Premier League 2020/21: FPL Gameweek 33 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 latest round of games will be played out. Welcome to the Forecast. All aboard.
Premier League 2020/21: Gameweek 33 Fixtures
Premier League 2020/21: FPL Gameweek 33 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.
FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 33
European Super League:
So, this is going to be a reduced forecast from me because my love of football has been completely eroded this week. An emotional rollercoaster filled with extreme lows, extreme highs, and a complete ethics shift towards the owners of the club I support. The whole footballing world loses with this controversy. Even with all the fans uniting, and the amazing victory obtained by English supporters, particularly that of Chelsea’s valiant protests, football has had its name dragged through the mud. The Premier League era age-old argument, the ugly truth of football, has now become an even more grotesque beast: money.
Money is greed. Money is power in football. Money has completely distorted the working minds of the custodians of the elite clubs that represent football. A huge portion of football supporters have ties to the selfish dozen. Research from this year claims that Liverpool have around 80 million supporters around the globe, and the two Spanish clubs Barca and Real Madrid have over 220 million supporters each. The ego and greed driving these clubs is repulsive, as these ‘people’ are more akin to Smaug hauled up in his cave surrounded by gold and immense riches after pillaging societies of their worth.
I hate every part of it. I went from overnight being relatively happy with Liverpool’s ownership to screaming for their collective resignations. What I also despise is when politics gets involved, with the British government intervening to protect the countries largest entertainment asset. Football was created to escape politics, and this ugliness has given politicians a chance to try and influence it, especially after Matt Hancock tried to blame football for the pandemic (I specially remember him condemn Liverpool for basically ruining this country after the Atletico Madrid Champions League game), and then targeted footballers for their earnings as clubs were furloughing staff. The whole thing is abhorrent. Football should do the talking, nothing else.
I have liked Man City social media posts, agreed with Gary Neville as he used ‘YNWA’ to verbally destroy Liverpool’s ownership, supported the actions of Chelsea, stood side-by-side in supporting Manchester United cheering for Woodward’s resignation, and coming to the aid of Arsenal supporters war on the Kroenke family. I am extremely proud that all differences were put aside for the greater good of the sport, a humbling reminder to everyone that they were asleep at the wheel whilst these corrupt owners steered football towards what I was calling the ‘football apocalypse’. This has been if not the darkest chapter in football: April 19th was the day that football clubs officially tried to leave their supporters behind. Football without fans is nothing. The fight isn’t over, and no doubt this isn’t the end of this war on ‘legacy fans’.
Fixture Predictions: Gameweek 33
Arsenal 1-1 Everton
Liverpool 1-0 Newcastle
West Ham 1-2 Chelsea
Sheffield United 0-0 Brighton
Wolves 2-0 Burnley
Leeds 0-3 Manchester United
Aston Villa 2-1 West Brom
Leicester 3-0 Crystal Palace
League Cup Finals Bonus: Manchester City 3-1 Spurs
Teams Missing from GW33: Manchester City, Spurs, Southampton, and Fulham.
Gameweek 33 – FPL Differential Picks:
ARS/EVE: Gylfi Sigurdsson (EVE, MID, £6.8mil, 1.8% ownership)
LIV/NEW: Ozan Kabak (LIV, DEF, £5.0mil, 0.7% ownership)
WHU/CHE: Christian Pulisic (CHE, MID, £8.3mil, 2.9% ownership)
SHU/BHA: Robert Sánchez (BHA, GK, £4.5mil, 3.5% ownership)
WOL/BUR: Adama Traoré (WOL, MID, £6.0mil, 5.8% ownership)
LEE/MUN: Mason Greenwood (MUN, MID, £7.1mil, 3.8% ownership)
AVL/WBA: John McGinn (AVL, MID, £5.5mil, 1.0% ownership)
LEI/CRY: Timothy Castagne (LEI, DEF, £5.7mil, 4.5% ownership)
Differential Captain: Christian Pulisic (Chelsea)
Fixture Predictions: Gameweek 33
Arsenal 1-2 Everton
Liverpool 3-0 Newcastle
West Ham 0-2 Chelsea
Sheffield United 0-1 Brighton
Wolves 1-0 Burnley
Leeds 2-3 Manchester United
Aston Villa 2-1 West Brom
Leicester 2-0 Crystal Palace
League Cup Finals Bonus: Man City 2-0 Spurs
FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 33
On the rapid rise and fall of the Super League:
My two best friends, one who is my twin brother, are Liverpool and Chelsea fans and I made the mistakes of talking to them for a few hours on Monday evening when the ESL backlash blew up – both Sam and Phil didn’t draw a breath and were desperately concerned for the state of their clubs should they have entered the Super League. It was a few days of consumed thought for every football fan involved and to be honest, I don’t think this is over by a long shot.
