Welcome to Round 35 of Sofascore’s Fantasy Premier League and the jostling for European spots towards the top of the Premier League table is heating up ahead of this weekend’s action.

As Arsenal and Manchester City battle it out in a two-horse race for the league title, we will take a look at the chasing pack of clubs and their high-achieving players who are all desperate to achieve a place in Europe for next season.

There will be some familiar names listed along with a few ‘wild cards’ but all of whom are capable of producing match-winning performances and pick up vital additional points towards your Fantasy XI in Round 35.

Round 35 commences with a Friday night fixture between Leeds United and Burnley at Elland Road with a precious three points up for grabs.

Formation: 3-5-2

Bart Verbruggen  (Newcastle Utd v BRIGHTON) – €6.0M

Brighton have enjoyed a most successful campaign under German manager Fabian Hurzeler as The Seagulls currently occupy 6th place in the Premier League table ahead of their long trip up to the north-east to take on Newcastle United.

Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen has been a vital cog in Brighton’s solid defensive back-line and the 6’ 4” stopper has the numbers behind him to back him up too.

A Sofascore average rating of 7.10 runs alongside a total of 166 Fantasy points to date, thus making Verbruggen a real bargain between the sticks ahead of Round 35 at just €6.0M.

Ibrahima Konaté (Manchester Utd v LIVERPOOL) – €7.6M

4th placed Liverpool are in contention for another Champions League berth for next season as The Reds find themselves in a three-horse race with old foes Manchester United along with Aston Villa for a possible 3rd place finish.

French defender Ibrahima Konaté has forged a decent partnership at the back of Liverpool’s defence with Dutchman Virgil van Dijk and indeed, Konaté also possesses a decent looking Sofascore average rating of 7.12 as well for his club.

Konaté has racked up an impressive total of 194 Fantasy points overall so far this season along with a current form rating of 7.0, so he looks a solid addition to anyone’s starting XI for Round 35.

Ezri Konsa  (ASTON VILLA v Tottenham) – €6.9M

Aston Villa will no doubt be keen to put further distance between themselves and 6th placed Brighton by picking up all three points against relegation-haunted Tottenham when the two clubs do battle at Villa Park on Sunday evening.

An important part of Villa’s success so far this season in the domestic top flight has been thanks to the consistent performances of defender Ezri Konsa who possesses a Sofascore player rating of 6.99.

Konsa has also accumulated a total of 180 Fantasy points to date and further points look likely against a poor Tottenham outfit on Sunday.

Joachim Andersen  (Arsenal v FULHAM) – €6.5M

An all-London affair between Arsenal and Fulham will unfold at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening as The Gunners look to open up a six-point lead at the top of the table while The Cottagers will be eyeing off a possible place in Europe for next season.

Fulham’s Danish defender, Joachim Andersen, has been one of the catalysts behind The Cottagers’ solid mid-table position in the Premier League table this term as he has achieved a Sofascore rating of 7.07 ahead of the action in Round 35.

Andersen has also produced a total of 171 Fantasy points so far in this season’s campaign along with two assists in previous games against Arsenal.

Enzo Fernández  (CHELSEA v Nott’m Forest) – €8.6M

Another managerial sacking at Chelsea in the shape of former boss Liam Rosenior should provide pathway back for influential Argentinian midfielder Enzo Fernández for The Blues especially as he produced an impressive performance against Leeds United in last weekend’s FA Cup triumph.

Interim manager Calum McFarlane would be strongly advised to include Fernández in the middle of the park for Chelsea in Round 35 especially as the Argentinian has chipped in with 8 goals along with 3 assists so far this season.

A Sofascore rating of 7.11 together with a total of 176 Fantasy points under his belt suggests Fernández could have a field day against Nottingham Forest on Monday afternoon.

Harry Wilson (Arsenal v FULHAM) – €7.0M

Welsh influential midfielder Harry Wilson joins his fellow Fulham team-mate Joachim Andersen in our suggested Sofascore XI for Round 35 and his statistics this season certainly back up his inclusion as he leads the way in Fulham’s player ratings with a score of 7.18.

In addition, Wilson has achieved a total of 171 Fantasy points so far this season which has been helped by a 10-goal haul along with producing 6 assists and it would come as no surprise if a bigger club come calling for the Welsh international during the summer transfer window.

For the time being, Wilson will be looking to scupper Arsenal’s plans of securing the league title on the weekend!

Moisés Caicedo  (CHELSEA v Nott’m Forest) – €8.3M

Joining fellow Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández in our Sofascore XI for Round 35 is Ecuadorian maestro Moisés Caicedo who sits just above Fernández in Chelsea’s Sofascore player ratings with an impressive score of 7.16.

Caicedo has once again comfortably broken the 100-point mark in this seasons Fantasy Premier League as the Chelsea midfielder has a total of 154 points to his name as well as chipping in with 3 goals and 1 assist to date.

However, more is expected from Caicedo and with lowly Nottingham Forest visiting Stamford Bridge this weekend, the Ecuadorian looks set to oblige!

Alex Scott  (BOURNEMOUTH v Crystal Palace) – €6.0M

Given Bournemouth’s amazing season in the Premier League as The Cherries sit in 7th place in the domestic top flight table, it would be remiss of us to neglect some of the top performers in the Bournemouth squad for Round 35.

Midfielder Alex Scott sits in 2nd place in The Cherries’ Sofascore player ratings with a score of 7.07 which has been helped by scoring 3 goals along with producing 1 assist so far this term.

Scott has also achieved a total of 149 Fantasy points so far this season and at a very reasonable price-tag of just €6.0M, the Bournemouth midfielder is well worth considering for this weekend.

Morgan Rogers  (ASTON VILLA v Tottenham) – €7.6M

Aston Villa midfielder, Morgan Rogers, is expected to be one of the names bandied about by the media and pundits alike ahead of the announcement of Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad and his inclusion would be justified as Rogers has netted 9 times for the west midlands club so far in the Premier League along with contributing 5 assists.

The attacking midfielder has also accumulated a total of 137 Fantasy points to date this term for The Villans while Rogers has also scored 2 goals and an assist in his previous 3 appearances against Tottenham.

Another influential performance looks set to unfold at Villa Park on Sunday evening.

Cody Gakpo  (Manchester Utd v LIVERPOOL) – €7.7M

It’s a well-known fact that there is no love lost between Manchester United and Liverpool but Liverpool striker Cody Gakpo does relish lining up against the Red Devils as the Dutch destroyer has registered 4 goals against the old foes in 6 previous appearances.

Along with West Ham, Manchester United have been Gakpo’s most profitable opponents, scoring 4 goals each against them.

In addition, Gakpo has netted 6 times so far this season for Liverpool whilst also contributing 5 assists and with an overall Sofascore rating of 6.95 along with a total of 142 Fantasy points under his belt, the Dutchman will be keen to add to his goalscoring tally at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

Eli Junior Kroupi  (BOURNEMOUTH v Crystal Palace) – €5.6M

Perhaps the best deal with the greatest ‘bang for buck’ potential for Round 35 though is Bournemouth’s 19 year-old French forward, Eli Junior Kroupi, who leads Bournemouth’s goalscoring charts in this season’s Premier League campaign with a total of 11 goals to his name.

Kroupi is indeed ‘on fire’ right now in the English top flight having notched 3 goals in his last five games in the domestic top flight, netting against the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Leeds United respectively.

A player ear-marked for the future but the smart money says include him in your Sofascore Fantasy XI for Round 35, especially as he scored a brace against Crystal Palace earlier in the season!

Total Budget: €80.9M