World Cup Fantasy Football tips and advice: Sky Sports International Overhaul selections, picks and captains

It's a short turnaround, such is the nature of tournament football, with the final group games starting at 19:00 on Friday and the knockouts beginning at 15:00 on Saturday.

It does give players the chance to get rid of any players whose teams have been eliminated, while also refreshing the squad to add players enjoying good tournaments so far.

It's also worth considering potential paths to the final. The more players of teams who are expected to go far the better, that means less changes further down the line.

Of course, we can't predict every result, but looking at the favourites gives us the best opportunity to have a full XI available as we approach the end.

Want to play Fantasy Football throughout the World Cup?

1. Create an account here
2. Go to https://fantasyfootball.skysports.com/

When is the Overhaul?

Put simply, it begins when the final group stage matches kick-off, and ends at the start of the first round of 16 fixture.

As per the rules on Sky Sports Fantasy Football, the Overhaul starts 'after the completion of the Group Stages until the first match of the Round of 16 fixtures. This will be between 7pm 2 December until 3pm 3 December.'

Who are the best players for the Overhaul?

Lionel Messi

• Position: STR
• Nation: Argentina
• Fixture: Australia
• Price: £11m

This may seem an obvious selection, but at the time of writing only 46.03% of teams have Lionel Messi in.

That's right, over half of all teams do not have the superstar in, and maybe cost is playing a part in that. However, given form and fixtures, he is well worth the investment.

Yes, he did miss a penalty against Poland, but goals came against Mexico and Saudi Arabia and he'll more than fancy his chances against Australia.

There is also a potential quarter-final meeting with the Netherlands too - plenty of opportunities for goals and points.

Alex Sandro

• Position: DEF
• Nation: Brazil
• Fixture: TBC
• Price: £8.7m

A starter in this Brazil defence, Alex Sandro has returned 20 points across his two games so far.

The left-back posted a huge tally of seven tackles in the win over Switzerland, while hitting pass tier bonus points in both group stage contests.

He can continue that as the tournament favourites head into the round of 16, with the games set to become more competitive.

It's worth checking his injury status during the time of unlimited changes.

Frenkie de Jong

• Position: MID
• Nation: Netherlands
• Fixture: USA
• Price: £8.3m

The Netherlands booked their spot in the round of 16 as Group A winners, setting up a clash with the USA.

Frenkie de Jong found the net as they beat hosts Qatar in their last game, and he has continued to provide points for the low percentage of players who own him.

His group stages finished with a total of 23, thanks to pass and tackles tier bonuses alongside that goal.

The midfielder had a significant seven tackles against Ecuador, while he has hit passing bonus points in every game.

Harry Maguire

• Position: DEF
• Nation: England
• Fixture: Senegal
• Price: £8.6m

Harry Maguire was a name included in our Gameround 3 preview, and he delivered with ten points as England beat Wales.

The defender returned a total of 27 points throughout the group stage, helped largely by the two clean sheets they kept following their opener against Iran.

Maguire is a regular in the pass tier bonuses and we can expect that to continue against Senegal, in what should be a more competitive fixture for the Three Lions.

Nicolas Otamendi

• Position: DEF
• Nation: Argentina
• Fixture: Australia
• Price: £8.9m

Argentina's defensive showings have been one of the big positives of their tournament so far.

The clean sheet against Poland was their second of the World Cup, meaning they have conceded just 0.67 xG across their three games.

That puts them in a great position as they face Australia in the next round, a team who have created 1.59 xG in their Group D matches.

Nicolas Otamendi has hit passes tier 2 bonus points in all three of his contests.

Julián Álvarez

• Position: STR
• Nation: Argentina
• Fixture: Australia
• Price: £8.0m

Another Argentina pick but one that feels like an alternative at a very low price.

Julián Álvarez started their final group game, finding the net as La Albiceleste reached the round of 16.

The striker returned a total of ten points for the low percentage of players who owned him, thanks to that goal and also his three efforts on target.

Aurélien Tchouaméni

• Position: MID
• Nation: France
• Fixture: Poland
• Price: £7.8m

Aurélien Tchouaméni was a player highlighted in our pre-season piece, and he delivered 18 points across the group stages.

France are fancied to go far and the midfielder will be a key reason as to why.

Tchouaméni hitting passing bonus tiers in all three games, while also seeing extra tackles points in the games against Australia and Denmark.

He should continue to return the five points minimum per outing that we have seen so far.

Diogo Costa

• Position: GK
• Nation: Portugal
• Fixture: TBC
• Price: £6.7m

We thought that Diogo Costa would be Portugal's starting goalkeeper and that has been the case over the first two games.

He returned 11 points in their second group game against Uruguay, achieving a clean sheet alongside saves tier 1.

Costa remains a bargain option among goalkeepers, with his £6.7m price tag a lot cheaper than those playing for other 'established' footballing nations.

That frees up budget to use elsewhere, while also delivering points at a decent rate.

Richarlison

• Position: STR
• Nation: Brazil
• Fixture: TBC
• Price: £8.9m

Such is the nature of tournament football that we currently don't know who Brazil will face in the round of 16.

Assuming they win Group G as expected, they'd have a decent run to the semi-final, facing the runner-up of Group H and then the winner of Croatia v Japan.

Richarlison has two goals on his tally so far, with a total of five shots from his opening two fixtures so far.

That's returned 16 points at the time of writing, and he's proving to be a bargain option at £8.9m.

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