FPL 2020/21: 5 Teams to watch out for and other important things to consider

The Premier League finally announced the fixture list for the 2020/21 season and this means you can finally start tinkering with your FPL teams and making drafts ahead of the first deadline in September.

The fixture list has been kind to some teams but cruel to others and that is something FPL managers need to consider while making their teams for Gameweek 1.

Once the season starts, the fixtures come thick and fast in this new tightly packed season with fewer breaks. This means FPL managers need to be better prepared and plan for this unique Premier League season.

5 teams to watch out for and things to consider at the start of the FPL season

---

#5 Manchester United and Manchester City

Manchester City lost to Lyon in the Quarter-Final of the Champions League

Both Manchester clubs will be fairly popular amongst FPL managers due to the vast array of options in attack and defence for both teams. However, both teams went deep into their respective European Competitions in August and hence need a mandatory 30-day break from the Premier League before they can kickstart their season.

This means Manchester United and Manchester City will both have a blank game-week in game-week 1. City was due to face Aston Villa at home and United were going to face Burnley away in game-week 1 but these fixtures have been postponed and will be played at a later date in the season.

This means managers should not fill their teams with assets from these 4 sides as they will not be playing in the first game-week.

---

#4 Arsenal

Aubameyang is now a midfielder in FPL

Arsenal have two favourable fixtures to start off the Premier League campaign as they play newly-promoted Fulham on the opening day followed up by a home game against West Ham United.

The main FPL asset in the Arsenal team is their star-striker Pierre Emerick Aubameyang. Aubameyang is now a midfielder in FPL and has got his price hiked to £12 million making him the most expensive player in the game.

However, with an additional point for every goal he scores as well as clean-sheet points, his position change could make him a must have option for FPL managers.

Other options in the Arsenal team from an FPL perspective include Kieran Tierney (£5.5 Million) or William Saliba (£4.5 Million) in defence or Bernd Leno (£5 Million) if he starts in goal.

Arsenal do have tough fixtures after the first two which include away trips to Liverpool, City and Tottenham. Managers can transfer Aubameyang after these first 2 fixtures for a Manchester City midfielder like Sterling or De Bruyne who have favorable fixtures after the Game-Week 3.

#3 Southampton and Wolves

Jimenez could again prove to be a great FPL asset at the start of the season

Two teams that have great fixtures to start the new season are Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Wolves start the season away to Sheffield United while Southampton starts with a trip to Crystal Palace. However, both teams have an extremely favourable FPL run in the medium to long term.

Wolves face only one and Southampton face only 2 of the "Big 6" in the first 9 game-weeks of the season. This is an incredible run of fixtures and managers can try a set and forget strategy where they keep players from these 2 teams for the first 9 game-weeks.

Both teams have incredible FPL options in terms of attack and defence. For Wolves, Raul Jimenez is an incredible option who offers great value at £8.5 million. In defence, you can go for Ruben Vinagre or Matt Doherty who will be occupying the wing-back slots and offer both defensive and attacking returns.

For Southampton, Danny Ings is the go-to option after his incredible 2019/20 season where he scored 22 goals. Other options from their team include Kyle Walker-Pieters (£4.5 Million) and Stuart Armstrong (£4.5 Million).

---

#2 Chelsea

Timo Werner is priced at £9.5 Million

Chelsea had the second-highest xG in the Premier League last season and there is a lot of excitement amongst fans thanks to theattacking assets present at Chelsea with the addition of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech.

Chelsea has a favourable run of opening fixtures as they play Brighton, West Brom, Crystal Palace and Southampton in their opening 4 fixtures. Frank Lampard is an incredibly attacking manager and FPL managers need to have one Chelsea attacking asset or even double up on their attack this season.

Timo Werner seems like the popular choice given that he will be playing upfront and has had a stellar season in Germany in 2018/19 with 34 goals and 13 assists. Other options could be Hakim Ziyech at £8 million and Christian Pulisic at £8.5 million, however the latter is set to miss the opening few games due to a hamstring injury.

---

#1 Tottenham

Tottenham have had the longest break amongst the top teams in the league

Jose Mourinho's side has been given the best start to the season in terms of the fixture list. They only face 1 Big 6 rival in the first 8 Game-Weeks and their first 4 home matches are against Everton, Newcastle, West Ham and Brighton.

Tottenham does, however, have to contend with 3 Europa League play-off qualifiers, but Jose Mourinho might be using his second XI in those games. In the Tottenham team, the best FPL asset is their captain Harry Kane.

Kane had an underwhelming season and hence has been underpriced at £10.5 Million for this season. We saw glimpses of the old Kane in the restart and if he can continue that form, Kane is a must-have for FPL sides. Other options in the Tottenham team include Heung-Min Son for £9 Million and the attacking Right Back Serge Aurier for £5.5 Million.

Spurs may not be a very popular team amongst FPL managers and getting their players in might be the perfect way to shoot up the rankings.