Premier League 2020/21: FPL Gameweek 3 Fantasy Forecast
Ahead of each Gameweek in the Premier League, The Hype Train's team, Robert Austin, Sam Austin and Phil Jones, duel for FPL and league supremacy in predicting Premier League scores, as well as going head to head in picking a Scout Picks squad for each round of games. With the 2020/21 Premier League season starting tomorrow, we provide our Gameweek Forecast predictions, speculating how we think the first round of games will be played out. Welcome to the Forecast. All aboard.
Premier League 2020/21: Gameweek 3 Fixtures
After a record breaking number of goals during Gameweek 2, a week later we have an exact same format of fixtures, with games split across three days from Saturday afternoon to Monday evening, ending with Arsenal visiting Liverpool at Anfield.
Premier League 2020/21: FPL Gameweek 3 Forecast
Enjoy our FPL Forecast article, with each of our team forecasting how we think the Premier League will shape up this upcoming Gameweek. If you agree or want to challenge us on our point of view, get in touch with us on our main Twitter account, @RealHypeTrain.
Fixture Predictions: Gameweek 3
Brighton 2-1 Man United
Crystal Palace 1-3 Everton
West Brom 1-1 Chelsea
Burnley 0-0 Southampton
Sheffield United 1-1 Leeds
Spurs 3-1 Newcastle
Man City 2-1 Leicester
West Ham 0-2 Wolves
Fulham 1-1 Aston Villa
Liverpool 3-1 Arsenal
FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 3
Who are the teams to look out for and avoid?:
Liverpool (Watch): Merseyside Red have locked in their first two wins of the season, and after a convincing win over ten-man Chelsea in GW2 we have seen the Salah show at Anfield in GW1, and then the Mane show away from home against Chelsea. The Egyptian King is also the King of Anfield, and is always good for fantasy points there, and in recent history this fixture has always been an uncontested Merseyside Red victory. Jürgen Klopp’s team purred when summer signing Thiago stepped onto the pitch, and it could be a another banner performance from the Reds against Arsenal which should have people start already talking about them being frontrunners for this seasons title.
Manchester United (Avoid): I have a few Manchester United fans in the ranks of my football team, Hype Train FC. I asked them what they thought of United since the new season has started, and they said even their pre-season was disappointing, and what they saw showed that they were lagging a little. Their first comment was to point out the worrying transfer window with Red Devil’s being overlooked by nearly all their targets. This sluggish start won’t last forever, but it could carry on against a Brighton team that completely dominated Newcastle in GW2. For the first time we saw the real type of football that Graham Potter offers and travelling away to an emboldened home team is never good for a team still finding their feet.
Everton (Watch): People know my views on Everton, and if you don’t, I am still on the fence as to whether or not this Everton team can challenge for a top six space at the end of the season. Thad said, they are in some great goalscoring form, and that can never be denied, even with a bias in my corner. Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison have started the season with jet fuel in their boots, whilst James Rodriguez looks like he is actually a great fit for the Premier League after all.
Spurs (Watch/Avoid): An absolute roll of the dice this week over Spurs, only because in recent seasons they haven’t faired well in this fixture hosting Newcastle. Last year the Toon dug out a 1-0 win at the new stadium, and I wouldn’t overlook it. In the defence of Spurs, Son and Kane had an incredible game against Southampton in GW2, and with the addition of Gareth Bale to their attack it could also be a new look Spurs attack that could catch the eye. I personally think Son is going to make life tough for the Toon and Spurs will walk away with a win, but there is this voice in the back of my head reminding me that this is a classic banana skin fixture that could undo all the good work from the week prior.
What is the current Wildcard strategy, if at that point?:
I am playing mine this week because most of the players I had in my team were facing Spurs, Man City, and Liverpool away from this weekend. Also, it gives me a chance to get Kevin De Bruyne (MCI) in my team and get rid of the players that are no longer in favour after the first two weeks. Take Allan Saint-Maximin (NEW), everyone had him in their teams, but he is now injured, and didn’t do anything in the first two games. Meanwhile Wolves asset Daniel Podence looks like a perfect upgrade for him at the same price.
