Yahoo! Fantasy Football: Liverpool to leapfrog Manchester United into second

There are some stunning matches across Europe on Sunday but we have been tasked with building a Yahoo! Fantasy Football XI from Saturday’s Premier League, starting from the 3pm kick offs.

We have entered Saturday’s main contest looking to win a share of £2,500! Think you have what it takes to beat us and win big this weekend? For new users, enter the promocode ‘Fantasy50’ when you deposit £5 and benefit from a £50 reward to use in any cash games. Now, here is our XI:

Goalkeeper - JACK BUTLAND (STOKE)

Jack Butland’s last performance will be remembered for his calamitous own goal but the Stoke goalkeeper has performed very well for the Potters in general.

In fact, Butland made at least seven more saves than any other goalkeeper in the Premier League since the turn of the year (35).

The 24-year-old will have another another busy afternoon keeping Southampton at bay on Saturday but should be confident of keeping his third clean sheet of 2018.

While Southampton average eighth in the division for shots per game (12.1), they have the fifth worst conversion rate (8.2%).  

Defender - ANDREW ROBERTSON (LIVERPOOL)

The Scotland international was forced to be patient but Andrew Robertson is flourishing for Liverpool at the moment.

Jurgen Klopp signed the left-back from Hull over the summer and he has arguably been one of their best players in recent matches.

His attacking endeavour has proven a real asset for Liverpool going forward and he was rewarded with his second Premier League assist of the campaign last time out.

Defender - VIRGIL VAN DIJK (LIVERPOOL)

Another Liverpool player starting to prove their worth is Virgil van Dijk, although he still has a long way to go before justifying his astronomical fee.

The Netherlands international has looked dominant at the back for Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp’s side close in on a top-two finish.

He should be confident of turning in another assured performance up against a Newcastle side that has only won three away league matches all season.

Defender - EMRE CAN (LIVERPOOL)

His future at the club might be in doubt but you wouldn’t have guessed from his recent performances. Emre Can is a Yahoo! top-20 form player and finished last weekend’s 4-1 win over West Ham as the WhoScored Man of the Match.

It marked only the second time since moving to Liverpool that the Germany international has scored and assisted in the same game, having first done so back in December 2016.

The 24-year-old has played a direct hand in seven league goals so far this season, matching last season’s tally with 10 games to go.

Midfielder - ERIC DIER (TOTTENHAM)

While Huddersfield’s performances on the road have certainly improved of late, it will require something special from the Terriers to overcome Tottenham at Wembley. Mauricio Pochettino’s side are unbeaten in their last 14 matches at the home of football.

Mr. Versatile Eric Dier is expected to return to central midfield on Saturday where he will take up the role of keeping things ticking over for the home side. In fact, only defensive duo Toby Alderweireld (69.2) and Jan Vertonghen (68.3) average more passes per league game than Dier (66.7) of Tottenham players this season.

With this in mind, the 24-year-old should rack up points for his passing game and provides a cheap option for your Yahoo! Fantasy Football team’s this weekend.

Midfielder - ABDOULAYE DOUCOURE (WATFORD)

With West Brom manager Alan Pardew facing an almost impossible task to save his skin, Watford should see Saturday’s home match against the Baggies as the perfect opportunity to all but secure their own top-flight status.

The Hornets may not succeed in keeping Abdoulaye Doucoure beyond the end of the current campaign but for now he remains integral. The 25-year-old is Watford’s top goalscorer in the Premier League (seven goals) and also their highest WhoScored rated player with a 7.15 (5+ apps).

Midfielder - BADOU NDIAYE (STOKE)

Badou Ndiaye has settled in well to life at Stoke since joining from Galatasaray in January and is already a Yahoo! Top-20 form player.

The 27-year-old is the club’s highest WhoScored rated player in the Premier League this season (7.31) and already has one assist from three appearances.

An average of 2.7 shots per game and 2 dribbles per game highlights his threat in attack, while 3.7 tackles per game illustrates his importance in breaking up play.

Midfielder - CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN (TOTTENHAM)

After a mini drought of three games without playing a direct hand in a single goal, Christian Eriksen has resumed services as normal with a goal and an assist in his last two outings.

The 26-year-old has played a direct hand in 14 goals in the league in total this season and will be instrumental to their success against a well drilled Huddersfield side.

David Wagner’s side will look to get at Tottenham and try to panic the home side, but it’s in these situations when you need your best creative players to show composure. Eriksen certainly has an abundance of that and he should make your Yahoo! Fantasy Football XI.

Utility - ROBERTO FIRMINO (LIVERPOOL)

Roberto Firmino has now scored or assisted nine goals in his last eight matches in all competitions, netting in three consecutive game.

The Brazil international has already set a new personal best Premier League tally and still has 10 games remaining to add to that.

The 26-year-old has a better WhoScored rating in Premier League home matches (7.54) than away (7.38), which will serve him well against Newcastle on Saturday.

Striker - TROY DEENEY (WATFORD)

A lot has been said about Troy Deeney’s future at Watford this season but the 29-year-old is now an ever-present in the team under Javi Gracia.

The Watford captain picked up his first WhoScored Man of the Match award in his last outing and has two goals in his last three appearances.

A Yahoo! Top-20 form player, Deeney will be looking to make up for lost time this season on what will only be his 13th league start of the season on Saturday.

Striker - SON HEUNG-MIN (TOTTENHAM)

As selected by our Twitter fans, we have rounded off our XI with the inclusion of Tottenham’s Son Heung-Min.

The 25-year-old ended a nine-game wait without a goal in Wednesday’s FA Cup replay against Rochdale, netting twice and registering one assist.

Mauricio Pochettino will now hope it sparks a similar run of form that saw the forward play a direct hand in 12 goals in 13 matches between December and January.