The absence of Manchester City and Manchester United in Gameweek 1 after the release of the 2020/21 fixtures has immediately lifted the appeal of Mohamed Salah (£12.0m) and Sadio Mane (£12.0m) in Fantasy Premier League.
Man City and Man Utd are without a fixture on the opening weekend because of their progress to the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League respectively this summer.
Captain contenders
Mane and Salah will therefore be among the top captain contenders in Gameweek 1, when Liverpool welcome promoted Leeds United to Anfield.
Salah scored 15 of his 19 goals at home last season, more than any other player in FPL.
Mane, meanwhile, struck 11 of his 18 goals and supplied seven of his 10 assists at Anfield in 2019/20.
De Bruyne and Fernandes to drop?
The Gameweek 1 blank for the Manchester sides will also have a huge impact on the current ownership levels of their players in FPL.
Man City’s Kevin De Bruyne (£11.5m) is the most popular player in the 2020/21 game, owned by 61.6 per cent, while Bruno Fernandes (£10.5m) is the third most-owned and sits in 41.6 per cent of squads.
Furthermore, the United trio of Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£5.5m), Mason Greenwood (£7.5m) and Anthony Martial (£9.0m) are among the top five defenders, midfielders and forwards owned respectively.
City were due to play at home to Aston Villa, while Man Utd had been handed a trip to Burnley.
Those two fixtures will now be rescheduled for a later date and could result in a Double Gameweek for both clubs later in the season.
Also in this series
Part 2: Kane and Son can make fast start
Part 3: Back Werner and Ziyech for instant impact
Part 4: Bank on Jimenez for early returns
Part 5: Opening matches add value to Mitrovic and Pereira
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