If you’re in a rush and need some last-minute Fantasy Premier League (FPL) advice, here’s a quick round-up of what you need to know about Gameweek 13.
WHEN’S THE FPL GAMEWEEK 13 DEADLINE?
All transfers and team selections need to be done TODAY, by 18:30 GMT.
This is because Brighton and Hove Albion v Southampton is a Friday night match.
EMBRACE THE CHAOS
It’s the first of seven deadlines over the next 31 days, where a full round of midweek Gameweek 14 action follows this weekend.
Such chaotic Decembers are as traditionally festive as turkey, Wham and charades while drunken relatives snooze on the sofa.
We’ve looked at each team’s turnarounds between matches, taking EFL Cup and European occasions into account. In terms of fixture quality, the updated jump-on, jump-off guide is a visual planning aid.
To help with FPL’s busiest time of the year, Pras has provided six tips on how to successfully navigate it. For example, owning the best cheap players can provide useful squad depth in case starters get an unannounced rest.
IS GABRIEL OK?
Fresh from collecting Arsenal’s first clean sheet since Gameweek 4, popular centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.2m) was forced off with discomfort in the 84th minute of their Champions League win over Sporting CP.
The internet meme of Mikel Arteta’s press conference quotes were, of course, non-committal.
“We have another training session, to see how the boys are today. A few of them weren’t able to train yesterday but hopefully yes today. We have to wait and see.” – Mikel Arteta
And with the Friday deadline, FPL managers won’t be able to rely on Arsenal bus stalking. So there’s a decision to be made.
Meanwhile, we now know that Guglielmo Vicario (£5.0m) will miss the next few months and Antoine Semenyo (£5.7m) has a one-match suspension.
At Liverpool, it has been confirmed that Trent Alexander-Arnold (£6.9m) is ready to start but Ibrahima Konate (£5.4m) looks set to be out.
A WEEK FOR CHEAP FORWARDS
The two most-bought players heading into Gameweek 13 are low-priced forwards Matheus Cunha (£7.0m) and Joao Pedro (£5.7m). Both have just registered consecutive double-digit scores and are about to go against Bournemouth and Southampton.
Not only that, Chris Wood (£6.6m) – owned by over 2.5 million – welcomes Ipswich Town to City Ground and Yoane Wissa (£6.1m) faces managerless Leicester City. The Brentford man has scored five times and assisted twice in four home matches, a stadium that is averaging 4.83 goals per game.
Quite a few cheap strikers look set for a good week – Liam Delap (£5.6m), too. Just please, for your own sanity, make sure there’s no Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.6m).
BEST FPL GAMEWEEK 13 CAPTAIN
Cole Palmer (£10.9m) is the recommended armband recipient of both Captain Sensible and our Rate My Team (RMT) algorithm. Despite four blanks in five matches, he’s at home to a likely tired Aston Villa.
After that, they back Bryan Mbeumo (£7.9m) and Mohamed Salah (£13.1m) in different orders.
The Egyptian may be facing Manchester City but it’s hard to ignore both his tremendous form and the champions’ current freefall.
TEAM REVEALS
SCOUT PICKS + DIFFERENTIALS
Our weekly selection – which is essentially a Free Hit in all but name – commits to the aforementioned cheap forwards, plus Jurrien Timber (£5.5m) over the unknown status of team-mate Gabriel.
Amad Diallo (£4.9m) is the cheap fifth midfielder and featured in our trio of differential picks.
PREDICTED LINE-UPS
We’re in the process of predicting the starting XIs of all 20 Premier League teams.
Whatever you decide to do, good luck with FPL Gameweek 13!
