FPL Gameweek 17 – The Fixtures
Gameweek 16 did not see a full complement of Premier League fixtures completed after Spurs vs Brentford was postponed due to an outbreak of COVID-19 cases within the home side’s camp. The round of games kicked off with Friday Night Football as Brentford came from behind to beat Watford 2-1 after Emmanuel Dennis (£5.8m) gave the Hornets a first half lead. Saturday lunchtime saw Wolves put up an admirable defensive rearguard against high-flying Man City after being reduced to ten-men in the first half following Raul Jimenez’s (£7.6m) sending off. Pep Guardiola’s side eventually made the breakthrough via a Raheem Sterling (£10.6m) penalty, ultimately winning 1-0 and keeping themselves top of the Premier League. Second-placed Liverpool also triumphed 1-0 courtesy of a penalty, beating Aston Villa with Mo Salah (£13.1m) converting their spot kick after being brought down inside the box.
Chelsea left it late to beat Leeds by three goals to two thanks to a 94th minute penalty from Jorginho (£5.8m), his second spot kick of the game, whilst Man Utd overcame Norwich 0-1 with Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.5m) scoring their winner. Sunday saw West Ham held to a 0-0 draw by Burnley, who will have been happy with the news that Newcastle were thrashed 4-0 away at Leicester. Gameweek 16 concluded with a 3-1 win for Crystal Palace at home to Everton, with popular FPL asset Conor Gallagher (£6.2m) scoring twice from midfield.
As was the case in Gameweek 16, Gameweek 17 has been disrupted by COVID-19 with the latest outbreak coming inside the Man Utd camp, forcing their fixture away at Brentford to be postponed. However, we’ve still taken the time to pour over the remaining fixtures which appeal the most from an FPL perspective and those players who could find themselves in among those all-important points.
GAMEWEEK 17 FIXTURES
Tuesday 14th December
Norwich vs Aston Villa (19:45)
Man City vs Leeds (20:00)
Wednesday 15th December
Brighton vs Wolves (19:30)
Burnley vs Watford (19:30)
Crystal Palace vs Southampton (19:30)
Arsenal vs West Ham (20:00)
Thursday 16th December
Leicester vs Spurs (19:30)
Chelsea vs Everton (19:45)
Liverpool vs Newcastle (20:00)
LEAGUE LEEDERS CITY WELCOME WHITES TO MANCHESTER
With six straight Premier League victories to their name, Man City are in an excellent place right now sitting pretty at the top of the table. However, they cannot afford to slip up at any stage and certainly not against Leeds in Gameweek 17, with Liverpool breathing down their necks. Any fixture involving Man City has a high potential of seeing plenty of FPL points being distributed and this one is no different.
Picking any Man City player in your FPL squad is dangerous for reasons related to rotation, however midfielders Bernardo Silva (£7.7m) and Raheem Sterling appear to have bucked that trend in recent weeks. Silva has registered five goals and one assist across the last six gameweeks, whilst Sterling has scored in each of City’s last two Premier League games. With the suspension of Joao Cancelo (£6.8m), Ruben Dias (£6.1m) is the most likely starting candidate among the Man City defence along with Kyle Walker (£5.5m), who was rested against Wolves.
HOWE CAN NEWCASTLE SURVIVE AN ANFIELD BEATING?
Newcastle have shown clear signs of improvement under new manager Eddie Howe at St. James’ Park since the former Bournemouth manager took charge, however this has not yet translated into strong performances away from home. The Magpies were beaten 2-0 by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in Gameweek 13 and were most recently thrashed 4-0 away to Leicester this past weekend. Next up, a trip to title chasers and notorious goalscorers Liverpool. Not ideal for them, but very much ideal for the masses of FPL managers boasting Liverpool attacking assets.
With an ownership of over 73%, the majority of the FPL community will be hoping that Mo Salah can continue his run of accruing at least one attacking return per fixture since his last blank all the way back in Gameweek 2. After injury restricted him to an appearance off the bench in Gameweek 16, midfielder Diogo Jota (£8.0m) could well feature from the start in Gameweek 17. Sadio Mane (£11.9m) completes the frontline trio and without an attacking return since Gameweek 12, the Senegalese star will be itching to get on the scoresheet here. Don’t rule out Liverpool’s defenders either with Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.2m), Andrew Robertson (£7.1m) and Virgil van Dijk (£6.7m) all having the potential to haul big on any given gameweek.
BURNLEY BACK TO DYCHING OUT CLEAN SHEETS?
Throughout their Premier League existence under the management of Sean Dyche, Burnley have been known for their miserly defence that have contributed to the recording of many clean sheets. However, this season such defensive stability looked to have disappeared, coinciding with them battling to escape the top three. After keeping just one clean sheet across the first 13 gameweeks, things finally appear to be looking up for the Clarets’ who have gained shutouts in two of their last three league games.
Watford at home in Gameweek 17 is a fixture Burnley can ill-afford to lose and therefore, their backline is expected to be at their best to ensure that there is no way through for the Hornets attack led by the in-form Emmanuel Dennis. From an FPL point of view, this makes goalkeeper Nick Pope (£5.4m) an enticing option, having accumulated 18 points across the last three gameweeks, whilst central defender James Tarkowski (£4.9m) also offers an offensive threat from set pieces.
