FPL GW9: Clean Sheet Watch: Top Teams To Target
Using RotoWire's Fixture Difficulty Tool, I've identified the best Fantasy Premier League defences to target for clean sheets over the next five Gameweeks.
This ranking weighs opponents' attacking form, goals scored, and fixture difficulty to help FPL managers choose defenders and goalkeepers with the highest potential for clean sheet returns in the next five Gameweeks.
Check out RotoWire's updated FPL rankings, FPL tips and cheat sheets to fine-tune your squad.
Four teams were given the score of 14 and are the joint best teams to target defensively over the next few weeks. Nottingham Forest and Wolves have scored the fewest in the league with five goals after eight matches, and each of these four teams play one of these sides in the next five matches.
Bournemouth: Promising Fixture Run
Nottingham Forest, @Manchester City, @Aston Villa, West Ham, @Sunderland
Bournemouth will face Nottingham Forest in Gameweek 9, Sean Dyche's first league match with his new club. Dyche's Burnley and Everton sides were not known for their goalscoring prominence in the Premier League.
Man City are the top scorers in the league, who Bournemouth play in Gameweek 10, but Aston Villa, West Ham and Sunderland are up next and have all scored fewer than 10 goals this season.
Liverpool: Defensive Recovery Underway
@Brentford, Aston Villa, @Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, @West Ham
Liverpool have four of the same teams in the next five matches as Bournemouth, and surprisingly, both have the exact same record of 14 goals scored and 11 conceded.
Liverpool will be coming into the game on a high after their 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Tuesday. Their defensive record has been poor this season, having only kept two clean sheets, both of which finished 1-0.
Virgil van Dijk is Liverpool's top defender with 32 FPL points, and he scored the third goal for Liverpool from a corner Tuesday. His defensive partner, Ibrahima Konate also scored in the game.
Brighton: Favourable Chance for First Clean Sheet
@Manchester United, Leeds, @Crystal Palace, Brentford, @Nottingham Forest
Brighton are yet to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League but will have a favourable run to get their first in this stretch of games.
Crystal Palace (12), Manchester United (11) and Brentford (11) have scored just over 10 goals this season. While underlying numbers are positive for Palace and United, they're still mediocre in converting their chances.
Leeds United and Nottingham Forest have both scored fewer than one per game, with Forest giving their opponents a clean sheet in five of their last six matches in the Premier League. Even with Dyche there, he's not going to turn them into a top attacking side.
Fulham: Underrated Fixture Run to Target
@Newcastle, Wolves, Everton, Sunderland, @Spurs
Fulham have lost each of their last three Premier League matches and will look to use this run as a way to get back to winning ways. They start against Newcastle, who have scored in each of their home games.
However, their next few matches are the reason to back them. They welcome Wolves to Craven Cottage, who have scored only one away goal in their four away matches. Their trips to Everton and Spurs may look tricky on paper, but both teams have only scored five goals in their four home matches.
Sunderland have also found their away games difficult, scoring only one goal in four chances away from home. This is a game that Fulham will aim to target for a clean sheet.
FAQs
Which teams are most likely to keep clean sheets in FPL GW9?
Liverpool, Bournemouth, Brighton and Fulham are top defensive targets based on opponent scoring form.
Who are the best FPL defenders to buy for clean sheets?
Jan Paul van Hecke, Van Dijk and Marcos Senesi lead the options thanks to strong fixture runs and solid defensive metrics.
How are FPL clean sheet fixtures calculated?
RotoWire's Fixture Difficulty Tool rates each team's next five matches based on opponents' goals scored.
