Time to take a punt on final day – FPL tips & team of week

Right, what do you need from your Fantasy Premier League team on the final day?

If you’re in a close title race in your mini-league – especially if you are chasing a rival – then this is the dream scenario.

There’s no clear-cut captain and that means taking a punt on someone other than Mohamed Salah could be massively rewarded.

There are normally plenty of goals on the final day so if you’ve got nothing much to play for, why not slap the armband on a big differential choice – such as Leandro Trossard or Evanilson in this week’s team – and just have a bit of fun?

This team of the week should give you some final-day ideas, but it could be a week to go with your gut, take a flyer on your captain and then sit back and hope for the best.

Jamie Vardy, on maybe his final FPL appearance, Jarrod Bowen and double Everton defence were the heroes.

Boy, did the double Manchester City clean sheet wipeout in the 96th minute hurt!

A total of 53 points, not awful and not great.

David Raya, Arsenal, keeper, £5.5m – Southampton (a)

Worst attack in the league? Haven’t scored in three games? Nothing to play for? Arsenal defence is an easy pick this week for clean sheet against bottom-placed Southampton.

Jakub Kiwior, Arsenal, £4.9m – Southampton (a)

See Raya above!

Nikola Milenkovic, Nottingham Forest, £5.2m – Chelsea (h)

If you’re going for broke on the final day you want a defender with a goal in their locker.

Ezri Konsa and Marc Cucurella owners got that luck in gameweek 37.

Milenkovic has more goals than any other defender and Chelsea have only scored once in their past four games on the road.

In a must-win match, I’d rather back Forest defence than Chelsea attack.

Dan Burn, Newcastle, £4.5m – Everton (h)

Another Milenkovic-style pick. Burn has two double-digit hauls in four games and Newcastle have kept three home clean sheets in a row.

Milos Kerkez, Bournemouth, £5.2m – Leicester (h)

Six assists this season for Kerkez – who has been linked with a move to Liverpool – and he is in the top 10 for final-third touches and crosses among defenders.

Bryan Mbeumo (captain), Brentford, £8.2m – Wolves (a)

Mbeumo has six returns in his past five games and would have hauled more if not for a rare penalty miss last week.

He takes on a Wolves side who have conceded seven goals in the previous three games.

At this point, Mbeumo might be the most obvious FPL pick. He’s been involved in 43% of his side’s goals, so feels about as nailed on as you can be for at least some sort of return on Sunday.

Jarrod Bowen (vice captain), West Ham, £7.9m – Ipswich (a)

Bowen has 53 points in the past seven gameweeks – only Eberechi Eze has more with 57 – so you’ve got to roll with that kind of form and he’s a solid shout for captain this week.

Jacob Murphy, Newcastle, £5.2m – Everton (h)

Since gameweek 14, Murphy has started every game for Newcastle and in that time only Mohamed Salah (77) has more points than his 76 at home.

Murphy has five goals and six assists in that spell and, in a must-win game against Everton, you would hope he will be back on the right wing in a 4-4-2.

That’s where he has been most productive – and even more so if Alexander Isak is fit.

Leandro Trossard, Arsenal, £6.7m – Southampton (a)

Some sort of attacking Arsenal asset feels like a must against woeful Southampton.

But predicting how the Gunners approach the game, with second place effectively wrapped up, is tough.

Trossard has been Arsenal’s top-scoring attacking asset this season and he has started the past seven games, with five returns.

Evanilson, Bournemouth, £5.8m – Leicester (h)

The Brazilian has been unlucky this season – 66 shots in the box, 22 big chances, just 10 goals.

His expected goals (xG) is 12.18. By contrast, Chris Wood has 12.61 xG and 20 goals!

What I’m saying here is that Evanilson could have ended a decent season with even more points if he’d put away a few more of those big chances – such as when he hit the post at Manchester City on Tuesday.

He has a juicy match-up against a poor defence on the final day and could easily get double digits.

Erling Haaland, Manchester City, £14.9m – Fulham (a)

Call me foolish for going back to Haaland, who has been very quiet since returning from injury, but Manchester City still need a point on Sunday to secure Champions League football.

Kepa Arrizabalaga, Bournemouth, keeper, £4.6m – Leicester (h)

Jorgen Strand Larsen, Wolves, striker, £5.2m – Brentford (h)

Morgan Gibbs-White, Nottingham Forest, £6.5m – Chelsea (h)

Conor Bradley, Liverpool, defender, £4.7m – Crystal Palace (h)

Total team cost: £95m