Best midfielders and forwards for Double Gameweek 34

The Scout assesses the best midfielders and forwards for managers to consider in Double Gameweek 34 of Fantasy Premier League.

Sides with two fixtures

Midfield

Mohamed Salah (LIV) £13.0m

The Egyptian approaches DGW34 on the back of four goals and 28 points in his last four outings.

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4-3

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1-0

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Salah already has seven double-figure hauls to his name this season and, with two home matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham, offers a strong armband alternative to Erling Haaland (£12.3m).

The Liverpool star’s 19 shots and 18 shots in the box both rank top among all players in the last four Gameweeks.

Encouragingly, both his upcoming opponents have struggled on their travels. 

Spurs have conceded 15 goals in their last five away matches, while Fulham are without a clean sheet in four contests on the road. 

Cody Gakpo (LIV) £7.7m

A recent change of tactics has helped Liverpool’s Dutchman improve his potential for big hauls.

Gakpo has produced two of his three double-figure hauls this season in the last three outings, which coincides with a move into central midfield for Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m).

The underlying numbers also show the January signing’s all-round potential in the new system.

His nine shots and seven shots in the box both place among Liverpool’s top three players in the last four Gameweeks, while his eight key passes rank fourth.

Jack Grealish (MCI) £7.2m

The left winger’s security of starts makes him the go-to Manchester City midfielder for a favourable DGW34 against Fulham and West Ham United. 

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1-2

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3-0

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Grealish has been named in the first XI in each of his side’s last 13 league matches, whereas Riyad Mahrez (£7.3m) and Phil Foden (£8.0m) have made nine and five starts respectively on the right flank.
 
Grealish has profited from his improved pitch time, combining three goals with five assists in that run.

The midfielder’s 10 shots on target and 26 chances created both sit second for Man City from Gameweek 20 onwards, highlighting his all-round influence on Pep Guardiola’s side.

Marcus Rashford (MUN) £7.1m

The Manchester United star has been a huge success in Fantasy since Gameweek 17.

Rashford was the top-scoring player between Gameweeks 17-31, scoring 11 goals and producing three assists to claim 112 points.

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1-0

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1-0

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He was involved in 61 per cent of their goals when selected in that period, compared with the 31 per cent of his team-mate Bruno Fernandes (£9.5m).

The underlying statistics are also very much in favour of Rashford as the standout Man Utd attacker for their meetings with Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion.

His totals of 17 big chances and 23 shots on target both place among the top two players in Fantasy across that period.  

Kaoru Mitoma (BHA) £5.6m

Along with Liverpool, Brighton are one of only two sides to play two home matches in DGW34.

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6-0

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1-0

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Mitoma will be hoping to return to top form for his encounters with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Man Utd after some disappointing displays on the road.

He has managed just a single assist in their last four encounters, which were all away matches.

At Amex Stadium, however, Mitoma has been far more reliable. 

He has blanked in only one of his seven home matches since GW17, producing four goals, three assists and 52 points. 

Solly March (BHA) £5.2m

The winger is Brighton’s form player in Fantasy, with just a single blank in his last six appearances.

March has scored once and supplied four assists in that run, totalling 34 points.

His appeal as the best Brighton double-up option alongside Mitoma has been lifted by a move into central midfield for Alexis Mac Allister (£5.5m), who had previously impressed in the No 10 role.

March has created a league-high 18 chances in the last four Gameweeks, more than double the total of any team-mate. 

Forwards

Erling Haaland (MCI) £12.3m

The Man City striker has scored a record-breaking 33 goals and also supplied eight assists on his way to establishing a 35-point lead at the top of the player standings.

Haaland’s midweek goal and two assists against Arsenal earned him 14 points, helping him claim a third successive double-figure return for the first time in his debut Fantasy campaign.

Crucially, one of those hauls came against Leicester City in Gameweek 31, when the Norwegian was replaced at the break after scoring twice. 

That shows he is more than capable of delivering huge scores even if his minutes are managed by Guardiola over the run-in. 

If you haven’t played your Triple Captain chip yet, now is the time to use it on Haaland against Fulham and West Ham.

Diogo Jota (LIV) £8.8m

Two double-figure returns in his last three matches suggests the Portuguese is back to his best after an injury-hit campaign for Liverpool.

Jota struck four goals and supplied an assist in back-to-back wins over Leeds United and Nottingham Forest in Gameweeks 31-32, claiming 29 points.

As witnessed by his withdrawal just before the hour-mark against West Ham in midweek, the Reds’ forward will continue to have his minutes managed by Jurgen Klopp.

Yet with Liverpool pushing for a European spot for next season, Jota’s influence could prove telling against Spurs and Fulham.

Be wary of…

Apart from Haaland and Jota, there is a distinct lack of forwards options among the rest of the DGW34 sides. 

Brighton and Fulham’s first-choice strikers are sidelined by injury and suspension respectively, while Anthony Martial’s (£6.3m) long-term fitness issues place a question mark over his minutes for Man Utd. 

West Ham’s Michail Antonio (£7.0m), meanwhile, has produced attacking returns in back-to-back matches for the first time since Gameweek 6 but has a pair of tough road trips against Crystal Palace and Man City.

Also in this series

Part 1: Best goalkeepers and defenders for Double Gameweek 34