West Ham United continue their 2024/25 Premier League campaign when they host reigning Manchester City this Saturday – and Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers will be casting an eye over West Ham players ahead of Gameweek Three.
Back-to-back wins over Crystal Palace and AFC Bournemouth – matches that have seen the Irons keep two clean sheets – have created plenty of optimism as Julen Lopetegui’s side face City under the lights at London Stadium on Saturday.
Tomáš Souček and Jarrod Bowen struck in the second half at Selhurst Park as the Hammers earned a London derby win over Palace to kick-start Lopetegui's reign as manager, while Bowen’s late goal booked our spot in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
Both sides will be full of individuals looking to provide the touch of magic required to make the difference on the day, meaning there are a number of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) decisions to be made in the lead up to kick-off.
The Gameweek Three transfer deadline is set for 11pm on Friday 30 August ahead of a mouth-watering feast of weekend action that begins five hours before West Ham’s televised clash at London Stadium.
While we will be giving you FPL tips and tricks throughout the remainder of the 2024/25 season on whufc.com, see below for some of our picks for the upcoming round.
Also, don't forget to join the Official West Ham United FPL League by entering the code tezfax...
For the next fixture, all eyes are on Maximilian Kilman.
Kilman key to stopping City
Maximilian Kilman (£4.5m) was rightly named the JetonWallet Player of the Match award in last weekend’s win over Crystal Palace. With Manchester City up next, it means Kilman will be the man tasked with stopping FPL's most expensive player, Erling Haaland.
At Selhurst Park, the 27-year-old won 100% of his aerial duels (4/4), had six clearances (most), three interceptions, two chances created, and even showcased his offensive attributes when striding up-field before assisting captain Jarrod Bowen for the Irons’ second.
He registered an impressive 12-point haul for that performance, and it’s likely we will need another stellar performance in defence from our No.26 on Saturday.
Kilman was also part of the Wolverhampton Wanderers team which defeated Manchester City at Molineux last season, 2-1 in September 2023.
Tomáš Souček (£5.0m) enjoyed one of his best seasons for West Ham last term, scoring ten goals in all competitions, and having netted his first of the campaign last weekend, he will be hoping that he’s well on his way to another successful season in Claret and Blue.
The Czech midfielder was unfortunate not to score in the Hammers’ Premier League curtain-raiser against Aston Villa, but made no mistake at the second time of asking, side-footing home from close range after Palace failed to clear a loose ball - and you wouldn’t bet against him repeating that feat this weekend against the champions!
Opposition Watch: Manchester City
As aforementioned, Erling Haaland (£15.1m) is the most expensive Fantasy Premier League asset ever, but he’s already showing his worth to FPL managers, racking up 24 points already.
Having scored on the opening day against Chelsea, the Norwegian delivered in style against Premier League newcomers Ipswich Town last weekend, scoring his tenth hat-trick for Manchester City in his 101st match for the club.
Over 477,000 managers in Fantasy Premier League Triple-Captained Erling Haaland in Gameweek Two, a record for a single Gameweek and the fifth-highest total of all time, taking his total to a massive 51 points with the Triple Captain chip.
Further back, Joško Gvardiol (£6.0m) is surprisingly one of the most transferred-out players ahead of GW3, despite amassing seven points in GW1. Gvardiol was colossal for Pep Guardiola’s charges last season and was part of a defence that only conceded 34 Premier League goals throughout the campaign.
The Croatia international also possesses strong aerial ability, scoring five goals in all competitions since April.
