Premier League 2020/21: FPL Gameweek 5 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 5 Fixtures
The return of football after a lengthy international break starts with the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park and ends on Monday night with an interesting encounter between Leeds and Wolves at Elland Road.
Premier League 2020/21: FPL Gameweek 5 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 5
Everton 0-0 Liverpool
Chelsea 1-1 Southampton
Man City 2-1 Arsenal
Newcastle 1-0 Man United
Sheffield United 0-0 Fulham
Crystal Palace 2-2 Brighton
Spurs 3-0 West Ham
Leicester 2-1 Aston Villa
West Brom 0-0 Burnley
Leeds 1-2 Wolves
FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 5
Who are the teams to look out for and avoid?:
There are three locked on 0-0’s this week. Normally there are one or two max every gameweek, and Satan’s unholy trifecta has fallen onto the same Gameweek following a pandemic ravaged international break.
Everton vs. Liverpool: For the last three consecutive seasons this exact fixture at Goodison Park has finished 0-0, and the last time a goal was scored it was done by Sadio Mane in a 1-0 win, from a goal scored in extra time. No goals have been scored in ninety minutes for four years. That is what is great about the allure of Everton and Liverpool’s contrasting form…people will oversell this fixture and it will be the exact same affair that makes people wonder why they even bother watching football.
West Brom vs. Burnley: Say no more, this is finishing as a draw. I can’t see how either of these teams scores a goal in this fixture.
Sheffield United & Fulham: This is actually the least likely as this could be the game Sheffield United get out of their funk, but that said, they are gripped by Second Season Syndrome, and that is tough to shake. Fulham also scored a few goals in a loss to Leeds and they can’t repeat it.
Otherwise…
Spurs (Watch): I really like the Spurs attack now, and with Son running riot you can’t rule them out. I can’t believe there going to be adding Bale to this forward line.
Manchester United (Avoid): Yeah, this isn’t as much as a surprise anymore. Despite what is going on with Harry Maguire, it isn’t a great advert for their defensive prowess, and I can see Newcastle nicking this one.
FPL Differential Picks - Gameweek 5:
EVE/LIV: Michael Keane (EVE, DEF, £5.0mil, 4.2% ownership)
CHE/SOU: César Azpilicueta (CHE, DEF, £5.9mil, 4.4% ownership)
MCI/ARS: Riyad Mahrez (MCI, MID, £8.5mil, 4.1% ownership)
NEW/MUN: Karl Darlow (NEW, GK, £5.0mil, 1.6% ownership)
SHU/FUL: Rhian Brewster (SHU, FWD, £4.5mil, 6.3% ownership)
CRY/BHA: Leandro Trossard (BHA, MID, £6.0mil, 2.2% ownership)
TOT/WHU: Sergio Reguilón (TOT, DEF, £5.5mil, 1.4% ownership)
LEI/AVL: Ollie Watkins (AVL, FWD, £5.9mil, 3.5% ownership)
WBA/BUR: Matheus Pereira (WBA, MID, £6.0mil, 3.4% ownership)
LEE/WOL: Pedro Neto (WOL, MID, £5.5mil, 1.3% ownership)
Differential Captain: Matheus Pereira (WBA)
Yes, you are reading that right. I believe a West Brom player has value. The Albion’s Brazilian playmaker is a real handful, and he is on absolutely everything. Dangerous free kick…Pereira. Corner…Pereira. Open play play…Pereira. Slavan Bilic has based his team around his team’s talisman, and if Pereira has a good season, I can see another club further up the ladder taking a chance on him. He already has a goal and two assists and is arguably the best chance West Brom have to score. Burnley are a resolute team, and they need someone with some much-needed guile and trickery to open their defence, and Pereira fits the bill perfectly. I wanted to find a diamond in the rough this week, in a fixture I believe to be 0-0, and I’ll be surprised one of the three won’t end goalless, and Pereira can stop a lifeless fixture.