In the midst of a pandemic in which fans cannot attend games or object in stadiums, Real Madrid President, Florentino Pérez, the clear-cut ringleader behind this capitalist venture that wanted to dictate how English clubs operated, will not go down without a fight. He’s got the money and means, but at 74 years of age, time is passing him by to make what would be one final power-play in the world’s game. He’s a man who has made his money and doesn’t care what he has to do to get what he wants – his stubbornness in the press has made this crystal clear.
There were warning shots at how money could impact football. Blackburn built a who’s who of British talent to seize the Premier League crown in the 1990’s and the class ceiling shattered ever since Roman Abramovich took over at Chelsea. Even before that, Sky had a big part to play in wanting to monetize the top-flight of English football when they rebranded the old Division One. Point is, everyone has not only been complicit in watching this happen, but supporters are largely unimportant and helpless at stopping changes in the game. Money talks and that’s why the elite game has runaway to the point that it is firmly detached from the working class values that moulded teams like Liverpool and Man United.
The point is, I am not sure why people are shocked when they invite venture capitalists, filthy rich billionaires into the game, that they should expect anything differently. American’s in particular fear competition in their sports clubs as they want assured profits. UEFA and FIFA are no better, they are just seeking to make more money, that’s why UEFA are butchering the UCL format in a couple of years. That’s why the 2022 World Cup will be the last 32-team tournament before that again is butchered by the time we reach the 2026 World Cup. These changes alone are criminal – adding more teams to tournaments doesn’t add value or competition, it just dilutes. Portugal winning Euro 2016 is proof of that – they wouldn’t have even made it out of their group stage in normal circumstances.
Football has already embarked down a darkened path and this ESL project is just another notch on the integrity of the game. I’m 30 years old and in the prime of years have gone through Qatar and Russia being awarded World Cup’s prior to the corruption scandal at FIFA that drove Sepp Blatter and his militants out of the game. I’ve lived through Chelsea and Man City buying their trophies, all whilst European giants creating one-team farmers leagues across Europe.
Big business has already strangled the game I love to the point where I am numb to the core, dead inside, even more so due to the fact I am a Newcastle fan living in the post-takeover world of the Saudi Arabian’s attempts to buy my beloved club. I am therefore not surprised that these tycoons tried to take and change the fundamentals of our game to line their pockets. This is merely the reality of these ultra-competitive and merciless ownership groups and the only way to change football for the better is to get rid of every single one of them. But how can that ever be achieved? I’m essentially asking for these teams, owners and clubs to essentially drives themselves into a wall for no other benefit than it being the moral and correct thing to do. That just won’t happen. The only way is for government reform to have these toxic owners second guess their investments, but even that is a gambit I wouldn’t back.
The major crime in all of this, and why supporters of football have spoken out so aggressively, is that we haven’t been able to voice reason, or shown a way in which the project would work without destroying the football pyramids in every country. It’s just cowardly to have announced the ESL whilst no fans are allowed into the ground – their would have been full on protests in these grounds. Boycotts even. That’s why this is such a symbolic victory for the everyday man – though in reality we are all going to have to fight even harder when these same people come back for a second round.
