Premier Manager Runde 8: captain picks and best buys
Premier Manager Runde 8 preview: best buys, captain picks and differentials
Premier Manager Runde 8 opens on Friday 23 October with Ipswich against Nottingham Forest, and all twenty Premier League clubs play once. Arsenal now hold the best three-round program in the game on both attack and defence, and it peaks in Runde 10 at home to Hull. Brentford and Nottingham Forest have their best fixture this round and a weaker run behind it, while Brighton have the opposite shape: two hard away trips first, then a good run from Runde 10. So the useful moves this week are the ones that position you for Runde 9 and 10, plus a couple of cheap one-round picks you hand back afterwards.
The full ranking is on the Premier Manager player picks page, and optimal teams for Premier Manager shows how the model would build a squad for the round.
The programs: whose next three Runder are worth owning
Arsenal have the run to own. [H]EVE → [A]LIV → [H]HUL comes to 6.22 expected goals and 1.44 expected clean sheets, the best totals in the game on both counts. Runde 8 against Everton carries a 49% clean-sheet chance, and Runde 10 against Hull is better still at 61%. The Liverpool trip is the week to plan around, not a reason to wait.
Manchester City ([A]AVL → [H]BHA → [A]NFO, 5.95 xG) are second on attack, and the Brighton home game in Runde 9 is the peak. Manchester United ([H]BOU → [A]CHE → [H]AVL, 5.45 xG) and Chelsea ([H]TOT → [H]MUN → [A]SUN, 5.38 xG) follow. Chelsea's run keeps going after that, with Leeds at home in Runde 11, which makes their players the steadiest holds in the game.
Brentford and Nottingham Forest are the sell-into teams. Brentford travel to Hull with a 55% win probability and a 35% clean-sheet chance, then go [H]NFO → [A]BHA. Forest's trip to Ipswich is their best fixture until Runde 13, before [A]BRE → [H]MCI. Brighton are the reverse: [A]LIV → [A]MCI is hard, but [H]BRE → [A]HUL → [H]NEW follows. Hull (2.80 xG) and Coventry (3.53) are the attacks to avoid across the three rounds.
| Team | Runde 8 fixture | Win probability | Expected goals | Clean sheet | Program (Runde 8-10) | 3-round xG | 3-round CS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | [H]EVE | 68% | 2.09 | 49% | [H]EVE → [A]LIV → [H]HUL | 6.22 | 1.44 |
| Manchester City | [A]AVL | 56% | 1.99 | 31% | [A]AVL → [H]BHA → [A]NFO | 5.95 | 0.92 |
| Manchester United | [H]BOU | 53% | 2.03 | 26% | [H]BOU → [A]CHE → [H]AVL | 5.45 | 0.72 |
| Chelsea | [H]TOT | 52% | 1.95 | 27% | [H]TOT → [H]MUN → [A]SUN | 5.38 | 0.77 |
| Brentford | [A]HUL | 55% | 1.86 | 35% | [A]HUL → [H]NFO → [A]BHA | 4.81 | 0.83 |
| Liverpool | [H]BHA | 47% | 1.81 | 26% | [H]BHA → [H]ARS → [A]CRY | 4.68 | 0.78 |
| AFC Bournemouth | [A]MUN | 24% | 1.34 | 13% | [A]MUN → [H]LEE → [A]IPS | 4.65 | 0.71 |
| Newcastle United | [A]CRY | 38% | 1.56 | 22% | [A]CRY → [H]EVE → [A]FUL | 4.56 | 0.74 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | [A]LIV | 28% | 1.36 | 16% | [A]LIV → [A]MCI → [H]BRE | 4.33 | 0.55 |
| Fulham | [A]COV | 41% | 1.53 | 26% | [A]COV → [A]AVL → [H]NEW | 4.22 | 0.70 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | [A]CHE | 25% | 1.29 | 14% | [A]CHE → [H]CRY → [A]LEE | 4.09 | 0.72 |
| Aston Villa | [H]MCI | 21% | 1.18 | 14% | [H]MCI → [H]FUL → [A]MUN | 4.00 | 0.59 |
| Ipswich Town | [H]NFO | 31% | 1.30 | 22% | [H]NFO → [A]HUL → [H]BOU | 3.93 | 0.68 |
| Crystal Palace | [H]NEW | 36% | 1.51 | 21% | [H]NEW → [A]TOT → [H]LIV | 3.89 | 0.59 |
| Leeds United | [A]SUN | 37% | 1.29 | 29% | [A]SUN → [A]BOU → [H]TOT | 3.89 | 0.78 |
| Sunderland | [H]LEE | 35% | 1.25 | 27% | [H]LEE → [A]COV → [H]CHE | 3.89 | 0.76 |
| Nottingham Forest | [A]IPS | 42% | 1.54 | 27% | [A]IPS → [A]BRE → [H]MCI | 3.84 | 0.63 |
| Everton | [A]ARS | 11% | 0.72 | 12% | [A]ARS → [A]NEW → [H]COV | 3.68 | 0.72 |
| Coventry City | [H]FUL | 33% | 1.35 | 22% | [H]FUL → [H]SUN → [A]EVE | 3.53 | 0.65 |
| Hull City | [H]BRE | 20% | 1.06 | 16% | [H]BRE → [H]IPS → [A]ARS | 2.80 | 0.47 |
The rest of the autumn is on the Premier Manager schedule, and the bookmaker lines behind these numbers are on market probabilities.
