Fantasy Football tips: Premier League team news & statistics to help you pick your gameweek one captain and line-up

The dreams of proving your superior football knowledge by winning the national title are still in tact until Sunday, when 99% of us will switch our realistic focus to friends and family leagues. And don't forget the Sporting Life League in Sky Sports Fantasy Football! (You could win a PlayStation 4, a copy of the FIFA 18 game and four tickets to a Sky Bet EFL match of your choice if you fight off the competition to be the top - just click the 'join a league' button and use 8300572 as the league PIN)

Anyway, let's now get stuck into what you came here for - the Premier League team news ahead of gameweek one and a selection of Opta statistics to help you pick your team, decide your captaincy and also perhaps assist you with your bets.

Brighton v Manchester City

Kick-off time & date: 1730 BST, Saturday August 12
Venue: Amex Stadium
TV Channel: BT Sport 1
Sky Bet odds: Brighton 8/1, draw 4/1, Man City 1/3

Team News: Jose Izquierdo is unlikely to receive his international clearance in time to make his Brighton bow in their Premier League debut against Manchester City on Saturday. The winger's move from Club Brugge is not expected to be completed in time for him to feature at the Amex Stadium, although Chris Hughton can call on new recruit Davy Propper, the midfielder signed from PSV Eindhoven. Midfielder Beram Kayal will miss the next two months with a broken leg however, and his absence restricts boss Hughton's options.

Manchester City could hand debuts to four summer signings. Goalkeeper Ederson, midfielder Bernardo Silva and full-backs Kyle Walker and Danilo could all feature for Pep Guardiola's side. Another new recruit, left-back Benjamin Mendy, is missing with a thigh problem while midfielder Ilkay Gundogan is not yet fully fit after suffering a knee injury last season.

Key Opta Statistics

• This will be the first competitive meeting between these two clubs since a League Cup tie back in September 2008. That game ended 2-2, with Brighton prevailing 5-3 on penalties at their former home, the Withdean Stadium.
• The Seagulls have won just one of their last five opening fixtures to a league season (D1 L3).
• Manchester City have won each of their last six opening day contests in the Premier League, the best current run in the competition.
• Sergio Aguero has five goals in six previous opening day matches for Manchester City. o Brighton could be the 31st different team that Sergio Aguero has faced in the Premier League. The Argentine has scored against 29 of the other 30 clubs he’s played against, only failing to score versus Bolton Wanderers.
• Raheem Sterling was the only Manchester City player to reach double figures for both goals and assists in all competitions in 2016-17 (10 goals, 15 assists).
• New Brighton midfielder Pascal Gross created the most goalscoring chances in the German Bundesliga last season (98) while plying his trade for FC Ingolstadt 04.

Newcastle v Tottenham

Kick-off time & date: 1330 BST, Sunday August 13
Venue: St James' Park
TV Channel: Sky Sports PL HD
Sky Bet odds: Newcastle 4/1, draw 29/10, Tottenham 4/6

Team News: Full-back DeAndre Yedlin will miss Newcastle's opening Premier League fixture against Tottenham on Sunday through injury. The United States international could be sidelined for several weeks with a hamstring problem he sustained in pre-season. Striker Dwight Gayle is fit after his own hamstring problem and manager Rafael Benitez otherwise has only a series of minor knocks with which to contend as he prepares to send out his team - which could include several of summer recruits Florian Lejeune, Javier Manquillo, Mikel Merino, Christian Atsu and Jacob Murphy - for the first time since their return to the top flight.

Danny Rose continues his recovery from knee surgery and will miss out. Rose, who has apologised for giving an interview criticising the club's transfer policy on the eve of the season, is expected to be back in action in September. Erik Lamela (hips), Georges-Kevin Nkoudou (foot) and Kieran Trippier (ankle) are also missing.

