The Complete Guide to FPL Pre-Season 2020/21

It’s back! Fantasy Premier League has relaunched for 2020/21 and, as usual, we’ll have everything you need to set you up for the new campaign.

All of our pre-season content will be collated on this page, which will be regularly refreshed between now and Gameweek 1.

This is where you can find our price-by-price, position-by-position rundown of pretty much every asset in FPL.

There’ll also be analysis of all 20 teams, Scout Reports on new signings and Moving Target articles on those switching allegiance.

Any information we learn about the various pre-season fixtures, from line-ups, goals and assists to the wider Fantasy talking points, will also be documented here.

As the transfer window develops, you can track all the ins and outs of FPL assets throughout the summer.

A lot of our content is free but, to gain access to every single article we publish and benefit from all the tools and stats on offer in our Members Area, subscribe from as little as £1.46 a month by clicking below:

POSITIONAL REVIEWS

Our comprehensive guide to the FPL player list, sorted for your convenience by position and price. Articles without links are Coming Soon:

• Goalkeepers: Budget
• Goalkeepers: Premium
• Defenders: Budget
• Defenders: Mid-Price and Premium
• Midfielders: Budget
• Midfielders: Mid-Price
• Midfielders: Premium
• Forwards: Budget
• Forwards: Mid-Price
• Forwards: Premium

THE 2020/21 FIXTURES

Our guide to the upcoming matches:

• 2020/21 FPL calendar: Premier League and cup fixture dates are revealed
• The best budget defensive rotations for the new season
• Which FPL assets are on international duty ahead of Gameweek 1?

STRATEGY

Insight from top FPL managers:

• Tom Freeman: Why researching the newly promoted clubs can give FPL managers an early-season edge
• Tom Freeman: Identifying the non-‘big six’ clubs with the best early fixtures
• Lateriser: Why upside-chasing won’t necessarily work this season and forwards are more important than you think
• Lateriser: A guide to upside-chasing and how to implement it
• Lateriser: The key underlying stats I consider when picking a new squad
• Mark Sutherns: How I’ll try to keep pace with the new smart thinkers in FPL
• Darren Wiles: The Southampton players I’m considering for my ‘big at the back’ Gameweek 1 team

Pre-season Minutes

How many minutes each FPL option has played during the pre-season:

CLUB BY CLUB

ARSENAL

View squad in Members Area

Content

• How Aubameyang compares to other premium midfielders after FPL position change

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Bernd Leno and Emiliano Martínez were both handed game-time during pre-season, with the latter given his place for the Community Shield final on the logic that he had helped win the FA Cup earlier this year. Mikel Arteta has favoured a 3-4-3 formation with Kieran Tierney the most likely to feature in the three-man defence. Mohamed Elneny played extensively in both of the games we were given line-ups for (the first two), partnered with Granit Xhaka in each. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang remains stationed on the left-hand side of the front-three, while quarantine spells for Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pépé allowed Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka to stake their claim for the centre-forward and right attacking-midfield berths respectively.

Form Players: Aubameyang (three goals), Nelson (one goal, one assist), Saka (two assists).

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ASTON VILLA

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Content

• The best budget goalkeepers for FPL 2020/21

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: All of Aston Villa’s pre-season friendlies were played behind closed doors with minimal media presence. Meanwhile, write-ups of their matches on the club’s official website included only goal-scorers, while omitting assists and line-ups. We do know that Ørjan Nyland got some minutes in goal, saving a penalty against Wycombe.

Form Players: Samatta (two goals), El Ghazi (two goals)

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BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION

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Content

• Can Leandro Trossard build on his debut FPL season?

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Budget midfielder Yves Bissouma has been heavily involved in Brighton’s pre-season campaign so far, perhaps pushing him ahead of Dale Stephens in the £4.5m midfielder pecking order. Utility man Solly March was also among the most-utilised players by Graham Potter, although we only had two matches to consider. Leandro Trossard was only involved in 62 minutes, missing the second pre-season game for international duty with Belgium. Adam Webster and Ben White were both tied as the most-involved centre-backs of pre-season alongside the more expensive Lewis Dunk.

Form Players: None

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Players Out:

BURNLEY

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Content

• Injuries plague Burnley defence ahead of new campaign

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Sean Dyche has faced an injury crisis in central defence during pre-season. Ben Mee was not fit enough to be involved in any friendlies, while Kevin Long managed just 90 minutes. Amid transfer interest from West Ham, James Tarkowski had to miss some summer action with a minor knock, allowing Jimmy Dunne and Bobby Thomas to each get 90-minute outings together at centre-back on three separate occasions. There is a chance one of them could get game-time from Gameweek 2 onwards.

