GW4 Preview

Deadline's Saturday 12:30pm kick-off this week (12th September) — bit earlier than usual, so don't get caught out doing your last-minute transfers over a lunchtime pint.

The fixture of the week is obvious: Manchester United host Manchester City on Sunday, and both sides arrive with something to prove. Bruno Fernandes has been an absolute monster since that Hull defeat (27 points, form rating 9.0, 46.7% owned already), while City bring Haaland (form 8.0, 71.2% owned — if you don't have him by now, this is the week to ask yourself why) and Cherki, who's been the surprise package of the early season with ownership climbing fast. Whoever blinks first in this one could set the tone for the next month.

If you're looking for a differential captain option away from the obvious armband picks, Gakpo at Liverpool is genuinely the form player in the entire game right now — 9.3, the best of anyone, and still only 13.8% owned. Liverpool are at home to Fulham (one of the easier fixtures on the board this week), and if he keeps this up he won't stay this cheaply-owned for long.

Elsewhere, keep an eye on Hull's defence travelling to Chelsea. Three clean sheets from three so far is an outrageous record for a promoted side, and Tzolakis, Ajayi, Mendy and Egan are all showing up on our differentials radar as a result — Stamford Bridge is obviously a tougher ask than what they've faced so far, but this is a defence that's earned the benefit of the doubt.

A couple of injury doubts worth a look before the deadline: O'Reilly at Man City (back injury, 75% chance of playing) and Mosquera at Arsenal (muscular issue, also 75%) are both still fairly widely owned — neither is a definite miss, but worth checking the team news nearer kick-off rather than banking on either being nailed. Elsewhere, Ollie Watkins has completed a permanent move to Al Hilal, so anyone still holding him needs to sort that out sharpish.

Arsenal make the trip to Sunderland off the back of their first goal conceded of the season — still unbeaten, still the standard everyone else is chasing, but this is rated as one of their tougher away fixtures of the run so a repeat clean sheet is no certainty.

Get your team sorted with the predicted lineups and captaincy tools before Saturday lunchtime, and don't leave it to the last five minutes — this deadline sneaks up earlier than you'd think.

See you after GW4.