Gameweek 3 - FPL Differential Picks:
BHA/MUN: Neal Maupay (BHA, FWD, £6.5mil. 2.2% ownership)
CRY/EVE: Michael Keane (EVE, DEF, £5.0mil, 3.8% ownership)
WBA/CHE: Thiago Silva (CHE, DEF, £5.5mil, 2.1% ownership)
BUR/SOU: Jimmy Dunne (BUR, DEF, £4.0mil, 4.1% ownership)
SHU/LEE: Hélder Costa (LEE, MID, £5.6mil, 6.9% ownership)
TOT/NEW: Hugo Lloris (TOT, GK, £5.5mil, 5.2% ownership)
MCI/LEI: Phil Foden (MCI, MID, £6.5mil, 6.4% ownership)
WHU/WOL: Daniel Podence (WOL, MID, £5.6mil, 4.6% ownership)
FUL/AVL: Ollie Watkins (AVL, FWD, £6.0mil, 1.5% ownership)
LIV/ARS: Roberto Firmino (LIV, FWD, £9.4mil, 3.2% ownership)
Differential Captain: Neal Maupay (BHA)
I have been a big fan of Maupay since his arrival at Brighton, he is a real class finisher when he has the supply to him, and his strikes were the difference over Newcastle last week. Penalties are also back on the agenda in the Premier League, and I can see another tragic case of irony when VAR awards Brighton a controversial penalty, and Maupay steps to score it. We were going to go Firmino (LIV) who loves a game against Arsenal, but United haven’t clicked yet and it could give Potter a chance to carve out a famous victory.
FPL Scout Picks: Gameweek 3
Formation: 3-4-3
Starting 11
GK: Emiliano Martinez (AVL)
DEF: Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV)
DEF: Roman Saïss (WOL)
DEF: Timothy Castagne (LEI)
MID: Hueng-Min Son (TOT)
MID: Mohamad Salah (LIV) - (C)
MID: Kevin De Bruyne (MCI) - (VC)
MID: Sadio Mane (LIV)
FOR: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (EVE)
FOR: Harry Kane (TOT)
FOR: Raul Jimenez (WOL)
Substitutes
GK: Hugo Lloris (TOT)
MID: Daniel Podence (WOL)
DEF: Michael Keane (EVE)
DEF: Jimmy Dunne (BUR)
Fixture Predictions: Gameweek 3
Brighton 0-3 Man United
Crystal Palace 2-3 Everton
West Brom 1-5 Chelsea
Burnley 0-1 Southampton
Sheffield United 1-3 Leeds
Spurs 4-2 Newcastle
Man City 1-2 Leicester
West Ham 1-2 Wolves
Fulham 0-1 Aston Villa
Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal
FPL Scout Picks: Gameweek 3
Formation: 3-4-3
Starting 11
GK: David De Gea
DEF: Romain Saiss
DEF: Reece James
DEF: Kyle Walker-Peters
MID: Heung Min Son
MID: Mo Salah
MID: Mason Mount
MID: Mateusz Klich
FOR: Timo Werner (C)
FOR: Harry Kane (VC)
FOR: Richarlison
Substitutes
GK: Alex Mccarthy
MID: Bruno Fernandes
DEF: Trent Alexander Arnold
DEF: Lucas Digne
Fixture Predictions: Gameweek 3
Brighton 1-1 Man United
Crystal Palace 1-2 Everton
West Brom 1-3 Chelsea
Burnley 1-0 Southampton
Sheffield United 1-0 Leeds
Spurs 3-0 Newcastle
Man City 2-1 Leicester
West Ham 0-2 Wolves
Fulham 3-2 Aston Villa
Liverpool 3-1 Arsenal
FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 3
Who are the teams to look out for and avoid?:
Man United (Avoid): This fixture isn’t for me, dawg. Brighton were fantastic against Newcastle and Man United were as bad as Newcastle were, so this game threatens to tip in Brighton’s favour, though being the early fixture might reduce it to a tepid draw.
Newcastle (Avoid): Saint-Maximin is potentially injured and Steve Bruce won’t play Miguel Almiron from the start in league fixtures as we progress throughout the League Cup, so the squad is massively lacking creativity, especially with Andy Carroll ambling around in attack. I’m predicting a heavy loss against a Spurs side, though Jose Mourinho’s side are far more conservative at home – so won’t expect 4 returns from Son and 5 from Kane in a single game.
Liverpool (Watch): The Champions have lost to Arsenal in their last two fixtures, one of them being on penalties in the Community Shield. Only thing is, Liverpool had already won the league and the Reds weren’t firing on all cylinders. This game usually sees Liverpool score 3 goals, so why break habit or tradition?