Form Players: Wood (three goals)

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Players Out:

CHELSEA

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Content

• Creative Ziyech can improve Chelsea attack and offer FPL value in 2020/21
• Can Werner offer FPL value compared to Chelsea’s midfielders?
• Can Thiago Silva improve Chelsea’s defence and become a viable FPL asset?
• Chilwell’s FPL appeal dented by Chelsea’s goalkeeping woes
• How does Kai Havertz compare to Chelsea’s other FPL assets

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Fantasy managers only got to watch Chelsea once during pre-season, making it hard to make too many observations about how they will line-up in Gameweek 1. Investigating updates from Frank Lampard’s Thursday press conference on our Team News Page is likely to be more fruitful.

Form Players: None.

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CRYSTAL PALACE

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Content

• Latest updates on Tyrick Mitchell as Wilfried Zaha plays up front again

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: After switching from left-midfield to centre-forward half-way through the win over Oxford, Wilfried Zaha has now started three matches in a row out-of-position as a striker in Roy Hodgson’s 4-4-2 system. Tyrick Mitchell has spent more time at left-back than any other Palace player during pre-season in the absence of Patrick van Aanholt. However, we must apply a caveat to the £4.0m defender. He was benched for the first pre-season game, which saw Jairo Riedewald handed a start on the left-hand side of defence. The only reason Mitchell came on against Oxford was because James McCarthy got injured 20 minutes in, forcing Riedewald into central midfield to cover, in light of Luka Milivojevic‘s ongoing absence and Cheikhou Kouyaté deputising for the three injured centre-backs. McCarthy has returned to fitness now, registering some minutes for his country while on international duty. So, Mitchell does have a current advantage on the left-back berth, but a slew of injury returnees in central defence or midfield could force him into direct competition with Riedewald.

Form Players: Zaha (three goals, two assists), Ayew (two goals, one assist), Townsend (one goal, assist), Schlupp (two assists).

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EVERTON

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Content

• Can Allan improve Everton’s clean sheet prospects in FPL?

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: £4.0m defender Jarrad Branthwaite has probably not played enough of Everton’s two pre-season games to make a viable asset for the start of the campaign. He registered 45 minutes this summer, while Lewis Gibson and Mason Holgate featured for 118 and 93 minutes at centre-back each – while Michael Keane was on international duty with England. Jonjoe Kenny played 135 minutes at right-back, while Seamus Coleman mustered just one 45-minute outing. Interestingly, £4.5m midfielder Anthony Gordon was the third-most-used Everton player of pre-season (140 minutes) although we only have two matches to rely on, both played before the signing of James Rodriguez.

Form Players: Sigurdsson (two goals, one assist), Calvert-Lewin (two goals, one assist)

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FULHAM

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Content

• What to expect from Fulham manager Scott Parker in FPL
• Rodak could rack up the save points in Fulham’s defence
• What to expect from Aleksandar Mitrovic and the Fulham midfield

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: We only had access to one pre-season match for Fulham this summer, in which Scott Parker used two entirely different line-ups for 45 minutes each. Fantasy managers will likely glean more from his Thursday press conference, details of which can be found on our Team News Page.

Form Players: None.

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LEEDS UNITED

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Content

• What to expect from Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa
• What to expect from Leeds’ defenders in FPL this season
• What to expect from Leeds’ attackers in FPL this season

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Both of Leeds’ pre-season games were played during the international break, which severely limits how much we could learn about how they will line up in the Premier League. For each of their friendlies, a sizeable number of senior first-team players were with their countries, so make sure you check out the updates from Marcelo Bielsa’s Thursday press conference on our Team News Page.

Form Players: Bamford (two assists)

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LEICESTER CITY

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Content

• Coming soon…

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Leicester are short of defensive options at the start of the new Premier League season. Jonny Evans is suspended until Gameweek 3 and Wes Morgan picked up a pre-season injury. Çaglar Söyüncü is a nailed-on starter for Gameweek 1 but it remains unclear who will partner him at centre-back. Outside of the Turkish international, Josh Knight was the most-used option in that position during the summer. Timothy Castagne has not been around long enough to give us any indication about which side of the defence he and James Justin will play in the absence of Ricardo Pereira. Harvey Barnes was the most involved Leicester player across the three games, featuring for 211 minutes from a possible 270.

Form Players: None.

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LIVERPOOL

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Content

• Salah v Mane: how the Liverpool assets compare after FPL price changes
• How Alexander-Arnold compares to other Liverpool defenders

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Unlike most Premier League managers, Jurgen Klopp has used his best XI as often as possible in pre-season games this summer. Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané were both among the most heavily involved Liverpool assets across the four games, each registering 260 minutes from a possible 360. The only key name who largely missed out was Trent Alexander-Arnold, omitted from the first three games over fitness concerns and absent from the fourth due to international duty with England. The right-back was used as a substitute against Iceland and then played the majority of a 0-0 draw with Denmark, so does have some game-time under his belt from pre-season, just no minutes with Liverpool themselves.

Form Players: Brewster (three goals), Milner (three assists), C Jones (three assists), Minamino (two goals, one assist), Firmino (one goal, two assists)

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MANCHESTER CITY

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Content

• How do £11.5m midfielders De Bruyne and Sterling compare as FPL assets for 2020/21?

