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The ideal FPL XI ahead of this weekend's fixtures

The ideal FPL XI ahead of this weekend's fixtures
© Reuters
These players have the best projected points as per the difficulty of their fixtures.

Predicting who will score big points can be something of a fool's errand as a Fantasy Premier League manager, but by analysing performance according to fixture difficulty, managers can make a more informed choice.

The FPL allocates each fixture a difficulty rating (FDR) with the most difficult games rated five and the easiest rated two.

By analysing players' performances against opponents with the same FDR this season, and working out each player's average score against those teams, a projected points total can be achieved.

With that in mind, this is the best XI to select for gameweek 36.

A graphic showing the best Fantasy Premier League team to select according to fixture difficulty and projected points

The XI takes into account the three players per team rule, and would leave enough money left over to select a bench.

With high-flying Liverpool hosting rock-bottom Huddersfield in the weekend's first game, the team naturally contains three Reds.

Mohamed Salah's average points return from matches with a difficulty rating of two this season is an impressive 8.3, which sees him take the captain's armband as the highest projected scorer – Sadio Mane (6.4) and Andrew Robertson (6.3) are also projected to make strong contributions.

Perhaps surprisingly only one Manchester City player makes the team.

Only one of two players in the team facing a fixture with an FDR of three rather than two, Raheem Sterling has scored an average of 5.9 points from games of this rating, suggesting he'll cause Burnley problems at Turf Moor.

Manchester City's Raheem Sterling during a training session
(Martin Rickett/PA)

With a projected points total of just four based on his average return this season, Sergio Aguero failed to make the cut.

Tottenham's Son Heung-min could be worth backing as well. The South Korean faces West Ham at home, and while the game's FDR is three rather than two, the projection has him scoring the second highest number of points this week at 7.8.

Elsewhere it's a bargain strike-force that could outscore the more expensive strikers, with Newcastle's Salomon Rondon and Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic predicted to score six and 5.5 points respectively in their games against Brighton and Cardiff.

Bournemouth's Ryan Fraser, meanwhile, is the cheapest midfielder in the side, but could well improve on his already impressive seven goals and 12 FPL assists in the Cherries' game against Southampton.

Crystal Palace's Patrick Van Aanholt and Everton's Michael Keane complete the defence in a game against one another, and Cardiff's Neil Etheridge takes his place in goal against Fulham, predicted to earn six points.

Overall the team is projected to make 78 points – will this group of players feature heavily in the team of the week?

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Ryan Babel equalises for Fulham against Liverpool on March 17, 2019
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool14112129111835
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1585229151429
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Brentford157263128323
10Fulham156542220223
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle155551921-220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton143561421-714
16Leicester CityLeicester153572130-914
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich151681427-139
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1523102338-159
20Southampton1512121131-205


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