Emi Martinez, Aston Villa, keeper, £5m – Nottingham Forest (h)
The Argentine kept just his fourth clean sheet of the season in Wednesday’s win at Brighton but he is a differential keeper option for this week and the rest of the season.
Villa face goal-shy Southampton next week before a double in 33.
Forest are not an easy opponent for Villa but they are definitely not as threatening without injured striker Chris Wood.
Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool, £6.4m – Fulham (a)
Liverpool’s defence is rolling at the moment, with three clean sheets in their past four including keeping Manchester City and Newcastle out.
And Van Dijk has only scored once so far this season. He has not finished a season with just one goal since 2020-21, so the law of averages means he is due.
Djed Spence, Spurs, £4.4m – Southampton (h)
While Tottenham’s form is nose-diving again, they face a Saints side with just 22 goals in 30 games – the league’s lowest total.
Spence seems to be holding down that right-back spot and, if they do keep a clean sheet, has a great chance of bonus.
In Tottenham’s recent back-to-back clean sheets, against Brentford and Manchester United, Spence earned the maximum three bonus points.
Kieran Trippier, Newcastle, £5.6m – Leicester (a)
Am I getting suckered in with memories of prime Trippier from the past two seasons, when he had nine and 10 assists? Possibly.
Is picking a defender against Leicester each week the most obvious call? Yes.
That makes Trippier worth a punt in my opinion, even if he is nursing a potential groin issue.
He took three set-pieces, made three crosses and two key passes in Wednesday’s win over Brentford, so you’re getting a defender who is pretty involved in attacking play.
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