The Hype Train

Premier League 2022/23 Season: FPL Fantasy Forecast - Gameweek 9

Ahead of each Gameweek in the Premier League, The Hype Train's team - Robert Austin, Sam Austin, and Phil Jones - provide a rundown of the upcoming round of games in the Premier League; predicting scores for every game, picking a budgeted squad of 15 players that we think are the top selections each week, whilst ee also comb over other relevant statistics, impressions and insight from around the game and the league to best navigate you through the world of fantasy football, all for free. Welcome to the Forecast. All aboard.

Premier League: Gameweek 6 Fixtures:

2022/23 Premier League Season: Fixture Predictions

Below, our score predictions pit the train's three members against one another. Let's find out how they think the Gameweek will shape up for teams.

2022/23 Premier League Season: Fantasy Forecast

The team go through a list of questions and insight to provide their predictions ahead of each Gameweek. None of the team pay for any subscription based FPL services, and the type of opinions here are based in both stats and analytical thinking where possible, as we tackle the latest round of games.

2022/23 Premier League Season: Gameweek Fantasy Forecast (Sam Austin)

Fixture Predictions: Gameweek 9

Arsenal 1-2 Spurs

Bournemouth 1-3 Brentford

Crystal Palace 0-2 Chelsea

Fulham 1-1 Newcastle

Liverpool 2-1 Brighton

Southampton 1-0 Everton

West Ham 1-1 Wolves

Man City 2-0 Man United

Leeds 2-0 Aston Villa

Leicester 1-1 Nottingham Forest

FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 9

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

Fulham & Newcastle (???): This is one of them games where you think Fulham would have the advantage but remember that Newcastle have become a bit of a draw merchant. They are a stubborn side, with a good defence, and I can see their former player Mitrovic being a handful for them, but not enough to get a win in a game that has a draw written all over it.

Spurs (Watch): The North London Derby is upon us, and it will be a good one as both teams are contesting for places in the top four, and Arsenal are pressing for a place even higher than 3rd. The worrying thing for Arsenal is that their first stumble came across Manchester United, and Son (TOT) has been finding the back of the net, and Harry Kane has been consistently scoring.

Manchester City (Watch): The Manchester Derby is also here, and it will be a hotly contested affair after Erik Ten Hag won the Premier League Manager of the Month award for September 2022. All of this hype around Ten Hag and he is going to have his best test so far against the reigning champs, and I just think everything I come to expect teams challenging City, I feel naïve. Pep has all the money and players, the history, experience, and in this game home advantage.

Top FPL player targets ahead of Gameweek 9:

GK: Ederson (MCI, GK, £5.5mil, 16.2% ownership)

DEF: Armel Bella-Kotchap (SOU, DEF, £4.5mil, 0.3% ownership)

MID: Son Hueng-min (TOT, MID, £11.7mil, 11.1% ownership)

FWD: Aleksandar Mitrović (FUL, FWD, £6.9mil, 31.8% ownership)

Gameweek 9 - FPL Differential Picks:

ARS/TOT: Richarlison (TOT, FWD, £8.5mil, 0.9% ownership)

BOU/BRE: Yoane Wissa (BRE, MID, £5.4mil, 0.4% ownership)

CRY/CHE: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (CHE, FWD, £9.0mil, 0.5% ownership)

FUL/NEW: Willian (FUL, MID, £5.5mil, 0.2% ownership)

LIV/BHA: Diogo Jota (LIV, FWD, £8.9mil, 0.4% ownership)

SOU/EVE: Armel Bella-Kotchap (SOU, DEF, £4.5mil, 0.3% ownership)

WHU/WOL: Lucas Paqueta (WHU, MID, £6.0mil, 1.3% ownership)

MCI/MUN: Phil Foden (MCI, MID, £8.0mil, 7.7% ownership)

LEE/AVL: Luis Sinisterra (LEE, MID, £6.5mil, 1.0% ownership)

LEI/NFO: Brennan Johnson (NFO, FWD, £5.9mil, 1.4% ownership)

Differential Captain: Luis Sinisterra (LEE)

We are going for a player of whom many of you will be quick to ask: who is he? Luis Sinisterra is a Colombian winger who was signed from the Dutch club Feyenoord. He is a very quick, tricky winger, and at the moment Colombia have a great set of wingers in the Premier League alongside Liverpool’s Luiz Dias. Leeds have a great player on their hands and he has already scored two league goals, the first against Everton in GW5, and then against Brentford in GW6. Up next for Leeds is hosting an Aston Villa team who haven’t pushed on under Steven Gerrard, and with the scrutiny building of the Premier League legend, the time is right for Leeds to strike when the iron is hot.

FPL Captaincy Picks:

Essential: Mohamad Salah (LIV)

Alternative: Erling Haaland (MCI)

Differential (low ownership %): Luis Sinisterra (LEE)

Rest of the World XI Challenge Team:

What is Sam’s team all about?: For the 22/23 season, Sam’s latest challenge sees his actual squad only being comprised of players from outside of Europe, with players only from Asia, North and South America, Australasia, and Africa considered.

Target Points: 2330pts

Total Points: 322pts

22/23 Captaincy: 3/6

Ins: Ederson (MCI), Salisu (SOU)

Outs: Mendy (CHE), Gabriel (ARS)

Both of my transfers in for GW9 are there to play, with Ederson coming in for an injured Mendy, and Salisu replacing Gabriel who now has a challenging run of fixtures.

