It's back! 

After a couple months of rest and relaxation the Hive Fantasy Premier League is set to return with game week 1 kicking off on Friday evening. 


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[If you're yet to join our league then you still have time](https://peakd.com/hive-115900/@hivefpl/new-fantasy-premier-league-season-starts-this-friday#@rubilu/re-hivefpl-202389t233618208z) but not much! This year we have both a classic league and new head to head leagues with multiple divisions. 

Our previews of the head to head fixtures will start in GW2 but for now a more general analysis of the matches over this weekend and the potential FPL picks managers should consider. 

Also [don't miss our Discord voice chat session](https://discord.gg/q6bXt2KEH) at 6pm (BST) on Thursday, 10 August where we'll be taking all things FPL and previewing the start of the new Premier League season. 


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Defending champions Man City travel to newly promoted Burnley. We know that City have been slow starters in previous years and this will certainly represent an early test. Turf Moor will be pumping and City old boy Vincent Kompany is unlikely to be looking to do his former side any favours. 

**Erling Haaland** (FWD) will start this season very much as he did last as by far the most popular pick for FPL managers as well as a credible option for captain. However, his really stellar performances in his debut season came at home and his scoring more generally tailed off towards the end of last season. With his price tag now up to £14mil, investors will be expecting an immediate return! 

Elsewhere, despite City having a favourable opening run of fixtures, ownership of their other attacking assets remains low. **KDB** (MID) appears in 14% of sides while **Phil Foden** (MID) and **Jack Grealish** (MID) are selected by 9.7% and 6.7% respectively. 

The problem that many FPL managers have already identified will be rotation! With Bernado Silva (MID) looking likely to stay and City seemingly in the market for further depth in midfield, knowing who Pep will pick looks to be a real challenge. 

During their first stint in the Premier League, Burnley developed a reputation as being a tough, physical opponent but without a huge amount footballing flair. They return to the top flight as winners of the Championship, securing 101 points and scoring 87 goals in the process. Can they continue that theme at the highest level? 

You'd imagine that this match will be as much about defence for Burnley and in that regard it will be a former City youth star in **James Trafford** (GK) who is the man charged with keeping Haaland and co. at bay. 


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If City do slip up in the opening fixture then their closest challengers from last season will be keen to take an early advantage. For FPL managers, Arsenal's strength at home coupled with Forest's shocking away record last season means that many sides will triple up on Gunners assets. 

**Gabriel Jesus** (FWD) was looking likely to be a popular pick until his injury and that does open up the question of who Arsenal will replace him with? **Eddie Nketiah** (FWD) or **Leandro Trossard** (MID) could both prove very useful selections if they are given the nod! 

Coincidentally, Arsenal also look likely to face a keeper that they just sold to their opening week opposition. **Matt Tuner** (GK) might be a good option as an FPL back-up keeper given his price tag although managers will want to keep an eye on whether Forest ultimately make a move for Dean Henderson before the window closes. 

**Morgan Gibbs-White** (MID) is by far the most popular pick for FPL teams as far as Forest players go and with good reason. He [ranked highly on a cumulative assessment of factors to take into account when selecting a starting squad for the 23/24 season](https://peakd.com/hive-115900/@talesfrmthecrypt/how-to-pick-your-squad-for-the-start-of-the-fantasy-premier-league-season). 


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After plotting the great escape last season, it's been a busy summer for Bournemouth with investment squad adding to the players they brought in January and the likelihood of more acquisitions to come before the window closes. **Dom Solanke** (FWD) and **Philip Billing** (MID) were the mainstays of the Cherries attack last year and are unsurprisingly the most popular picks once again. 

New recruit **Justin Kluivert** (MID) has shown glimpses of his undoubted talent across a stop start career to date. At £5mil managers will certainly keep an eye on whether the dutch attacker can find some more consistent form in the Premier League. 

Conversely, West Ham have so far had a fairly quiet transfer window at least as far as incomings are concerned. Interest from City in **Lucas Paqueta** (MID) certainly won't help their preparations following the departure of club captain Declan Rice earlier in the window. 

Their popular picks to date are budget options in goal and upfront but managers may also want to consider Hammers stalwart **Michail Antonio** (FWD) who has 7 goal involvements in 11 previous outings against Bournemouth. 


