Fantasy Premier League tips gameweek 30: Marcos Alonso, Raphinha, Kai Havertz and more

How many of our picks are in your team?

Mark Critchley
Northern Football Correspondent
Friday 02 April 2021 10:23 BST
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Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso
Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

After a much-needed rest over the March international break, Fantasy Premier League returns for the home stretch.

There are just nine gameweeks to go and this stage of the season is always a little more unpredictable than usual, as some teams balance league and European commitments while others have little to play for.

Keep that in mind as the Champions League and Europa League start again next week, with rotation likely among those top clubs involved.

For those of you who still have a Wildcard in your back pocket, next week looks like an ideal time to play it. That means this week, you can afford to use your free transfer on a one-week-only punt.

Here’s who we fancy this week...

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Marcos Alonso

Chelsea’s defence still feels more reliable than their attack when it comes to fantasy points. Edouard Mendy and Cesar Azpilicueta are safe picks but Alonso carries greater threat going forward and could punish the visiting West Bromwich Albion so long as he starts.

Kevin De Bruyne

Leicester’s home record is bang average this season. Tuesday’s date with Dortmund makes the Manchester City line-up even more difficult to predict than usual, but De Bruyne is well rested after playing no part in Belgium’s 8-0 win over Belarus on Tuesday night.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Everton remain inconsistent and difficult to predict but Calvert-Lewin has been among the goals while on international duty and will fancy himself against an out-of-sorts Crystal Palace side which has struggled in aerial battles this season.

Raphinha

Sheffield United look like they could be a team to target over the final weeks after that thrashing at Leicester. Leeds are capable of administering a similar shellacking, with Raphinha pulling the strings.

Kai Havertz

Back to Chelsea, who have the stand-out fixture. Though we prefer the defence to the attack, Havertz playing out of position as a false nine is a tempting prospect, especially as he is only owned by 2.8 per cent of managers.

Captaincy

Harry Kane is the stand-out option for the third week running and will be heavily backed, but he has not exactly convinced when trusted with the armband recently.

Raphinha or Patrick Bamford could both score highly and Chelsea defenders should get at least six points, provided they start. Kevin De Bruyne would be a risky pick but could pay off if Leicester’s indifferent home form continues.

Best XI

Mendy; Alonso, Digne, Dallas, Reguilon; De Bruyne, Havertz, Raphinha; Kane, Calvert-Lewin, Bamford.

Future planning

This Premier League’s latest batch of fixture amendments mean that Tottenham will have a double in gameweek 32 (16-22 April) against Everton away and Southampton at home. Crystal Palace will blank that week.

Plan ahead and see if you can fit at least two Spurs players in for their double. At the same time, remember that they blank in gameweek 33 along with Manchester City, Southampton and Fulham due to the EFL Cup final.

If you still have it, the Free Hit chip could come in handy.

Otherwise, Arsenal and Wolves have a favourable run of fixtures over the next six gameweeks once meetings with Liverpool and West Ham respectively are out of the way this weekend.

Arsenal’s attack has steadily ticked upwards recently which makes the likes of Bukayo Saka and Alexandre Lacazette medium-term options, so long as they can avoid rotation due to their Europa League commitments.

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