The wait is FINALLY almost over, with the new Premier League season kicking off next Friday. Manchester United and Leicester City raise the curtain on the new campaign at Old Trafford and it has the potential to be one of the biggest and best ever. Almost every club has spent big money adding new recruits to their ranks as they bid to improve on last seasons showing and close the gap on Pep Guardiola's all-conquering Manchester City.
The Citizens romped to a record 100 points haul last term which saw them write history and the chasing pack have a job on their hands in stopping them retaining the trophy. With the season now within touching distance, we've made a start of on our Fantasy Football team and there were tough decisions to be made.. We've done it with Sky Sports, read below to see our team, get info on the game and join our league!
Sky Sports Fantasy Football
The season is now so close which means it's time to get Fantasy Football sorted. We all wind up our mates during the year about how each of clubs are doing but Fantasy gives us the chance to get one over on each other! Picking your team isn't easy and after spending some serious time we've finally got ours sorted!
We've created our team with Sky Sports as their Fantasy game very different to that of others. Points don't just revolve around starts, goals, assists, clean sheets - you can benefit from man of the match awards, tackles won, saves made and completed passes! This means that there's plenty of opportunities available to rack up some serious points from your £100m budget and climb to the top of the league!
Alongside making our own team we've also created our very own league which you can join for FREE HERE using the pin 8388819! We're inviting ALL of our followers to sign-up with prizes on offer for the best performing team at the end of the month - so there's plenty of reasons to get involved!
Think you can finish above our team? Join our league and find out!
FA Fantasy League - League PIN: 8388819
Defence
GK: Rui Patricio (Wolves)
In between the sticks we've gone for Wolves' summer recruit Rui Patricio who we genuinely believe could go on to be one of the signings of the season. The Portugal international arrives at Molineux with a wealth of experience behind him along with a winners medal from the 2016 European Championships, so he certainly has the pedigree to succeed in the Premier League. He joins a Wolves side that bossed the Championship last term, picking up 99 points and conceding just 39 goals (lowest in the league) so we're expecting big things from him and his new club.
DEF: Patrick van Aanholt (Crystal Palace)
Our first outfield player comes in the form of Patrick van Aanholt from Crystal Palace. The pacey Dutch full back was one of the shining lights of the Eagles' campaign last year, weighing in with 5 goals and an assist from defence. Under Roy Hodgson Palace have improved considerably and we're expecting the 27 year-old to continue his development under the former England boss. He's the cheapest member of our backline at £7.6m and we think he's an excellent option for your side if last seasons performances are anything to go by.
DEF: Harry Maguire (Leicester City)
Next up we've opted for England World Cup hero Harry Maguire who comes into the new Premier League season on the back of an incredible summer. The 25 year-old enhanced his growing reputation in the game with some magnificent performances for the Three Lions and it's prompted speculation around his future - with Manchester United apparently willing to shell out a whopping £65m to secure his services. Regardless of him staying at Leicester or not, he remains one of the best defenders in the league and his score of 133 points last term certainly backs that up - a potential bargain at £8.5m.
DEF: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)
Joining Maguire in the heart of defence is Chelsea youngster Andreas Christensen who's in store for a big season under new boss Maurizio Sarri. The 22 year-old is one of the more in-experienced members of the Blues squad but he forced his way into first team reckoning with some superb performances. He's now regarded as one of the best up and coming defenders in the top flight and he looks like a perfect fit for new coach Sarri. Christensen's composure and ability to bring the ball of from the back should result in plenty of playing time and with a very winnable game against Huddersfield to come on match day one he could be amongst the points.
DEF: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
The final member of our backline is our youngest, with Liverpool full back Trent Alexander-Arnold getting the nod. It's been a whirlwind 12 months for the youngster who's shot to prominence both domestically and internationally - featuring in both the Champions League Final and the World Cup. His breakthrough season was magnificent but Jurgen Klopp will now be expecting him to take the next step and become one of the best defenders in the league - so we can see him getting plenty of playing time.
Midfield
MID: Richarlison (Everton)
First up is a man who moved for some mega money this summer, Richarlison. The Brazilian's £40m move to Everton has raised many eyebrows around the Premier League after an underwhelming end to a season which started with such promise. There's clearly a player in there and Marco Silva proved that he's capable of unleashing it, so the Toffees supporters will be hoping that he can work his magic again at Goodison. Richarlison offers something different to what Everton already have with his great pace and work rate, so we can see him being a success despite the big price tag over his head.
MID: Leroy Sane (Manchester City)
Our next choice was a no brainer in Manchester City man Leroy Sane. The 22 year-old enjoyed the best season of his career in 17/18, playing an instrumental role in the Citizens' run to their historic title triumph. He contributed 25 goals (10G, 15A) which led to him winning the PFA Player of the Year Award - so we're expecting BIG things from him this year. He's one of the first names on the team sheet for Pep Guardiola and despite having a tough opening day fixture against Arsenal to come, we can see him running riot. He scored and got two assists against the Gunners when they last met at the Emirates so he's an excellent shout to get in your team and at £10.3m he's a good price - a great investment.
MID: Jean Michael Seri (Fulham)
Fulham have spent some big money during the transfer window and their biggest capture came in the form of midfield man Jean Michael Seri, who surprisingly joined the Cottagers from Nice. A host of huge clubs from around the continent were reportedly interested in securing his services but Fulham ended up being his destination, which is something of a coup. Seri looks like an ideal fit for the Premier League, good on the ball, physically strong and he also possesses a great engine - making him an excellent box-to-box midfielder. After shelling out so much money he's bound to feature regularly so expect to see him line up against Crystal Palace on match day one.
MID: Felipe Anderson (West Ham)
Another Premier League debutant is the final member of our midfield man and it's someone who could really take the division by storm. West Ham shelled out a reported £35m to sign Lazio's Felipe Anderson who looks like a real class act & he has the potential to be a genuine game changer. He arrives from Serie A with a big reputation and working under Manuel Pellegrini we can see him really excelling in England. Comfortable playing on either flank or as a 10, Anderson will really compliment the likes of Andriy Yarmolenko and Marko Arnautovic which should result in lots of goals and points for the Brazilian.
Attack
ATT: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)
The two most expensive members of our XI come in attack, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the first part of our strike force. The Gabon international only arrived in the Premier League back in January but already he's made a massive impact, scoring 10 goals in 13 appearances for the Gunners which makes him one of the favourites for the Golden Boot. The 28 year-old has pace to burn and with a full pre-season under his belt, we can really see him terrorising defenders over the next 9 months. He isn't cheap with his price tag set at a big £12.5m, but with him being the focal point of Unai Emery's new look Arsenal he'll definitely be in amongst the goals.
ATT: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
And finally, rounding off our team is the 2017/18 PFA Player of the year, Mohamed Salah. This guy absolutely ripped it up for Liverpool last season on his way to winning the Golden Boot with a record 32 goals. Salah has always been classed as a top player but no one quite expected him to achieve exactly what he did with Liverpool last term, with the highlight being his sides run to the Champions League final. Re-producing that outrageous consistency will be some challenge for the Egyptian this season but we're backing him to score plenty of goals once again, especially with the new faces he has supporting him in Naby Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri.