The Gameweek 9 team of the non-EU challenge includes:

22/23 Challenge: Rest of the World XI

GW9 Formation: 3-5-2

GK: Ederson (MCI)

DEF: Emerson Royal (TOT)

DEF: Kalidou Koulibaly (CHE)

DEF: Mohammed Salisu (SOU)

MID: Miguel Almirón (NEW)

MID: Hueng-Min Son (TOT)

MID: Gabriel Martinelli (ARS)

MID: Luis Diaz (LIV)

MID: Mohamad Salah (LIV) - (C)

FWD: Gabriel Jesus (ARS) - (VC)

FWD: Roberto Firmino (LIV)

Substitutes:

GK: Wily Caballero (SOU)

DEF: Pervis Estupiñán (BHA)

DEF: Davinson Sánchez (TOT)

FWD: Taiwo Awoniyi (NFO)

2022/23 Premier League Season: Gameweek Fantasy Forecast (Robert Austin)

Fixture Predictions: Gameweek 9

Arsenal 1-1 Spurs

Bournemouth 2-2 Brentford

Crystal Palace 2-1 Chelsea

Fulham 0-2 Newcastle

Liverpool 2-0 Brighton

Southampton 1-2 Everton

West Ham 1-1 Wolves

Man City 3-0 Man United

Leeds 2-2 Aston Villa

Leicester 2-1 Nottingham Forest

FPL Forecasting: Gameweek 9

FPL analysis ahead of Gameweek 9:

Predicting the Gameweek: GW9 on paper looks like a bit of a potential car wreck even without a ball being kicked. There are some very dicey fixtures that threaten to negate a lot of FPL returns, and the international break has caused a few injuries and potential rotation concerns.

Playing your first Wildcard: The international football break has come and gone quickly and prior to the week off, A LOT of FPL commentators who ask for your money were all telling you to play your wildcard… the issue being, all squads look exactly the same right now, GW9 is tricky to predict, and these mythical price rises (for the likes of Trippier, Rashford, Maddison etc) just haven’t happened… I’ve still got a hold of my first WC chip and truly I have no idea when I’ll be using it – there doesn’t seem to be enough alternatives to the players already owned by the majority of the game, that makes it being worth it, especially as the FPL accounts I have seen who have played the chip, their teams look eerily similar to the already established template.

On Dominic Solanke (BOU): If you’ve seen The Cherries attacker appear on Twitter, it’s the FPL Community playing tricks on you. Currently, the Englishman has only been transferred in by 46,245 players as a minority of players have picked up that Bournemouth have a nice spell of fixtures, but until there is demonstratable form in attack this is a transfer firmly to wait on. Also don’t forget, some people online just want to watch the world burn and Solanke isn’t known for his scoring exploits (yet) in the Premier League.

Always Remember: Form > Fixtures

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

- Clash fixtures between Arsenal vs. Spurs and Man City vs. Man United diminishing potential points returns

- Liverpool not being able to capitalise on Brighton losing Graham Potter

- Bournemouth proving dogged defensively again and denying in the most transferred in player, Ivan Toney (BRE)

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

Man United (Avoid): A couple of good wins in September has seen ten Haag get off the mark at United, but a trip to the Champions and local neighbours, Man City, might be a step too far this early in the so called ‘development’ process at United.

Everton & Southampton (Cautious): Away to a Southampton side who have been very capable at times this season, this fixture is a middle of the road and hazardous to suggest, though I have a suspicion that Everton, who are on a 5-game run without defeat, might nick this on the road.

Newcastle (Watch): We’re missing Isak due to injury sustained whilst away with Sweden, but have Callum Wilson back. I’m not worried, the team have been playing very well, but have just struggled turning draws into wins. So for now, I have to be confident that we’ll be capable sooner rather than later.

Liverpool (Watch): If there was one week for Mohamed Salah to punish all the FPL players to have taken out The Egyptian King, it’s Gameweek 9. Brighton should be a winnable game for Liverpool, who seriously needed the international break for a mini-reset.

Leicester (I’m Not Sold): Good fixtures mean nothing unless the team are playing well. Nottingham Forest need time to gel their large squad, so a couple weeks might have done the club good to settle – and if so, they’ll probably beat Leicester.

Top FPL player targets ahead of Gameweek 9:

Leicester, Bournemouth, Newcastle, and Brentford, all have top fixtures and you should be looking at the likes of Maddison/Zaha/Pope/Toney – aka all the current top transfers in as they have longevity in your squads and can be built around the game’s expensive players that are harder to shift.

FPL Captaincy Picks:

Essential: Erling Haaland (MCI)

Alternative: Mohamed Salah (LIV)

Differential (low ownership %): Wilfried Zaha (CRY)

FPL Squad Picks: Gameweek 9

Formation: 3-4-3

Budget: £101.9m

Starting 11

GK: Nick Pope (NEW)

DEF: Kieran Trippier (NEW)

DEF: Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV)

DEF: Ruben Dias (MCI)

MID: Mohamed Salah (LIV) – (VC)

MID: Luis Diaz (LIV)

MID: Brendan Aaronson (LEE)

MID: Wilfried Zaha (CRY)

FOR: Ivan Toney (BRE)

FOR: Erling Haaland (MCI) – (C)

FOR: Gabriel Jesus (ARS)

Substitutes

GK: Danny Ward (LEI)

DEF: William Saliba (ARS)

MID: Andreas Pereira (FUL)

DEF: Neco Williams (NFO)

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. During the 2021/22 season, we won our first-ever trophy, lifting the East Berkshire Football League's Presidents Cup!

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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