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FPL Tips: Christian Benteke to lead the line?

FPL Tips: Christian Benteke to lead the line?
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Burnley and Crystal Palace feature strongly in gameweek 36's recommendations, while Gareth Bale muscles in on the action for Tottenham.

Burnley provide late-season differential potential while Gareth Bale and Eberechi Eze are two of the exciting Fantasy Premier League names to consider this week.

No sooner was a packed gameweek 35 wrapped up than a new one begins with a Friday teatime deadline – who should you trust for the final stages of the season?

Raise a glass to Clarets

Top attacking picks for FPL gameweek 36
Chris Wood leads all players in gameweek 36's Transfer Scores (PA graphic)

Chris Wood has been a regular in our recommendations in recent weeks, driven by a run of eight goals and 66 fantasy points in eight games.

Form makes up 50 per cent of the PA news agency's Transfer Score for each player, with the remainder combining cost, ownership and fixture difficulty rating (FDR) – remarkably, the £6.4million Kiwi is still selected in less than four per cent of all teams.

His transfer score of 87 out of 100 comfortably leads all strikers ahead of resurgent Crystal Palace man Christian Benteke (71), with Roberto Firmino's brace against Manchester United sparking a last-ditch jump to third for the Liverpool star (69).

Burnley's burst clear of relegation danger is not all down to Wood, however, and midfielder Ashley Westwood has two goals and an assist in their last four games to break onto the midfield podium.

London pair shine in midfield

Top midfield picks for FPL gameweek 36
Gareth Bale and Eberechi Eze have sparkled at times late in the season (PA graphic)

Bale's up-and-down loan spell back at Tottenham has trended in a positive direction once more in recent weeks, never more so than with a hat-trick in the win over Sheffield United, and he trails only Wood in form (eight points per game compared to 8.5) and transfer score (82).

Just behind him in midfield is another exciting London-based winger in Eze, whose solo runs have lit up Palace's late-season fixtures and saw him score as well as setting up Benteke's opener in the 2-0 win over the Blades.

Minimal 1.4 per cent ownership helps him to a transfer score of 79, pipping Westwood (78) to second spot in midfield.

Llorente Leeds the way

Top defensive picks for FPL gameweek 36
Diego Llorente is an overlooked bargain in defence (PA graphic)

Leeds match Liverpool for the easiest run-in by FDR, helping defender Diego Llorente score over 90 in three of the four transfer score categories.

At £4.4m and selected by just one of every 200 managers, the Spaniard has scores of 93 and 99 in those columns as well as 100 on FDR, with his solid form – averaging 5.2 points per game and translating in a score of 62 out of 100 – rounding out a transfer score of 79.

That is enough to pip Everton's Ben Godfrey (77) to top spot in our defensive rankings this week, with Liverpool's resurgent Trent Alexander-Arnold (74) next up for those with money to spare.

Llorente's team-mate Illan Meslier is one of three goalkeepers tied on 70, ranking just behind Sheffield United's Aaron Ramsdale and Everton's Jordan Pickford after the decimal as barely a point separates a top four completed by Liverpool's Alisson Becker (69).

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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sunderland1594225111431
2Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd1510321971231
3Leeds UnitedLeeds158522491529
4Burnley157621861227
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom15672169725
6Watford158162322125
7Middlesbrough157352317624
8Millwall156541813523
9Blackburn RoversBlackburn156451917222
10Bristol City155732019122
11Swansea CitySwansea155461110119
12Derby CountyDerby155461919019
13Stoke CityStoke155461819-119
14Norwich CityNorwich154652322118
15Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds155371725-818
16Oxford UnitedOxford Utd154561718-117
17Coventry CityCoventry154472021-116
18Plymouth ArgylePlymouth154471526-1116
19Hull City153661620-415
20Preston North EndPreston153661523-815
21Luton TownLuton154381726-915
22Cardiff CityCardiff154381423-915
23Portsmouth152671628-1212
24Queens Park RangersQPR151771225-1310


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