Thread by @CLINICALFPL, GW1 PREVIEW This will be a new series i’ll try to [...]

GW1 PREVIEW

This will be a new series i’ll try to run all season previewing every gameweek, going through all the games. Things I'll look at are the form and stats from certain teams and players. I'll also name 2 players who I believe will do well in that game.

I’ll also give my prediction and the predicted line-ups. This week the preview will be on my own Twitter feed, from next week running you’ll get it as an article on @FPLAcademica. So give them a follow if you haven’t already, lots of other amazing articles on there.

Saturday 12 september 12:30PM

Fulham

- Arsenal

The 2020/2021 Premier League season starts off at Craven Cottage with new promoted side Fulham hosting FA Cup and Community Shield winners Arsenal.

Fulham are still remembered by the FPL community mainly because of their 18/19 campaign, which saw them finishing 19th the league table, 10 points off 17th. It became very clear quite early that Fulham were very likely to go down.

Defensively they were the worst team in the league conceding a grand total of 81 goals in 38 games, conceding more than 2 goals per game on average they quickly became a team for FPL managers to target.

This is no different this year, with Aubameyang (12.0) being the 3rd most selected player and one of the standout captaincy choices for GW1. With 6G + 1A in his last 4 matches last season and goals in the community shield and recent friendlies show that he is in great form.

Aubameyang also scored 3 goals v Fulham in the 19/20 season. 44 goals in his last 2 PL season make him one of the most prolific strikers around in England and no better fixture to get his goal tally up and running than v newly promoted side Fulham.

Another player to look out for FPL wise is Kieran Tierney (5.5). Since Arteta’s arrival Arsenal’s defence has improved massively. Recent signings Saliba and Gabriel will most likely improve their defence even more. Tierney is one of the reasons their defence looks way better now

Whether it’s a back 4 or 5, Arteta always makes space for Tierney, at LCB, LB or LWB. Arsenal probably have the best fixture CS wise for this week, and if Tierney starts at LWB he’s likely to pick up some attacking points in my opinion.

Predicted Lineups:

Arsenal's recent form and the fact that Fulham haven’t done enough in my opinion in the transfer window leads me to believe Arsenal will win this game without any major problems.

My prediction: 0-3

Saturday 12 september 3:00PM
Crystal Palace - Southampton

Many people questioned Hasenhuttl’s future at Southampton after that horrible performance against Leicester. But they stuck with him and they enjoyed their rewards for doing so.

6 wins, 3 draws and only 1 loss in their 10 games after the restart showed their form and with the fixtures they start with i see no reason why they couldn’t continue that run of form. Palace had a terrible end of the season with 7 losses in their last 9 PL games, conceding 18

Last year's 3rd highest points scoring forwards, Danny Ings (8.5) looks ready to repeat his heroics from last season, missing out on the golden boot by only 1 goal. 198 FPL points saw Southampton's key player only behind Martial (200) and Vardy (210).

22 goals from only an xG of 15.66 tells us 2 things: He’s a great finisher, but also that the amount of goals from last season might be unsustainable. Palace away GW1 is made for another trademark Ings 9-pointer.

The key player on the other side of the pitch is Wilfried Zaha (7.0). He had a poor season last year for a player with his quality but he wasn’t getting much help from his teammates, the arrival of Eze and Batshuayi joining on loan should help Palace and Zaha score more goals.

During pre-season friendlies we saw the old Zaha back in action. With 3 goals in 4 games he looks sharp going into the first gameweek. If Palace turn up, it’s likely that Zaha will play a big part of that. I expect Zaha to be in the points come saturday.

Predicted lineups:

Both teams have enjoyed a decent pre-season, so I'm expecting a decent game where both teams can grab the win on the day. Although i believe Southampton have a little more quality so i’m backing them to get their first 3 points of the season

My prediction: 1-2

Saturday 12 september 6:30PM
Liverpool - Leeds United

The battle of the champions!!
The reigning champions start their title defence against championship champions.

