Fantasy Premier League: The best Gabriel replacements | OneFootball

We’re almost a third of the way through the Fantasy Premier League season, and a familiar template has begun to emerge.

But the international break has thrown a spanner in the works for FPL managers. The game’s highest-scoring and most popular defender, Gabriel Magalhães, went off injured after 64 minutes of Brazil’s 2-0 friendly win over Senegal.

In a statement on Sunday, the Brazilian Football Confederation said: “Arsenal player Gabriel Magalhães was re-evaluated this Sunday and underwent imaging tests that revealed a muscle injury in his right thigh.”

Reports have suggested Gabriel could be out of action until the new year. There’s no need to panic, though. We’ve picked out five of the best replacements for Gabriel ahead of Gameweek 12.

Virgil van Dijk – Liverpool

£5.9m – 23.1% owned

Next 3: NFO (H) – WHU (A) – SUN (H)

Van Dijk looks set to be the most popular replacement, and despite Liverpool’s recent struggles, it’s easy to see why. He offers the triple threat of great fixtures, defensive contributions, and set-piece goal threat.

He’s yet to score in the Premier League this season, but he does have two Champions League goals and is usually good for three or four league goals per season. With Liverpool’s favourable run ahead, a big haul feels imminent.

Even if you don’t fully trust Liverpool for clean sheets, Van Dijk sits second among defenders for defensive contributions per 90 (10.9), giving him a safe baseline of 3–4 points most weeks.

Jurrien Timber – Arsenal

£6.1m – 25.6% owned

Next 3: TOT (H) – CHE (A) – BRE (H)

Perhaps the safest and most obvious option is to stay within the Arsenal backline; in that case, Timber seems the standout pick.

He ranks second among defenders for both goals (2) and xG (1.86) this season, and only Gabriel himself has more FPL points than Timber’s 67.

Arsenal boast the best defensive record in the league – seven clean sheets and only five goals conceded, and while the fixtures aren’t perfect, you’d never rule out a Gunners shutout.

Daniel Muñoz

£5.7m – 16.3% owned

Next 3: WOL (A) – MUN (H) – BUR (A)

Crystal Palace have been consistent at the back this season, with only Arsenal keeping more than their five clean sheets.

Muñoz has quickly gained a reputation as one of the league’s most exciting and attacking full-backs, and his league-high xA of 1.85 among defenders backs that up.

With Wolves and Burnley in the next three fixtures, now could be the perfect time to make the switch to a Palace defender.

Matthijs de Ligt

£5.0m – 3.1% owned

Next 3: EVE (H) – CRY (A) – WHU (H)

On the surface, picking a Manchester United defender might not feel like a priority. But the Red Devils have been quietly improving under Amorim for some time now.

They have an extended run of excellent fixtures coming up, with none of their next ten matches scoring higher than a three on the FPL Fixture Difficulty Rating scale. Now feels like the right time to invest.

De Ligt looks the standout option, boasting comfortably the best DefCon numbers in the United backline (8.5 per 90) and a strong goal threat, demonstrated by his late equaliser against Tottenham last Gameweek.

Nico O’Reilly

£5.0m – 2.0%

Next 3: NEW (A) – LEE (H) – FUL (A)

Manchester City appear to have turned a corner, and breakout star Nico O’Reilly has played a major part in that revival.

The newly-capped England international looks to have nailed down a spot in Pep Guardiola’s side, starting seven of the last eight matches, helping City to four clean sheets along the way.

He’s also shown his attacking prowess with one goal and two assists to his name already this season.

Over the last five Gameweeks, only Gabriel (43) has more points than O’Reilly’s 36.

Read: Manchester City rekindle transfer interest in Newcastle defender

See also: Konate ‘happy’ at Liverpool despite contract concerns

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