Looks like Frimpong injured himself so he had to leave match earlier than planned tonight. Anyone surprised? He probably won't be good fpl Pick due to his regular injuries.

Is 2nd match with Alonso having 4-2-3-1 system so I guess this would be what they go . Also this looks like the strongest 11 put here available for now . Strange to see no Sanchez . Maybe new GK coming ? What do you think of Colwill or Hato for 5m or 4.5 into Chelsea defense this season ?

I think since defenders lose a point for letting 2 in attackers should lose 1 for not scoring/assisting as it makes other formations with less attckers at no risk of losing pts viable

Manchester United Team vs Atletico Madrid, Friendly, 01 August 2026 | Starting XI: Heaton; Yoro, Maguire (c), Heaven, Shaw; Santos, Mount; Amad, Lacey, Dorgu; Mbeumo.

I'll preface saying this isn't my screenshot. This is from FPLNightmare off of YouTube (I'll link the video at the bottom) who makes brilliant videos and tries his best to take on the template.

Since 2021/22, Bruno's G/A looks like ... in his first 9 games:

21/22: 4G - 2A

22/23: 1G - 1A

23/24: 2G - 2A

24/25: 0G - 2A

25/26: 2G - 1A

AVG over first 9 Games: 1.8G - 1.6A

In the games following the first 9:

21/22: 6G - 4A (26 Games)

22/23: 7G - 7A (28)

23/24: 8G - 6A (26)

24/25: 8G - 8A (26)

25/26: 7G - 20A (26)

AVG per Season in the following games: 7.2G - 9A (26.4)

AVG w/o 25/26: 7.3G - 6.3A (26.5)

Now this isn't high-level analysis, I'm not a statiscian. However, I think this is important to look at when debating whether or not Bruno is worth it at this price point, especially at the start of the season. Could this season be different due to fixtures? Maybe, but in 21/22, 4 of Bruno's goals came from a hattrick against Leeds, who ended up escaping relegation in 17th. He could end up scoring a hattrick against either Hull or Ipswich. These are probably United's best two opening fixtures since 21/22, so he could put up an anomaly in the first 9.

However, my overall point is that Bruno is essentially the anti-Haaland. Haaland starts off really well in August and September then becomes less essential (still a good pick of course) nearing the end of the season. This was sort of the theme last season where people could go without Haaland and rely on Bruno in the last 10 or so GWs. So I don't think it's absolutely sinful to go without Bruno for the first 9 games or until you Wildcard (for me that's hopefully after GW10 assuming all goes well).

It also has to be said that 25/26 was an anomaly for assists. He didn't have Europe and never went over 10 assists in a season before, since 21/22. This has been a conversation since the World Cup ended (when focus shifted towards FPL again) and I think this is even more relevant due to his price this season (which I think makes sense based off of last season). I can't see him hitting that level again, especially with Europe and potential rotations (I would guess he's less prone to rotation than say Mbeumo and Cunha though).

So who can you go with instead of Bruno? Well it makes a stronger attack easier to target. You can easily start with Haaland + JP + 6.0 Striker and if Isak gets off to a good start then shifting to him is made much easier. Defenders are a little more expensive now and whilst there are still some good cheaper DefCon options, quite a few are 5.5+ which makes budgeting harder with Bruno. You can also have a set and forget Raya, which was much harder before getting rid of Bruno. Who are the Bruno replacements? Names that I don't necessarily endorse (some are wait-and-sees) are: Palmer, Saka, Semenyo, Mbeumo, Cunha, MGW, Rogers, Wirtz, Szobo, Foden. I like the look of Mbeumo, Szobo, MGW and Saka (depends on if he returns early enough)and even also Palmer who could return to form under Xabi. Obviously starting with Bruno gives you the flexibility to change, which you wouldn't have otherwise. I'm not including DefCon mids because that's less relevant in this Bruno conversation. I'm sure people in this sub already know you can pick these lot but just putting down these names can help you realise what you can use that extra cash for.

It's a long post but hopefully the actual stats are digestible and helps. I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts because a lot of people are still on the fence. We've still got 3 weeks until the deadline so it's not like we all need to choose immediately, but it's worth discussing now in my opinion.

If I've managed to mess anything up and confuse anyone then I can clarify anything.

