The Scout looks at clubs who can be paired together effectively to help Fantasy Premier League managers make a strong start in 2023/24.
Brentford and Newcastle
Both Brentford and Newcastle United were among the most reliable sides for clean sheets in home matches last season.
The Bees kept seven of their 12 shutouts at the Gtech Community Stadium, while their total of 18 goals conceded in home fixtures was the fifth-best in the division.
Newcastle, meanwhile, claimed nine of their 14 clean sheets at St James’ Park in 2022/23.
They conceded a mere 14 goals in their 19 home matches, second only to the 10 of Manchester United.
It would be a smart tactic for FPL managers to pick a player from each club in their squad and then rotate between them each Gameweek, starting the one who has the better fixture and benching the other.
By pairing up Brentford and Newcastle’s budget defenders, managers would have a run of six home matches in the opening seven Gameweeks.
The exception is in Gameweek 2, when Brentford visit Fulham and Newcastle visit Manchester City.
How to rotate in first seven Gameweeks
| GW | Team | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NEW | AVL (H) |
| 2 | BRE | FUL (A) |
| 3 | BRE | CRY (H) |
| 4 | BRE | BOU (H) |
| 5 | NEW | BRE (H) |
| 6 | BRE | EVE (H) |
| 7 | NEW | BUR (H) |
Although the Bees’ centre-back Ben Mee (£5.0m) is a little too expensive to rotate and put on the bench, Rico Henry (£4.5m) offers attacking potential in Thomas Frank’s rearguard.
Indeed, the left-back has been a standout performer in pre-season, supplying an assist in each of Brentford’s opening two friendlies.
Henry's assist for Ajer v Fulham
💥 Kristoffer Ajer hammers home pic.twitter.com/IKgLUJ9WfY
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) July 24, 2023
Sven Botman (£4.5m) is the safest budget option for Newcastle and offers a substantial saving of £2.0m over Kieran Trippier (£6.5m).
Botman was the eighth top-scoring defender in Fantasy last season, earning 129 points thanks to 13 clean sheets, two assists and eight bonus points.
While the Dutchman remains at the same low starting cost as 2022/23, Trippier has risen by £1.5m after being the top-scoring defender in Fantasy.
Also in this series
Part 1: How to get a home match every Gameweek
Part 2: Brighton and Forest stars offer dream fixtures
Part 3: Pair up Villa and Everton for fast start