Fantasy Football Striker Picks Gameweek 9
The international break is almost over, which means we can return to what we love, and get our weekly fix of the Premier League. Match week nine promises to be a massive one, with Arsenal and Tottenham bringing us the latest installment of the North London Derby on Saturday and then a resurgent Manchester United travel to rivals Manchester City on Sunday. With such fixtures on the horizon, it presents a conundrum for all fantasy football managers. Do you stick with the likes of Erling Haaland and Gabriel Jesus in your starting eleven? Is it possible that Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, and Eric Dier can keep the in-form strikers at bay? Or do you twist and look at the weekend’s other fixtures to sure up your striking options?
There are options throughout the English top-flight. Admittedly, it’s hard to see passed the 11 goals in seven games that the Norwegian powerhouse Haaland has already amassed. But his adversary on Sunday — Raphael Varane — has four UEFA Champions League titles to his name. You don’t collect a medal collection like that without knowing how to defend against the very best strikers in the world. And we all know how Manchester United like to turn up and spoil the party at the Etihad. The Red Devils have won in their rivals’ own backyard on three of the last four times they have visited. And with the form they are currently on, it wouldn’t surprise us if they somehow managed to do it again.
With that being said, let’s take a look at some of our striker picks for match week nine of the Premier League…
Ivan Toney (Bournemouth vs BRENTFORD)
A few eyebrows were raised when Brentford forked out £5m for Ivan Toney two years ago. The former Newcastle United player had scored a bucket load of goals in League One for Peterborough United, but he had still only scored goals in English football’s third tier. Boy how the giant striker has silenced his doubters and justified that transfer fee. He helped himself to a then-record breaking 31 goals when the Bees secured promotion from the Championship in his maiden season in West London. He backed that up with 12 goals in his debut campaign in the Premier League, a handsome return for a club expected to be fighting for survival at the start of the season.
And this term, he has picked up where he left off. Toney already has five goals in seven games this season, good enough for fourth place in the Premier League’s scoring charts. That return has secured him his first ever international call-up, featuring for England in their recent UEFA Nations League fixtures. And for this round of matches, he’s a must-have.
His Brentford side travel to Bournemouth, who have conceded the second most goals in the Premier League this season. The 19 goals they have shipped is only surpassed by Leicester City, who despite shocking the footballing world back in 2016, sit rock-bottom of the Premier League. We can see Toney adding to his tally on the south coast.
Aleksandr Mitrovic (FULHAM vs Newcastle)
Fulham’s impressive return to the Premier League has been one of the early talking points of the new season. And the reason why they have picked up so many good results already this term is primarily down to one man, Aleksandr Mitrovic. The Serbian hotshot smashed Ivan Toney’s Championship goalscoring record last season, blasting in an astonishing 43 goals in 44 games last term. And this season he has continued in the same vein, netting six times in the Cottagers’ opening seven games. And that shows no sign of slowing up when Newcastle visit Craven Cottage on match week nine.
Newcastle have picked up just one win – a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on the opening day of the season – in their opening seven fixtures, and are without a win in six. And let’s not forget, Mitrovic endured tough two-and-a-half years at St. James’ Park back in 2015. He will be out for revenge against his former club, and he will show the Magpies exactly what they are missing.