Other Gameweek Comments:
So, this past fortnight has seen the global pandemic ravage football. I still can’t put my finger on it, why everyone wanted to null and void the leagues, but it must have been a big reason. But now, with nearly every nation declaring at least one positive case, there isn’t one case for football to be stopped…only international football. The thing is, international football is completely ridiculous in the current climate and shouldn’t be happening, completing domestic fixtures is more important as it is more achievable, but having hundreds of flights that are also disease carriers to just ferry people to the UEFA Nations League and irrelevant friendlies is completely irresponsible. I wonder how many players are going to be out last minute due to late COVID-19 tests, I bet a fair few.
FPL Scout Picks: Gameweek 5
Formation: 3-4-3
Starting 11
GK: Hugo Lloris (TOT)
DEF: Virgil van Dijk (LIV)
DEF: Michael Keane (EVE)
DEF: Timothy Castagne (LEI)
MID: Leandro Trossard (BHA)
MID: Hueng-Min Son (TOT)
MID: Riyad Mahrez (MCI)
MID: Matheus Pereira (WBA)
FOR: Harry Kane (TOT) (C)
FOR: Raul Jimenez (WOL)
FOR: Jamie Vardy (LEI) (VC)
Substitutes
GK: Adrian (LIV)
MID: Diogo Jota (LIV)
DEF: Federico Fernandez (NEW)
DEF: Jan Bednarek (SOU)
Fixture Predictions: Gameweek 5
Everton 3-1 Liverpool
Chelsea 2-1 Southampton
Man City 0-2 Arsenal
Newcastle 1-1 Man United
Sheffield United 1-0 Fulham
Crystal Palace 2-2 Brighton
Spurs 4-1 West Ham
Leicester 3-2 Aston Villa
West Brom 1-0 Burnley
Leeds 3-2 Wolves
FPL Scout Picks: Gameweek 5
Formation: 3-4-3
Starting 11
GK: Sam Johnstone (WBA)
DEF: Ben Chilwell (CHE)
DEF: Luke Ayling (LEE)
DEF: Timothy Castagne (LEI)
MID: P.E Aubameyang (ARS)
MID: Christian Pulisic (CHE)
MID: Mo Salah (LIV)
MID: Heung Min Son - (VC)
FOR: Neal Maupay (BHA)
FOR: Harry Kane (TOT) - (C)
FOR: Dominic Calvert-Lewandowski (EVE)
Substitutes
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga
MID: Wilfried Zaha
DEF: Matt Doherty
DEF: Kieran Tierney
Fixture Predictions: Gameweek 5
Everton 1-2 Liverpool
Chelsea 1-2 Southampton
Man City 2-2 Arsenal
Newcastle 1-1 Man United
Sheffield United 1-0 Fulham
Crystal Palace 2-1 Brighton
Spurs 2-1 West Ham
Leicester 1-1 Aston Villa
West Brom 0-1 Burnley
Leeds 2-2 Wolves
FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 5
Top FPL player targets this weekend:
The talk of the town is the absence of Man City’s midfield maestro, Kevin De Bruyne (£11.6m) missing the next couple of games for City due to injury. KDB hasn’t been firing this season and looks massively fatigued. A lack of a break for City, who reached the Champions League semi-finals, has clearly taken a big toll on an energy-burning midfielder. It's time for a weekend or two with his feet up so he can recharge the batteries, otherwise it might be an inconsistent mess of a season for the Belgian.
With KDB out, this leaves more than 30% of players looking for a replacement. Heung-Min Son (£9.1m) from Spurs is the obvious candidate ahead of a home game against West Ham. Son is the leading FPL points scorer with 45 points and is trailed by Harry Kane on 44 points. Gareth Bale (£9.5m) might creep into a few teams, though I’m not entirely convinced he plays against West Ham, though if he does it will be from the bench.
Other alternatives, though without a positive fixture to boast, is former Real Madrid man, James Rodriguez (£7.8m) of Everton ahead of the early kick-off against Liverpool. There’s little reason other than The Toffees are in good form against a side that shipped seven goals to Aston Villa, so the buffet is open on Saturday.
