Premier League 2021/22 Season: FPL Gameweek 2 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 2 Fixtures
Premier League 2021/22 Season: FPL Gameweek 2 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 2
Liverpool 3-0 Burnley
Aston Villa 3-1 Newcastle
Crystal Palace 1-1 Brentford
Leeds 2-1 Everton
Man City 4-0 Norwich
Brighton 1-2 Watford
Southampton 0-2 Man United
Wolves 0-1 Spurs
Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea
West Ham 1-2 Leicester
FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 2
What are the potential stumbling blocks to a good Gameweek 2?:
- Rotation
- Injuries
- Not paying attention to team line-up news
- Believing everything that happened in GW1 is going to be an exact repeat. You know for a fact that Harvey Barnes is going to score after being transferred out by many, many players.
Who are the teams to look out for and avoid?:
Watch: Liverpool, Aston Villa, Man City, Watford, Man United, Spurs, Chelsea
Avoid: Burnley, Newcastle, Norwich, Brighton, Southampton, Wolves, Arsenal
???: Crystal Palace, Burnley, Leeds, Everton, West Ham, Leicester
Gameweek 2 – FPL Differential Picks:
LIV/BUR: Sadio Mane (LIV, MID, £12.0mil, 3.8% ownership)
AVL/NEW: Emiliano Buendia (AVL, MID, £6.5mil, 5.1% ownership)
CRY/BRE: Wilfried Zaha (CRY, MID, £7.0mil, 6.6% ownership)
LEE/EVE: Illan Meslier (LEE, GK, £5.0mil, 3.8% ownership)
MCI/NOR: Raheem Sterling (MCI, MID, £11.0mil, 2.9% ownership)
BHA/WAT: Ismaila Sarr (WAT, MID, £6.0mil, 5.3% ownership)
SOU/MUN: David de Gea (MUN, GK, £5.0mil, 3.3% ownership)
WOL/TOT: Japhet Tanganga (TOT, DEF, £4.5mil, 1.3% ownership)
ARS/CHE: Trevor Chalobah (CHE, DEF, £5.0mil, 3.1% ownership)
WHU/LEI: Ricardo Pereira (LEI, DEF, £5.5mil, 5.4% ownership)
GW1 saw four big differential returns from Mason Greenwood (MUN), Ismaila Sarr (WAT), Saïd Benrahma (WHU), and Ricardo Pereira (LEI). Che Adams also picked up an assist for Southampton. Konaté didn’t play for Liverpool, Sterling shipped off after 60mins, Mbeumo (BRE) kept going close against Arsenal but didn’t return, Timo Werner (CHE) did absolutely nothing despite a good win for Chelsea, and Pope didn’t keep a clean sheet against Brighton,
GW1 Returns: 5/10
Gameweek 2 - FPL Captaincy Picks:
Essential: Mohamad Salah (Liverpool) vs. Burnley (H)
Alternative: Danny Ings (Aston Villa) vs. Newcastle (H)
Differential: Ismaila Sarr (Watford) vs. Brighton (A)
Differential Captain: Ismaila Sarr (Watford)
Throwing caution to the wind, we are looking for Watford to continue their good start to the season, and one player has reminded everyone just about their talent. Watford’s incredibly pacy winger Sarr ran Villa ragged on the opening day, and he has that fear factor which makes defence drops that little bit deeper, that unpredictability which can make Watford a dangerous attacking unit. Travelling away to Brighton should see another chance for the Hornets to make waves in the Premier League, and Brighton can be beaten, and last year the Seagulls struggled to pick up points at home.
England vs. FPL:
The Three Lions got off to a rocky start, not even able to match the average 69pts for GW1, picking up 44pts. Returns from Alexander-Arnold (LIV), Cresswell (WHU), Vardy (LEI), and captain Danny Ings (AVL) were the only returns. Ben Chilwell didn’t even start which was the biggest surprise for the Three Lions team, with Marcos Alonso instead stealing the show.
GW1 Returns: 4/11
GW1 England Points: 44pts GW1 Average: 69pts
Two changes this week for a drop of four points. Chalobah (CHE) in for Chilwell (CHE) and then Greenwood (MUN) in for Sancho (MUN). The right teams were there, but the wrong players, so correcting that this week. We are keeping the armband on Danny Ings, because for obvious reasons, he should be having a good game against Newcastle who look like a leaky bucket.
