This article is part of our Mondogoal Fantasy Soccer series.
Back after the final international break of the season, the Premier League returns this weekend for the start of a seven-round stretch to culminate a chaotic campaign that surely holds a couple more twists ahead.
Knowing that, the window for fantasy owners to cash in from Mondogoal's many Premiership contests is creaking to a close, so Saturday's Perfect Million game gives a ripe chance to reap a handsome reward while the season's still here.
Using the standard £100M player budget, here's a team that could potentially help pay dividends in Week 32.
Formation: 3-4-3
Goalkeeper:
Artur Boruc, v. (£5.3M): At this stage in their debut top-flight term, few would have thought Eddie Howe's Bournemouth would be just three points off the top 10, yet an incredible turn of form has propelled the Cherries into such lofty position. In fact, since Dec. 1, only Leicester City and Tottenham have compiled more points than Bournemouth's 28. Conversely, the Cherries' opponent this weekend, Manchester City, has mustered six points fewer since then. The Citizens' struggles have been perpetuated by poor play on the road, where shockingly only three teams have tallied fewer goals. Additionally, the Citizens failed to score in back-to-back games heading into the international break, making Bournemouth's goalkeeper a bargain buy at £5.3M.
Defenders:
Aaron Cresswell, v. (£7.5M): With a couple dramatic results prior to the break, West Ham reconvenes having gone five games unbeaten, leaving them just one point outside a Champions League qualification spot. After dropping their first two games of the season at home, the Hammers haven't lost at Upton Park since, and have kept a clean sheet in three straight home appearances to boot. Such production places Cresswell just outside the top 10 defenders on Saturday's slate, with 175.25 total points this term. This Saturday, Cresswell and company have an excellent opportunity to add to their totals, as West Ham welcome a cross-London counterpart, Crystal Palace, which painstakingly hasn't won in the Premier League since mid-December.
Jan Kirchhoff, v. (£6.1M): An example of a trendy type of transfer for the Premier League's toiling teams, Sunderland signed Bayern Munich outcast Kirchhoff in January with hopes that his top-tier teaching would translate more suitably to the Black Cats' setup. Sure enough, since being inserted in Sunderland's lineup, Kirchhoff has impressed by scoring 5.23 fantasy points per game. Among Sunderland defenders, that figure only trails Patrick van Aanholt's 6.71, but Kirchhoff costs nearly £2M less. Moreover, since making his move to England, Kirchhoff has actually been deployed in central midfield, where he's averaging over three tackles and two interceptions per game. That unique production potential helps Kirchhoff's stock heading into Saturday's home game against West Brom, the Premiership's second-worst away attack.
Jamaal Lascelles, at (£4.3M): Like Tyneside rivals Sunderland, Newcastle's defense has been shambolic for most of this season. However, like Kirchhoff, Lascelles represents a cut-price consideration with the kind of matchup fantasy owners should look to capitalize upon. Despite being the second-cheapest among Saturday's defenders, Lascelles has started each of Newcastle's last four matches, a span in which they've commendably conceded just one goal on three occasions. The Englishman has also scored at least five fantasy points in three straight outings, putting him in good standing ahead of Saturday's trip to Norwich City. No standout side themselves, the Canaries have managed to score just one goal in their last three games, giving Lascelles a chance at the first career clean sheet that's only narrowly eluded him lately.
Midfielders:
Dimitri Payet, v. (£14.5M):Mondogoal's most expensive midfielder, Payet entered the international break fresh off five goals and as many assists over a super seven-game run for West Ham. Then, after being drafted back into the France senior side, Payet responded with a goal and an assist against Russia on his 29th birthday Tuesday. Enjoying the form of his career, Payet is averaging a whopping 10.25 fantasy points per game on Mondogoal in only his first Premier League season. With West Ham surging in the standings, Saturday's game versus cowering Crystal Palace couldn't come at a better time. Not only have the Eagles' allowed the second-most goals across their last six league matches, but Payet also scored against them earlier this season in a 14.25-point display as well.
