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Premier League 2021/22 Season: FPL Gameweek 12 Fantasy Forecast


Ahead of each Gameweek in the Premier League, The Hype Train's team - Robert Austin, Sam Austin and Phil Jones - compete for FPL and league standings supremacy in predicting Premier League scores, as well as going head-to-head in picking a Scout Picks squad for each round of games. We also comb over other relevant statistics, impressions and insight from around the game and the league to best navigate you through the weekly helping of fixtures. Welcome to the Forecast. All aboard.

Premier League 2021/22: Gameweek 12 Fixtures

Premier League 2021/22 Season: FPL Gameweek 12 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, or on Instagram!

Fixture Predictions: Gameweek 12

Leicester 1-2 Chelsea

Aston Villa 3-1 Brighton

Burnley 1-2 Crystal Palace

Newcastle 2-0 Brentford

Norwich 0-1 Southampton

Watford 0-3 Man United

Wolves 0-2 West Ham

Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal

Man City 3-0 Everton

Spurs 1-0 Leeds


FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 12


Who are the teams to look out for and avoid?:

Manchester City (Watch): Man City, good. Everton, (very) bad.


Aston Villa (Watch): The appointment of Steven Gerrard as the new manager of Aston Villa completely threw me, mostly because if you were to say to me he would be there of all places a few months ago, I would have strongly disagreed, especially with his Rangers squad flying, and Ings scoring goals for Villa. Steven Gerrard transformed a below par Rangers into Scottish Champions. He is a galvaniser, a leader, and from everything I read at his time at Rangers he is someone the players fight for when he is in your corner. He was the same at Liverpool. A charismatic manager might provide a new manager bounce, and a home game against Brighton is the perfect introduction against a good team to start a new venture off with a bang. Gerrard is my idol, it is strange seeing him in Villa colours, and I believe he is going to be a top-level manager one day in the Champions League. If I was a player in the Villa dressing room, I’d be going that extra 10% to make the impression. What a steal for Villa.


Newcastle (Watch): Gunna casually slip this in and hope nobody notices, but I believe the drought will be over for Newcastle this weekend now that Howe has had some time with his team.


Liverpool vs. Arsenal (???): I am a Liverpool supporter, which is even more reason why this is a sobering reality of the Reds issues with playing at home. After losing to West Ham in a deserved loss, the cracks are beginning to appear in the team. There is a lack of solidity, especially from the midfield. Sure, Mo Salah is going to get a return, that was never in doubt. What is in doubt is the giant injury list racking up for the Reds, and the erratic form. If Liverpool continue down this path, they aren’t serious title challengers with Man City and Chelsea who are going to make picking up points a rudimentary affair. The total lack of investment in replacing departing players (Shaqiri, Wijnaldum) has meant Liverpool are playing with a bare bones squad, now relying on fringe players becoming starters. Meanwhile, Arsenal are looking like a completely different side from the one last season. They look good in all areas of the pitch, and they have players back from injury, and their new defensive signings have proved to be a real boon. Typically, this is a fixture Liverpool dominate, but there is reasonable doubt to believe they will win this game.


Top FPL player targets this weekend:

GK: Alex McCarthy (SOU, GK, £4.6mil, 4.6% ownership)

DEF: Reece James (CHE, DEF, £5.9mil, 22.3% ownership)

MID: Connor Gallagher (CRY, MID, £5.9mil, 16.8% ownership)

FWD: Harry Kane (TOT, FWD, £12.2mil, 8.6% ownership)


Gameweek 12 – FPL Differential Picks:

LEI/CHE: Kai Havertz (CHE, MID, £8.1mil, 7.4% ownership)

AVL/BHA: Ollie Watkins (AVL, FWD, £7.3mil, 2.3% ownership)

BUR/CRY: Wilfried Zaha (CRY, MID, £7.0mil, 7.7% ownership)

NEW/BRE: Callum Wilson (NEW, FWD, £7.4mil, 2.6% ownership)

NOR/SOU: Stuart Armstrong (SOU, FWD, £5.9mil, 3.5% ownership)

WAT/MUN: David de Gea (MUN, GK, £5.0mil, 5.3% ownership)

WOL/WHU: Jarrod Bowen (WHU, MID, £6.3mil, 2.4% ownership)

LIV/ARS: Sadio Mané (LIV, MID, £11.9mil, 3.7% ownership)

MCI/EVE: Bernardo Silva (MCI, MID, £7.1mil, 6.6% ownership)

TOT/LEE: Emerson Royal (TOT, DEF, £4.9mil, 0.4% ownership)


Differential Captain: Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)

The Ivorian winger is back on the radar as he is currently on a good run of form for the Eagles. Zaha has 8pts in back-to-back games against City and Wolves, each game with a goal, and clean sheet point. The attacker 3 returns in his last 5 games played, and Palace are playing some good football. Palace also have Gallagher in form who is directly having a hand in Zaha’s points with assist potential. A game against Burnley is a perfect game to have three weeks with consecutive returns.


