Find out who is in the best form heading into the 2026/27 season - and then pick your Fantasy team

With the Premier League kick-off fast approaching this Friday 21, clubs have played their final friendly matches.

For Fantasy Premier League managers, it's particularly important to keep track of who's already in good form and ready to hit the ground running when the real action starts.

Here, we pick out the top performers from pre-season matches and show who's played the most minutes for each club.

Who's scored the most goals?

Chelsea's Joao Pedro leads the way with seven goals, having scored a nine-minute hat-trick against Western Sydney Wanderers last month and then struck a brace in each of his last two matches against AC Milan and Real Sociedad.

Aston Villa's 17-year-old striker Brian Madjo has also been prolific, netting five times, including a goal against UEFA Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup last Wednesday. But he was missing from the squad for Saturday's match against Borussia Monchengladbach, with reports suggesting he has suffered an injury.

Nottingham Forest's Igor Jesus has impressed too, with four goals, although all his goals were scored in July, and he didn't play any part in the friendly against Stade Brestois 29 on Sunday.

Crystal Palace midfielder Matheus Franca has four goals too, with three of those coming against Swindon Town in July. He is not expected to be named in the starting XI for the Eagles’ Premier League opener at Everton, despite his decent pre-season.

Top PL goalscorers in pre-season

Joao Pedro

7

CHELSEA

Brian Madjo

5

ASTON VILLA

Matheus Franca

4

CRYSTAL PALACE

Igor Jesus

4

FOREST

Evanilson

3

BOURNEMOUTH

Justin Kluivert

3

BOURNEMOUTH

Igor Thiago

3

BRENTFORD

Eddie Nketiah

3

CRYSTALPALACE

Thierno Barry

3

EVERTON

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

3

LEEDS

Lukas Nmecha

3

LEEDS

Bryan Mbeumo

3

MAN UNITED

Arnaud Kalimuendo

3

FOREST

Enzo Le Fee

3

SUN

Richarlison

3

TOTTENHAM

Who's got the most assists?

Arsenal's summer signing Christos Tzolis has caught the eye, providing six assists, the most of any Premier League player.

That total includes two assists in the Community Shield win over Manchester City on Sunday and a "Fantasy assist" for winning a penalty, converted by Viktor Gyokeres, during the Gunners' 3-2 loss to Borussia Dortmund on 9 August.

Man City's Antoine Semenyo also enjoyed a productive pre-season, supplying five assists over his four matches under new manager Enzo Maresca.

Aston Villa's Emiliano Buendia produced four assists, and head coach Unai Emery will hope he can carry that creativity into the Premier League campaign after the departures of Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans this summer.

Top PL assisters in pre-season

Christos Tzolis

6

ARSENAL

Antoine Semenyo

5

MAN CITY

Emiliano Buendia

4

ASTON VILLA

Daniel Jebbison

3

BOURNEMOUTH

Jamie Gittens

3

CHELSEA

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

3

EVETON

Morgan Gibbs-White

3

FOREST

Mathys Tel

3

TOTTENHAM

Scroll across to see the full table on mobile

Who's played the most minutes for each club?

With a host of big players returning late from the FIFA World Cup, it's useful to see who's had plenty of match practice in recent weeks and who's further behind in their preparations.

Thanks to our partners at Fantasy Football Scout, the table below has logged every minute played in pre-season.

Use the tabs at the bottom of the table to navigate through each team. Rotate your mobile device or slide across to see the full table, including each player's goals and assists. Tap on the table and scroll down to see more players. (Premier League)

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