Fixture Analysis Ahead of FPL GW12 - Teams & Players to Consider/ Avoid

In this FPL GW12 Fixture analysis blog we take a look at teams and players to consider in the short, medium and long term and also look into teams to avoid.

Link to all our FPL Gameweek 12 blogs. All our FPL GW12 blogs are completely free to access and cover all the essential topics.

Fixture Analysis Ahead of FPL GW12 (Short, Medium and Long Term)

Stats and data from @getplaymakerapp

🔴 LIVERPOOL (LONG TERM)

NEXT 5 FIXTURES: ARS(H), SOU(H), EVE(A), WOL(A), AVL(H)

Liverpool players are generally fixture proof but their fixture run from now until GW26 look very good! They only face last season’s top 6 three times during this period, two of which are against Leicester(who haven’t been solid enough defensively this season). A double up or a treble up on Liverpool assets I feel is key because they’ll rack up the points!!!

FPL Players to Own/Consider from Liverpool

⭐ Mohamed Salah (£13m MID)

Mohamed Salah has 117 FPL points in 11 GWs

Salah is owned by nearly 72% of FPL managers but one thing I can’t understand is what the rest 28% of the managers are doing😂 He is essential and every team has got to have Salah atm! The man has blanked only once this season(GW2) and already has 10 goals, 8 assists & 117 FPL points to his name so far! He has taken 44 shots(37 from inside the box) and has created 26 chances(8 big chances). I don’t think I need to say anything more, just keep him and enjoy his points!

The only caution is that AFCON will be held from Jan 9th to Feb 6th so his availability from GWs 19-24 in the PL is in doubt because FIFA have confirmed that the African players must be with their national teams from Dec 27th. So, Salah might feature in the Boxing Day clash with Leeds in GW19 before going to play for Egypt!

⭐ Trent Alexander Arnold (£7.7m DEF)

Trent Alexander Arnold is racking up the points

Trent Alexander Arnold is the one who has to be in your team very soon if you don’t own him. He is fully worth £7.7m in FPL & everyone knows how dangerous he is whenever he plays. Even if Liverpool don’t keep a CS, there’s always high chances he’ll get a return or two. He already has 1 goal, 4 assists & 5 clean sheets in 9 PL apps this season with an average of 7.1 FPL points per game!

⭐ Sadio Mané (£11.9m MID) / Diogo Jota (£7.5m MID)

With the form Salah is in, Mané hardly gets a mention. Probably because of his price & loads of other premium options to choose from has put him way down in FPL managers watchlist. But if you don’t fancy premium options other than Salah and want to climb up the ranks quickly then Sadio Mané could be a shrewd buy! He’s already scored 6 goals this season & has an assist to his name! Since his arrival in the PL he’s always got 15+ returns in a season (five 20+ returns in 7 seasons) and always has the potential to deliver a big haul at any point! He’s only owned by 4% of FPL managers so he’s a massive differential👀

On the other hand, Diogo Jota at £7.5m is possibly the better move than Mané you might feel because he’s a lot cheaper! The problem with owning Jota is that you’re always unsure of whether he’ll start or not but with Bobby Firmino possibly out for a number of weeks following his hamstring injury against Atletico Madrid in the UCL, Jota’s place in the starting XI is a bit more secured now. He has 4 goals & an assist to his name this season. Its a gamble to have him in your team and you’ll need to have a good bench cover in case he doesn’t feature! During the AFCONs in January, Jota should start every game given that Salah and Mané won’t be available during that period.