Liverpool have been a bit dodgy at times in pre-season, but we saw the same happen last season and then they went to win pretty much every game until Watford away in March. They will be eager to win the league again and to continue their dominance in the PL.

Fantasy football darling Mohamed Salah (12.0) is a popular pick again, but it’s his mate on the other wing who draws my attention more, Sadio Mane (12.0). His ownership is fairly low compared to Salah’s: 13% compared to 30%.

Mane has a trend of starting off well every season and he has looked the better of the two attackers in pre-season. I’d back him to score some fantasy points v Leeds on saturday.

A similar situation is TAA (7.5) v Robbo (7.0). Same as Mane, Robbo has had a full pre-season, whereas TAA has only featured in 2 games so far, because of a small injury. Robbo ended the 19/20 season in style with 2G and 4A after the restart, while TAA only managed 2G and 1A

Over the full 38 games TAA outscored Robbo in numbers: 4G + 13A v 2G + 12A but going off the last 3 months these numbers could change. Direct freekicks is really what’s separating both of them over the last 2 years. I’m giving Robbo a very good chance to outscore TAA

Predicted Lineups:

It’s hard to not see a Liverpool win coming in this fixture. It’s still yet to be seen how Leeds United will adapt to life in the Premier League and how their style of play will affect them and their opponents.

My prediction: 3-0

Saturday 12 september
West Ham - Newcastle 8:00PM

West ham haven’t done much so far in the transferwindow, whereas Newcastle have improved a lot by signing Wilson, Fraser and Lewis in the last few days

Saint-Maximin (5.5) became a decent cheap FPL option towards the end of the season. Especially his 3 assists v Bournemouth didn’t go unnoticed. He struggled the first few months in Newcastle after joining them from France. Last few games it looked like he had settled in.

His quality was clear to see but he wasn’t getting much help in attack. He was left on his own for a long time during the season. Recent additions to the team in Fraser and Wilson will mean Newcastle will improve in the attack this season and ASM could take advantage of this

The 4 goal performance of this man, Michail Antonio (6.5), against Norwich will always be remembered. 23 points in one game alone and decent amounts of points after that meant he was one of the highest scoring players in the whole game after the Covid-19 break.

West Ham’ fixtures in the first 10 are incredibly hard, but a home game v Newcastle in GW1 screams points to me. For me he’s the best cheap forward option for GW1, for people going for an early WC he’s the one to bring home some points for you Saturday evening.

Predicted lineups:

They’re is still a question mark around the availability of Newcastle's new signings for the starting XI for GW1. I would have given Newcastle a very good chance to win if their new signings had a little more time to train and settle in with the group.

My prediction: 1-1

Sunday 13 september 2:00PM
West Brom - Leicester

Newly promoted side West Brom start the season off with a game at home v Leicester, who are still dealing with injuries and suspensions to key players

Last year's topscorer Jamie Vardy (10.0) is the star player

for Leicester and they will be looking at him to score the goals on sunday. Leicester first 5 fixtures with the season opener v a newly promoted team make Vardy a very intriguing option for this game.

Last year's topscorer Jamie Vardy (10.0) is the star player for Leicester and they will be looking at him to score the goals on sunday. Leicester first 5 fixtures with the season opener v a newly promoted team make Vardy a very intriguing option for this game.

Rodgers comments during the presser on Ndidi filling in at CB increases the chance of them starting in a 5-3-2. In this system Iheanacho (6.0) is mostly favoured over Barnes. If he does get the start, i believe he will score some points

Predicted lineups:

Leicester’s problems regarding injuries/suspensions makes me believe the surprise of the week could well come in this game. I’m giving West Brom a very good chance to get a result against the Foxes

My prediction: 1-1

Sunday 13 september 5:30PM
Spurs - Everton

Spurs first game of a busy period is a home game against the toffees. This will be Mourinho’s and Ancelotti’s first season after stepping in late 2019. Everton had a shocking end of the season, while Spurs were finding more form.

