With an average score of 65, the 2019/2020 FPL season got off to a flying start. Some of this season’s most premium assets just needed one game to show why they are worth the investment. The likes of Mo Salah (12 points), Raheem Sterling (20 points) and Harry Kane (13 points) returned big, but they weren’t the only ones. Budget central defender Lewis Dunk (11 points), new Bournemouth recruit Chris Mepham (10 points) and Burnley’s star forward Ashley Barnes (13 points) (who we highlighted last week as a differential) defied their low price tags by delivering big hauls as well. With the star players being priced as high as they are this season, the search for consistent scorers in the lower and budget brackets is going to be crucial for a successful season. Gameweek 1 has shown that there are plenty of points potential outside the premium category, now Gameweek 2 will hopefully reveal a bit more about consistency and early purple patches.
Don’t forget: the deadline for Gameweek 2 is set at 12h30 (BST), on Saturday, August 17th.
How did our picks for the previous gameweek fare?
| PICK | PLAYER | OPPONENT | POINTS |
| Premium | Mo Salah | Norwich (home) | 12 |
| Premium | Harry Kane | Villa (home) | 13 |
| Non-premium | Callum Wilson | Sheffield (home) | 5 |
| Non-premium | Gylfi Sigurdsson | Palace (away) | 3 |
| Differential | Kyle Walker-Peters | Villa (home) | 2 |
| Differential | Ashley Barnes | Watford (home) | 13 |
| Captain | Salah | Norwich (home) | 24 |
Premium picks
We chose Salah and Kane as our premium picks last weekend over Raheem Sterling (£12.1m), as the young Englishman had an away game. Our picks brought in 12 and 13 points respectively, but Sterling took home the Player of the Gameweek award by scoring a hat-trick, winning 3 bonus points and recording a total score of 20 points. After such a performance and with Leroy Sané out injured while Pep seems to be easing Aguero into the starting eleven, Sterling is highly likely to start again this Saturday when City host Spurs. It’s not an easy game by any stretch (remember last season’s Champions League quarter-finals?), but on a good day, Pep’s men can demolish any kind of opposition, especially at home. As far as Sterling is concerned, he has played 14 times against Spurs in his career, with a current record of 7 goals and 3 assists. Miss out at your own peril just like with pokies syndicate.casino
We were considering Mo Salah as our second premium pick for gameweek 2, but seeing as the Egyptian just played an intense 120 minutes against Chelsea for the European Super Cup on Wednesday evening, we’re going with Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.0m). The Gabonese forward ended last season as the joint-top scorer with 22 goals and he continued his fine goal-scoring form against Newcastle. The Gunners found it difficult to break down the Magpies, but a single strike from PEA in the 58th minute was enough to take the three points back to the Emirates. Next opponents Burnley are one of Aubameyang’s favourite Premier League opponents, as underlined by his record against them: 6 goals, 1 assists and 42 FPL points in three encounters. With just two shots on target and three attempts off target, the Gunners failed to really impress against Newcastle, but we expect them to turn up in more convincing fashion for this season’s first home game.
Non-premium picks
Bournemouth somewhat disappointed in their opening game of the 2019/20 campaign by drawing 1-1 against newly-promoted Sheffield United at the Vitality Stadium. Thanks to their opening fixtures (Sheffield home, Villa away), several attacking Cherries assets were popular in the build-up to gameweek 1. Their meagre three shots on target will have caused some FPL managers to doubt their choices, but we would recommend sticking with your Cherries at least one more round. One of the players who disappointed a bit was Josh King (£6.5m). The Norwegian forward took one shot at goal and created one key chance, while he also completed three dribbles, the most of any players on the pitch. Bournemouth will be looking to redeem themselves at Villa Park and even though the Villains put on a more than decent display at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last weekend, they might well concede again against the Cherries on Saturday and King might well be involved. And cherries are sometimes involved in new slots games Australia.
Our second non-premium pick is actually on the border of higher-end mid-priced assets and lower-end premium assets. Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino (£9.5m) came on for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in Wednesday’s European Super Cup final and his impact was immediately noticeable. He set up the equalising goal a few minutes into the second half and then provided another assists for the second goal five minutes into the extra time as well. The Brazilian attacker was unplayable for the Chelsea defence at times, and Salah (and especially Salah) benefited enormously from his introduction. In the Premier League’s opening game last weekend, Firmino also provided an assist to end the game with 5 FPL points. He had four attempts at goal that game, which is double the amount Mo Salah had (who recorded 12 points) and he also completed four dribbles, which is also double the amount of dribbles completed by his Egyptian team mate. Against a leaky Southampton back line, Firmino is expected to start and, if all goes well, rack up a few more attacking returns.
A differential pick or two
Norwich were welcomed back to the Premier League by a pretty rampant Liverpool side that put four goals past them in the first 45 minutes. In the second half, the Reds eased down and the Canaries managed to get back into the game which eventually resulted in a consolation goal by Teemu Pukki (£6.5m), last season’s Championship top scorer (29 goals). The Finnish forward recorded 7 FPL points, courtesy of his goal and 1 bonus point, and it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise to see him book attacking returns again coming Saturday when Norwich host Steve Bruce’s Newcastle. While it remains to be seen if the Canaries are defensively sturdy enough to survive in the Premier League, their first game of the campaign has shown that they can create chances and score goals. At his current price, Pukki could be a very decent budget option and a real differential pick.
Brighton impressed in their first official game under new manager Graham Potter. The Seagulls swept away an admittedly disappointing Watford at Vicarage Road three to nil and this weekend West Ham are rolling up to the AmEx. The Hammers were hammered by Man City in gameweek 1 and even though that game might not be entirely representative of their true quality, it can’t have been too good for their confidence. Brighton, on the other hand, will be brimming with confidence and Dutch forward Jurgen Locadia (£5.5m) will be hoping to be involved in the action from the start again. Before being taken off in the 63rd minute, he made two attempts at goal, one of which was on target, and he generally looked lively on the left wing and up front. Competition is fierce in the Brighton attack, with new signings Neal Maupay and Leandro Trossard vying for starting spots as well, but it looks like Locadia will start again against West Ham on Saturday. His current price tag makes him an interesting option for the position of third striker in your squad.
The captaincy
Our suggestion for the armband this week is Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling. The sky blue dribbler had some serious competition from the likes of Aubameyang (home against Burnley), Mo Salah (away to Southampton) and this coming Sunday’s opponent Harry Kane, but his hat-trick away to West Ham last weekend convinced us. City did not seem to need any time to get their goal-scoring machine running and a 0-5 away victory will have definitely boosted their confidence. Facing Spurs at home is never an easy task, but the Cityzens can beat anyone at the Etihad at any time.
The FISO FPL GW2 Captain Poll does put Salah well ahead of Aubameyang and then Sterling but these are the 3 leading contenders for the armband this gameweek.