![Screen Shot 2023-08-09 at 21.34.03.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/hivefpl/EokjRV6RodN2Dzwj3G5gj3asn7cGfpjBs9HA5yDHqM1bAWDNmgew9rWEdquQEakZY4V.png)

Brighton were arguably the FPL team of the season last year with new boss Roberto de Zerbi taking some very reasonably priced players to new heights. The Italian has been quick to point out that he wants this team to challenge on all fronts as they embark on their first European campaign in their 121-year history. 

That means that rotation will almost certainly play a big part in their season and will be something for managers to consider. The Seagulls opening run of fixtures in general looks attractive and a home match against newly promoted Luton means we'll see plenty of picks from their many options in GW1. 

**Kiro Mitoma** (MID) and **Pervis Estupiñán **(DEF) became FPL hits in the 2nd half of last season and both are very popular again this year. Meanwhile new boy **João Pedro** (FWD) may be a clever signing at just £5.5 million and there is an indication that he may be the first choice penalty taker for the club as well. 

If you're struggling to get a significant amount of information about this Luton squad then you're not the only one. As far as FPL is concerned, they have the most budget picks of any side with only 1 player, last season's top scorer **Carlton Morris** (FWD) priced at over £5mil. I'm sure they'll be up for the fight but this could be a baptism of fire against a free flowing Brighton team. 


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Let's not get too downcast before the season has started but it's difficult to imagine that Everton will be involved in too many thrilling encounters. Their survival last year was very much based on shoring up the defence and with limited budget to bring in new attacking talent, Sean Dyche is likely to revert to type with the way he sets the side up. 

As such, defensive options from Everton might not be a bad call. **Jordan Pickford** (GK) is a key player, will be required to make a lot of saves and is likely to accrue some bonus points too. If you do fancy taking a punt on an Everton forward then all eyes will be on whether **Dominic Calvert-Lewin** (FWD) can overcome his fitness problems. If he can, there is very little competition for him at the club so you'd expect him to be an automatic starter. 

Fulham's primary attacking threat in **Aleksandar Mitrović **(FWD) faces an uncertain future with interest from the Saudi league in the big Serbian. It may mean that the likes of Vincius or Jimenez become options that managers could look at as a 3rd choice forward if Mitrovic leaves. 

Equally, **Andreas Pereira** (MID) who was an excellent budget option last year with 14 goal involvements, may yet become the club's primary penalty taker and so also cannot be ignored despite his rise in price from this time last season. 


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The last of the promoted clubs to feature is Sheffield United. Paul Heckingbottom was in interim charge of the side when they were relegated a couple of seasons ago but has rebuilt the squad to get them back to the top flight despite the financial clouds that continue to circle the club. 

The sale of key player **Sander Berge** (MID) earlier in the week to fellow new boys Burnley underlines the problems that United face off the field while a mini injury crisis is already ensuing with 8 players at the very least doubtful for the opening match. 

To make matters worse, Sheffield United also have a very poor recent record in opening day fixtures having won just twice in their last 10 attempts. With matches against Man City, Spurs and Newcastle on the horizon, this game plus their second fixture against Forest look to be key if the Blades are to establish any early momentum. 

Crystal Palace finished last season with a real bang. Talismanic winger Wilf Zaha has now gone but the likes of **Eberechi Eze** (MID) and **Michael Olise** (MID) have remained although the later is not likely to feature in the opening matches due to injury. Money is also tight for the South London side and it looks likely that Palace will simply be keen to see out the remainder of the transfer window while holding onto their key players. 



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2 teams who had successful 22/23 campaigns will go head to head on the opening day of this season with both knowing that a fast start is essential. Newcastle's defenders proved particularly popular last season but with this match followed by fixtures against City, Liverpool and Brighton, managers might just wait before committing this time around. 

Upfront, **Callum Wilson** (FWD) and **Alexander Isak** (FWD) will fight it out for the starting spot, a fact which in itself makes them less appealing for the fantasy game. Young **Elliot Anderson** (MID) is another player to watch. The 20-year-old did make 27 appearances last season for the Magpies albeit primarily off the bench but Eddie Howe has hinted at greater game time this season for a player who returned 7 goal involvements during pre-season and costs just £4.5mil. 

On paper, there are lots of good value buys within the Villa squad but the overriding concern is that their upcoming fixture list will mean that rotation needs to happen almost from the off. Villa start their European campaign after GW2! 

**Ollie Watkins** (FWD) grew into a very dependable goal scorer as the 22/23 season progressed and there is no reason to think he can't deliver similar numbers again this year. Particularly with the absence of Jesus and Nkunku in these early weeks, Villa's main goal scoring threat looks an increasingly good pick. Managers will also keep an eye on new signing **Moussa Diaby** (MID) who has delivered notable goal returns in the Bundesliga over the last couple of years. 