🔵 MANCHESTER CITY (MEDIUM TO LONG TERM)

NEXT 5 FIXTURES: EVE(H), WHU(H), AVL(A), WAT(A), WOL(H)

Manchester City have superb fixtures coming up & you got to have atleast a couple of City players in your team. Their players are fixture proof so you can keep them for longer if you fell. The only issue is that we have to overcome the “Pep Roulette” every time they take the field😬

Man City FPL Assets to Own/Consider

⭐ JOAO CANCELO (£6.5m DEF)

Cancelo seems to be one of the players who is nailed in the Man City starting XI currently! He’s the only Man City player to have started all the 11 PL games so far this season. He’s been in sensational form and plays almost like a midfielder or a winger at times. He already has 4 assists & 7 clean sheets to his name in the league this season & has attempted 26 shots with 6 of them being from inside the box. Owned by 28% of FPL managers is relatively low because he is kind of a must own atm…

⭐ PHIL FODEN (£8.3m MID)

“A Man City attacker has started in his last 6 PL games” – sounds rare that, isn’t it? Foden has not only been handed starts in the last 6 PL matches for Man City but also has played the full 90 in his last 5 games! He’s got 3 goals & 2 assists during this period and a double digit haul to his name away to Brighton in GW9. 14 shots(all inside the box), 9 on target and 10 chances created shows how appealing an FPL asset he is. Of course you’ll be on the receiving end of the “Pep Roulette” on some GWs & having a good bench cover is very important but having a Man City attacker in your team is always great to have particularly with their good run of fixtures coming up! It might end in tears though, but it’s definitely worth the risk!

⭐ OTHER FPL ASSETS FROM THE CITIZENS:-

It depends whether you want to double up at the back or in midfield. If in defense then it should be Cancelo + Dias because Stones & Laporte will keep rotating and Dias is more nailed of the CB’s, but Dias isn’t nailed either as we all saw when he was benched by Pep at home to Burnley in GW8😬You can also go to Ederson if you fancy spending £6m + on a goalie! In midfield, no one should overlook Kevin De Bruyne.

It’s been a stop start kind of a season for him so far this season due to injuries but he is fully fit now and is looking forward to having another great season ahead. As we are approaching the busy winter period, there will be loads of rotation so a £11.9m FPL asset getting benched isn’t ideal for your team but he is one of the most nailed Man City assets over the course of the season.

If you can’t afford KDB, just keep him on your watchlist! Another player from Man City to keep in your watchlist is Gabriel Jesus(£8.7m FWD). He has started 9 PL matches this season and Pep uses him mostly on the right wing and with Mahrez unavailable during January due to AFCON, Jesus’ place might be secured during that time!

👹 MANCHESTER UNITED (LONG TERM)

NEXT 5 FIXTURES: WAT(A), CHE(A), ARS(H), CRY(H), NOR(A)

Man Utd assets? Now? Seriously? Yes, but only Cristiano Ronaldo… Man Utd have been shambles defensively and keep conceding goals for fun! I don’t think there will be long until Ole gets the sack but till then all their FPL assets are an avoid except Ronaldo! The man keeps scoring goals despite Man Utd not being at their best and where would they be without Ronaldo this season. Ronaldo since playing from GW4 has scored 4 goals & provided an assist in the PL. He has taken 28 shots(23 from inside the box) with 11 of them being on target and has created 6 chances. He has an Xg of 4.41.

The Red Devils face last seasons Top 6 only twice before GW28 so you’d expect Ronaldo to rack up a fair few hauls during this period! At £12.4m, he’s the best and the safest premium forward to have in your teams atm! With these sea of green fixtures some might say that their defenders could be worth taking a risk on, but I see them keeping max 3 clean sheets in the next 12 GWs so their defenders are an avoid imo!

“NEW MANAGER BOUNCE”

⚪ TOTTENHAM (MEDIUM TO LONG TERM)

NEXT 5 FIXTURES: LEE(H), BUR(A), BRE(H), NOR(H), BHA(A)

Spurs started this season with 3 wins out of 3 and were sitting at the top of the Premier League after GW3 but since then all went downhill for them! A string of poor results brought about the sacking of manager Nuno Espirito Santo who was in charge only for around 3 months at this North London club! The appointment of Antonio Conte has brought a real sense of buzz and enthusiasm amongst the Spurs supporters who feel that their club could be on the up now! Conte is a class manager and has lots of trophies under his belt in his managerial career so far so no doubt he’ll improve Tottenham Hotspur!!!

