Chief's Fantasy Football Picks - Gameweek 7

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Written by: Chief @FPLHINTS

Must-have pick – Romelu Lukaku

If Harry Kane is the man of the moment in London, then Romelu Lukaku is his equivalent in Manchester (or on the red side at least). The Belgium international has scored more than a goal a game across all competitive matches, 10 in total, for a rejuvenated Manchester United team. He is the apex of their attack and has been the decisive factor in a lot of their games since August. In truth, his conversion rate could probably be refined further with fewer misses, as his six league goals are at an average rate of a goal for every 4.5 shots.

But he’s still essential.

After all, Lukaku is currently the Premier League’s joint-top goalscorer going into Gameweek 7. More goals will be incoming from his boot. Man United face a hapless Crystal Palace team at Old Trafford, who have are still recovering from a 5-0 thrashing at the Etihad. With support from the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marcus Rashford, Lukaku will add to his ever growing goalscoring tally against the Eagles.

Comeback pick – Sadio Mané

It seems as if he picked up his red card just yesterday, following his collision with Ederson. However, his three-game domestic ban also applied to the League Cup so he is available for selection for Gameweek 7.

Now there’s no denying that Liverpool already have a plethora of attacking options from Mohamed Salah, Philippe Coutinho to Roberto Firmino. However, he is regularly involved in their key attacking moments and was also a mainstay in the team last season until he got injured.

Prior to being sent off earlier this month, Mané had scored three goals in as many games at an average of just over three shots per goal. Aside from his short-term form, his long-term form confirms his capability to come back with a bang. The Senegal international has scored or assisted 55 goals since the 2014/2015 Premier League season.

Mané should slot straight back into the team for the visit to St. James’ Park and will definitely be a threat from start to finish.

Differential pick – Raheem Sterling

There’s no denying that a trip to Stamford Bridge is going to be a tricky encounter for the visiting team regardless of their class. City are no exception in this regard. However, they are playing a free-scoring kind of football which only warrants goals from their attacking players.

Sergio Aguero and David Silva have taken the plaudits for this, but there’s also an unsung hero that has also been doing his bit. Raheem Sterling is by no means a guaranteed starter for Man City this season, but he has certainly made the most of his time on the pitch.

Five goals in five Premier League appearances at an average of one goal per hour is indicative of his new lethal touch. This amounts to 24% of his team’s league goals from the start of the season. To put this into context it took him over 60 games to score his last 13 league goals for Man City.

Aside from wanting to impress Pep Guardiola, the ex-Liverpool midfielder will also be hoping to catch the eye of Gareth Southgate to secure his place, should England qualify, at the 2018 World Cup. Of course Sterling comes with risk but it’s pretty hard to ignore him with his current run of scintillating form.

Sterling has quietly gone about his business and scored six goals this season.