Key Opta Statistics

• There have been 14 goals scored in the last three Premier League meetings between these two clubs at St James’ Park.
• The Magpies have won only one opening match across their last nine league seasons, but that came against Spurs; 2-1 in 2012 (D4 L4).
• Harry Kane is one goal away from a century for Spurs in all competitions – he has netted 99 goals in 165 games so far, including hat-tricks in his two previous appearances.
• Kane has scored 20 goals in his last 15 Premier League games against newly promoted sides – three of his six top-flight hat-tricks have been against newly promoted teams (Leicester in 2014-15, Bournemouth in 2015-16 and Hull last season).
• However, Kane has never scored a Premier League goal in August (10 games).
• Newcastle striker Dwight Gayle averaged a goal every 93 minutes in the Championship last season, scoring 23 goals; he also scored in his last top-flight appearance against Spurs for Crystal Palace in January 2015.
• None of the last nine winners of the Championship have won their first match in the Premier League after promotion (D2 L7). The last team to achieve this were Sunderland in August 2007, who beat Tottenham on the opening day thanks to a late strike from Michael Chopra.
• Christian Eriksen was involved in the build up sequence to 253 open play shots last season in the Premier League; more than any other player in the competition. Overall

Manchester United v West Ham

Kick-off time & date: 1600 BST, Sunday August 13
Venue: Old Trafford
TV Channel: Sky Sports PL HD
Sky Bet odds: Man United 30/100, draw 17/4, West Ham 9/1

Team News: Jose Mourinho has no fresh injury concerns for Manchester United. Luke Shaw, Ashley Young and Marcos Rojo remain out as they continue to recover from long-term injuries sustained last season. Eric Bailly and Phil Jones missed Tuesday's UEFA Super Cup defeat to Real Madrid through suspension, but their continental suspension does not impact domestic matches.

West Ham expect defender Aaron Cresswell to be available. Captain Mark Noble has shaken off a minor toe problem which saw the midfielder miss a couple of day's training, but Michail Antonio will not be involved as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury with a run-out for the Under 23s against Everton on Friday night. Striker Javier Hernandez could feature against his old club.

Key Opta Statistics

• Three of the last five Premier League games between these two clubs have ended in a draw, with one win apiece in this run.
• Manchester United are unbeaten in their last nine Premier League home games with West Ham United (W7 D2 L0) – their last home league defeat against the Hammers was on the final day of the 2006-07 season.
• No team has won more opening day fixtures in the Premier League than Manchester United (16, level with Chelsea). West Ham have lost more opening day fixtures than any other Premier League club (10).
• Romelu Lukaku scored in seven straight Premier League matches for Everton against West Ham between 2013 and 2016, but failed to find the net in his last match against them in April at the London Stadium.
• Javier Hernandez scored 37 goals in 103 Premier League games for Manchester United, netting a goal every 130 minutes for the club.
• Joe Hart could become the first away goalkeeper to keep three Premier League clean sheets at Old Trafford, having previously kept two with Manchester City in March 2014 and October 2015. o Five of West Ham’s last six Premier League goals against Manchester United have come from set pieces (one corner, four free-kicks).

Fantasy Football: New Season tips

Here below are details and links to all the other Fantasy Football tips we've put together ahead of the new season...

Popular players

Amee Ruszkai looks at which players are proving popular so far in Sky Sports Fantasy Football.

With under a fortnight until the Premier League returns, we look at which players are proving most popular so far in Sky Sports Fantasy Football.

Click here for the full feature!

Why don't you want me?

Amee Ruszkai looks at which Premier League players are failing to attract the attention of Sky Sports Fantasy Football bosses.

The likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Mohamed Salah are some of the most selected players ahead of the start of the season, despite being unproven in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, plenty of high-scoring regulars in the game are being neglected, making up a star-studded underappreciated XI...

Click here for the full feature!

Wonderkids

Ross Williams and Matt Temple-Marsh pick out this season's rising stars in Sky Sports Fantasy Football.

With the return of Premier League football just around the corner, there is a new generation of emerging talent waiting for their chance to shine.

Finding a player who can match the meteoric rise of Dele Alli is one of the most rewarding challenges facing Sky Sports Fantasy Football managers this summer, with value to be had from breakthrough starlets.

Click here for the full feature!

Superstars

Amee Ruszkai considers how valuable the world’s most sought-after players would be in the new season in Fantasy Football.

Sky Sports Fantasy Football have provided us with their projected valuations based on how they would price players if they moved to England.

Harry Kane is currently Fantasy Football's most expensive player at £12.9million but he would be trumped by four global superstars, including PSG's £195million target Neymar.

Click here for the full feature!

Bargain buys

Amee Ruszkai picks out seven players who could defy their modest Sky Sports Fantasy Football valuations this season.

Every season there are players who perform beyond their price tag - Tom Heaton and Josh King last season, for example - allowing cash to be splashed on adding the likes Harry Kane or Eden Hazard to your team.

