The first matchday of this Premier League season is history and old patterns are showing again, but there were also big surprises. Liverpool can only just salvage a draw against Fulham and will have to go one better against Crystal Palace to avoid dropping vital points again. Man. United again fail to play a good game and will have a hard time in the future if their team morale does not change. We can be excited to see how everything develops and I am looking forward to the second matchday, which will see the first London derby between Chelsea and Tottenham.

Goal:

Robert Sanchez (40₵, Brighton): Not the most obvious goalkeeper pick this matchday, but he could pay dividends. In the last game against Man. United he couldn’t keep a clean sheet, but still made an outstanding play. He shone with five saves and eight super passes. In total, he scored 241 points in the season opener. He will definitely have something to do against Newcastle and may even manage to keep a clean sheet this time.

Defence:

Gabriel Magalhaes (120₵, Arsenal): He’s not in the preview for the first time, but he deserves to be, because the Brazilian was already convincing last season and showed a solid performance again with 260 points. It is against Leicester, who are always a strong opponent, but the centre-back seems to like the Foxes as an opponent, because in the last two games against them he did not allow a goal and even scored once.

Lucas Digne (58₵, Villa): The Frenchman is very comfortable under Steven Gerrard and is one of the players who have developed the most after he took over. He is a key player and was also able to score over 200 points in the last game, despite the 2-0 defeat. Against Everton he has the opportunity to make his mark both up front and at the back.

Aaron Cresswell (92₵, West Ham): The same goes for the full-back from the Hammers. Cresswell amassed nearly 200 points despite very dominant opposition from City and could unleash the potential he often showed last season against the promoted Nottingham side.

Nathan Ake (130₵, Man. City): With the injury to Laporte, the Dutchman will continue to feature for the Citizens. While he also comes at a very hefty price, he is still cheaper than the majority of his teammates and put in the second best SPITCH performance at City. Against promoted Bournemouth, City will again have a tremendous amount of possession, allowing Ake to score quite easily. In the last game he collected 194 points with ordinary +2 passes alone.

Midfield:

John McGinn (63₵, Villa): An old acquaintance from last season. The Scot continues just as he left off before the summer break. His omnipresence means he collects point after point with tackles, shots and passes and stood out with his total of 351 points on matchday 1. Add to that the fact that he is a very cheap player, which should really put him on every SPITCH manager’s radar.

Ruben Neves (85₵, Wolverhampton): Another topperformer from last season who could give us some points this season as well. Again he amassed over 300 points and that was without a single shot on goal or involvement in goal. Maybe more will go for him going forward against Fulham. Either way, he has a very big scoring potential.

Harvey Elliot (68₵, Liverpool): A big problem at Liverpool is the injuries that often occur. In central midfield alone, four players are injured, including Thiago. With so many absentees, young Harvey Elliot could come into his own. He will be particularly keen to prove himself then and could become a scoring machine despite his low price tag. Klopp announced in a press conference that either he or Fabio Carvalho will start. Regardless of who it is, both could save you some budget and still impress.

Attack:

Gabriel Martinelli (74₵, Arsenal): At Emirates Stadium, he is the strongest attacking player for the Gunners. He creates the most chances and convinces with his all-round qualities in the attack. Against Leicester he could prove his qualities again, nevertheless it is a very risky pick, but it could pay off.

Ivan Toney (100₵, Brentford): The Red Devils can always put in a strong performance despite internal complications and a poor start to the season. However, Toney could also put in a top performance as the 26-year-old could score in the first game and will most likely be allowed to play through as he has not been substituted in any of his 33 starting appearances so far, giving him the full 90 minutes to earn points.

Luis Diaz (125₵, Liverpool): The Colombian could really turn it on against Crystal Palace on Monday as a win is a must after the Reds’ mixed start to the season. If he manages to get to his finishes and play up his explosiveness, then he could pick up some points and contribute a lot to a win.

Other alternatives:

Other players to keep an eye on are Joao Cancelo (175₵, Man. City) who could show his strength this matchday, James Ward-Prowse (90₵, Southampton) who is a key player at Southampton and Darwin Nunez (180₵, Liverpool) who could start for Liverpool and could score last week.

About me: I have been assisting SPITCH in their various divisions for several months now. With my experience on the free pitches, I want to help you find interesting players that maybe not everyone has on their radar.