Leeds (Avoid): The goals won’t hold up. It just won’t. I can see Sheffield United stifling this Leeds squad and putting a bit of a reality check on a very entertaining start to the season.
Man City (Watch): Purring in their first game, wins over Wolves and Leicester to start the season would be a very positive start, though Liverpool have already beat Chelsea away so it’s advantage Reds already.
Burnley (Watch): Vintage low-scoring home match incoming against a struggling Southampton side? Sounds about right.
Everton (Watch): They’re passing the eye-test and have been much improved under Ancelotti’s guidance. A visit to Palace, usually a mid-table clash, has turned into two sides with a perfect record going toe-to-toe to maintain a perfect record. Who would have thought?
What is the current Wildcard strategy, if at that point?:
It is with great regret that I hit the ‘activate wildcard’ button ahead of Gameweek 3. Given that the transfer window is still open, Covid-19 is still ravaging the world and the Premier League hasn’t settled, on top of the huge high-scoring Gameweek 2. It feels right though given that the FPL pricing structure means to change a few elements of your team means you have to butcher your entire squad and start again.
I wanted to wait, but that’s the world we’re all in right now. I managed a good haul of 85 points during Gameweek 1, but then only 34 during Gameweek 2 and had a host of injuries to contend with, so I hit that button without hesitation.
I think this might be a season of taking more hits as squads and form comes in and out more rapidly due to an escalated threat of widespread rotation, potential fixtures being moved or postponed due to the virus, and everything else that threatens the integrity of the FPL game – prices, form, community insight and more.
I’ve pictured my current Wildcard draft below. Wolves seem essential, as do a couple of Everton, Liverpool and Palace players. I might put in Foden for Zaha, and might put in Werner for Kane and Alisson for Pickford, though that’ll be the only deadline jitters.
FPL Gameweek 3 - FPL Captaincy Picks:
Essential: Harry Kane (TOT)
Alternative: Timo Werner (CHE)
Differential: Neal Maupay (BHA)
Captaincy picks have been quite straight forward. Salah (GW1) and Aubameyang (GW2) have dominated the polls. Gameweek 3 offers more variety – Kane, Werner, Salah, Mane, Man United attackers, Calvert-Lewin, and De Bruyne all have credible shouts for the armband.
Kane is the preferred pick as I can sense blood in the water as a Newcastle supporter. I might hold my nerve and go with Mohamed Salah against Arsenal with the armband, but without doubt the dice to roll on are a good trip for Werner away at the Baggies, and Kane against a bi-polar Newcastle outfit.
FPL Scout Picks: Gameweek 3
Formation: 3-4-3
Starting 11
GK: Nick Pope (BUR)
DEF: Michael Keane (EVE)
DEF: Romain Saiss (WOL)
DEF: Virgil van Dijk (LIV)
MID: Kevin De Bruyne (MCI)
MID: Mohamed Salah (LIV)
MID: Daniel Podence (WOL)
MID: Phil Foden (MCI)
FOR: Raul Jimenez (WOL)
FOR: Harry Kane (TOT)
FOR: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (EVE)
Substitutes
GK: Emi Martinez (AVL)
MID: Wilfried Zaha (CRY)
DEF: Jimmy Dunne (BUR)
DEF: Tyrick Mitchell (CRY)
Want to know more about The Hype Train?
The Hype Train is an entertainment website founded in 2015, specialising in Fantasy sports reporting, starting with Fantasy Premier League (FPL), before expanding to MLS Fantasy coverage in 2018.
We pride ourselves in providing beautiful graphics, statistics, in-depth analytical reporting and free weekly insight for hopeful players attempting to climb rankings tables. We are also occasional media reviewers, with a keen interest to review games, live sport, and professional wrestling.
In 2019, Hype Train Football Club was formed, becoming the first Fantasy Football website to take to the field. HTFC is a socially active team across social and web channels, providing regular match highlights, match reports, comprehensive player statistics and unique player profiles. We won both Goal of the Season Awards in the Berkshire and County FA regions, with Callum Parr-Jones winning the Berks & Bucks FA award, whilst Martin King won the PlaySport UK award.
The Hype Train were nominated and shortlisted for the 'Best Football Blog' in 2016 by the Football Bloggers Association at their annual Football Blogging Awards (The FBA's), and were again shortlisted as a finalist in 2019 in the 'Best Fantasy Football Blog' category.
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All aboard.
