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Data current as of: 30 August 2026. Deadline: Friday 4 September, 18:30 UK. Note: Gameweek 2 is still being played. Chelsea vs Brighton, Leeds vs Brentford, Sunderland vs Fulham, Man Utd vs Ipswich and Aston Villa vs Arsenal had not kicked off when this was written, so the form below covers Gameweek 1 in full and the five Gameweek 2 matches already finished. Prices and ownership move daily. Recheck before you lock your team.
Captain Haaland for Gameweek 3: Man City host a Coventry side that has not scored a league goal yet. With five Gameweek 2 matches finished, the early pattern is that the cheap teams are outscoring the expensive ones, and that same City fixture is where the crowd has gone: Cherki is the most-bought player in the game this week by a distance. The more interesting question is what to do with Hull.
Gameweek 3 Fixtures
These ten fixtures sit inside the wider GW1-6 fixture-difficulty run.
| Fixture | Kick-off (UK) |
|---|---|
| Ipswich vs Liverpool | Fri 4 Sept, 20:00 |
| Newcastle vs Bournemouth | Sat 5 Sept, 12:30 |
| Brentford vs Sunderland | Sat 5 Sept, 15:00 |
| Brighton vs Leeds | Sat 5 Sept, 15:00 |
| Fulham vs Crystal Palace | Sat 5 Sept, 15:00 |
| Man City vs Coventry | Sat 5 Sept, 15:00 |
| Nott’m Forest vs Tottenham | Sat 5 Sept, 15:00 |
| Hull vs Aston Villa | Sat 5 Sept, 17:30 |
| Everton vs Man Utd | Sun 6 Sept, 14:00 |
| Arsenal vs Chelsea | Sun 6 Sept, 16:30 |
Captain Picks
1. Haaland, Man City (FWD, £15.5m)
City host Coventry, who lost 3-0 at Arsenal and 1-0 at home to Hull, and have not scored in either. Haaland projects for 6.02 points, the highest of any player in the gameweek, with none of that coming from clean sheet points. He has 15 points and 180 minutes from two games and sits at 68.7% ownership, so this is the pick that moves with the field rather than against it.
2. Cherki, Man City (MID, £7.6m)
The top scorer in the game so far: 22 points from 108 minutes, which is the highest total of any player despite him not yet completing a full match. More than 389,000 managers have bought him this week, over three times the next most-bought player. The minutes are the risk. Just over half a game per appearance means the ceiling arrives in bursts, and City rotate. At £7.6m he is a cheaper route into the same fixture as Haaland.
3. Szoboszlai, Liverpool (MID, £7.0m)
Liverpool open the gameweek at Ipswich on the Friday night. Szoboszlai projects for 5.40 points with a 91% start probability and has 12 points from 180 minutes. Almost none of his projection depends on Liverpool keeping a clean sheet, which matters given they have drawn 2-2 twice.
Transfer Targets
In: Hull’s back line (£4.0m to £4.5m)
Hull have beaten Man Utd 2-0 and won 1-0 at Coventry. Four of their players sit inside the top 16 scorers in the game: Tzolakis in goal on 20 points, Ajayi on 20, Egan on 17 and Mendy on 16, priced between £4.0m and £4.5m, the same tier covered in the budget enablers guide. Ownership is still between 2.1% and 4.8%, so this is the cheapest real differential on the board, and Aston Villa arrive having lost 4-0 at Brighton.
Two clean sheets is two clean sheets, not a trend. Hull have played a newly-promoted side and a Man Utd team in disarray, and the fixtures get harder. Treat this as a cheap enabler that frees money elsewhere rather than a defence you build around.
Out: Mateta, Crystal Palace (FWD, £6.5m)
Ruled out with a hamstring injury and not expected back until 11 October, so he misses Gameweek 3 and several after it. More than 64,000 managers have already moved him on. If you still hold him, this is the straightforward sell.
Should You Sell Your Man Utd Players Before Gameweek 3?
Mbeumo and Fernandes are the two most-sold players in the game this week, with more than 127,000 and 100,000 transfers out. United lost 2-0 at Hull to open the season and Fernandes has 2 points from his first 90 minutes. Maguire is also inside the ten most-sold.
United travel to Everton, who beat Crystal Palace 2-0 and drew 1-1 at Bournemouth. Fernandes projects for 4.29 points with an 89% start probability, which is respectable rather than compelling for a £12.0m midfielder. He remains 46.7% owned, so selling him is a genuine move away from the field rather than following it.
Arsenal vs Chelsea is a captaincy trap
The marquee fixture is the one to be careful with. Arsenal opened with a 3-0 win over Coventry and Chelsea won 3-2 at Fulham, but the two sides meeting on the Sunday means one attack is likely to be contained. Saka projects for 3.82 points, below several players in far easier fixtures. Own the players, but the armband is better spent on Man City’s home tie. That includes Chelsea’s Joao Pedro, Palmer and Rogers front three, which projects below 3.80 points apiece against Arsenal despite the fast start.
Bottom Line
Captain Haaland at home to a side that has not scored. Use Hull’s £4.0m defenders to fund it, while treating two clean sheets as a cheap route into the squad rather than proof of a good defence. Mateta is the one forced sale.
If Mateta is your forced sale, the FPL forward rankings for 2026/27 compare the replacement options on expected goals, minutes and penalty duty.
Use FPL Pilot to model your exact captain options against your squad’s fixture list →
Fixtures, prices, ownership and availability verified against the official FPL data on 30 August 2026, with Gameweek 2 still in progress. Projections cover attacking returns; recheck player status after the remaining Gameweek 2 matches and before the Gameweek 3 deadline.