Gameweek 8 preview: Arsenal's tough PARs, Brighton's form and a Friday deadline
Gameweek 8 starts on Friday night, so the deadline comes earlier than usual. Here's everything you need before you pick your XI.
The deadline
Teams lock at 18:30 on Friday 23 October (UK time), 90 minutes before Ipswich v Nottingham Forest kicks off. All PARs are now final. Remember the clocks go back on Saturday night, so Sunday's kick-off times are in GMT.
Fixtures
| When (UK) | Match |
|---|---|
| Fri 20:00 | Ipswich v Nottingham Forest |
| Sat 12:30 | Aston Villa v Manchester City |
| Sat 15:00 | Arsenal v Everton |
| Sat 15:00 | Coventry v Fulham |
| Sat 17:30 | Chelsea v Tottenham |
| Sun 14:00 | Crystal Palace v Newcastle |
| Sun 14:00 | Hull v Brentford |
| Sun 14:00 | Liverpool v Brighton |
| Sun 14:00 | Manchester United v Bournemouth |
| Sun 16:30 | Sunderland v Leeds |
Arsenal at home to Everton is the most one-sided game on paper. Brentford at Hull and Manchester City at Villa are the next strongest away favourites. Coventry v Fulham, Palace v Newcastle and Sunderland v Leeds all look close.
The toughest PARs
| Player | Fixture | PAR |
|---|---|---|
| Bruno Fernandes (Man United) | Bournemouth (H) | 8.1 |
| David Raya (Arsenal) | Everton (H) | 7.8 |
| Gabriel (Arsenal) | Everton (H) | 7.8 |
| Declan Rice (Arsenal) | Everton (H) | 7.7 |
| Rayan Cherki (Man City) | Aston Villa (A) | 7.7 |
| Erling Haaland (Man City) | Aston Villa (A) | 7.7 |
Arsenal have four of the ten toughest PARs this week. Their players are expected to have a big afternoon against Everton, so they'll need a huge one to go under. Bruno Fernandes at 8.1 is the hardest mark of all.
The kindest PARs
At the other end, a handful of players start on 6.2 or 6.3, mostly because their side faces a tough trip. Bournemouth keeper Djordje Petrovic (6.2) goes to Old Trafford. Everton's Jake O'Brien, Tyrique George and Tyler Dibling (6.3) go to Arsenal. Brighton's Costinha and Georginio Rutter (6.3) are at Anfield. A low PAR is only worth having if the player starts, so check the team news first.
In form against their PAR
These players have averaged well above this week's PAR over the last three Gameweeks:
| Player | Last 3 | PAR |
|---|---|---|
| Diego Gómez (Brighton) | 8.0, 7.9, 8.3 | 6.9 |
| Charalampos Kostoulas (Brighton) | 8.5, 6.8, 8.6 | 6.9 |
| Bart Verbruggen (Brighton) | 7.9, 7.7, 7.3 | 6.6 |
| Nicolas Jackson (Aston Villa) | 8.3, 7.6, 7.4 | 6.8 |
| Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa) | 8.7, 6.9, 7.5 | 6.8 |
| Boubacar Kamara (Aston Villa) | 7.9, 7.4, 7.8 | 6.9 |
Brighton and Villa dominate this list for the same reason: both have been in great form, but both face a top side this week. Their PARs are lower because of the fixture. Picking them is a bet that their form carries over.
Team news that matters
- Chelsea: keeper Emiliano Martínez is out for a few weeks with a fractured jaw. Reece James is out until the new year.
- Manchester City: Antoine Semenyo has a knee injury that could keep him out for eight weeks.
- Liverpool: Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong are both out with muscle injuries.
- Arsenal: William Saliba is still out with a back problem.
- Aston Villa: Aaron Wan-Bissaka is out for about a month.
- Suspended: Brentford's Yehor Yarmoliuk and Vitaly Janelt, and Fulham's Ryan Sessegnon, were all sent off last week.
Players listed as out score +0.3 if picked, so leave them out. We'll post our picks and players to avoid on Thursday evening, after the latest press conferences.
One last thing
Gameweek 8 is the last week without a bench. From Gameweek 9 you'll pick a bench of three, and only starters' ratings will count. Read the new rules, then pick your Gameweek 8 XI.