Mesut Ozil, v. (£11.3M): A far more notable and accomplished international star, Ozil accumulated a goal and an assist while playing in both of Germany's matches over the recent break. Those performances came after he failed to record any goals or assists over his last three league games for Arsenal, so the German should be buzzing ahead of Saturday's revenge game versus Watford. While the Hornets did knock Arsenal out of the FA Cup on home turf a couple weeks ago, their upcoming visit to the Emirates Stadium comes after three straight league losses. Additionally, Ozil remains Mondogoal's top-scoring midfielder on Saturday's slate, leading his peers in total points (288.78) and points per game (10.31). That standing has been cemented by Ozil's league-leading 18 assists, two of which came in his earlier encounter with Watford this season.
Dele Alli, at (£9.8M): Prior to being arguably the best player on the pitch in England's friendly win over Germany last weekend, Alli averaged 12.34 fantasy points per game in his last three league appearances. The youngster's ascent has been unimpeded thus far, as only four Saturday midfielders sport more than his seven goals, and just two boast more than his nine assists. Still, Alli is priced outside the top 10 players at the position, making him a remarkable value most weeks. That could certainly prove true again this Saturday, when Tottenham travel to Anfield to face a Liverpool defense that leaked three goals in the final half hour of its defeat at Southampton last time out. Although the Reds have dominated Spurs in recent meetings, Alli should like his chances of beating Liverpool's beleaguered backline.
Manuel Lanzini, v. (£7.3M): After plying his trade in relative obscurity at Al Jazira Club last season, Lanzini has definitely caught the eye with West Ham this term. At just 23 years old, the Argentine has been likened to Real Madrid star Luka Modric by manager Slaven Bilic, who coached Modric for six years in the Croatian national team setup. Seemingly always available to pull the strings in West Ham's midfield, Lanzini has averaged 7.04 points per game on Mondogoal, and no player above him comes at a cheaper cost. In his last appearance for the Hammers, Lanzini netted a scrumptious goal from outside the penalty box, paving the way to 13.09 fantasy points versus Chelsea. The Argentine will go against another London opponent this weekend in Crystal Palace, and considering he supplied a goal and an assist the last time he faced the Eagles, Lanzini could be a steal in Saturday's contests.
Forwards:
Harry Kane, at (£14.6M): On the back of a breakout, 21-goal campaign last year, Kane entered this season with huge expectations, yet somehow he has already exceeded them. With back-to-back braces prior to the international break, Kane brought his goal total to 21 in league play. While that mark leads all players, Kane's contributions have fueled a Tottenham attack that also ranks first in the league. In addition to since scoring for England against reigning world champions Germany over the break, Kane has netted 26 goals for Tottenham across all competitions. Such prolific finishing has seen Kane average 11.03 fantasy points per game, topping all players entering Saturday, when Tottenham's high-flying talisman will pay a visit to Liverpool, who he scored against at Anfield last season.
Daniel Sturridge, v. (£10.2M): Expected to start opposite Kane on Saturday is Sturridge, who seems to be rounding into form following his latest lengthy injury layoff. To that point, Sturridge boasts five goals in his last 10 appearances for Liverpool, including a goal in the Reds' most recent Premier League outing. While the team's results have varied, still no Premiership side has scored more goals than Liverpool since the calendar turned to 2016. Although Saturday's opponent, Tottenham, has matched Liverpool's mark of 23 since then and has conceded far fewer, this weekend's encounter could turn to a shootout considering the Reds' 18-goal tally in their past six games against Spurs. Should that transpire, Sturridge would be a prime candidate to get in on the action, particularly with teammate Roberto Firmino an injury concern.
Danny Welbeck, v. (£8.5M): While his long-overdue season debut granted Arsenal a temporary life line through his last-second goal against Leicester City, Welbeck's return to the fold has resuscitated the Gunners' attack at large. Welbeck's five starts this season have resulted in Arsenal scoring seven goals, while the four times he's come off the bench, the Gunners have managed just four, with two actually coming from Welbeck himself. Qualitatively, Welbeck's pace and movement has sparked an Arsenal attack that appears far more dynamic and interchangeable than when his plodding counterpart Olivier Giroud starts. Perhaps no better example of this exists than the Gunners' last outing at Everton, when Welbeck opened the scoring early. With four goals in 367 total minutes played this term, Welbeck is definitely one to watch Saturday versus Watford, who he scored against a couple weeks ago.