An important week looms for Man City following a rough couple of days for the club on and off the pitch.
A previously postponed fixture with league leaders Arsenal being changed to February 15th makes it a double gameweek for them in GW23.
They play Aston Villa (H) followed by the aforementioned top of the table clash at Arsenal.
Here are our top picks for Man City players for DGW23.
Kevin De Bruyne
- Price: £12.4m
- Picked By: 35%
- Points: 108
To get the obvious one out the way, Kevin De Bruyne is Mr Reliable when it comes to FPL.
He is the fifth-highest-scoring midfielder in the game with 108 points and is doing so from a far deeper position than others on the list.
Despite only managing to score three goals in the league this season, the Belgian is the highest-assisting player in the league with 12.
An impressive 116 shot-creating actions over the 20 games he has played shows the creative spark he provides his team.
He has also been the key to unlocking the goalscoring form of Erling Haaland on multiple occasions.
The main concern over De Bruyne is that he no longer appears untouchable in the Man CIty side.
He was on the bench for Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Tottenham and was an unused substitute in the reverse fixture.
Following City’s poor display at Tottenham, he should return to the starting lineup for the Villa game. And there is very little doubt that he will miss out on the trip to the Emirates.
Erling Haaland
- Price: £12.2m
- Picked By: 85%
- Points: 171
It is easy to see why Erling Haaland is the most selected player in FPL this year.
85% of FPL players have picked the big Norwegian and have been rewarded with 171 points for doing so.
25 goals from 20 appearances is ridiculous form by anyone’s standards and Haaland could even be set to break the FPL points record.
An xG of 18.9 is very impressive at the halfway point of a season and Haaland is even outperforming this by 8 goals.
There have been questions about his contributions in the bigger games as he has only scored one goal against the ‘top 6’ clubs in the league.
This will put doubts in the minds of some FPL managers with a potential title-deciding fixture against Arsenal. Regardless, he is a must for FPL DGW23.
Despite these reservations, a home game against Aston Villa is a good opportunity for the 22-year-old to bring in more than enough points for the gameweek.
Due to his goal record, he is the closest player to being immune to ‘Pep roulette’.
Don’t overcomplicate it, captain him for DGW23.
Riyad Mahrez
- Price: £7.7m
- Picked By: 9%
- Points: 68
Riyad Mahrez is a player that has suffered from Pep Guardiola’s team rotation more than almost anyone in the past.
He seems to have gained the trust of his manager since the World Cup break as he has started 6 of the last 7 Premier League games.
This has given him a 70% chance in our Premier League starting lineup predictor.
He is also keeping pace with Haaland over the last 6 gameweeks. The Algerian has 46 points in that time and Haaland 48.
The Man City winger has recorded 3 goals and 3 assists since becoming a regular starter.
His 3 goals have come against Chelsea and Tottenham and this proves he has been contributing in the big games.
His competition for a starting place in the squad includes Julian Alvarez and Bernardo Silva.
Neither are natural wide players and this should ensure Mahrez keeps his place in the team for the foreseeable future.
Mahrez also appears to be second in line to take penalties.
Nathan Ake
- Price: £5.1m
- Picked By: 4%
- Points: 43
Similar to Mahrez, Nathan Ake has found himself in Guardiola’s good books this season.
He has started 13 of his 15 appearances in the league this season and his performances have improved as a result.
He adds versatility to the team with the ability to play centre-back and left-back.
With Joao Cancelo departing the club in January, there are more opportunities to play left-back for the Dutchman.
He is yet to score in the league but has netted a couple of goals in cup competitions including an FA Cup goal against upcoming opponents, Arsenal.
Ake is an FPL asset that relies heavily on defensive points and Man City are joint 3rd for clean-sheets in the league (8).
Manuel Akanji
- Price: £5.0m
- Picked By: 3%
- Points: 45
Akanji has played 15 league games this season while completing the full 90 minutes on 13 occasions.
No Man City defender has more FPL points this season than Akanji (45), other than John Stones, who is currently injured.
This could give the Swiss international an advantage over his teammate Ake if it is a straight choice between the two.
While Akanji’s attacking threat isn’t the best (0.06 xGI per 90), he is a safe bet to start upcoming games with Aymeric Laporte and Ruben Dias being out of favour.
He is also a cheaper option than any other Man City centre-back in FPL so he provides good value.
Rico Lewis
- Price: £3.9m
- Picked By: 2%
- Points: 15
Rico Lewis is one of the surprise packages of the season.
An unknown name for many has come into a brilliant Man City team and displaced one of the best left-backs in the world.
Joao Cancelo lost his place to Lewis this season and has even moved on to a new club due to a lack of game time.
Lewis has also covered at right-back which shows his versatility as well as the trust he has earned from his manager.
He is not a particularly attacking full-back with only 0.14 xGI per 90 which means he is unlikely to rake in the points on an attacking front.
He has started the last 4 games though and is expected to retain his place.
While Lewis is superb value at £3.9m, there are other safer options to pick from to make the most of Man City’s double gameweek.
If you fancy some differential options such as Jack Grealish or Ilkay Gundogan, check out our best differentials for FPL GW23.