FPL Scout Picks: Gameweek 2
Formation: 3-4-3
GK: Nick Pope (BUR)
DEF: Luke Shaw (MUN)
DEF: Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV)
DEF: Trevor Chalobah (CHE)
MID: Jack Grealish (MCI) MID: Mason Greenwood (MUN)
MID: Harvey Barnes (LEI)
MID: Jack Harrison (LEE)
FWD: Ivan Toney (BRE)
FWD: Danny Ings (AVL) - (C)
FWD: Jamie Vardy - (VC)
Substitutes:
GK: Ben Foster (WAT)
MID: Emile Smith-Rowe (ARS)
DEF: Aaron Cresswell (WHU)
DEF: Ben White (ARS)
Below is my normal FPL forecast.
FPL Scout Picks: Gameweek 2
Formation: 3-4-3
Starting 11
GK: Eduard Mendy (CHE)
DEF: Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV)
DEF: Ricardo Pereira (LEI)
DEF: Sergio Reguilón (TOT)
MID: Hueng-Min Son (TOT)
MID: Diogo Jota (LIV)
MID: Mason Greenwood (MUN)
MID: Mohamad Salah (LIV) - (C)
FOR: Danny Ings (AVL) - (VC)
FOR: Romelu Lukaku (CHE)
FOR: Jamie Vardy (LEI)
Substitutes
GK: Hugo Lloris (TOT)
MID: Paul Pogba (MUN)
DEF: Trevor Chalobah (CHE)
DEF: Luke Ayling (LEE)
Fixture Predictions: Gameweek 2 Liverpool 4-0 Burnley Aston Villa 3-1 Newcastle Crystal Palace 2-0 Brentford Leeds 2-1 Everton Man City 4-1 Norwich Brighton 0-0 Watford Southampton 2-1 Man United Wolves 1-2 Spurs Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea West Ham 2-2 Leicester
FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 2
What are the potential stumbling blocks to a good Gameweek 2?: Covid and the lack of pre season continues to effect each PL team, with the likes of Pulisic, Chilwell, Aubameyang, Lacazette, Cavani, Varane etc still missing. Not to mention the ongoing Kane saga, and the stray dog Ancelloti left in Merseyside. The teams we’ve seen so far are barely more than preseason XI's.
Who are the teams to look out for and avoid?:
Look out for Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Leeds all waking up this week.
Top FPL player targets this weekend:
Ferran Torres: Should retain his place as the makeshift front man against a team renowned for big losses in the Premier league.
Gameweek 2 - FPL Captaincy Picks: Essential: Mo Salah (LIV) Alternative: Danny Ings (AVL) Differential: Ferran Torres (MCI)
Other Gameweek Comments:
The second coming is upon us, Big Rom is in the building and already loving life. A debut fixture against his mentors favourite whipping boys is almost poetic.
FPL Scout Picks: Gameweek 2 Formation: 3-4-3
Starting 11
GK: Alisson (LIV)
DEF: Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV) DEF: Ruben Dias (MCI) DEF: Cesar Azpilicueta (CHE)
MID: Mo Salah (LIV) - (C) MID: Heung Min Son (TOT) MID: Ferran Torres (MCI) MID: Mason Mount (CHE)
FOR: Danny Ings (AVL) FOR: Romelu Lukaku (CHE) - (VC) FOR: Michail Antonio (WHU)
Substitutes
GK: Emi Martinez (AVL) MID: Riyad Mahrez (MCI) DEF: Tyrone Mings (AVL) DEF: Lewis Dunk (BHA)
Fixture Predictions: Gameweek 2
Liverpool 2-0 Burnley
Aston Villa 2-0 Newcastle
Crystal Palace 2-1 Brentford
Leeds 2-2 Everton
Man City 5-0 Norwich
Brighton 2-1 Watford
Southampton 1-3 Man United
Wolves 0-1 Spurs
Arsenal 1-3 Chelsea
West Ham 1-1 Leicester
FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 2
What are the potential stumbling blocks to a good Gameweek 2?:
· Man City might ruin FPL squads if they’ve decide to rotate
· Liverpool starting slowly in the early kick-off vs. Burnley
· Teams that lost during Gameweek 1 getting a result this weekend
· Sleeping on Romelu Lukaku (£11.5m) after re-joining Chelsea
· Aston Villa slip up against this weekend against favourable opponents
· 8 home wins last weekend might be a stretch this weekend
Who are the teams to look out for and avoid?:
50/50 Fixtures: West Ham vs. Leicester, Wolves vs. Spurs and Leeds vs. Everton are all very evenly matched fixtures and I’ve no idea which way the pendulum with swing, though I can see high-scoring draws in two of these fixtures.
