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World Cup Fantasy Football Tips, Group Stage: Midfielders

Manchester City players should sort you out here.

Ángel di María, one of our World Cup Fantasy Football tips for the group stage
Di María… May assist you (Image: Fanny Schertzer)

As educated guesses go, our World Cup Fantasy Football tips for midfielders are 17 per cent more educated and a whopping 78 per cent more guessed than your average World Cup Fantasy Football tips for group stage midfielders.

Bear that in mind, and bear also that our World Cup Fantasy Football tips are based on the official FIFA version of the game – mind you, the principles should apply more or less across the board.

Probably.

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Anyway, on with the group stage midfielders…

World Cup Fantasy Football Tips, Group Stage: Midfielders

If you’re playing the official version of the game then you’ve got a 23-man squad to fill and a virtual transfer kitty of only £100m to do it.

As such, we recommend choosing three or four first-choice midfield options – let’s say two expensive and two moderately priced options – and filling up the rest of your eight designated midfield slots with ‘cheapest possibles’.

Yaya Touré may be an injury concern for Ivory Coast’s opening game against Japan but the Manchester City star has made a habit this season of showing up on the big occasions.

With further group stage games to play against Greece and a Falcao-less Colombia, we’re inclined to take the £8.5m punt – and why not pair him with City teammate David Silva, whose £8m fee could be a bargain if he replicates his recent club form in a Spain shirt.

Ángel di María has racked up 36 goals and a whopping 87 assists in his four seasons as a Real Madrid player, and he should be on a high following last month’s Champions League success.

With the likes of Sergio Agüero and Lionel Messi waiting to be fed fat, we’re liking the look of the Argentina for £7.5m.

As for cheap filler options, Nabil Bentaleb of Tottenham Hotspur and Algeria can be had for a paltry £1m. He’s no goal-scorer, but with any luck you shouldn’t have to rely on that.

Oh, and Ross Barkley for £5.5m? Just saying…

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