Crystal Palace are not just ruffling feathers anymore, they’re soaring. Fresh off an FA Cup triumph over Man City and a dramatic Community Shield win against Liverpool at Wembley, the Eagles have made one thing clear: they’re not here to make up the numbers. It’s time to take their assets seriously.
As the above image from our Fixture Difficulty Ratings shows, Palace have a mixed run of fixtures on paper with games against Chelsea, Forest, Villa and Liverpool in their first six, all sides that finished in the top seven last season. However, as they showed against Liverpool their tactical style is suited to playing against the top teams.
Sarr and Mateta both got on the scoresheet against Liverpool and it was worth noting that the French international was on spot-kick duties, even with Eze on the pitch.
Eze didn't contribute any goals or assists at Wembley but as the above image from our Stats Sandbox feature shows, the England international (62) trailed only Bowen (68) for FPL points between Gameweek 30-38 last season.
The attacking trio are compared using the Fix Comparison Matrix as shown below
Sarr notched eight goals and seven assists in an impressive season but was still behind Mateta (1.9) and Eze (3.0) for shot volume. However, it is worth noting that the Senegalese international was afforded 'big chances' (0.6) at a more frequent rate than Eze (0.4).
Similarly, although he attempted fewer assists than Eze (1.2 vs 1.7), he created more 'big chances' (0.4 vs 0.3) per game. At £6.5m, he looks great value given his consistent minutes.
Eberechi Eze ranks highest across most metrics in the comparison – Fantasy Premier League points (4.4), Fantasy Premier League assists (0.2), shots (3.0), shots on target (0.9), and attempted assists (1.7). However, he does not lead in either big chances (0.4) or big chances created (0.3), and his output is largely driven by volume rather than quality.
The Community Shield suggests he may have lost penalty duties to Mateta, and with transfer speculation also surrounding him, some Fantasy Premier League managers may be reluctant to pay the extra one million pounds vs. Sarr.
Mateta's goal in the Community Shield was his fifth in as many preseason games, the French international was Palace's top scorer last season with 14 goals.
As the above image from our Stats Sandbox feature shows, he was top amongst Palace players for 'big chances' (27) and xG (15.01) which coupled with spot-kick duties significantly enhances his appeal.
Palace have several interesting FPL options in defence, ranging from £4.5m to £5.5m, the Eagles kept 12 clean sheets last season and their backline warrants investment.
As the above image from our Stats Sandbox feature shows, Lacroix (9.03) led the way for Defensive Contributions (DEFCON) with Richards (7.33) and Guehi (7.09) close behind. The wingbacks Mitchell (4.92) and Muñoz (5.78) fare significantly worse.
Muñoz may well be worth the extra over his counterparts, as the above image from our Stats Sandbox feature shows. The Colombian international was top amongst all defenders for shots in the box (34), 'big chances' (nine) and xG (5.18) last season. He was also fifth for attempted assists (45).
As the above analysis shows, Palace have excellent picks at every price point for FPL managers and the Eagles' assets should help you fly ahead at the start of the season.
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