Gameweek 12 - FPL Captaincy Picks:

Essential: Mohamad Salah (Liverpool)

Alternative: Ronaldo (Manchester United)

Differential: Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)


England vs. FPL:

This week in ‘3 Lions vs. Mo Salah’ the Islanders dominated the average score this week 65pts to 42pts. Interestingly, the average score remained the same for GW10 and GW11. Five returns from Ramsdale, Trent, James (C), Smith Rowe, and Gallagher made for a healthy week of action. The forwards have been underwhelming of late, with most the points coming from defence which I am currently spoilt for choice.


Neither of my transfers worked last week, with Watkins and Gray picking up a combined 5pts, meaning they just made back their -4pt deduction. I’m doing a straight swap in the Man City midfield with Foden coming in for the injury doubt Grealish. City play Everton, so bound to be plenty of goals, and long-term City has a nice run of fixtures they can win most their games.


Ins: Phil Foden (MCI)

Outs: Jack Grealish (MCI)


GW11 Returns: 5/11

GW10 Points: 65pts (61pts with -4pt deduction)

GW10 Average Points: 42pts


England FP XI

Formation: 3-4-3


GK: James McCarthy (SOU)


DEF: Reece James (CHE)

DEF: Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV)

DEF: Ben Chilwell (CHE)

MID: Jack Grealish (MCI)

MID: Emile Smith Rowe (ARS)

MID: Callum Hudson-Odoi (CHE)

MID: Conor Gallagher (CRY)


FWD: Jamie Vardy (LEI)

FWD: Harry Kane (TOT) - (C)

FWD: Ollie Watkins (AVL) - (VC)


Substitutes:

GK: Aaron Ramsdale (ARS)

MID: Demarai Gray (EVE)

DEF: Aaron Creswell (WHU)

DEF: Conor Coady (WOL)



FPL Scout Picks: Gameweek 12

Formation: 3-4-3


Starting 11


GK: James McCarthy (SOU)


DEF: Joao Cancelo (MCI)

DEF: Reece James (CHE)

DEF: Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV)


MID: Connor Gallagher (CRY)

MID: Jarrod Bowen (WHU)

MID: Bernardo Silva (MCI)

MID: Mohamad Salah (LIV) - (C)


FOR: Michail Antonio (WHU)

FOR: Ronaldo (MUN) - (VC)

FOR: Harry Kane (TOT)


Substitutes


GK: Hugo Lloris (TOT)

MID: Phil Foden (MCI)

DEF: Tino Livramento (SOU)

DEF: Ben Johnson (WHU)


Fixture Predictions: Gameweek 12

Leicester 0-2 Chelsea

Aston Villa 1-1 Brighton

Burnley 2-1 Crystal Palace

Newcastle 2-1 Brentford

Norwich 0-2 Southampton

Watford 1-3 Man United

Wolves 1-1 West Ham

Liverpool 3-1 Arsenal

Man City 2-0 Everton

Spurs 1-1 Leeds


FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 12


What are the potential stumbling blocks to a good Gameweek 12?:

1) New Manager Buzz: Aston Villa sacked Dean Smith who went to Norwich after The Canaries sacked Daniel Farke. Villa replaced Smith with Steven Gerrard, with the Scottish club bringing in Giovanni van Bronckhorst as a capable replacement. Just below the Scottish border, Newcastle appointed Eddie Howe, with the former Bournemouth boss missing his debut outing as a game due to Covid-19. All of this will have some form of ripple effect, which will make it very difficult to predict winnable matches for Villa, Newcastle and Norwich.

2) The International Break (Part 3): A fresh set of injury doubts and concerns have struck again – please make sure you look before you buy the likes of Phil Foden (MCI), who finds himself on the side-lines for a week. I can say with confidence though that I’m with Jurgen Klopp, I hate the international break.

3) The Kane Appeal: Scoring a couple of hat-tricks for England against sub-par opposition doesn’t mean anything at club level, except for some much needed confidence for the England captain. I’m not sure I would jump the gun just yet.

