This article is part of our Mondogoal Fantasy Soccer series.
Week 34 of Premier League action includes 10 teams playing twice, requiring fantasy owners in many formats to consider more factors than usual.
However, with Mondogoal offering daily contests, this Saturday's contests narrow the field to six matches while maintaining the customary colossal cash earnings potential.
Using Mondogoal's £100M budget, here's a lineup that could help owners begin the upcoming round with a bang.
Formation: 3-4-3
GOALKEEPER
Ben Foster, WBA v. WAT (£6.8M): Despite a knee injury holding off his season debut until late January, Foster has swiftly reclaimed his starting goalkeeper position for West Brom. The Englishman's four clean sheets in 10 league starts evidence his importance to Tony Pulis' defense, which has put together 11 clean sheets on the campaign. That total trails only six teams league-wide, and this weekend Foster and company host a Watford outfit that's managed to score merely two goals in its past six league games. At just £6.8M, Foster is one of the better bargains at his position, and his average of 6.30 fantasy points per game ranks second among those who've made at least 10 starts.
DEFENDER
Chris Smalling, MUN v. AVL (£7.1M): The leading fantasy scorer in a defense that tops the Premiership with 15 clean sheets, Smalling's salary is still cheaper than four of his defensive comrades. That pegging should make Smalling an exceptional value this weekend, when Manchester United welcomes last-place Aston Villa to Old Trafford. While last Sunday's loss at Tottenham illustrated United's abject away form, the Red Devils have been superb at home, particularly defensively. In 15 appearances at Old Trafford, Louis van Gaal's side has conceded only seven goals, leading the league in that category. Conversely, Aston Villa has totaled eight fewer goals than any other team, giving Smalling a great chance to add another clean sheet.
Jan Kirchhoff, SUN at NOR (£7.0M): Although no team has secured fewer than Sunderland's four clean sheetsar, the Black Cats' matchup at Norwich City this weekend isn't exactly a worst-case scenario. Only five teams have netted fewer goals than the Canaries, who also failed to score last time out. Furthermore, despite his fantasy position designation, Kirchhoff doesn't actually play in defense. Rather, he patrols the center of Sunderland's midfield, leading his team with averages of 3.2 tackles and 2.8 interceptions per match. With offensive involvement as well, Kirchhoff has averaged 7.94 fantasy points per game over his past three outings, and he seems poised to impress once more in Saturday's favorable faceoff.
Allan Nyom, WAT at WBA (£6.2M): With Watford's offense stalling, manager Quique Sanchez Flores selected the more attack-minded Juan Carlos Paredes at left-back for last weekend's game against Everton. Throughout that display, Paredes' defensive shortcomings became obvious, which figures to allow Nyom to reclaim his place this weekend at West Brom. Nyom earned his first clean sheet of the campaign earlier this season against the Baggies, and now sits on eight ahead of Saturday's encounter. That figure, along with his team-high 74 tackles, has helped Nyom rack up 146.52 points on Mondogoal, putting him within the top 20 defenders on Saturday's slate. Considering only Aston Villa has scored fewer times than West Brom, Nyom is a sound selection for just £6.2M.
MIDFIELDER
Gylfi Sigurdsson, SWA at NEW (£12.9M): As Mondogoal's second-most expensive midfielder, Sigurdsson's inclusion inevitably coincides with increased expectations, yet the Icelandic international's on-fire form should extinguish any doubt. It's been well documented that Sigurdsson has soared since the start of 2016, but with yet another goal last weekend against Chelsea, he took his form even higher. Now, in 14 games this year, Sigurdsson has scored nine goals, including four in Swansea's last five. What's more, this weekend Sigurdsson has a chance to continue his roll at Newcastle, the league's second-worst defense. The Magpies have allowed at least two goals in five straight meetings with Swansea, and Sigurdsson scored in his last appearance at St. James' Park.
