season.
Interestingly, Martinelli's statistics were particularly impressive in the absence of Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m). In matches where Jesus was not present, Martinelli managed to secure eight goals in just 14 appearances. He maintained a remarkable frequency of a shot within the penalty area every 36 minutes and a big chance every 154 minutes.
On the other hand, when playing alongside Jesus, Martinelli's goal count reduced to seven across 22 games. During these matches, he registered a shot in the box approximately every 53 minutes and encountered a big opportunity every 190 minutes.
Bryan Mbeumo (£6.5m)
I'm quite enthusiastic about Mbeumo's reclassification as a midfielder for this season. In fact, had he been classified as a midfielder in the previous season, his points tally would have been 14 points higher.
During the latter part of the last season, Mbeumo displayed impressive underlying statistics, stepping into the role of Brentford's primary focal point in the absence of Ivan Toney.
To be exact, in the four games that Toney was unavailable, Mbeumo emerged as the leader among Brentford players in terms of big chances, shots within the box, expected goals (xG), and expected goal involvement (xGi).
Moreover, Mbeumo is also poised to handle penalty duties and has a share of set-piece responsibilities, thereby offering multiple avenues for accumulating points.
And if you need more reasons to consider him, three out of his first four fixtures are home matches as well - even the fixture against Spurs doesn't scare me given the expansive style of football they are likely to play!
Joao Pedro (£5.5m)
At a price of £5.5m, we have Joao Pedro.
Brighton stands out as the team with the highest non-penalty expected goals (xG) since Roberto De Zerbi's takeover last season.
Considering their enticing opening fixture, I'm aiming to include at least one of their attacking players in my lineup.
Joao Pedro is likely to secure a place in the starting lineup, based on his impressive showings in the pre-season matches.
Of notable significance, he was given the complete 90-minute duration in Brighton's recent friendly match, where he successfully converted a penalty with Pascal Gross (£6.5m) also on the field.
This occurrence could potentially suggest that Joao Pedro is set to continue as the designated penalty taker in the upcoming matches.
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