A Dream Team insider reveals their locked-in XI ahead of Game Week 1 – think you can do better?
THE time for talking is at an end, the time for action is now.
Crystal Palace v Arsenal raises the curtain on the new Premier League season tomorrow night so now is the perfect time to lock in your Dream Team.
In the spirit of camaraderie, I'm going to reveal my XI ahead of Game Week 1, devised from the very heart of Dream Team HQ.
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I'll admit I'm rolling the dice with my other midfielders.
There are fitness question marks over Jadon Sancho (£3m) and he was one of the most disappointing assets in Dream Team last season but if Erik ten Hag has ironed out some of Man United problems then the England winger could offer great value for money.
Similarly, Jack Grealish (£4m) underwhelmed last term but he's set to play a more prominent role going forward and there is a recent history of City players improving dramatically after their first year at the Etihad.
Harry Kane (£7.5m) is a banker when fit and his stats since Antonio Conte took charge at Spurs are no joke.
Elsewhere up front I've been tempted by the new No9s for the Premier League's two standout teams.
Sure, Erling Haaland (£7m) had a bit of a stinker in the Community Shield but if his team-mates can present him with two or three golden chances against Liverpool then just think how many goalscoring opportunities he'll get on an average weekend.
And I'm hoping to get away with Darwin Nunez (£5m) over the considerably more expensive Mohamed Salah (£7.5m).
The smart money is on the tried-and-tested Egyptian superstar to produce more points over the course of the season but if the ex-Benfica poacher can score 20 goals in all competitions (Diogo Jota bagged 21 in 2021/22) then I reckon he'll be savvy selection given his price.
In terms of weaknesses, no Chelsea representation could be an oversight but I'm waiting to see how they get out of the blocks.
Perhaps it's a tad optimistic to start without Alexander-Arnold and Salah, the two highest points scorers last season - if Robertson and Nunez don't fulfil my Liverpool allotment of points then I could fall behind quickly.
And I could also be punished by Gabriel Jesus (£5m) given Arsenal's favourable fixtures and the Brazilian's massive ownership of 51.3%.
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However, all things considered I think my XI covers a lot of bases for the opening Game Weeks.