In terms of FPL assets, we all know Kane & Son are the two best FPL options from the Spurs team! Kane hasn’t fired in all cylinders in the PL so far this season but he’s scored a fair few goals in the Europa Conference League and for England already. Son has been the more livelier of the two with 4 goals, 2 assists and 58 points under his belt but the question is who to own between the two? Son or Kane or maybe both? It’s a difficult one for sure but with Ronaldo having such a good fixture run & it’s difficult to go without him it makes Son a better option both in terms of price & from the team structure point of view. Also take into factor that Son is about £2m cheaper than Kane and is classified as a midfielder in the game!

Kane vs Son (Player Comparison)

The wingbacks are a vital part of Conte’s team so Reguilón & Emerson Royal could be valuable FPL assets going forward and with their great run of fixtures coming up having one of them in your team could be a shrewd move. We’ve only seen Spurs once under Conte so far in the PL and the eye test already suggests that there could be a fair few returns on offer from both the wingbacks going forward.

Reguilón took 2 shots(both from inside the box), created a chance and missed a big chance in Conte’s first PL game in charge away to Everton whereas Emerson only had a shot but both these wing backs were very high up the pitch and took up great positions!

Lucas Moura has been one of the best player for Spurs this season & is only owned by 0.8% of FPL managers so if you’re feeling punty then he could be a good left field option but just be cautious because if Conte by chance changes his system from 3-4-3 to 3-5-2 which he also used frequently before then Lucas Moura could drop out of the starting XI…

🐦 NEWCASTLE (SHORT TERM)

NEXT 5 FIXTURES: BRE(H), ARS(A), NOR(H), BUR(H), LEI(A)

Newcastle Utd’s fixture run from GW 12-16

New owners, new manager, renewed optimism, a fresh ambition, there’s a whole lot buzz around Newcastle atm! Eddie Howe has been appointed as the new manager of Newcastle and it seems to be a good move! Howe has already managed in the top flight with Bournemouth previously keeping them in the top flight for 5 seasons. Howe’s Bournemouth always used to play on the front foot and they always carried a consistent goal threat…

Callum Wilson(£7.3m FWD)

Callum Wilson(£7.3m FWD) was the main man for Bournemouth under Eddie Howe! Wilson has been a consistent performer over the years in the Premier League, he moved to Newcastle last summer from Bournemouth and it didn’t take much time for him to settle into life in the Tyneside. He isn’t the type of player who usually stays fully fit for the whole season but when he’s fit, he definitely fires in all cylinders. Newcastle’s 4 fixtures out of the next 5 look very appealing from an attacking point of view and I expect Wilson to score a few in the upcoming GWs. He’s already scored 4 goals this season in 7 appearances in the PL!

On the other hand, Ryan Fraser’s move from Bournemouth to Newcastle hasn’t really worked out so far. He has struggled with injuries in the past 2-3 seasons and hasn’t really played much. With his former coach at the helm now it might help him revive his old form but it’s a wait and watch atm…

Matt Ritchie (£4.9m DEF)

Matt Ritchie (£4.9m DEF) made the similar club move in 2016 and is one to keep an eye on! He used to play in midfield under Howe but he’s been used as a left wing back for Newcastle in the last few years under Bruce. He has played every minute of the PL so far this season and it will be very interesting to see where Howe plays him now! The thing is that the Toon haven’t kept a single clean sheet this term and have the second worst defensive record… So, just wait a few more GWs to see how Eddie Howe lines up and where Ritchie plays & how they cope defensively!

Allan Saint Maximin(£6.8m FWD)

Allan Saint Maximin(£6.8m FWD) has been a real threat going forward since his arrival 3 seasons ago for the Toon! He is injury prone and struggles to get a string of games under his belt but to many people’s surprise he has started all 11 games in the PL so far this season and it’s good to see a player of his calibre playing regularly. He has blanked in the last 5 GWs though but has returned 2 goals & 3 assists in the first 6 GWs! He has had 18 goal attempts(6 on target) and has created 17 chances(4 big chances).