Goalkeepers for Runde 8
David Raya (6.1m, ARS) is the goalkeeper to buy and keep. [H]EVE → [A]LIV → [H]HUL projects 84k → 65k → 103k, a 252k total that is 45k clear of any other keeper, and he tops the position in Runde 8 as well. His 103k against Hull is the best goalkeeper projection of the next six rounds. He is owned by 19.0%.
Caoimhin Kelleher (4.4m, BRE) is the value pick, but a short one. [A]HUL → [H]NFO → [A]BHA projects 76k → 62k → 47k, and his 17.2k per million this round is the best of any goalkeeper. Treat him as a two-round keeper and move on before Brighton away. Gianluigi Donnarumma (5.6m, MCI) is the steady alternative at 72k → 65k → 70k, rising to 79k against Fulham in Runde 11.
Defenders for Runde 8
Gabriel (5.4m, ARS) is the top defender of the round at 82k and the best over three. [H]EVE → [A]LIV → [H]HUL projects 82k → 53k → 95k, a 230k total, and he is projected for 80 minutes. With Raya, Gabriel, Saka and Havertz you reach the four-player Arsenal limit, so choose your Arsenal block carefully.
Jurrien Timber (4.6m, ARS) is the Arsenal defender almost nobody owns, at 1.4%. His minutes have come back to 75 in the predicted lineups, and [H]EVE → [A]LIV → [H]HUL projects 70k → 48k → 91k, a 209k total that is second only to Gabriel. Riccardo Calafiori (4.7m, ARS) is the hold for the 26.1% who own him at 75k → 46k → 76k over the same [H]EVE → [A]LIV → [H]HUL. Ezri Konsa (3.7m, ARS) is the cheaper route into the same run at 62k → 39k → 66k, with 77 projected minutes.
For a budget defender, Brentford's trip to Hull is the fixture. Kristoffer Vassbakk Ajer (2.9m, BRE) projects 62k against Hull, 21.1k per million, the best ratio of any defender, with 82 projected minutes. His program [A]HUL → [H]NFO → [A]BHA runs 62k → 45k → 27k, so he is a one- or two-round pick with a fee of about 29k. Malick Diouf (3.1m, BRE) is the same [A]HUL → [H]NFO → [A]BHA play at 0.1% ownership, projecting 62k → 44k → 28k. Daniel Munoz (3.5m, NFO) is the one-round version: [A]IPS → [A]BRE → [H]MCI projects 67k → 34k → 23k. Buy him for Runde 8 only.
Marc Guehi (5.2m, MCI) is the City defender to own, projected for 83 minutes. [A]AVL → [H]BHA → [A]NFO projects 64k → 57k → 56k, then 77k against Fulham in Runde 11. Maxence Lacroix (3.2m, CHE, 13.8%) is a comfortable hold at 48k → 39k → 45k with 83 projected minutes. Pep Chavarria (3.2m, CHE) has dropped to 22 projected minutes and 18k, so he is no longer the cheap Chelsea defender to keep.
Maxim De Cuyper (3.5m, BHA) is the most-owned player in the game at 41.3%, and he is not a sell. [A]LIV → [A]MCI costs him two quiet weeks at 50k and 37k, but [H]BRE → [A]HUL then projects 69k and 85k. Selling him now and buying him back for Runde 10 costs around 70k in fees, which is more than the points a cheap replacement adds over two rounds. Keep him.
Midfielders for Runde 8
Here the round and the program point to different players. Cole Palmer (8.3m, CHE) has the biggest midfield score this round at 125k, and [H]TOT → [H]MUN → [A]SUN continues at 94k and 105k. Then come 107k against Leeds in Runde 11 and 116k against Palace in Runde 13. His weighted six-round score of 388k is the best of any player except Haaland. He takes Chelsea's penalties and has 0.60 expected goal involvements per 90 this season. He is owned by 9.9%.
