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We're into the final FPL Gameweek before the winter break of the 21-22 Premier League season.
Gameweek 23 follows a three-team Double Gameweek 2, which saw Bruno Fernandes return to the top of the FPL pedestal. The midfielder picked up 23 points across United's two Double GW fixtures, outscoring the most popular pick Ronaldo by 21 points. Leeds United's Jack Harrison netted a hat-trick to register a 20-point FPL haul.
After learning that Watford's second fixture against Burnley could get called off, I brought in Neal Maupay (BHA) (FWD) (£6.5 million) instead of Joshua King. My team ended up with 61 FPL points, resulting in a small red arrow. While my captain Harry Kane spared my blushes with a double-digit return, I'm rueing the decision to bench Joao Cancelo and James Maddison, passing up the opportunity to move higher up the FPL ladder.
Aston Villa's Philippe Coutinho (AVL) (MID) (£7.0 million) made a stellar return to the Premier League, and is on the top of FPL managers' watchlists ahead of their excellent fixture run. Kevin De Bruyne, Jarrod Bowen and Allan Saint-Maximin are other in-demand FPL options heading into Gameweek 23.
FPL managers should note that the deadline is on Friday evening GMT, and make their transfers accordingly.
Gameweek 23 Deadline: Friday, January 21, at 06:30 PM (GMT)/ 00:00 AM (Saturday) (Indian Standard Time).
FPL Gameweek 23 Fixtures
Gameweek 23 begins with a Friday night meeting between Watford and Norwich at Vicarage Road. Manchester United take on West Ham at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon, with Manchester City playing away at Southampton later in the day.
Liverpool go up against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday. The Gameweek concludes with a marquee clash between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge.
Click here to view the full fixtures of FPL Gameweek 23.
FPL Team suggested for the previous Gameweek
Here is the suggested team for FPL Gameweek 23:
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: Jarrod Bowen (WHU) (£6.7 million), Diogo Jota (LIV) (£8.0 million), James Maddison (LEI) (£6.9 million), Demarai Gray (EVE) (£5.5 million), and Phil Foden (MCI) (£8.0 million).
Forwards: Ollie Watkins (AVL) (£7.5 million), Harry Kane (TOT) (£12.2 million), and Neal Maupay (BHA) (£6.5 million).
Captain/Vice-Captain: Harry Kane/ Neal Maupay.
GW 22 Average score: 51.
GW 22 Transfers made: 1.
Points Scored (- hits): 61 (-0): 61.
Overall Points: 1404.
Overall Rank: 50499.
Free Transfers available: 1.
Money Remaining: £2.0 million.
Note: Prices of players reflect their current saleable values (at the time of writing), and not their market values.
FPL Transfers
Note: Even without making any transfers, I'm facing a benching dilemma this week, and I've decided it's best to roll the transfer over to GW 24. While I was initially looking to sell Marcos Alonso this week, I've shelved the transfer for GW 24 to get a clearer picture of what I should do.
Best FPL Team for Gameweek 23
Gameweek 23 Bench: Ben Foster (GK) vs NOR (H), Marcos Alonso (DEF) vs TOT (H), Demarai Gray (MID) vs AVL (H), Diogo Dalot (DEF) vs WHU (H).
I have a team full of starters for GW 23, and it was tough to even pick my bench. Nevertheless, I've opted to leave Marcos Alonso, Demarai Gray and Diogo Dalot out of my starting XI. I've also decided to go with Tottenham's Hugo Lloris in goal ahead of Ben Foster, who returned from injury last week.
In defence, Joao Cancelo and Trent Alexander-Arnold are shoo-ins irrespective of the opposition they're facing. Joining them as the third defender is Aston Villa full-back Matthew Cash. While Villa have kept only two clean sheets in their last nine games, the underlying stats suggest they've been unlucky not to have more. Cash could profit from their opponent Everton's poor form, and pick up points at both ends of the pitch this Gameweek.
In midfield, James Maddison and Jarrod Bowen will look to continue their good run of form, while Diogo Jota will look to find the net for Liverpool in the absence of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. Phil Foden could be an excellent FPL differential if he starts against Southampton this week.
I'm not leaving Harry Kane out of my starting XI, even if Spurs take on Chelsea in GW 23. They're still unbeaten under Antonio Conte, and will be brimming with confidence after a stellar turnaround against Leicester City in midweek. Kane will look to lead Spurs' charge as they try to rectify their poor record against the Blues recently.
The other two forwards in my team are Ollie Watkins and Neal Maupay. Both of them could rack up FPL points against shaky Everton and Leicester City defences respectively.
Overall, I'm happy with this solid-looking team I've assembled for this Gameweek. With the players from AFCON returning ahead of GW 24, having two free transfers will allow me to make the right moves to get my team into shape for the next round of fixtures.
Gameweek 23 - FPL Captaincy
With Kane facing a stubborn Chelsea defence this week, I'm not very settled on my Gameweek 23 captain yet. Diogo Jota, Phil Foden, Alexander-Arnold and Cancelo seem like the frontrunners to take the armband.
Southampton seem to have an edge over Manchester City recently, and are one of the few teams City have struggled to score goals past. Crystal Palace have also played some excellent football this season, and the absence of Salah and Mane could affect Liverpool's performances in this match.
With plenty to consider before choosing my captain this week, I'm likely to make my final decision close to the deadline. As of now, I'm leaving the armband on Kane, with Trent Alexander-Arnold as the vice-captain.
Best FPL XI for Gameweek 23 - Summary
Starting XI
GK - Hugo Lloris (TOT) vs CHE (A).
DEF: Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV) vs CRY (A), Matthew Cash (AVL) vs EVE (A), and Joao Cancelo (MCI) vs SOU (A).
MID: Diogo Jota (LIV) vs CRY (A), James Maddison (LEI) vs BHA (H), Phil Foden (MCI) vs SOU (A), and Jarrod Bowen (WHU) vs MUN (A).
FWD: Neal Maupay (BHA) vs LEI (A), Harry Kane (TOT) vs CHE (A), and Ollie Watkins (AVL) vs EVE (A).
Formation: 3-4-3.
Bench: GK - Ben Foster (GK) vs NOR (H), 1st Sub: Marcos Alonso (DEF) vs TOT(H), 2nd Sub: Demarai Gray (MID) vs AVL (H), 3rd Sub: Diogo Dalot (DEF) vs WHU (H).
Chips activated: None.
Transfers made: 1.
Points Hits taken (if any): None.
Captain: Harry Kane | VC: Trent Alexander-Arnold.
You may also like: FPL 2021-22: Best Fantasy Team for Gameweek 22 | FPL Tips.
