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The ideal FPL XI ahead of this weekend's fixtures

The ideal FPL XI ahead of this weekend's fixtures
© Reuters
These players have the best projected points as per the difficulty of their fixtures.

Predicting who will score big points can be something of a fool's errand as a Fantasy Premier League manager, but by analysing performance according to fixture difficulty, managers can make a more informed choice.

The FPL allocates each fixture a difficulty rating (FDR) with the most difficult games rated five and the easiest rated two.

By analysing players' performances against opponents with the same FDR this season, and working out each player's average score against those teams, a projected points total can be achieved.

With that in mind, this is the best XI to select for gameweek 36.

A graphic showing the best Fantasy Premier League team to select according to fixture difficulty and projected points

The XI takes into account the three players per team rule, and would leave enough money left over to select a bench.

With high-flying Liverpool hosting rock-bottom Huddersfield in the weekend's first game, the team naturally contains three Reds.

Mohamed Salah's average points return from matches with a difficulty rating of two this season is an impressive 8.3, which sees him take the captain's armband as the highest projected scorer – Sadio Mane (6.4) and Andrew Robertson (6.3) are also projected to make strong contributions.

Perhaps surprisingly only one Manchester City player makes the team.

Only one of two players in the team facing a fixture with an FDR of three rather than two, Raheem Sterling has scored an average of 5.9 points from games of this rating, suggesting he'll cause Burnley problems at Turf Moor.

Manchester City's Raheem Sterling during a training session
(Martin Rickett/PA)

With a projected points total of just four based on his average return this season, Sergio Aguero failed to make the cut.

Tottenham's Son Heung-min could be worth backing as well. The South Korean faces West Ham at home, and while the game's FDR is three rather than two, the projection has him scoring the second highest number of points this week at 7.8.

Elsewhere it's a bargain strike-force that could outscore the more expensive strikers, with Newcastle's Salomon Rondon and Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic predicted to score six and 5.5 points respectively in their games against Brighton and Cardiff.

Bournemouth's Ryan Fraser, meanwhile, is the cheapest midfielder in the side, but could well improve on his already impressive seven goals and 12 FPL assists in the Cherries' game against Southampton.

Crystal Palace's Patrick Van Aanholt and Everton's Michael Keane complete the defence in a game against one another, and Cardiff's Neil Etheridge takes his place in goal against Fulham, predicted to earn six points.

Overall the team is projected to make 78 points – will this group of players feature heavily in the team of the week?

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Ryan Babel equalises for Fulham against Liverpool on March 17, 2019
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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City36302490226892
2Liverpool36287184206491
3Tottenham HotspurSpurs362311265362970
4Chelsea36208860392168
5Arsenal362061069492066
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd36198964511365
7Wolverhampton WanderersWolves36159124644254
8Leicester CityLeicester36156155147451
9Everton36148145044650
10Watford36148145152-150
11West Ham UnitedWest Ham36137164554-946
12Crystal Palace36127174348-543
13Newcastle UnitedNewcastle36119163645-942
14Bournemouth36126185265-1342
15Burnley36117184463-1940
16Southampton36911164461-1738
17Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton3698193355-2235
18Cardiff CityCardiff3694233066-3631
RFulham3675243476-4226
RHuddersfield TownHuddersfield3635282074-5414

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