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            <p>Fantasy Football Hub's resident captaincy expert <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisTanFPL">Chris Tan</a> takes a close look at the Gameweek 1 fixtures to give Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers the best chance of starting well.</p>
<p>This in-depth look at the matches ahead, complete with a handy shortlist of players to target, is available exclusively to Hub members.</p>
<p>Chris's verdict on the best <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/the-best-fpl-captain">Gameweek 1 captaincy options</a> and punts will be available later this week.</p>
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<h2>Chris Tan's fixture analysis: Gameweek 1</h2>
<p>Welcome back! After Euro 2024, it hasn’t felt like much of a break but it was enough to recharge the batteries and I enter this season full of optimism and enthusiasm.</p>
<p>My articles tend to be heavily stats based, however for the opening weeks where there aren’t many stats available, I will be providing a more holistic analysis.</p>
<p>If you’re not sure who to draft into your squad, you haven’t kept up to date with <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fpl-pre-season-results-guide">pre-season games</a> or you’re finalising those final spots, this will provide the answers you’re looking for.</p>
<h2><strong>FPL Gameweek 1: Fixtures</strong></h2>
<div id="attachment_65897" style="width: 528px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65897" class="size-full wp-image-65897" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FPL-Gameweek-1-Fixture-Analysis-fixtures.png" alt="" width="518" height="931" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-65897" class="wp-caption-text">FPL Gameweek fixtures</p>
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<h2><strong>FPL Gameweek 38: Clean sheet and goalscoring odds</strong></h2>
<p>Liverpool, Newcastle, Arsenal and Spurs look like the teams to target with regards to goals and clean sheets this week.</p>
<div id="attachment_65898" style="width: 1610px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65898" class="size-full wp-image-65898" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FPL-Gameweek-1-Fixture-Analysis-bookies-odds.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1300" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-65898" class="wp-caption-text">FPL Gameweek 1 bookmakers' odds - uploaded Monday</p>
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<h2><strong>Team attacking stats sorted by total expected goals (xG)</strong></h2>
<p>These stats are for last season, split into home and away tables:</p>
<h3>Home</h3>
<div id="attachment_65901" style="width: 1178px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65901" class="size-full wp-image-65901" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FPL-Gameweek-1-Fixture-Analysis-team-attacking-stats-home-sorted-by-xG.png" alt="" width="1168" height="1033" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-65901" class="wp-caption-text">Team attacking stats (home), sorted by xG</p>
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<h3></h3>
<h3>Away</h3>
<div id="attachment_65900" style="width: 1182px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65900" class="size-full wp-image-65900" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FPL-Gameweek-1-Fixture-Analysis-team-attacking-stats-away-sorted-by-xG.png" alt="" width="1172" height="1021" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-65900" class="wp-caption-text">Team attacking stats (away) sorted by xG</p>
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<h2><strong>Team defensive stats sorted by total expected goals conceded (xGC)</strong></h2>
<p>These stats are for last season split into home and away tables:</p>
<h3>Home</h3>
<div id="attachment_65903" style="width: 2052px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65903" class="size-full wp-image-65903" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FPL-Gameweek-1-Fixture-Analysis-team-defensive-stats-home-sorted-by-xGC.png" alt="" width="2042" height="1032" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-65903" class="wp-caption-text">Team defensive stats (home) sorted by xGC</p>
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<h3></h3>
<h3>Away</h3>
<div id="attachment_65902" style="width: 2048px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65902" class="size-full wp-image-65902" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FPL-Gameweek-1-Fixture-Analysis-team-defensive-stats-away-sorted-by-xGC.png" alt="" width="2038" height="1035" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-65902" class="wp-caption-text">Team defensive stats (away) sorted by xGC</p>
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<h2><strong>FPL Gameweek 1 fixtures analysed</strong></h2>
<h3>Manchester United v Fulham</h3>
<p>United’s pre-season has been an inconsistent, mixed affair which mirrors how their 2023/24 season went.</p>
<p>The summer started so well with clear transfer targets and Erik ten Hag signing a contract extension but injuries, absences and still lacking a mobile central midfielder doesn’t suggest we’re likely to see much of an uptick.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t be confident in their defence keeping many clean sheets in the initial fixtures.</p>
<p>United played with a false nine in the Community Shield and to strengthen my comment above, <strong>Jonny Evans (£4.5m)</strong> was their starting centre back.</p>
<p>Fulham have lost their ball winner Joao Palhinha, yet they have a solid structure with pacey wide players and a solid spine. All eyes will be on <strong>Emile Smith Rowe (£5.5m)</strong> who has already scored two in pre-season.</p>
<p>The previous three league matches have ended 1-2 (Fulham), 0-1 (Manchester United) and 2-1 (Manchester United). <strong>Bruno Fernandes (£8.5m)</strong> scored in the away victory.</p>
<div id="attachment_65925" style="width: 907px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65925" class="size-full wp-image-65925" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Smith-Rowe-Fulham.jpg" alt="Emile Smith Rowe" width="897" height="731" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-65925" class="wp-caption-text">Emile Smith Rowe</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Additional factors to consider</strong></p>
<p>United’s home defensive record was interesting. They had the second worst xGC in the league (32.17) but only conceded 28 goals. From an attacking perspective they scored slightly more at home (31) than away (26).</p>
<p>There hasn’t been a massive overhaul of system or players and the new signings haven’t been bedded in yet, therefore it appears we might see more of the same.</p>
<p>Fulham conceded 37 goals away from home last season with an xGC of 35.88 and defensively they tend to be a lot better at home. Their xG away from home was poor and they only scored 24 compared to 31 at home.</p>
<p>Comparing the two teams, it implies that both teams are likely to score - but it won’t be a high-scoring game.</p>
<p>Looking at the weaknesses from last season - which should be taken with a pinch of salt - United concede a lot of shots, they’re poor at defending set-pieces and crosses and their right can be exploited, as we witnessed in the Community Shield.</p>
<p>Fulham are weakest on their right and centre, which tends to be the two areas that Manchester United are strongest.</p>
<p><strong>Outcome</strong></p>
<p>The above is consistent with the odds that suggest this could be a 2-1 type of game.</p>
<p>That scoreline indicates Fernandes could be one for the watchlist given he dominated the expected and actual goal involvement for United last season.</p>
<p>From a positional perspective, he should benefit from Fulham’s weaknesses and on the eye against Manchester City, he was just as influential as usual.</p>
<div id="attachment_65507" style="width: 907px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65507" class="size-full wp-image-65507" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Fernandes-stats-23-24.jpg" alt="Bruno Fernandes's stats for 2023/24" width="897" height="731" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-65507" class="wp-caption-text">Bruno Fernandes's stats for 2023/24</p>
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<h3>Ipswich v Liverpool</h3>
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