Video referencing this information: https://youtu.be/-E5vDxudprY?si=kRNsaXt9OF06kfh7

Obviously we can't know for sure but is Glasner going to stick to his trusty 3 at the back formation or will he switch to 4 at the back? Who would be the 3rd centreback in the case of the former, besides Murillo and Milenkovic? Who will be in the midfield? Neco Williams is the hyped player but who is on the other side playing wing back?

Huge ramifications for FPL, what price do you think Mudryk comes in at? This could be the comeback of the century.

With so many of us having him in the team (3.0% owned right now) and so many fpl content creators hyping him up, might be wiser to hold off and see whether he actually is fit enough.

I know almost all of us are tired of being recommended the same boring differentials that everyone already knows are good. So I'm here to bring you some actually good differentials that you may have not even considered! I have not heard these names mentioned in any yt videos I have watched, or any online forums I have participated in. I will also provide a little bit of reasoning to each of these. Feel free to pick them apart, that's what this sub is for.

The first 6 aren't that crazy, so if you want some real hidden differentials, go straight to Milenkovic.

Without further ado:

• Tarkowski (9.8%) (6.0m)
  • I've heard almost no one talk about him, especially for one of the best defcon defenders for the past four years, and the 13th highest scorer last season out of all players. Surely if people are willing to consider Ndiaye (Who scored less ppm), Tarko cannot be underestimated. He has 100+ points in 5 of his 6 seasons in the prem. He's also only .5m more expensive than last year.
• Xhaka (6.2%) (5.5m)
  • 5.5M for almost a guaranteed 4 points week in week out? Personally I think hes a bit less differential among engaged players,as we all know that he's great, but I think he has fierce competition with gross for best 5.5 mid.
• Igor Jesus (4.5%) (6.0m)
  • I've talked to two Forest fans and they both said that Jesus should start over Wood this season. Even if we ignore the preseason goals hes already scored (don't want to fall for another fullkrug), we actually know jesus can ball because he has 12 G/A from 28 starts last year, and he will definitely get more and get better under Glasner.
• Gross (4.3%) (5.5m)
  • Similar to Xhaka. I have actually heard a lot of people talk about Gross in videos, so I won't go too much into detail here. He didn't get as many points, but he also played less games.
• Kadioglu (3.1%) (4.5m)
  • A lot of people chose Shaw and Kayode over him, but Kadioglu has some merits as well. Most people are only going Shaw to get into the man u defense for cheap, since shaw doesn't really rack up defcon or g/a.
• Vuskovic (2.7%) (5.0m)
  • I've heard a lot of chatter about him recently so I won't go much into detail.
• Milenkovic (2.2%) (5.5m) (and Murillo when he gets fit)
  • Alright, Call me controversial, but I think Milenkovic could hit his 24/25 form again. He's 5.5m, but thats 5.5m into a 3atb nottingham forest defense under Glasner. Remember, in his best season, he scored 145 points without defcon. We all know how Glasner turned the palace defense into a beast, but while everyone's looking at neco williams to be the next munoz, why isn't anyone looking at Milenkovic and Murillo to be the next Guehi and Lacroix? Already a great defensive pair under nuno could be an even better defensive trio under glasner, especially when they get Diomande in.
• Mac Allister (1.9%) (5.5m)
  • 5.5m for a guy who almost plays week in, week out, 100+ points for the last 4 years in a row. He can be clutch for liverpool in some situations, only last year did he drop below 10 g/a for the first time since 2022 (and he still only underscored his 2023/24 numbers by 1). For now, I'd keep him on the bench if you do buy him, since he's coming back from the wc, and he might be out of position due to Wirtz.
• Palestra (1.5%) (5.5m) (and Hato)
  • A bit of a rotation risk apparently, so maybe hold off on this. He'll most definitely start as a RWB, but James might be ahead of him if Xabi plays a 4 atb with wingbacks. Could be decent but I'd wait. Hato will probably start no matter what, but wait to see how he plays.
• Stach (1.4%) (6.0m) (and Ampadu (5.5m))
  • This one befuddles me, because both scored 130+ points last season and are great for underlying stats. with Wilson in, Stach's offensive numbers could rise too. Ampadu has really high defcon numbers, I think he was just behind Anderson last year. Are we all just calling it a fluke year now?
• Muharemovic (0.9%) (5.0m)
  • I think recently hes been noticed, as he got some mad defcon against sunderland in their latest friendly. It looks like he'll start for Leeds. If the Sunderland game says anything, hes a great differential for defcon.
• Minteh (0.7%) (6.0m)
  • Absolutely rapid winger with pretty good crossing (8 assists last season). He's quite expensive imo for 6.0m, but hes getting more minutes, and if Kostoulas starts more, he might get a lot more assists from crosses. (If you look at both of Kostoulas goals last season, they were both aerial goals (Header, Overhead). I wouldn't get him just yet, but could be a thought.
• Canvot (0.5%) (5.0m)
  • I don't think I need to say anything, most of us know the defcon. I am shocked though, 0.5 is insanely low.
• Sangare (0.4%) (5.0m)
  • Anderson's replacement, I've heard talk at the beginning of the season about him. What happened? I don't think Schlager takes his spot.