🔰 NORWICH CITY (SHORT TERM)

NEXT 5 FIXTURES: SOU(H), WOL(H), NEW(A), TOT(A), MUN(H)

Tbf, I really feel sorry for the Canaries because when they lost Emi Buendía to Aston Villa in the summer and they couldn’t find a perfect replacement for him, they were destined to go down and after 11 GWs they look like they’re already thinking about next season & just enjoying the PL this season! Nothing is impossible though and they could certainly survive by having a miracle turn around from here but I don’t see how they can do it tbh.

Daniel Farke was sacked after more than 4 seasons on charge for the Canaries and Dean Smith has been appointed as the new Norwich boss! It has to be said that Daniel Farke did a very good job at this club, winning promotion twice by finishing top of the Championship but they always looked like a club that is too good for the Championship but not good enough for the Premier League so I get that decision by the Norwich board that they are demanding to try and stay in the Premier League for a bit longer & not continue to be a yo-yo club…

Dean Smith appointed as the new Norwich boss

Pukki party, anyone? Norwich’s main man for many seasons now & he holds the key if Norwich have any chance of survival. Pukki has scored 3 goals so far and has an Xg of 3.68. He is only £5.8m & needs the right service but it’s difficult to say who will provide them! A chief creator is what they are missing!

Teemu Pukki – Norwich’s main man in front of goal

Mathias Normann(£4.5m MID) looks like a great 5th choice midfielder. He is an attack minded defensive midfielder who looks to shoot at every possible opportunity & moves forward a lot, he might get a few returns in the upcoming GWs! He has started every game since GW5, averages 2.1 shots per game and has created 5 chances in total.

The Norwegian midfield dynamo – Mathias Normann

Milot Rashica was signed from Werder Bremen in the summer but he’s struggled in the PL so far. Players do usually take time to settle to the PL so looking forward to see what he does and whether Dean Smith starts him or not! It will be very interesting to see how Dean Smith lines up and how Norwich approach their games from now!

🦹‍♂️ ASTON VILLA

NEXT 5 FIXTURES: BHA(H), CRY(A), MCI(H), LEI(H), LIV(A)

Steven Gerrard has been appointed as the Aston Villa manager after the sacking of Dean Smith. Gerrard’s style of play encourages the full backs to bomb forward & this could certainly benefit Matty Cash(£5.1m DEF) & Matt Targett(£4.7m DEF) and the wingers! Cash has had a decent start to the season so far and since Dean Smith moved to 3-5-2 a few GWs ago, Cash has been very attacking. 12 shots attempted(2 on target), 5 chances created and a goal under his belt shows that he has both goal and assist threat.

On the other hand, Matt Targett started the season poorly as it was understandable because he was struggling with injuries throughout the preseason because he got injured against Chelsea in GW38 of last season but after GW5 he has looked alright. 2 shots attempted & 13 chances created shows that he has more assist potential… Villa have only kept 3 clean sheets so far this season & it will be interesting to see how Gerrard improves this defense!

Matty Cash vs Targett player comparison

Other players to look forward to are Emi Buendía, Leon Bailey, Ollie Watkins & Danny Ings(injured currently)… But Aston Villa have very tough fixtures coming up, so their FPL assets are a wait and watch atm & probably avoidable till GW16 atleast. In GW17 they have Norwich so the next 5 GWs from now will be a very good sample size for us on how we can expect Villa to fair this season under Stevie G!