One player that has benefitted the most from Mourinho’s arrival was Dele Alli (8.0). Operating like a second striker he returned 3 goals and 3 assists in his first 3 games under José. After struggling with small injuries he didn’t really perform in the games after that.

He’s back fit now, did quite well in pre-season and looks to be a key player for Mourinho’s top 4 campaign. At an ownership below 5% he is one of the best differentials for GW1 and beyond.

Another player who enjoyed the arrival of a new manager was Dominic Calvert-Lewin (7.0). With 8G and 1A in his first 10 games under Ancelotti he quickly became the best mid priced forward in FPL .

With Everton and DCL you never know what version will turn up. Recent signings in James, Allan and Doucoure have strengthened their team and I expect Everton to start off quite well. Spurs’ defence isn’t where Jose wants it to be.

It’s still unclear whether Allan, Doucoure and James will get a place in their starting XI immediately. Spurs’ team looks settled and with all the big guns fit i think Spurs will get the better over Everton, but it certainly won’t be easy for Spurs.

My prediction: 2-1

Monday 14 september 6:00PM
Sheffield United - Wolves

A clash of 2 teams recently promoted who both took the Premier League by surprise. Last 2 encounters where two low scoring games: 1-1 draw back in december and a 1-0 Sheffield win in injury time 2 months ago.

With the expectations of a low scoring game it’s no surprise that FPL managers are looking for defenders to score us some points. Vinagre (4.5) is getting a lot of attention at the moment, and rightly so. Wolves have one of the best defences in the league.

It might turn out to be too good to be true with rumours flying around that Wolves are still in the market for another LWB (Telles). It’s very unlikely Wolves will get a new wingback before Monday so Vinagre looks set to start.

Doherty’s departure left a hole in Wolves’ starting XI. Adama Traore looks to become the new first-choice rightback. A winger at rightback gives a lot of potential in the attack but it also makes them more vulnerable at the back. Stevens (5.5) is the one to exploit that.

Predicted lineups:

Both teams got 13 CS last season, only Man City (17), Burnley (15) and Liverpool (15) managed more. On the other hand there were only 4 teams who scored less goals than Sheffield United’s 39. Even Wolves aren’t known for scoring many goals.

My prediction: 0-1

Monday 14 september 8:00PM
Brighton - Chelsea

Werner, Havertz & co end the GW with an away game against Brighton and Hove Albion, before facing Liverpool in GW2. Lampard won’t be happy with any result that doesn’t end with 3 points.

All eyes are pointing towards the PL debut of new signings Havertz and Werner, who are both set to make their debut on monday. Werner (9.5) had an incredible Bundesliga campaign, scoring 28 goals and giving a further 8 assists in 34 appearances.

Werner is more than your casual ‘number 9’. His heatmaps show he likes to drift to the left cutting inside. His stats also tell us that he does a lot more than scoring goals, he also helps his team in defence and creates a lot of chances for his teammates.

My experience with him in Bundesliga fantasy taught me he can be very frustrating, 21 big chances missed tells you the story.

For the second player it would be very obvious to go for Havertz. However after Lampard’s words on Ziyech being out for a few weeks in his latest press-conference drew my attention to a much cheaper option: Mason Mount (7.0).

We all saw what he was capable of last season in different periods. His biggest downfall was his inconsistency. A possible front 3 of Pulisic, Werner and Havertz in front of Mount screams assist potential to me.

Predicted lineups:

I definitely predict Chelsea to score 2+ goals on Monday at least. I think 2 goals is what Chelsea need to get the win as Brighton have a decent chance of scoring against Chelsea’s back line.

My prediction: 1-3

This was it for my GW1 Preview.
BTW: the lineups are just a prediction based off friendlies, press conferences and opinions from me and others. Don’t hate me if they aren’t all correct, because they won’t be

+

appreciated. Took some time doing the research.

Latest Threads Unrolled: