Fantasy Serie A: 5 Bold Picks for Round 2

Round 1 went decidedly well for the admin. One of my three teams — [here I tried to explain how to manage three without burning out] — achieved a great result, largely thanks to Donyell Malen, fielded as Captain in T3. With that lineup I currently occupy 123rd place in the Overall ranking, while with the other two I’m floating between 3000th and 4000th place. As you can easily imagine, Malen wasn’t part of either of those two.

This week, however, instead of focusing solely on managing my teams, I want to recommend five players who aren’t top-tier picks for you to consider for your lineups. When it comes to the big names, after all, you already know how to behave: you don’t need my input to suggest that Gonçalo Ramos, against Venezia, could be an excellent choice. So let’s try to go a bit deeper.

Let’s arm ourselves with the necessary tools — Fixture Ticker above all — and try to identify five interesting players not only for this Round, but possibly also for the following three or four. On Kickest, in fact, every transfer costs 5 malus points. Betting on a player useful only in the very short term therefore makes little sense, unless you’re so convinced of his potential that you believe he can immediately pay back not only his own cost, but also the entire malus generated by the operation.

The goal, then, is to find less obvious profiles that can offer value right away, but that also have what it takes to stay in our teams over the coming weeks. Here are the five names chosen for this Round.

David De Gea (GK – Fiorentina)

The first pick is fairly counterintuitive: in goal, we’re backing David De Gea (13.4 cr).

It’s true, Fiorentina conceded four goals in Rome and looked completely out of sorts. The Viola’s schedule, however, is really inviting: over the next three Rounds they’ll face Frosinone and Torino at home, before playing away at Venezia. The fourth match will again be at the Franchi, against Napoli.

By that point we’ll already have been able to make the most of De Gea in the more favorable matchups, and we’ll be able to decide whether to sell him before the break or pair him with another goalkeeper, building a favorable rotation by making use of Turns.

Fiorentina is a new team, and such a traumatic start can be understandable. We believe, though, that precisely after the heavy defeat in Round 1, they can tighten up defensively and take the field with greater care. The pick carries some risk, but the schedule offers Viola the ideal opportunity to react.

Emanuele Lulli (D – Roma)

We’re taking a risk with the second name too, backing Emanuele Lulli.

The main doubt concerns his adaptability to Kickest’s scoring system. Playing as a right wing-back he tends to touch few balls, but he has the merit of often getting into the box and can therefore also be dangerous in the goal/assist zone.

We’re picking him mainly for two reasons. The first is the price: he costs just 8.5 credits and we believe his starting spot will be confirmed against Lecce. The second is precisely Roma’s next opponent: the giallorossi will face a team that won in Venezia without fully convincing and that, already last season, showed major difficulties in front of goal.

After Lecce, Roma will host Atalanta and travel to Torino: an overall favorable schedule. Watch out, though, for competition from Molina. The latest arrival could soon find space in Gasperini’s choices and put Lulli’s playing time in question.

It remains a big question mark, then, but it’s worth a try. Roma have a good chance of getting a clean sheet at Lecce — and therefore of handing him the related +5 — while his runs into the box could also bring a goal or an assist. We’re picking him mainly for the low cost and for a base score that, even without bonuses, could still prove interesting.

Mathis Mout (M – Monza)

The third name is a player who impressed us in Round 1: Mathis Mout, Monza’s very young midfielder, born in 2007.

Mout showed important qualities and, in our view, has all the traits needed to become a great Kickest player. He plays in central midfield, touches a lot of balls and always looks to play with his head up. It’s no coincidence that on his debut he already set up an assist for Varela with a nice through ball, later converted into a goal by the Monza forward.

Making him even more interesting is the schedule. Before the break, Monza will face Udinese and Sassuolo at home, and Parma and Lecce away. They’re the only team not to run into a single big side over the next four Rounds.

Of course, we’re talking about a team that isn’t top-tier and that will struggle even against opponents who, on paper, aren’t unbeatable. Still, all the conditions for backing Mout are there: talent, central role in the build-up, favorable schedule, and a cost of just 7.1 credits.

Darryl Bakola (M – Sassuolo)

Sticking with the very young players, we’re backing Darryl Bakola, a midfielder born in 2007 whom Aquilani has used as a mezzala.

We liked Bakola a lot in Round 1. He showed great technique and personality, taking part in the play consistently and touching a lot of balls. Sassuolo played a great match against Atalanta and came away defeated despite the numerous chances created and a performance that would have deserved at least a draw.

There were encouraging signs from a Kickest perspective too: against Atalanta, Bakola finished with 15.6 points, a more than positive haul considering his team’s defeat. We’re convinced he has important qualities and that he could become one of the revelations of the league.

Sassuolo’s schedule isn’t as favorable as that of the players recommended earlier, but it still offers two interesting matches: first Torino at home, then away against a Bologna side that has looked shaky.

He costs only 8.1 credits and is present in less than 2% of teams. Bakola could therefore turn into a differential pick capable of helping us gain ground on our rivals.

Jérémie Boga – (F – Juventus)

We close out, naturally, with a forward, and we’re going with Jérémie Boga. The reason is simple. With Yıldız’s injury, Boga could start the home clash against Parma or, at the very least, find playing time during the match. What matters most to us is that he plays from the first minute, and we believe Spalletti could give him that opportunity.

Boga has very interesting traits for Kickest. He dribbles past opponents frequently, was one of the best dribblers in Serie A over the last few seasons, and gets into the box often, carrying the ball with him. He can therefore rack up points through dribbles and benefit from the 0.3-point bonus for every touch of the ball in the opposing box, an important source of points for Juventus’s wingers.

In a match like Juventus-Parma, moreover, it’s reasonable to expect a Juventus wide attacker to find a goal or an assist.

The price makes the pick even more tempting: Boga costs only 11 credits, a modest figure for a player from a big club who could start in a favorable fixture. His ownership is just 0.6%, because until a few days ago he wasn’t considered a starter: now, though, the situation may have changed.

Of course, it will be essential to follow the latest team news, since his place in the starting lineup isn’t certain yet. We believe he could start and we’re ready to back him.

And the coach?

We chose not to recommend a coach because it’s a particular role: every change costs points, and it’s often better to commit from the start to a solid option to hold onto long-term.

Round 1 reminded us just how risky it can be to look for surprises on the bench (Cuesta! Stroppa!). For that reason, barring the need to make up ground, we prefer to be cautious and back more reliable coaches.

Stay Up to Date

Follow Kickest and stay connected with the community:

• 🐦 X – Real-time updates, Serie A news, and Kickest content.
• 💬 Reddit – Strategies, advice, and discussions with the community.
• 🚀 Discord Server – Discussions, strategies, and community insights.
• 📺 Youtube – How to Play, Tutorial and Tips