Kevin De Bruyne, MCI at CHE (£12.0M): From watching Manchester City's past four games, especially its Champions League quarterfinal tie with Paris Saint-Germain, one wouldn't be able to tell De Bruyne had recently been sidelined for over two months. Since returning to the fold, all the Belgian has done is score three times, including a sublime curling effort to propel his team past PSG this week. In his three post-injury starts across all competitions, De Bruyne has averaged an astounding 15.29 fantasy points per game. Although manager Manuel Pellegrini should surely be careful not to overexert De Bruyne after injury, Saturday's game against Chelsea seems too big of an occasion to rest him, so fantasy owners should be able to bank of De Bruyne's recent brilliance.
Ross Barkley, EVE v. SOT (£11.4M): Admittedly, Barkley and Everton have struggled mightily lately. Those corresponding hardships are certainly no coincidence, as Barkley has painstakingly gone without a single goal or assist for eight league games, a span in which Everton has won just twice. That being said, Barkley has shown signs of life lately, hitting the woodwork in midweek action against Crystal Palace and registering 7.40 fantasy points last weekend at Watford. Also still the leader among all Saturday players with 293.52 fantasy points, Barkley will be desperate to get back on track versus Southampton on Saturday. Fortunately, that match is at home, where Everton has scored the fourth-most goals this term, and Barkley recorded a goal and an assist versus the Saints back in August.
Juan Mata, MUN v. AVL (£8.2M): With manager Louis van Gaal opting for a more combative midfield for Man United's midweek FA Cup win at high-flying West Ham, Mata was an unused substitute, which should ensure he's fresh for Saturday's visit from last-place Aston Villa. Given the Villains' glaring lack of firepower, Mata figures to rejoin the Red Devils' starting lineup. That scenario would bode rather well for Mata's fantasy outlook, as no team has surrendered more goals than Villa. Moreover, the Villains have been battered at Old Trafford lately, leaking at least three goals in each of their last five visits to the ground. Sporting the 10th-most fantasy points among Saturday's midfielders, Mata has also doled out an assist in back-to-back games versus Aston Villa.
FORWARD
Sergio Aguero, MCI at CHE (£12.1M): Although he'll still be aggravated by badly missing a penalty in Manchester City's midweek Champions League advancement over PSG, Aguero did score last Saturday versus West Brom, giving him a goal in back-to-back league outings. On the whole, Aguero has scored an impressive 18 goals in 25 Premiership appearances, paving the way to a 11.01 fantasy points per game, which leads all Saturday players. The Argentine netted his first goal of the campaign against Chelsea, which hosts Man City this weekend. Only three teams have conceded more goals at home than Chelsea, and the Blues' defensive injuries have Aguero slated to go against a makeshift unit in Week 34.
Anthony Martial, MUN v. AVL (£8.5M): In making the pass that preceded teammate Marcus Rashford's remarkable FA Cup opener against West Ham this week, Martial produced his fifth assist across all competitions, and he's also scored 13 times since joining Manchester United. At 20 years old, that's quite the haul for the Frenchman, as are his 167.38 fantasy points on Mondogoal. In fact, over Martial's last six games for Man United, he's averaged 8.83 fantasy points per outing thanks to three goals and his aforementioned assist. Riding a wave of good form, Martial should really be looking forward to this weekend's match versus Aston Villa. Not only has the Villains' defense been beaten more times than any other outfit, but Saturday's encounter is at Old Trafford, the setting of six of Martial's last seven scores.
Graziano Pelle, SOT at EVE (£7.0M): Speaking of good form, Pelle has appeared rejuvenated recently, putting a maddening few months behind him. To that point, Pelle went from November until mid-March without scoring, but finally broke his barren spell with a brace at Stoke City. Since then, the Italian has accumulated two goals and three assists, earning him at least 19 fantasy points in three of his last four outings. That surge has shot Pelle up to sixth in total points among Saturday's forwards, yet his £7.0M price tag is only the 17th-most expensive. With such a budget-friendly valuation to complement his improving play, Pelle is almost a must-own this weekend at Everton, which enters Saturday's showdown winless in its last five Premier League efforts.