Steven Gerrard appointed as the new Villa boss

“TEAMS TO KEEP AN EYE ON“

🦅 CRYSTAL PALACE

NEXT 5 FIXTURES: BUR(A), AVL(H), LEE(A), MUN(A), EVE(H)

Palace have decent fixtures over the long run and is a team who we could invest on. They have been in very good form and have only lost 2 games this season! Patrick Viera has done an amazing job so far. Connor Gallagher(£5.8m MID) has been fantastic, 4 goals, 4 assists, 23 shots attempted (15 from inside the box) & 17 chances created(3 big chances) shows how magnificent his start to life at this club has been! Gallagher takes almost all set pieces for the Eagles which is a big plus. Wilfried Zaha has always been a threat for the Eagles but he costs £1.2m more than Gallagher. Strikers Benteke & Eduoard have been playing well and are ones to watch…

Connor Gallagher has been sensational so far this season

⚒️ WEST HAM UNITED

The Hammers are in a dreamland atm! They were superb last season & deserved to finish 6th in the PL, hence qualifying for Europa League & now this season they have carried on their superb form & currently sit 3rd in the PL after 11 GWs & are currently unbeaten in Europe as well! They have lots of fantasy assets in their ranks but their fixtures aren’t the best till GW17 so if you want to look elsewhere and avoid West Ham assets for the time being, the next 6 GWs is the right time to do so. But from GW18 onwards their fixtures turn & they have the best set of fixtures for medium to long term after that! They face Norwich, Southampton, Watford, Crystal Palace & Leeds from GWs 18-22 and Antonio(if fit) would be very popular at that time! Fornals & Bowen have been brilliant as well and could be very good differential options!

Cresswell & Coufal are very good options in defense!!!

🐝 BRENTFORD (SHORT TERM)

NEXT 5 FIXTURES: NEW(A), EVE(H), TOT(A), LEE(A), WAT(H)

Brentford started the season very strongly, losing only 1 game in their first 7 games but since GW7 they have lost all their last 4 PL matches! The first of the four defeats in this period came against Chelsea in which they were superb but Eduoard Mendy’s heroics denied them a well deserved point atleast! Then they lost to Leicester in which they weren’t poor at all but I think the issue for them currently is that they are missing the influence of their first choice goalkeeper, David Raya who suffered a serious knee injury in their defeat to Leicester.

He is one of the key players’ in the Bees squad & no doubt Brentford are badly missing his presence in the field atm… They were poor in their last two outings against Burnley & Norwich but this international break should give them a much needed break and a chance to regroup and come back stronger & refreshed for the busy fixture schedule coming up! Talking about their assets, of course the first name should be Ivan Toney (£6.7m FWD). He has 2 goals & 2 assists in 11 PL games so far this season which is a bit low but I fully expect him to return 15+ times this season but his returns will be spread out over the long run! With him it’s just about having patience and the returns will come for sure! Mbeumo (£5.6m MID) is another one who is a bit frustrating to own. He’s scored 2 goals but has hit the post around 5 times this season so far. If you got him or Toney or even both then waiting for a few more GWs could be a good strategy as they are due a few returns very soon.

Toney vs Mbeumo (Player Comparison)

Brentford always look dangerous from set pieces so players like Pontus Jansson, Ethan Pinnock (both £4.7m DEFs), Kristoffer Ajer(£4.5m DEF) offer aerial threat and can get returns here and there in any game. Rico Henry is an attacking wing back who has provides goal threat and has an attack potential. On my article about the Promoted Teams this season I mentioned that Sergi Canòs could be one to watch and he delivered a memorable goal on the opening day of the season against Arsenal, which was Brentford’s first Premier League goal ever! But as Frank plays him on the right wing back position which is “Reverse OOP” in terms of FPL because he is classified as a midfielder in the game, his attacking output won’t be high so he is an avoid!

If you’re on wildcard then Christian Nørgaard is one of the best £4.5m MID option to own! He is nailed to start and always offers goal threat from set pieces and gets on the end of many 2nd balls in the opposition box!

CHELSEA, WOLVES, LEICESTER & LEEDS

Chelsea have a good run of fixtures up until Christmas so owning one of their defensive assets is the key for the next 6-7 GWs! Tuchel rotates his squad a lot because he is in a competition with Pep for the most number of changes😂 so there will be some instances where a player you own from Chelsea gets benched. Tuchel Tombola is a tough puzzle so you have to pray for whoever you pick atleast starts the game!
Chilwell, James & Rüdiger are the 3 best defenders to pick from! Chilwell has started every game since GW7, Rudiger has only missed one PL game(GW7 against Brentford) this season because he was injured and James whenever he starts is a real threat going forward.

