'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The first FPL Gameweek of the New Year is around the corner, less than 48 hours post the conclusion of Gameweek 20.
It was a low-scoring one, with a zero-pointer from top captain Mohamed Salah, the main reason for the average score of 37 FPL points. Cristiano Ronaldo, though, produced a double-digit return, adding to his FPL appeal for Manchester United's upcoming fixture run.
I had a poor Gameweek 20, with my -4 hit not working out as expected. I opted for Hugo Lloris and James Maddison for Jose Sa and Raphinha over my initial transfer plans, but both players blanked during the gameweek. Phil Foden's double-digit haul was my saving grace this weekend, thought, as that stopped me from slipping too much down the rankings.
Meanwhile, the hot topic in the FPL community is Mohamed Salah, with the top FPL asset of the season going away for the AFCON post-Gameweek 21. While some FPL managers have already cashed in on the Egyptian, others are looking for the best replacements, with Kevin De Bruyne, Son Heung-Min and Cristiano Ronaldo proving to be popular options.
Meanwhile, the trend of Blank Gameweeks continued, with Leicester City's home game against Norwich City called off. FPL managers should take that into account before making their transfers this week. Whatever moves they make, they should do so ahead of the Gameweek 21 FPL deadline on Saturday.
Gameweek 21 Deadline: Saturday, January 1st at 11:00 AM (GMT)/ 04:30 PM (Indian Standard Time).
FPL Gameweek 21 Fixtures
Gameweek 21 kicks off with a marquee clash between Arsenal and Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Watford will host Tottenham Hotspur later in the day. Everton will take on Brighton & Hove Albion at Goodison Park in one of four 02:00 PM GMT kick-offs on Sunday. Chelsea will go up against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge later in the day. The Gameweek will conclude with a meeting between Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford on Monday.
Click here to view the full fixtures for FPL Gameweek 21.
FPL Team suggested for the previous Gameweek
Here is the suggested team for FPL Gameweek 20:
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (TOT) (£5.4 million) and Ben Foster (WAT) (£4.0 million).
Defenders: Diogo Dalot (MUN) (£4.4 million), Matthew Cash (AVL) (£5.0 million), Joao Cancelo (MCI) (£6.5 million), Marcos Alonso (CHE) (£5.6 million), and Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV) (£7.9 million).
Midfielders: Mohamed Salah (LIV) (£12.7 million), Diogo Jota (LIV) (£7.8 million), James Maddison (LEI) (£6.8 million), Ilkay Gundogan (MCI) (£7.2 million), and Phil Foden (MCI) (£8.0 million).
Forwards: Ollie Watkins (AVL) (£7.5 million), Keinan Davis (FWD) (AVL) (£4.4 million), and Michail Antonio (WHU) (£7.7 million).
Captain/Vice-Captain: Mohamed Salah/ Michail Antonio.
GW 20 Average score: 37.
GW 20 Transfers made: 2.
Points Scored (- hits): 34 (-0): 30.
Overall Points: 1282.
Overall Rank: 28321.
Free Transfers available: 1.
Money Remaining: £0.6 million.
Note: Prices of players reflect their current saleable values (at the time of writing), and not their market values.
FPL Transfers
1) Mohamed Salah (LIV) (MID) (£12.7 million) - OUT | Son Heung-Min (MID) (TOT) (£10.5 million) - IN
Transferring Salah out feels like the transfer to make this week, with Liverpool facing Chelsea. With Salah likely to miss Gameweeks 22 and 23 due to his participation in the AFCON, selling him to bring in other premium FPL assets feels like the way to go.
Son Heung-Min looks like an ideal FPL replacement for Salah. The Spurs attacker has amassed 42 points in the last five Gameweeks, and is an in-form FPL asset in an in-form side. Spurs have a decent schedule ahead, and three fixtures have been be rescheduled. He's involved in most Spurs attacks, and provides excellent FPL value at his price.
Releasing someone as expensive as Salah frees up many funds to work with. However, I've decided to stick with only one transfer this week to curtail the number of hits I've been taking. However, I could make an extra transfer to adjust for some fixture postponements or team news.
Best FPL Team for Gameweek 21
Gameweek 21 Bench: Ben Foster (GK) vs TOT (H), Marcos Alonso (CHE) vs LIV (H), Keinan Davis (FWD) vs BRE (A), James Maddison (MID) vs None.
I'm happy with the team I've got for Gameweek 21, though it could've been better had Leicester's fixture against Norwich not got postponed.
Diogo Jota is a rotation risk against Chelsea, but his recent form could keep him in the team. While I've retained Joao Cancelo in my starting XI, as he isn't officially flagged yet, he could miss Gameweek 21 due to personal reasons. The rest of my team is likely to start, with Ilkay Gundogan set to return after being rested in midweek. Meanwhile, Foden's excellent display and good fitness should see him start too.
Matthew Cash and Ollie Watkins should be well-rested ahead of Aston Villa's clash against Brentford. They'll look to keep their good run going even with manager Gerrard absent from the sidelines.
Son-Heung Min and Michail Antonio are frontrunners to find the net in Gameweek 21. Spurs will look to put Watford to the sword after being held to a frustrating draw against Southampton. Antonio could only bag an assist in West Ham's 4-1 win in GW 20, but his numbers suggest that a bigger FPL haul may not be far away.
While I would like to bring Ronaldo and Dominic Calvert-Lewin into my FPL team, it's difficult to do so without taking multiple hits. I'm happy with how my team is shaping up, and hope to avoid a red arrow in GW 21.
Gameweek 21 - FPL Captaincy
Son Heung-Min looks the obvious captaincy pick this Gameweek, with Spurs playing away at Watford. He has scored four goals in the last five Gameweeks, and will look to add to that tally at Vicarage Road.
Spurs will look to bounce back from a disappointing draw against Southampton. Expect an excellent performance from Son, for Tottenham and his FPL owners.
Best FPL XI for Gameweek 21 - Summary
Starting XI
GK - Hugo Lloris (TOT) vs WAT (A).
DEF: Joao Cancelo (MCI) vs ARS (A), Diogo Dalot (DEF) vs WOL (H), Matthew Cash (DEF) vs BRE (A), and Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV) vs CHE (A).
MID: Ilkay Gundogan (MCI) vs ARS (A), Diogo Jota (LIV) vs CHE (A), Son Heung-Min (TOT) vs WAT (A), and Phil Foden (MCI) vs ARS(A).
FWD: Michail Antonio (FWD) vs CRY (A) and Ollie Watkins (FWD) vs BRE (A).
Formation: 4-4-2.
Bench: GK - Ben Foster (GK) vs TOT (H), 1st Sub: Marcos Alonso (CHE) vs LIV (H), 2nd Sub: Keinan Davis (FWD) vs BRE (A), 3rd Sub: James Maddison (MID) vs None
Chips activated: None.
Transfers made: 1.
Points Hits taken (if any): None.
Captain: Son Heung-Min | VC: Matthew Cash.
You may also like: FPL 2021-22: Best Fantasy Team for Gameweek 20 | FPL Tips.
