A home encounter with Southampton earns Crystal Palace pair Daniel Munoz (£4.7m) and Ismaila Sarr (£5.8m) a place in the best XI for Gameweek 19 of Fantasy Premier League.
Attacking wing-back Munoz offers strong all-round threat against Saints, who have failed to score under new head coach Ivan Juric.
Sarr, meanwhile, has shown his ability to deliver big hauls recently, with 13 and 17-point returns in the last seven Gameweeks.
The Palace pair are included in a best XI that lines up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Mohamed Salah (£13.5m) and Alexander Isak (£9.1m) continuing as captain and vice-captain respectively.
Jordan Pickford (Everton) £4.9m
Three clean sheets and a penalty save in the last four Gameweeks have taken the Everton No 1 to the top of the goalkeeper standings on 82 points. Pickford’s recent shutouts against Arsenal and Chelsea show his fixture-proof appeal at home to Nottingham Forest.
Gabriel (Arsenal) £6.3m
His huge threat from set-pieces has helped the Arsenal centre-back to three goals and two assists, surpassing his 2023/24 output by one assist already. Add in his clean-sheet potential and Gabriel could be on course for a bumper haul against Brentford.
Daniel Munoz (Crystal Palace) £4.7m
Two goals, two assists and four clean sheets show the Colombian’s potential for points at both ends of the pitch.
Nikola Milenkovic (Nottingham Forest) £4.7m
The centre-back has been a key figure in helping Nottingham Forest collect seven clean sheets, joint-top with Everton and Liverpool. Milenkovic also boasts a huge goal threat among defenders, with his 16 shots in the box placing third in his position in Fantasy.
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) £13.5m
In his best-ever start to a Fantasy season, Salah’s recent away form, in particular, shows why managers should take no risks with the captaincy. Liverpool’s Egyptian has scored TWICE in three successive road trips ahead of his encounter with West Ham United, amassing 52 points across those contests.
Cole Palmer (Chelsea) £11.3m
Despite his side’s midweek home loss to Fulham, Chelsea’s playmaker was still a big success, scoring and earning his sixth double-figure score of the campaign. Palmer visits an Ipswich Town side with a single clean sheet since their promotion and is among the top alternatives to Salah for the armband.
Luis Diaz (Liverpool) £7.5m
After being rested completely against Leicester City in midweek, the Colombian seems very likely to start both their remaining festive fixtures against West Ham and Manchester United. If you’re looking to double up on Liverpool’s attack, Diaz’s two goals and 13 points against Spurs in Gameweek 17 shows why he can be worth the investment alongside Salah.
Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal) £6.8m
An ownership of just 4.2 per cent makes the Brazilian a great differential Arsenal attacker in the enforced absence of Bukayo Saka (£10.3m). Martinelli has scored in each of his last two away starts, totalling 15 points.
Ismaila Sarr (Crystal Palace) £5.8m
Palace’s kind upcoming schedule makes Sarr a great budget midfield pick. Four of their next five matches score only two in the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), with the Eagles facing two promoted sides over Gameweeks 19-21 alone.
Alexander Isak (Newcastle) £9.1m
The Swede is now the third most-popular player in Fantasy, boasting an ownership of over 45 per cent for Newcastle United’s encounter with Man Utd. Isak visits Old Trafford on a five-match scoring streak, delivering three double-figure hauls in that spell.
Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) £8.8m
The forward looks set for a recall to Aston Villa’s first XI after Jhon Duran’s (£5.9m) dismissal against Newcastle earned him a three-match ban. Watkins’s goal threat at Villa Park indicates he can return to form against Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday evening - in home matches this season, his 13 big chances – or situations where the player is expected to score – is joint-top among all players in Fantasy.