Wolves’ GW13 & GW14 fixtures look very appealing so if you want to take a punt then either Hwang Hee Chan or Raul Jimenez could be a very good transfer in in your team for those 2 GWs only! Then you can ship Wolves’ assets out after that because they are an avoid from GW15 onwards…

Leicester are an interesting one! They have good fixtures from GW13 to GW 16 atleast but they are not in the best of forms atm and the future of Brendan Rodgers is still unsure… It’s one of those where if you have any Leicester assets(I know some of you might have Vardy) you might want to hold on to him but if you don’t have any Leicester assets then you got to wait a week more and see how they fair against Chelsea this GW!

When it comes to Leeds FPL assets it’s only Raphinha or no one atm! He is owned by nearly 20% of FPL managers and everything goes through him when Leeds attack! Injuries have been a big problem for Leeds this season and as Bielsa doesn’t have a big squad to choose from, some of the players have struggled and it’s not quite clicking for them as a group as they did last season! Bamford, Ayling, Firpo, Koch are players who feature in the main XI that are currently sidelined through injury so Raphinha seems to be carrying all the load in front of goal for the Whites! Spurs away next up might turn out to be a bit tough but they have Brighton, Palace & Brentford after that which says that Raph is a definite hold! But from GW16 onwards their fixtures turn and transferring out Raphinha could be a popular move in that GW!

Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 12:

Top FPL Gameweek 12 Captain Picks Based on Analysis and Metrics
Double-Digit Returns Metrics for FPL GW12 and Beyond
FPL Gameweek 12 Preview Based on Actual and Expected Performance
FPL GW12 Wildcard Team Reveal | Best Wildcard Draft
Popular FPL Player Comparisons Ahead of FPL GW12 ~ Raphinha vs Bowen vs Trossard
FPL GW12 Watchlist – Stand Out Players Who Impressed In GW11
Crystal Palace Analysis | Best Crystal Palace FPL Assets
FPL GW12 Transfer Trends Analysis | Best Transfer Combinations
Everything Begins With the Fundamentals | Story on Son-Heung Min
FPL GW 12 Player Watch & Analysis | Callum Wilson
FPL Forwards Analysis Ahead of FPL Gameweek 12
FPL Planned Transfers based on Fixtures Between FPL GW12 to GW17
FPL GW11 Saturday Fixtures Review Based on Stats and Eye Test
FPL GW11 Sunday Fixtures Review Based On Stats And Eye Test

Link to all our FPL Gameweek 12 blogs. All of the blogs are completely free to access and covers everything right from game week preview to captaincy!

Thanks for reading the ‘FPL GW12 Double-Digit Returns Metrics’ blog. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for regular blogs. Also, follow our 40000+community on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to stay updated on regular Posts and FPL updates.

AllAboutFPL November mini-league give away

👑🔥AllAboutFPL 🤝 @shirtlootbox FPL Giveaway:

🎁Winner for the November month in our league gets a lootbox from @shirtlootbox

✅Eligibility: Follow @allaboutfpl, @shirtlootbox, Like & RT this
✅Join our league with code- smfms7 if you haven't already joined#FPL #FPLCommunity pic.twitter.com/DpTq2slXWg
— ALLABOUTFPL (@allaboutfpl) November 1, 2021

Visit **Drafthound.com** for more free stats, data, and more!

What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 12?

We’ll be covering fixture analysis, differential picks, GW12 Wildcard drafts, captaincy metrics, transfer trend analysis, expected line up, press conference summaries, Buy, hold, sell analysis for FPL GW12, our expert panel team reveals and more. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for all our blogs and subscribe to our free newsletter through the link below. We’ll also be posting regularly about the same on our social media accounts so follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook keep our notification ON.