There’s a shift in popularity among goalkeepers in Fantasy Premier League right now, with Arsenal’s David Raya and Liverpool’s Alisson Becker becoming popular buys for the festive period.
Liverpool and Arsenal defences have been the most consistent sources for clean sheets this season, providing reliability for the overlooked 11th man in your FPL team.
So who is the best option between Raya and Alisson? Or should we be looking to the budget picks between the sticks instead of the game’s two most expensive goalkeepers?
What are the advantages of choosing Alisson or Raya?
Liverpool have had the best start to the season from a defensive perspective, keeping a league-high seven shutouts in 15 games and conceding just 13 goals along the way — the league’s lowest.
Alisson (£5.4m) has had a hand in four of those clean sheets in seven games, conceding just seven goals across those appearances.
Alisson provides a cheap route into Liverpool’s defence compared to popular defender picks Virgil Van Dijk (£6.5m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.0m).
Injury has meant that Joe Gomez (£4.9m) has been a budget option in recent weeks, but Ibrahima Konate (£5.1m) is expected back soon.
Ordinarily, goalkeepers have a lower ceiling for points compared to their defender counterparts, but Alisson is top for bonus points per 90 (0.71) among goalkeepers this season. However, save points are more challenging to come by when it comes to the Brazilian, with Liverpool conceding a league-lowest 52 shots on target this season.
It’s worth noting that in six Premier League seasons, Alisson has produced four goal involvements and is perhaps due a rare assist. He’s also made two penalty saves.
Liverpool have some good fixtures from which they can prosper once they’ve travelled to Tottenham Hotspur this weekend, with no ‘red’ fixtures on FPL’s FDR (Fixture Difficulty Rating) chart until late February.
Alisson returned to Premier League action in Gameweek 16 after recovering from a hamstring injury (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Elsewhere, David Raya (£5.6m) provides another consistent goalkeeper choice, with the Spain international having kept six clean sheets in 16 games.
It’s been encouraging to see a run of home clean sheets after Arsenal’s seven-game streak of conceding goals between Gameweek 5 and Gameweek 11, and is a positive sign going into the busy festive period.
Arsenal have conceded just 15 goals this season, and only three in the last five gameweeks so they are a defence in form.
Raya ranks 12th among goalkeepers for saves this season (40), scoring bonus points on three occasions. He’s had a ceiling of six points in recent weeks.
Like Alisson and Liverpool’s defenders, Raya is a cheaper route into Arsenal’s defence than centre-backs Gabriel (£6.2m) and William Saliba (£6.3m), but is priced similarly to full-back Jurrien Timber (£5.7m).
On current form, it feels viable to triple up on Arsenal players, with a defensive double-up the most obviously advantageous route right now, with clean sheet potential high for their game against Ipswich Town at home in Gameweek 18.
For those managers who still haven’t played their first wildcard, which must be activated before the Gameweek 19 deadline, I’d certainly be looking to back a premium goalkeeper.
I think Liverpool’s proven consistency over the course of the first half of the season gives Alisson the edge, plus a guaranteed double gameweek in the second half of the season. But I’m happy to hold David Raya in my own team.
Who are the cheaper alternative goalkeeper picks?
Owners of Liverpool backup goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher (£4.5m) and injured Newcastle United keeper Nick Pope (£5.0m) might be forced into making a transfer in this position this week.
If there are no funds in the bank to upgrade this pair to a premium goalkeeper, there are plenty of alternatives at cheaper price points.
When it comes to picking a budget goalkeeper, where clean sheets are less predictable, it’s important to pinpoint those players who can accrue save and bonus points.
Brentford’s Mark Flekken (£4.5m) has the best save record across goalkeepers, making 77 this season, 12 more than any other player.
The west Londoners have conceded a league-leading 299 shots on their goal this season, but rank 11th for big chances conceded on their goal. That shows the chances they allow are low-quality opportunities for their opponents.
However, Brentford have managed only one clean sheet this season, conceding 30 goals. Prospective owners might need to see an improvement in his form. That is not an unrealistic expectation, with Flekken having kept seven clean sheets last season.
Brentford’s Mark Flekken tops the FPL leaderboard for saves (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
For those managers keen to play the fixtures, Fulham’s Bernd Leno (£5.0m) is a sound option, facing all three promoted teams, plus Bournemouth and West Ham, in his side’s next six games.
On the surface, Fulham’s defensive numbers are underwhelming, with just two clean sheets and 22 goals conceded putting them mid-table. However, they’ve conceded just 31 big chances on their goal, which is better than Liverpool, with only Arsenal and Nottingham Forest ahead of them for this metric.
Those figures also put Nottingham Forest’s Matz Sels (£4.7m) in the conversation, with five clean sheets this season and just 19 goals conceded.
Nottingham Forest’s fixtures are a mixed bag but Sels has been consistent, racking up 44 saves this season. Only Andre Onana, Jordan Pickford and Raya have more fantasy points.
Speaking of Jordan Pickford (£4.9m), he’s another goalkeeper we know will have a double gameweek towards the end of the season, with the Merseyside derby postponed in Gameweek 15.
Everton have kept six clean sheets in this campaign, with four of those coming in the last five gameweeks. That is the kind of form we expect from a Sean Dyche defence.
It’s worth noting that West Ham’s Lukasz Fabianski (£4.1m) remains the cheapest starting goalkeeper in the game, and is worth picking as your second goalkeeper on a wildcard.
He has two clean sheets in the past six gameweeks, conceding 10 goals in this period. He ranks joint-top for saves in the same window, with 23.
His fixtures rotate well with Fulham, Nottingham Forest, Spurs and Crystal Palace over the next six gameweeks, who all provide budget options in the goalkeeper spots.
(Top photos: Alisson, left, and David Raya; Getty Images)
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