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Heading into Sunday, we have the first of many London derbies to come as Spurs visit Brentford. The Bees will be without a couple of their FPL stars from last season with Raya joining Arsenal and **Ivan Tooney **(FWD) missing through a long term suspension. 

However, Brentford's excellent recruitment system means that fans needn't be particularly worried and that FPL managers can still find excellent value picks across their squad. As far as filling the goal scorer void left by Tooney, **Bryan Mbeumo** (MID) is a popular option although managers will want to monitor his fitness situation. While **Yoane Wissa** (FWD) notched 111 fantasy points last year from just 16 starts. If he can transition from impact player to Brentford's main man, then he could be a great signing at just £6mil. 

Meanwhile Spurs start yet another 'new era' this time under Australian coach Ange Postecoglou who looks set to bring a far more attacking style of play than we've seen from the club in recent years. That could well benefit a few of Tottenham's attacking assets who underperformed last season including **Dejan Kulusevki** (MID) and **Heung-Min Son** (MID). 

Despite his incredible consistency last year, **Harry Kane** (FWD) is understandably selected by just 14.2% of teams at present. With such a huge drop-off in value between Kane and every other forward in the game bar Haaland, it'd prove very difficult to redistribute funds across your squad if he does ultimately leave the Premier League and therefore patience might be a virtue despite Kane scoring 5 goals during pre-season. 

Another Spurs player who has impressed during that time is **Giovanni Lo Celso** (MID). There is no guarantee that the Argentine who joined Spurs 4 years ago and has spent a significant amount of time out on loan since then will stay but if he does, he looks well suited to the new manager's style of play and is very affordable at £5mil. 


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The glamour tie of the opening weekend sees Chelsea, under new Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino, entertain Liverpool. Last season was one to forget for both these teams so a win in this game would give much needed momentum. 

Neither side has been helped pre-season by injuries in the case of Chelsea and dithering in the transfer market as far as Liverpool are concerned. It's not impossible that Chelsea will bring in further reinforcements, particularly upfront, but until they do, **Nico Jackson** (FWD) remains their only viable option in front of goal and he did suggest that he can hit the ground running with 5 goal involvements during pre-season. 

Otherwise, managers have been fairly cautious with their selection of Chelsea players. **Reece James** (DEF) could yet become the side's regular penalty taker and if that is the case (and he stays fit) then you'd imagine his popularity and price will sky rocket. **Conor Gallagher** (MID) might also be a player to keep an eye on. Pochettino used him more than any other player during pre-season and we know from previous editions of FPL that he does have an eye for goal. He's just £5.5mil. 

For Liverpool, the concern among FPL managers will be rotation, particularly in the forward areas. Only **Mo Salah** (MID) seems a sure starter and his massive price tag means that he's difficult to accommodate alongside another premium player without making sacrifices elsewhere. 

Despite their woeful defensive record last season, **TAA** (DEF) is still proving a popular selection. The move to an inverted position as part of a box midfield certainly helped reinvigorate the full back last season and his expertise from dead ball situations also makes him a player who can deliver serious points. 


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Prior to the departure of Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui, this was already looking like a fixture FPL managers would target for early season points. The midlands club just about survived last year but financial issues have limited their ability to manoeuvre in the transfer market while they have also lost (and could yet lose more) of their key players. 

Wolves lack of goal-scoring threat certainly makes defensive assets such as **Luke Shaw** (DEF) or new signing **André Onana** (GK) look appealing. Up front, United look likely to be very dependent on the goals of **Marcus Rashford** (MID) yet again with their other forwards struggling for fitness over the early part of the season. Given that injury crisis, managers might want to look at forgotten man **Jadon Sancho** (MID) who did clock more pre-season minutes than any other United player. 

It's no great surprise that Wolves assets are being shunned by FPL managers. Only defensive players in **José Sá **(GK) and **Max Kilman** (DEF) have been selected by more than 1% of sides and to be honest given the off-field turmoil and their early fixtures including games against United, City, Brighton and Liverpool before the end of September, it's difficult to really consider picking anyone of the Midland club's stars. 

---------------- 
### *[Don't miss our Discord voice chat session](https://discord.gg/q6bXt2KEH) at 6pm (BST) on Thursday, 10 August where we'll be taking all things FPL and previewing the start of the new Premier League season.*