Bukayo Saka (8.8m, ARS) wins on the three-round total instead. [H]EVE → [A]LIV → [H]HUL projects 122k → 80k → 139k, a 341k total that is the best of any midfielder. He is on penalties too, with 0.95 expected goal involvements per 90, the highest rate of anyone featured here. If you are buying one premium midfielder to keep through Runde 10, buy Saka. If you are planning past Runde 10, Palmer's steadier run wins.
Bryan Mbeumo (7.1m, MUN) is the value premium at 16.5k per million. [H]BOU → [A]CHE → [H]AVL projects 116k → 88k → 106k, a 310k total. Bruno Fernandes (7.7m, 23.0% owned) has the same program at 110k → 69k → 100k, so hold him. Morgan Rogers (6.4m, CHE) is the easy hold for the 29.1% who own him at 102k → 95k → 86k over [H]TOT → [H]MUN → [A]SUN. Martin Ødegaard (5.6m, ARS) is the cheaper way into Arsenal's [H]EVE → [A]LIV → [H]HUL at 87k → 59k → 106k, though at four Arsenal players he competes with Saka for a slot.
Three hidden gems. Harvey Barnes (4.9m, NEW) projects 80k → 75k → 65k over [A]CRY → [H]EVE → [A]FUL, a 221k total at 5.1% ownership. Sell him before Arsenal visit in Runde 11, where he drops to 28k. Jaidon Anthony (3.9m, BRE) is owned by 0.8% and projects 83k at Hull, 21.3k per million, with 0.68 expected goal involvements per 90. His [A]HUL → [H]NFO → [A]BHA run is front-loaded at 83k → 62k → 45k, so he is a two-round pick. Nilson Angulo (2.7m, SUN) is the cheapest midfielder worth a slot: [H]LEE → [A]COV → [H]CHE projects 55k → 65k → 46k, a 166k total at 0.5%.
Marcus Tavernier (4.9m, BOU) is a buy for Runde 9 rather than this round. [A]MUN projects only 60k, but [H]LEE → [A]IPS → [H]NFO follows at 80k → 87k → 72k. Rayan Cherki (6.6m, MCI, 22.6%) is projected for only 50 minutes and is flat at 71k → 70k → 70k. Hold him if you have him, but Iliman Ndiaye (4.3m, MCI) gives a similar 74k → 66k → 59k for 2.3m less.
Forwards for Runde 8
Erling Haaland (15.3m, MCI) is on 35.6% of teams. [A]AVL → [H]BHA → [A]NFO projects 166k → 167k → 147k, the best score in the game in every one of those rounds, backed by 0.87 expected goal involvements per 90. Owning him keeps you level with the field. You gain ground in the other slots.
Thiago Rodrigues (5.2m, BRE) is the second-best player of the round at 133k, and 25.3k per million. [A]HUL → [H]NFO → [A]BHA projects 133k → 104k → 76k, so his run fades after this round. Hold him through Runde 9; his sale is a Runde 10 decision. He takes Brentford's penalties and has 0.75 expected goal involvements per 90. Joao Pedro (8.5m, CHE) is the steadier premium: [H]TOT → [H]MUN → [A]SUN projects 111k → 106k → 91k, then 95k against Leeds, and his weighted score of 360k is the best of any forward after Haaland. Kai Havertz (6.0m, ARS) is the hold for the 27.3% who own him: [H]EVE → [A]LIV → [H]HUL projects 111k → 73k → 124k, the last of them the third-highest projection of Runde 10.
The differential of the round is Jørgen Strand Larsen (3.8m, CRY), owned by 2.0%. [H]NEW → [A]TOT → [H]LIV projects 92k → 70k → 65k. Then [A]COV and [H]HUL take him to 94k and 116k, the highest projection of any player in Runde 12. He is on penalties, has 0.59 expected goal involvements per 90, and his weighted score of 297k is fifth among forwards at a quarter of Haaland's price.
Liam Delap (2.6m, NFO) is the best value in the game this round at 34.1k per million, projecting 90k at Ipswich. [A]IPS → [A]BRE → [H]MCI runs 90k → 49k → 38k, so buy him for Runde 8 alone. The fee is about 26k. Charalampos Kostoulas (3.1m, BHA, 22.3%) is a hold rather than a sale: 62k → 48k over the two hard Brighton games, then 79k and 105k in Runde 10 and 11. Gonzalo Garcia (3.7m, FUL) is fine at 89k at Coventry but falls to 61k at Villa, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (5.1m, LEE, 10.3%) holds at 83k → 69k → 74k.