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: With no pre-season matches and no press conference until after the Gameweek 1 deadline, Fantasy managers do not have much to go on in terms of predicting the Manchester City team this season.

Form Players: None.

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MANCHESTER UNITED

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Content

• How will FPL positional reclassifications affect Man Utd’s assets?
• How will Donny van de Beek fit into the United midfield and what is his FPL appeal?

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: As is the case with their city rivals, Manchester United have not played any pre-season friendlies this summer and do not feature in Gameweek 1 either. Therefore, it is tough to discuss their assets at great length until we get Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first press conference of the season, which occurs roughly a week after the Gameweek 1 deadline.

Form Players: None.

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NEWCASTLE UNITED

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Content

• Coming soon…

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Karl Darlow is the clear deputy for the injured Martin Dúbravka this season, the £5.0m man registering 242 minutes from a possible 360, while new-signing Mark Gillespie managed just 118. Jacob Murphy has used more than any other winger in the Newcastle squad. No forward was deployed more often than Andy Carroll during pre-season, and the former Liverpool man also top-scored from the friendlies. However, the addition of Callum Wilson is likely to keep him out of the team.

Form Players: Carroll (two goals).

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SHEFFIELD UNITED

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Content

• Can Aaron Ramsdale prosper in FPL and how will he affect the Sheffield United defence?

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Billy Sharp has capitalised on Oliver McBurnie and David McGoldrick missing most of pre-season by registering more minutes than any other Sheffield United player, netting three times and adding an assist. Likewise, the complete absence of Jack O’Connell from all the friendlies has allowed Jack Robinson to finish the summer as the joint-most selected centre-back alongside Chris Basham.

Form Players: Sharp (three goals, one assist)

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SOUTHAMPTON

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Content

• Can Che Adams match Danny Ings for FPL value?

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Southampton played just one pre-season friendly, in which they swept Swansea aside. The likely first-team played an hour of that win and, even though, predicting the line-up looks relatively straight forward, do check out the updates from Ralph Hasenhüttl’s press conference on our Team News Page.

Form Players: Ings (two goals, one assist), Redmond (one goal, two assists), Bertrand (one goal, two assists), Ward-Prowse (two goals), Adams (one goal, one assist).

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TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

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Content

• Son takes advantage of Kane absence to brace in Spurs’ pre-season opener
• Can we trust Spurs’ defence ahead of their appealing fixtures?
• Can Matt Doherty continue to offer FPL points potential at Spurs?
• What Spurs’ pre-season friendlies mean for their attacking assets

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: All of Son Heung-min‘s goal involvements in the first two friendlies occurred when he was playing as a centre-forward in the absence of Harry Kane. As a result of a post-holiday quarantine and England duty, the latter has not featured for Spurs at all during pre-season, although is expected to reclaim the centre-forward role from Son for Gameweek 1. While Matt Doherty has joined the north London side, Serge Aurier is still an important figure for Jose Mourinho. The Ivory Coast international registered 225 pre-season minutes from a possible 360, more than any other recognised right-back. Ryan Sessegnon has also featured extensively on the flanks of attacking midfield, although is unlikely to start there in the Premier League this season.

Form Players: Son (four goals, two assists), Alli (one goal, two assists), Bergwijn (one goal, one assist).

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WEST BROMWICH ALBION

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Content

• What to expect from West Brom boss Slaven Bilic
• What to expect from West Brom’s defenders in FPL this season
• What to expect from West Brom’s attackers in FPL this season

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: £5.5m option Charlie Austin has played more pre-season minutes than any other West Bromwich Albion forward, although we only have two matches to consider, neither of which featured a Baggies player finding the back of the net.

Form Players: None.

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WEST HAM UNITED

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Content

• Can Soucek command a starting place in FPL squads this season?

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: Sebastien Haller has played more time as the central striker for West Ham than Michail Antonio this summer. The latter missed some time with a hip complaint, but his French colleague had already found the net three times by that point. Jarrod Bowen has been a regular option on the right-hand side of attacking midfield, joined in that trio by Pablo Fornals. Those two players finished the pre-season campaign in the top-six most-used West Ham players. Joining them in that bracket were centre-backs Angelo Ogbonna and Fabian Balbuena, as well as left-back Aaron Cresswell. Ben Johnson and Ryan Fredericks largely shared right-back duties, registering 148 and 122 pre-season minutes respectively – not much in it.

Form Players: Haller (three goals), Bowen (two goals, one assist), Soucek (two goals), Masuaku (one goal, one assist), Antonio (two assists), Cullen (two assists), Fornals (two assists).

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WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

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Content

• Vinagre to offer FPL value in 2020/21 following Jonny’s long-term injury

Pre-Season Fixtures/Results

Scout Notes: With no pre-season games played this summer, Fantasy managers will be more reliant than ever on Nuno Espirito Santo’s Friday press conference. You can catch the updates on our Team News Page.

Form Players: None.

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