With last term’s stars having seen their in-game value rise, here are some players for the new campaign who have the ability to be the next crop of bargains in Sky Sports Fantasy Football...

Click here for the full feature!

City's new signings

Matt Temple-Marsh looks at which of Manchester City's summer signings are worth considering.

As they move beyond the £200million spending mark with the acquisition of Benjamin Mendy, we look at which of Manchester City's signings are worth considering for your team...

Click here for the full feature!

Alvaro Morata: Hit or miss?

Alvaro Morata's move to Chelsea followed the trend being set by the Premier League's elite this summer - big money moves for big name strikers.

The former Juventus and Real Madrid striker arrives looking to fill the boots of Diego Costa, who is set to move on after being deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge...

Click here for the full feature!

Champion tips

The reigning champion provides us with five tips to run a winning team.

Dan Cox scooped the £25,000 jackpot last season as his side 'The Chosen One' topped the overall charts, seeing off almost a million other teams in the process.

As the last eight Premier League champions have found out, defending the title is no easy feat, but Cox believes following these steps are key to Fantasy Football dominance...

Click here for the full feature!

Huddersfield Town scout report

Ross Williams looks at which of Huddersfield's summer signings could set be make a big impact in Sky Sports Fantasy Football.

David Wagner has wasted little time in getting his newly-promoted Huddersfield Town side prepared for life in the Premier League.

The new campaign is still a month away, but the Terriers have already brought in 10 new recruits for pre-season action...

Click here for the full feature!

Rooney's return

Our Amee Ruszkai explains why ignoring Wayne Rooney would be a huge mistake for Fantasy Football bosses.

Wayne Rooney's return to boyhood club Everton is one of the stories of the transfer window, but prepare to be proven wrong if you think the move was purely a nostalgic one.

Thirteen years after leaving, Ronald Koeman has brought Rooney back to help replace the goals of Romelu Lukaku, who has moved in the other direction to instantly become a Fantasy Football favourite.

Click here for the full feature...

New signings

Amee Ruszkai looks at the prospects of some of the new arrivals to the Premier League.

While a lot of English talent has been on the move, clubs have also turned their attention to foreign imports and brought in some of the biggest names in Europe.

Click here for the full feature...

Top players

Harry Kane has been priced up as the most expensive player in the game at £12.9million after landing the Golden Boot for a second successive campaign, closely followed by Sergio Aguero (£12.8million) and Alexis Sanchez (£12.7million).

Here's a look at who Sky Sports Fantasy Football rate as the most prized assets in the Premier League...

Goalkeeper

Thibaut Courtois goes into the new campaign as the most valuable goalkeeper in Sky Sports Fantasy Football. The Chelsea shot stopper is valued at £8million, alongside Man Utd's David De Gea. However, the Belgian edges De Gea due to his league-leading fantasy points total of 161 last term.

Defenders

After a 2016/17 season that contained 16 clean sheets, champions Chelsea make up the majority of the most valuable back four, with David Luiz, Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta getting the nod. The latter is the most expensive member of the trio at £10.3million after being the only player to start in every single game during their title-winning campaign.

Tottenham's Toby Alderweireld completes the defence. The Belgium international looks well worthy of his £10.1million value after helping Spurs concede less goals than any other side.

Midfielders

The most valuable midfield in Sky Sports Fantasy Football has representatives from across last season's top four. Eden Hazard retains his spot as one of the game's most expensive acquisitions after a 16-goal performance for the Blues last campaign. Meanwhile, Spurs' Dele Alli - 2016/17's highest-scoring fantasy midfielder - is available for £11.6million.

Liverpool's solitary member of the most valuable XI, Philippe Coutinho, can be added to your fantasy outfit for £11.3million after contributing 13 goals and seven assists to the Reds' top-four push last season.

Man City's Kevin De Bruyne is the final piece of the most valuable midfield in 2017/18. The £11.5million man earns his hefty price tag thanks to his 18 assists for Pep Guardiola's side last season - three more than any other Premier League player.

Forwards

The most valuable strike partnership in Sky Sports Fantasy Football throws up a combination of the Premier League's top goal scorer and a man who has scored an exceptional 122 times in his Premier League career.

After netting on 29 occasions in 2016/17, it's hardly surprising that Spurs' frontman Harry Kane is valued at £12.9million going into the new season. The England international just edges former Premier League Golden Boot winner Sergio Aguero, who is available for £12.8million, with last season's top points scorer, Alexis Sanchez, just missing out.

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