Captain picks for Runde 8
Erling Haaland is the captain. His 166k at Villa doubles to around 332k, and the next best are Thiago Rodrigues (133k), Palmer (125k) and Saka (122k). Captaining any of them is a differential call with little projection behind it.
Haaland stays the captain through Runde 11. He leads every player in Runde 9 (167k, with Joao Pedro next at 106k) and in Runde 10, when Saka comes closest at 139k against Hull. The first real break is Runde 12, when City visit Arsenal and Haaland drops to 63k. That is the week Jørgen Strand Larsen and Calvert-Lewin top the round, so a second captain option is worth planning for now.
Who to sell before Runde 8
Patrick Dorgu (4.6m, MUN) is still owned by 9.8% and is out until late November. Over [H]BOU → [A]CHE → [H]AVL he projects nothing in Runde 8, 9 or 10 and only 20k in Runde 11. Why now: there are three more dead rounds in that slot, and Konsa's 62k → 39k → 66k fits the same money.
Alexander Isak (7.7m, LIV) is projected for 15 minutes, and [H]BHA → [H]ARS → [A]CRY gives him 16k → 19k → 46k. Why now: 11.2% of managers have 7.7m tied up in him, and Mbeumo's 116k → 88k → 106k costs 0.6m less. There is no week in the next three where Isak pays for his slot.
Kevin Schade (3.7m, BRE) is owned by 24.0% and projected for 44 minutes. [A]HUL is a decent fixture, and 65k is not a bad return. But [H]NFO → [A]BHA follows at 47k and 39k. Why now: Jaidon Anthony plays the same Hull fixture for 0.2m more and projects 83k → 62k → 45k, so the swap gains this round as well as the next two.
Arsenal's rotating full-backs are the next sale. Myles Lewis-Skelly (3.8m, 13.6%) is projected for 25 minutes and 27k → 23k → 38k, and Ben White (3.4m, 16.5%) for 60 minutes and 48k → 31k → 58k. Arsenal's program is not the problem. Why now: the Hull week in Runde 10 is the best clean-sheet fixture in the game, so you want Timber or Konsa in that slot before it, not after. Harry Wilson (3.1m, LEE, 9.5%) is projected for 19 minutes and about 20k a round. Free up that slot now.
Christos Tzolis (4.7m, ARS, 15.6%) is the one injured player you can wait on. Runde 8 is his last missed round, and he projects 40k in Runde 9 and 82k against Hull in Runde 10. Selling now and buying him back would cost more in fees than one dead round.
Last round's calls are in the Premier Manager Runde 7 preview, and every round of the season is in the Premier Manager preview hub. Check the predicted lineups for Premier Manager before the deadline, especially for Timber, Cherki and Schade. New to holdet.dk managerspil? Our fantasy guides cover the basics behind these numbers.
FAQ
Who should I captain in Premier Manager Runde 8?
Erling Haaland. He projects 166k at Aston Villa, 33k ahead of Thiago Rodrigues, and he also leads every player in Runde 9 and Runde 10. The first week to plan a different captain is Runde 12, when City visit Arsenal.
Which budget players are best for Premier Manager Runde 8?
Liam Delap (2.6m) projects 90k at Ipswich, the best value in the game at 34.1k per million. Kristoffer Vassbakk Ajer (2.9m) projects 62k at Hull, and Nilson Angulo (2.7m) has a 166k total over the next three rounds. Delap and Ajer are short-term picks; Angulo is a three-round hold.
Should I sell Maxim De Cuyper before Premier Manager Runde 8?
No. De Cuyper has two quiet weeks at Liverpool and Manchester City (50k and 37k), but then projects 69k against Brentford and 85k at Hull. Selling and buying him back costs more in fees than a replacement would add.
Best differentials for Premier Manager Runde 8?
Jørgen Strand Larsen (3.8m, 2.0% owned, on penalties and 116k in Runde 12), Jurrien Timber (4.6m, 1.4%, 209k over three rounds in Arsenal's defence), Jaidon Anthony (3.9m, 0.8%, 83k at Hull) and Marcus Tavernier (4.9m, 2.7%, a buy for Runde 9).
Should I sell Kevin Schade before Premier Manager Runde 8?
Yes. Schade is projected for 44 minutes and 65k at Hull, then 47k and 39k. Jaidon Anthony plays the same fixtures for 0.2m more and projects 83k → 62k → 45k.
This preview was written by TheFantasyTool AI.