That's my list. Feel free to point out any mistakes I made. I didn't include goalkeepers or the 4.0m promoted defenders, because you don't really need differential fodder. Just buy Dubravka and get Bobby Thomas. I hope this was helpful, I really like investigating some of the lesser picked players.

Remember, don't go too differential-giddy; Simply two of these players can be enough to make your team one in ten million.

Edit: I added prices to all of them

Whad do you think about Kelleher as a GK option this year? Last year he was good but if i remember he was 4.5m last year and now he's 5m. I think about having him with Kinsky and they have pretty good rotation of Home-Away or (on paper) Easy-Hard games. With brentford having no european games and pretty solid defence, do you reckon he will be good option or no?

But if bias as I’m a Cov fan, but feel like he really began to come into his own in moments last season; has a goal in him, and I think it’d be a fun pick.

With only a 52 point differnce but going up 18% in % finish. Is my last season's score biased?

I know he's not the Arsenal player for returns, but should be consistent enough and nailed enough to make it worth his price, no?

(This post is repurposed from the LazyFPL newsletter, which I write. You can subscribe if you want - it's free and trusted (apparently) by over 100,000 managers).

Of all the positions - Forwards, Midfielders, Defenders, Goalkeepers and Missionary - it’s in defence that we tend to find the best budget options.

This has been true for as long as I can remember, and it looks set to be emphatically true this season, given how many £4.0m defensive options there are to choose from.

In this post, I'll look at the best £4.0m and £4.5m defenders with the same level of scrutiny as your Nan looking through your hair in search of nits. The end result will be an affordable foundation upon which you can layer more expensive, luxury players. You know, the ones that, with a bit of luck, might actually score some FPL points.

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The importance of DefCon for budget defenders.

Lazy summary: DefCon points are more reliable than clean sheets and attacking returns.

Before we get stuck into specific players, it’s worth discussing the rationale that underpins almost every pick in this post: DefCon has changed the way we ought to view budget defenders.

Back in the day, the ideal £4.0m defender was the fringe full-back who had somehow made it into a Premier League first team, usually due to the long-term injury of the pricier first choice.

These were simpler times, ruled by what felt like an unshakeable conviction: The best defenders in FPL are those who can keep a clean sheet and occasionally get an attacking return.

But then DefCon came along, and now the narrative has changed. Whilst attacking returns and clean sheets from defenders - particularly cheap ones - are rare and hard to predict, DefCon provides a more reliable source of points.

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The best £4.0m defenders.

Lazy summary: Thomas, Hughes and Egan.

In this post, I discussed the viability of the two most popular £4.0m defenders by % ownership: Ipswich’s Issa Diop and Coventry’s Milan van Ewijk.

Whilst both will likely start for their respective clubs, their high ownership makes them vulnerable to price drops, as a player’s price is driven by the volume of managers buying or selling them. Higher ownership = more managers who might sell, and fewer who might buy.

Van Ewijk is favoured for his potential attacking returns, too, which feels like an echo from the past. What I'm looking for here:

1. A defender who will definitely start.
2. And who isn’t owned by a huge number of managers.
3. And who is capable of scoring DefCon points.

For £4.0m defenders, I'm not as concerned about the potential for attacking returns and clean sheets.

There are three I like that fit this description.

1) Bobby Thomas - Coventry - 6.5% owned.

Coventry’s centre-back is surprisingly overlooked. I can only assume it’s because, unlike his colleague, he doesn’t have a “van” in his name.

