The Premier League enters the final round before the international break, with more narratives building after the full round of midweek European games.

A few big names are still recovering from injuries, most notably Chelsea forward João Pedro and Arsenal star Bukayo Saka. One key factor to consider is the success of defenders this season, with five in the ten top-scoring players. Most experts believe that Brighton defender Maxime De Cuyper is the anomaly to that rule, as the Belgian is deputising for the injured Kaoru Mitoma on the right wing.

Defenders

Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton, £5.5 million v Coventry City, Friday)

Everton have kept the second-most clean sheets in the division (five), with English defender Branthwaite involved in four. He has yet to prove his threat from set pieces, so the coming fixture against promoted Coventry could be the time to add to his shutout tally.

Antonio Silva (Bournemouth, £5m v Ipswich Town, Sunday)

Portuguese rising star Silva is among the most aggressive defenders, with his 93 defensive contributions ranking in the top ten. A period of matches that includes Ipswich and Hull City provides a chance for the Cherries to add to their three clean sheets.

Ronald Araujo (Liverpool, £5.4m v Crystal Palace, Sunday)

Liverpool defender Ronald Araujo has been steady this season, playing in a non-favoured right-back role, but the Merseyside club have a strong coming schedule that starts with a trip to struggling Crystal Palace. The Spaniard is among the most drafted-in defenders for this round.

Midfielders

Cole Palmer (Chelsea, £9.8m v Sunderland, Sunday)

Chelsea may have endured an inconsistent start, but Cole Palmer has taken the duties from the stricken Joao Pedro, with seven contributions in eight games leading the club in the Brazilian’s absence. The Blues have a chance to build a run in the next four fixtures, with Palmer the key to anything they construct going forward, as the only regular racking up points.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Everton, £6.6m v Coventry, Friday)

Everton have the third-easiest schedule according to the fixture difficulty rating across the next five games and Coventry is a solid entry point for maverick Dewsbury-Hall to add to his three contributions so far. He is also among the most popular incoming midfield transfers this round.

Rayan Cherki (Manchester City, £7.9m v Nottingham Forest, Saturday)

French star Cherki has blanked in his last three league games, none of which he started. He has six involvements in as many starts so far and should return to the starting XI at the City Ground on Saturday. The European showing at Leipzig in midweek could help after his involvement in their first goal in a tight 3-2 win.

Forwards

Igor Thiago (Brentford, £7.8m v Brighton, Sunday)

Brentford have flown under the radar thus far and have the fourth-best scoring record in the division. Thiago has a contribution in four straight games (one goal and three assists), and may score against Everton and Manchester United immediately after the break. The difficulty of fixtures has often pushed the Brazilian to shoulder the goalscoring load for the Bees.

Evanilson (Bournemouth, £6.4m v Ipswich Town, Sunday)

Bournemouth striker Evanilson adds to this week’s theme of Brazilian forwards and he is the third-highest scoring forward so far. Ipswich this week, followed by Forest and Fulham, are excellent games for him to add to his four goals and four assists thus far, although the Cherries did play in Europe in midweek.

Charalampos Kostoulas (Brighton, £5.8m v Brentford, Sunday)

Kostoulas has been transferred in by over 40,000 managers this round, the fourth most among attackers, and the Greek forward will face a struggling Newcastle defence soon, along with the promoted Tigers. The Seagulls could make changes in the Europa Conference League action, so the effective striker should be well rested.

The verdict

The week before the international window could be a solid time for managers to take stock of trends as we hit ten weeks into the campaign. Those who have yet to use their wild card, the two-week break could allow you to solidify your team based on future fixtures.

Defenders have been far more valuable this campaign, so four or five at the back could be an advantageous ploy as the busy festive fixture period rapidly approaches. Do not forget the early deadline of Friday at 2.30pm Bermuda time, with Everton playing Coventry 90 minutes later.