Spurs (Watch): Expect another tight game as Nuno returns to Wolves. Both teams were involved in 1-0 scores during Gameweek 1 and both are compact teams. A goalless draw or a slight win for Nuno might be the only outcome – if this is a 9-goal thriller that would be a big surprise.
Newcastle (Avoid): My beloved Magpies aren’t clicking and are already showing signs that we’re not tactically capable of defending against forceful attackers like Michail Antonio (WHU) that take games by the scruff of its neck. Danny Ings is another tenacious attacking outlet who is primed to stab the dagger deep into North East hearts.
Chelsea (Watch): A wealth of options, the addition of Romelu Lukaku, and mounting pressure already on Mikel Arteta is all shaping up for a vintage night of AFTV content. Really though, I’m not sure this Arsenal team have the answers just yet to get a result.
Brighton (Watch): Watford won on the opening day, but I’m favouring home fans impacting on another week, so have teased a rare home win for The Seagulls, even though the attacking pull favours Watford. There’s no logic here, more the theme of home wins having an early impact on the season.
Top FPL player targets this weekend:
I’ve made one transfer in my personal team, replacing the injured Joel Veltman (BHA) for another £4.5m defender. The options at Leicester, Amartey and Thomas, didn’t look all too convincing or locked on for consistent minutes, whilst I am not going to take a gamble on Pinnock (BRE) or Brentford defenders (yet) as the Arsenal team that they beat didn’t look threatening at all… That left me looking at sticking Eric Dier (TOT) as the 5th defender to come off the bench.
Aside from that, I’d stress going for proven hitters if you haven’t already. Generic advice certainly, but the likes of Bruno, Salah etc really are pace-setters in this game and essential to keep up. Just ensure you’re not swept up in the hype of the likes of Paul Pogba (MUN), a player who is certain to drop of in a big way as his attacking returns aren’t sustainable.
Gameweek 2 - FPL Captaincy Picks:
Essential: Bruno Fernandes (MUN)
Alternative: Danny Ings (AVL)
Differential: Patrick Bamford (LEE)
Other Gameweek Comments:
This is a weekend where you don’t have to take hits or shuffle your teams all too much, unless you’ve had an absolute mare to start of course. If you’ve followed the ‘template’ it was a kind start to the campaign for most, so just let the transfer roll if you can afford it as that will be the universal tactic. This will set you up for two transfers before the international break, which is always a necessity.
As for the captaincy debate this week, I’m terrified of 12:30pm kick-offs on Saturday so have gone with Fernandes for that sole reason. Burnley also beat Liverpool at Anfield last season and will be more stubborn than a Southampton side that wilted in their opening fixture against Everton.
FPL Scout Picks: Gameweek 2
Formation: 4-3-3
Budget: £100.4m
Starting 11
GK: Emi Martinez (AVL)
DEF: Luke Shaw (MUN)
DEF: Konstantinos Tsimikas (LIV)
DEF: Ruben Dias (MCI)
DEF: Lucas Digne (EVE)
MID: Bruno Fernandes (MUN) – (C)
MID: Mohamed Salah (LIV) – (VC)
MID: Jack Grealish (MCI)
FOR: Ivan Toney (BRE)
FOR: Danny Ings (AVL)
FOR: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (EVE)
Substitutes
GK: Ben Foster (WAT)
DEF: Eric Dier (TOT)
MID: Emile Smith-Rowe (ARS)
MID: Yves Bissouma (BHA)
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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