Christian Pulisic, Kai Havertz, Raheem Sterling, Sadio Mane, Bruno Penandes and a few other premium picks will be the natural price-for-price choices, though there isn’t anyone above the grade that stands out, leading to a few riskier options outside of Son.
Who are the teams to look out for and avoid?:
Liverpool (Watch): Many are expecting a low-scoring Merseyside derby, though I’m backing Liverpool to gain a narrow win. Crowds matter a lot in this fixture and it will likely lead to a few goals in Liverpool’s favour. Mane and Thiago are back which will make a huge difference, though Adrian still being in the primary shot-stopping slot should give Dominic Calvert-Lewin a big boost as he continues his terrific form.
West Brom (Avoid): Classic 1-0 away win performance from Burnley incoming.
Chelsea (Avoid): Phil keeps telling me and Sam that Chelsea are under a ‘Youth Revolution’ as a means to justify Chelsea’s ridiculous spending in the transfer market. In truth, they’ve always been wasting good, young talent and I don’t see their young pups getting their own way with Southampton just because a fanbase and willed it. There’s a lot of work to be done and The Saints are a compact side that can hit on the break well with Danny Ings – it’s not plain sailing for Frank Lampard this weekend.
Arsenal (Watch): Mikel Arteta has Pep Guardiola’s playbook and his number on the field too based on their FA Cup semi-final last season. Without KDB, City might struggle to get the win against an Arsenal side that Liverpool have already beat.
Sheffield United (Watch): Rhian Brewster (£4.5m) is making his debut and is doing it against a Fulham side, who like Sheffield United, haven’t picked up a point. A goal in this game will explode the Englishman’s in-game ownership overnight and let's hope it happens, Brewster's a good young talent and it would be good to see him thrive as the man at a club in the Premier League.
Gameweek 5 - FPL Captaincy Picks:
Essential: Harry Kane (TOT)
Alternative: Mohamed Salah (LIV)
Differential: Ollie Watkins (AVL)
Spurs will dominate the armband this weekend, with Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son in prime position against West Ham. I currently have positioned Kane with the captaincy, though I am under the impression that Spurs are slightly more defensive and restricted at home. West Ham are also capable of a shock result and wouldn’t that just be the welcome return we’re all looking for – a big fat captaincy blank to go alongside another patchy, random Gameweek.
You just have to play the odds and just expect something to stick, that’s why Kane and Salah are my go-to’s this week as they’re quality players and aren’t often denied when playing at their best levels.
Other Gameweek Comments:
I think we’re going to post our Forecast as late as humanly possible before the FPL deadline from this point going forward. Content creators are essentially wasting their time trying to juggle points of contention, with the conditions of the upcoming Gameweek always changing. It just feels that any hard work and effort might be overlooked as the goalposts are changing on an hourly basis, which makes little sense why anyone would pay for a subscription service. Free content is the way forward and it always has been – anyone who is making money out of this game will try to sell you on any idea for their own personal and financial sake, even if they don’t believe a single word they’re writing.
As an example of this late-hour, upon my return from a much needed food shop, I just put in Vicente Guaita for Jordan Pickford, believing that the Englishman at Everton will be ousted for Robin Olsen sooner rather than later – turns out my transfer left me in the exact same position due to Jack Butland arrive at Crystal Palace.
Saturday morning transfers might become the norm and I implore everyone to do the same due to the erratic nature of team news this season as a result of Covid’s impact on the football schedule.
FPL Scout Picks: Gameweek 5
Formation: 3-4-3
Starting 11
GK: Vicente Guaita (CRY)
DEF: Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV)
DEF: Timothy Castagne (LEI)
DEF:
MID: Mohamed Salah (LIV) – (VC)
MID: Heung-Min Son (TOT)
MID: James Rodriguez (EVE)
MID: Wilfried Zaha (CRY)
FOR: Danny Ings (SOU)
FOR: Harry Kane (TOT) – (C)
FOR: Raul Jimenez (WOL)
Substitutes
GK: Emi Martinez (AVL)
MID: Daniel Podence (WOL)
DEF: Ethan Ampadu (SHU)
DEF: Romain Saiss (WOL)
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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.