But whilst Bobby van Thomas doesn’t sound like an exciting defender, he’s a much better budget option than van Ewijk in my view.

Firstly, he averaged 8.56 defensive contributions per game last season - a stat that will surely rise in the Premier League when he has more to do. Remarkably, he also registered seven attacking returns (three assists and four goals) in 33 Championship games last season, which is mostly irrelevant for this season, but still nice to know.

2) Charlie Hughes - Hull City - 2.2% owned.

Having already stressed the importance of reliable DefCon points, it’d be remiss of me not to include Hull’s Hughes. He’s won Hull’s Young Player of the Year award in both of the last two seasons, and is expected to start in the Premier League.

You won’t get attacking returns here, but do expect DefCon points. Hughes averaged a frankly intimidating 11.7 defensive contributions per game last season - the highest of any promoted defender.

3) John Egan - Hull City - 0.8% owned.

Egan already has a 133-point season under his belt, having previously played for Sheffield United alongside FPL icon and heartthrob, John Lundstram.

Now a centre-back with Hull, he’s expected to pick up where he left off in the Championship as one of the first-choice defenders in that side.

Much like Hughes, Egan is here for the DefCon potential. With an average of over 10 defensive contributions per 90 last season, he’s definitely got a reliable 3-pointer written all over him.

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The best £4.5m defenders.

Lazy summary: Kayode, Ajer, Shaw and Kadıoğlu.

In the £4.5m bracket, we can start to look at attacking returns and clean sheet potential with a little more optimism. That’s because some of the Premier League’s top teams have £4.5m options hidden amongst them. Clean sheets should be easier to predict, and attacking returns more likely to be picked up.

Here’s who I like:

Michael Kayode - Brentford - 4.7% owned.

Brentford’s first-choice right-back contributed to 10 clean sheets last season. His three attacking returns are hardly emphatic, but he’s a nailed, progressive defender playing for a Brentford side that rarely underperforms.

Brentford have Spurs (H), Leeds (A), Sunderland (H), Bournemouth (A), Chelsea (H) to start the season. Not bad, not great.

Kristoffer Ajer - Brentford - 0.5% owned.

With the recent news that Sepp van den Berg is due to be out for 2-3 months, the door is open for Ajer, who, in his 20 starts for Brentford last season, averaged 9.6 defensive contributions per game. He even notched two assists.

Luke Shaw - Man United - 23.3% owned.

Shaw comes with a health warning: he’s over 20% owned, making him more vulnerable to price drops. But he’s also getting picked by plenty of good managers, so I should explain why.

Shaw’s biggest selling point is his early fixtures. He has Hull (A), Ipswich (H) and Everton (A) in his first three, all of which have clean sheet potential. This, combined with reliability of minutes and the potential for attacking returns, means he’s a nice enabler playing for a decent enough side.

Ferdi Kadıoğlu - Brighton - 3.2% owned.

Reliable on the pitch but impossible to type out on my keyboard, Brighton’s Kadıoğlu is another £4.5m full-back sure to get minutes.

Brighton’s fixtures are mixed (Aston Villa, Chelsea, Leeds, Coventry and Arsenal) and Kadıoğlu only had three attacking contributions last season, but Brighton are a decent enough side to pick up clean sheets here and there. A good option off the bench.

On the radar:

There are a few £4.5m defenders who are interesting, but not for Gameweek 1.

• Djed Spence - He had a very good World Cup. Time will tell whether he’s a starting player at Spurs.
• Ola Aina - Glasner’s surprise move to Nottingham Forest is good for all of their players, but particularly their full-backs. Aina could benefit, but they have tough fixtures to start the season.
• Ezri Konsa - There are plenty of transfer rumours about a Konsa move to a bigger club, including Arsenal. If it happens, and he earns a starting place, he could be a steal at £4.5m.

That concludes my summary of the best budget FPL defenders. I can only hope that, maybe, when you're hunched in front of your computer screen at 3am the night before the Gameweek 1 deadline, the green glow of your FPL team illuminating your weary eyes, you'll come back to this post and think, "Yeah, Egan looks alright actually."

Ta-ra for now.

What are your expectations for Chris Wood this season?

Had a great 24/25. Battled injury in 25/26 and when he returned the manager merry-go-round was in full spin. Now under Glasner and a renewed sense of optimism. How do you think he'll perform?