We are back! Another international break is behind us, and it’s time for a feast of Premier League football.
The crazy Christmas period is now just weeks away and there should be two months of top-flight football before the next international break in January.
It seems like a lifetime ago since we selected our FPL team and it was a rather enjoyable experience when analysing our Gameweek 11 score.
Those that followed should have scored a rather tasty 76 points, 34 higher than the average.
But this is FPL we are talking about and we cannot afford to get carried away because each Gameweek poses a different challenge.
There are some tricky fixtures to navigate this week, with Leicester City hosting Chelsea while Liverpool tackle Arsenal.
Since the last break, Aston Villa, Newcastle and Norwich have hired new managers, so it seems sensible to wait a few weeks before considering any of their players.
Some teams have had an easy ride in the last few rounds, and the fixture list looks like it is about to get tough for Arsenal, Everton, West Ham and Leeds United.
Goalkeeper – Aaron Ramsdale
Ramsdale is an England international now and has served us well as Arsenal slowly improve their fortunes under boss Mikel Arteta.
While a clean sheet looks unlikely against Liverpool, he has every chance of picking up bonus points as he tries to stop the Reds’ dynamic front three.
Defenders – Joao Cancelo, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Antonio Rudiger, Tino Livramento
Everton have flattered to deceive in recent weeks and they should struggle to score against City, especially with Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s fitness still unknown.
Alexander-Arnold has every chance of collecting a clean sheet, with Arsenal yet to prove they can mix it with the Premier League’s best teams, while the England international always carries a goal threat.
Rudiger let us down in the last Gameweek with Chelsea drawing 1-1 with Burnley, but Leicester looked a little shy in front of goal against Leeds United and we will stand by the Germany international.
Livramento has not scored less than six points for five weeks and with Norwich in town, it’s worth bringing him in from our bench.
Midfielders – Mohamed Salah, Emile Smith Rowe, Raphinha, Bryan Mbuemo
Salah might not have scored for two weeks, but he has still collected 20 points for our team due to the fact he’s had the armband.
The Egyptian will need to get injured to leave our squad, and like TAA, he can find the back of the net against the Gunners, with punters able to back him at 10/13 to do so.
Even though he is playing Liverpool, it is hard to take Smith Rowe out of our team. The England international has scored 30 points in three weeks and his recent record in front of goal is superb.
Raphinha has avoided injury while on international duty for Brazil and after scoring 18 points in two weeks, it seems silly to take him out just because Antonio Conte is now the Tottenham boss.
Last but not least, we’ve decided to promote Mbuemo from our bench. The Brentford man continues to catch the eye, but he has not scored as many points as he should. Newcastle have only had a week or two to learn from Eddie Howe, so why can’t he get back to scoring goals for the Bees?
Forwards – Michail Antonio, Harry Kane
Antonio is slowly but surely on the decline when it comes to scoring points, but after finding the back of the net for Jamaica in midweek, we think patience is required.
However, with West Ham’s fixtures set to get much tougher, he could be on borrowed time in our team.
Back to back hat-tricks!
pic.twitter.com/jyZqPCa8Uo
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 16, 2021
Harry Kane scored seven goals during the international break, and he even got a little rest, so perfect preparation really as he prepares to face Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds.
Kane has only scored double figures once this season, but Leeds’ defence is still fragile, and with Conte at the helm, this could be the week the England man comes good. At 5/6, he looks good value to score anytime.
Captain – Mohamed Salah
*All odds correct at time of writing.