4) A Week of Clash Fixtures: It’s a rough week in FPL for clashes. In my personal team I’ve got a bunch of contentious clashes, all which will no doubt negate their own points potential at the weekend. Here’s just a few clashes featuring popular assets in FPL right now, some which are in my team:

a. Kane & Son (TOT) vs. Raphinha (LEE)

b. Jamie Vardy (LEI) vs. Chelsea defenders

c. Emile Smith Rowe (ARS) vs. Liverpool

d. Hwang / Jimenez (WOL) vs. Antonio (WHU)


Who are the teams to look out for and avoid?:

Newcastle (Watch): Brentford are a very good outfit, but the buzz around Newcastle is going to be amazing. Eddie Howe missing the game is the only ingredient missing from what truly feels like a new era now that Lee Charnley has followed Mike Ashley out of the door. A win for my beloved Magpies is on the cards, though I’m not getting away with the reality that what I will likely watch on Match of the Day is Ivan Toney scoring against his former club to score a big win for the Bee’s.


Liverpool (Watch): As much as Arsenal have improved, their recent history at Anfield is woeful and typically a 3-1 game for the hosts. Salah of course is the default captain and the pattern and history of this fixture is enough to suggest that the cogs in Liverpool’s machines won’t be dealt with by Arsenal – even if Aaron Ramsdale is in the form of his life.


Everton (Avoid): Default win for Man City incoming. The Toffees have not been convincing and will likely be torn apart. Gabriel Jesus and Joao Cancelo are high on the radar for moves in this week I’m that confident that this will be an easy home win.


Spurs (Questionable): Life for Antonio Conte has been generous, though despite Kane finding form in a white shirt for the national team, I’m eyes closed until this form translates into what has been a non-starter of a campaign for Spurs (so far). Leeds are tricky opponents too, so it’s better to have your feet on the ground, than in the clouds, this Gameweek – it’s just one of them week’s all round.


Wolves & West Ham (Nuclear Deterrent): The saying in the word of nuclear deterrence says that bomb deters bomb, gun deters gun, and so on. In this case, a lot of FPL players will have one of Antonio (WHU) and maybe a Hawng or Jimenez (WOL) type. Gut call says that both will deter one another in a close fought contest – for the sake of my FPL team, I hope that every instinct in my body is wrong and this article can be downvoted by the Reddit users – at least this week there will be a reason to do so.


Southampton (Watch): The Saints have good differential potential up top this Gameweek and played Aston Villa off the p.ark last time out. Despite being new, Norwich still have the curse of being Norwich and I’m anticipating a sobering weekend for the hosts against a competent Southampton outfit.


Gameweek 12 - FPL Captaincy Picks:

Essential: Mohamed Salah (LIV)

Alternative: Gabriel Jesus (MCI)

Differential: Callum Wilson (NEW)


Other Gameweek Comments:

On Eddie Howe getting Covid-19: The most Newcastle thing of all time.

On Maxwel Cornet (BUR): A good attacking midfielder for Burnley? Feels like I’m sea sick whilst being 100 miles from the ocean.

On Steven Gerrard at Villa: Not a stepping stone to the Liverpool job? Famous last words, and permanent ammunition, for when Gerrard eventually takes the job at Anfield. A mid-table finish looks inevitable for Villa this season due to the bottom three being so bad.

On Dean Smith at Norwich: Will be a good fit to win the Championship next season – the squad still isn’t up to scratch. If Norwich stay up though, it will be one hell of an achievement.

On a Potential Covid Lockdown at Xmas: I’m dreading the thought of everyone being locked indoors again in the UK this winter whilst the Premier League goes back to stadiums without supporters. The games this season have been good fun so far – fans have bought life back to the game and we need it to continue.

On Gameweek 12: There are no real standout games, so a high-scoring Gameweek in my eyes looks unlikely, unless Mohamed Salah adds to his 117 points.



FPL Scout Picks: Gameweek 12

Formation: 4-4-3


Starting 11


GK: Edouard Mendy (CHE)


DEF: Joao Cancelo (MCI)

DEF: Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV)

DEF: Tino Livramento (NOR)

DEF: Ben Chilwell (CHE)


MID: Mohamed Salah (LIV) – (C)

MID: Diogo Jota (LIV)

MID: Maxwel Cornet (BUR)


FOR: Callum Wilson (NEW)

FOR: Gabriel Jesus (MCI) – (VC)

FOR: Michail Antonio (WHU)


Substitutes


GK: Jason Steele (BHA)

MID: Conor Gallagher (CRY)

MID: Emile Smith Rowe (ARS)

DEF: Eric Dier (TOT)


Want to know more about The Hype Train?

The Hype Train is an entertainment website founded in 2015, specialising in general football and 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. In 2021, we formed the Reading Sunday Social League (RSSL), a competitive Sunday League involving 8 teams in its debut season.

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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