Kevin De Bruyne among most transferred-out players this week – will perfect playmaker punish Dream Team gaffers?

NO Dream Team manager wants to be in a position that forces them to bet against Kevin De Bruyne (£6.3m).

But that's exactly how Gameweek 27 is shaping up for a sizeable chunk of gaffers.

With the deadline still three days away there's still time for the outlook to change but, as it stands, Manchester City's playmaker-in-chief is the fourth most transferred-out player this week.

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De Bruyne mustered just four points against Manchester United last time out but it was only a week ago he produced FOUR assists against Luton for a 15-point return in what was a truly brilliant display.

Some Dream Team bosses are perhaps still frustrated by the fact he played just six minutes against Bournemouth and didn't feature at all at home to Brentford.

But again, prior to that he took Copenhagen and Chelsea for 24 points via one goal, two assists and five bonus points.

Realistically, De Bruyne's ability is not under scrutiny, he's proven himself a world-class talent several times over at this stage of his career.

The reason swathes of gaffers have ditched him this week is because Pep Guardiola's side face an unfavourable Gameweek 27.

For first time in over a month, the defending champions will only have one fixture to fulfil and that being a trip to Liverpool - the toughest match-up possible for them in the Premier League.

Anfield has not been a happy hunting ground for City during Jurgen Klopp's reign, although De Bruyne did score in Merseyside the season before last.

Many gaffers will feel they have to sacrifice the Belgium international in order to squeeze the schedule for all it's worth, replacing him with an attacking asset likely to start two fixtures in Gameweek 27.

Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Brighton, West Ham, Bournemouth and Luton are all set to pull double duty.

The logic is relatively sound but the risk of being punished by De Bruyne is not easy to stomach, such is his pedigree.

He only returned from a long-term injury on January 7th and yet he's already registered 12 assists in all competitions, a tally bettered by just five players.

More broadly, the 32-year-old is averaging 6.5 points-per-game this season.

In fairness, Phil Foden (£5.7m) and Erling Haaland (£7.7m) are the two top point-scorers in the game right now and so it's understandable why some gaffers are turning towards De Bruyne for their City sacrifice.

And yet still it feels counter-intuitive; De Bruyne is one of very few players who could justifiably be described as "fixture-proof".

There's no downplaying the significance of this weekend's headline showdown, both in terms of the title race and in relation to Dream Team.

11 of the top 20 most-selected players in the game represent either Liverpool or Man City at present.

With so many popular players in direct opposition, Sunday's game will go a long way to determining Mini Leagues all over the world.

Those who have ditched De Bruyne may find it a stressful watch...