Aubameyang and Sterling star in XI to beat in free-to-play £100k fantasy tournament

With the Premier League 2020/21 season now just a matter of days, the thoughts and minds of armchair coaches across the globe will be on finalising their fantasy football teams for the upcoming campaign.

Well, with Footstock - where fantasy football meets player trading - they've taken away the panic with their £100k Freeroll tournament. That's right, a contest that is free to enter, with £100k worth of prizes to be won!

Where the Footstock Freeroll differs to a classic seasonal format for fantasy football is that only your top six gameweek scores are counted and combined to produce your overall total. For that reason, you could feasibly enter the game well into the New Year and have a chance of winning big.

However, we at WhoScored are looking to maximise our chances by utilising all 38 gameweeks, and have put together what we feel is an XI that will prove tough to beat!

First and foremost, however, a quick run through of the rules. Given that real cash is up for grabs, you must be 18 or over to enter and you can only name 11 players. Moreover, you cn only pick a maximum of two players from any one club, and must select at least one goalkeeper, three defenders, three midfielders and two strikers, with the remaining two outfield spots for you to fill as you please.

Meanwhile, unlike typical fantasy football platforms, your 'budget' comes in the form of stars. Each player is awarded a certain number of stars, between one and five, based on their statistical performances and rarity in the game. You have 35 stars to play with, meaning you can't just load your team up with four and five star players!

For more information on how Footstock works, click here.

So without further ado, the WhoScored XI (based on stars at the time of entry)...

Vicente Guaita (Crystal Palace)

An very dependable goalkeeper for Crystal Palace, Guaita was one of eight to produce over 100 saves in the Premier League last season, while no player made more from shots inside the six-yard box (14), highlighting his impressive reflexes. With a decent return of ten clean sheets from 35 appearances last season, we think the Spaniard will be the pick of the 'two star' keepers this time around.

Matt Doherty (Tottenham)

Reinforcements at full-back were a priority for Tottenham this summer and in the addition of Doherty they have a player that should suit the system well. Spurs tended to push Serge Aurier high last season, with Ben Davies considerably more conservative on the left, and their new signing is well accustomed to playing high on the right flank at Wolves. He's had a direct hand in 16 goals in two Premier League seasons, scoring and assisting eight apiece, and could well improve on those numbers in the capital.

Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

While points for passes are relatively insignifcant in isolation (0.05 per accurate pass), having the player that made more than any other last season, attempting almost 700 more than any other Premier League player. However, it's the clean sheet points we're here for - worth five a pop to defenders - with Van Dijk playing his part in 15 last season!

Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)

Given how frequently Liverpool shut the door on their opposition, Robertson is fills up our two-man Liverpool quota. The Scot has the added incentive of assists in his locker, and last season surpassed double figures for the second year running, managing to improve on the 11 he registered in 2018/19, with 12.

Michail Antonio (West Ham)

After a sensational end to the 2019/20 campaign, Antonio will be looking to pick up where he left off and is likely to be deployed as a central striker often once more. His inclusion here as a midfielder, then, makes the West Ham man a no brainer pick for our XI, having scored eight of his ten Premier League goals last season in just nine appearances post-lockdown.

Paul Pogba (Manchester United)

While much has rightly been made of Bruno Fernandes' impact since arriving at Manchester United, Pogba's return to the side - dovetailing seamlessly with the Portugal international - should not be overlooked. The Frenchman looks happy at Old Trafford once again, and a happy Paul Pogba is a dangerous one to the opposition. The 27-year-old managed just one goal and three assists in his limited outings last season and will be keen to put that right having had a direct hand in 28 goals across the previous two campaigns.

Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)

With the Lionel Messi dream now dead in the water, it's a move that could have proven to be a nightmare for Mahrez. Ousting the Algerian would certainly have been harsh, with the winger earning the fourth highest WhoScored rating in the entire league last season (7.48). Such a fine score came despite making 12 subsitute appearances and given the contest only counts your top six gameweek scores, Mahrez is a very worthwhile pick having scored nine and assisted eight goals across his 21 league starts.

Son Heung-Min (Tottenham)

As one of only three players - along with Kevin De Bruyne and Mo Salah - to reach double figures for both goals (11) and assists (10) last season, Son is a five-star midfielder for good reason. The South Korean is improving year-on-year and at 28 is approaching his prime as one of Tottenham's most important players. His per game averages for shots (2.7), key passes (1.4) and dribbles (2.1) were all personal records during his time in the Premier League.

Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)

Having started last season in sensational form, Sterling had a mid-season slump but returned from the lockdown at his very best and will be looking to carry his fine run into the new campaign. The top Premier League scorer following the pandemic-enforced break, with nine goals, Sterling ended the campaign with 20 for the first season in his career and continues to go from strength-to-strength under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola.

Jamie Vardy (Leicester)

Last season's Premier League Golden Boot winner at the grand old age of 33, Vardy's 23-goal haul for 2019/20 came in fits and starts at times. Indeed, the Foxes striker is more than capable of scoring doubles and hat-tricks, even if he can be prone to some dry spells in front of goal, but in this tournament format, the latter is less important. Indeed, Jamie Vardy scored twice or more in a game on six occasions last season, which was more than any other. Remember, only your top six gameweek scores count...

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)

Second to Vardy in both the multiple goalscoring appearances count (five) and overall Golden Boot race, with 22 goals, Aubameyang is approaching the 2020/21 campaign in high spirits. Having recently scored in three consecutive Wembley appearances to add to Arsenal's trophy cabinet, the Gunners captain will be confident of another productive campaign. He's Arteta's go-to-guy and with the team around him improving under the Spaniard, the striker so rarely disappoints.