This numb feeling has now only degraded my love of the game this extra notch – though this waning affection only applies to elite level football. Premier League games have been hard to stomach and I’m now I’m not sure this stain can salvage my final care for this season. The best and more rewarding football in the UK is the non-league pyramid all the way down to grassroots football – that’s what I’d implore people to explore so you can rid yourself of the toxins of satanic, American ownership.
I’ll just end by saying that the other factor largely ignored is the sheer environmental impact that this league would have on planet earth – I don’t think the extra pollution and carbon footprint is worth the hassle as we enter a worrying period of ecological and environmental disaster in the coming decades.
Four teams are not playing during Blank Gameweek 33:
Spurs, Man City, Southampton and Fulham
Top FPL player targets ahead of the upcoming Gameweek:
GK: Alisson (LIV), Patricio (WOL), Schmeichel (LEI), Martinez (AVL), Sanchez (BHA)
DEF: Saiss (WOL), Alexander-Arnold (LIV), Castagne (LEI), Dunk (BHA)
MID: Traore (WOL), Trossard (BHA), Greenwood (MUN), Rashford (MUN), Salah (LIV), Maddison (LEI)
FOR: Vardy (LEI), Iheanacho (LEI), Cavani (MUN), Watkins (AVL), Bamford (LEE)
Who are the teams to look out for and avoid?:
Brighton (Watch): I own Ben White in FPL, which makes this Gameweek that bit more painful after the defender’s red card in the goalless draw at Chelsea last time out. In a Gameweek of obvious choices, Brighton’s trip to a spent Sheffield side should be good at both ends of the pitch. That said, once a team gets relegated there is always an upturn in form, so my generalisations might be well off base here.
Leicester (Watch): With Man City not in action, Leicester are the most attractive team this week and you can bring in Timothy Castagne for Stones, Dias or Cancelo to boost your defence. Vardy’s also back among the goals, whilst Kelechi has 8 goals in 11 games and is a must-have this weekend.
Arsenal (Avoid): This is a team whose attentions are elsewhere. The Europa League is their main priority, as it should be, but it has turned Mikel Arteta’s side into a bland vegetable soup in the domestic league. Everton should take advantage here as they strengthen their own claims for a Europa League birth next season.
West Ham (Avoid): This team got beat by Newcastle. They have no right to pick up anything against Chelsea.
Leeds & Man United (Watch): The game at Old Trafford leaked goals, so this one should be a profitable affair for attacking talents from both teams.
Aston Villa (Cautious): The allure of picking up Ollie Watkins for a one-week boost is a good idea against a surely-doomed West Brom outfit, but that’s all it will be. Villa’s run-in is difficult so I’d tread with caution over any proposed moves.
Gameweek 33 - FPL Captaincy Picks:
Essential: Mohamed Salah (LIV)
Alternative: Kelechi Iheanacho (LEI)
Differential: Mason Greenwood (MUN)
With a few missing teams and a packed schedule for some of the European teams, Mohamed Salah is the main captaincy option this week, whilst Kelechi’s form makes him an undeniable understudy. There’s also a case for Bruno Fernandes, though I’d be more inclined to throw a left-field pick to Mason Greenwood’s burst of form after his brace against Burnley.
FPL Scout Picks: Gameweek 33
Formation: 3-5-2
Starting 11
GK: Rui Patricio (WOL)
DEF: Timothy Castagne (LEI)
DEF: Lewis Dunk (BHA)
DEF: Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV)
MID: Mohamed Salah (LIV) – (C)
MID: Bruno Fernandes (MUN)
MID: Mason Greenwood (MUN)
MID: Adama Traore (WOL)
MID: Leandro Trossard (BHA)
FOR: Kelechi Iheanacho (LEI) – (VC)
FOR: Ollie Watkins (AVL)
Substitutes
GK: Kasper Schmeichel (LEI)
FOR: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (EVE)
DEF: Tyrone Mings (AVL)
DEF: Mason Holgate (EVE)
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.
You can follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, follow Hype Train FC on Instagram, subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content, or visit our website here at www.thehypetrain.co.uk
All aboard.
