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With just two days to go until the start of the 2020-21 season of the Premier League, FPL managers are excited and nervous in anticipation of the start of another season of the Premier League.
They will, however, have to deal with a minor roadblock as Manchester United v Burnley and Manchester City v Aston Villa have been postponed to a later gameweek, due to which none of the aforementioned sides will feature in the opening weekend of the season.
FPL managers should tinker with their team and choose their captains before 11:00 AM BST on Saturday, 12th September (i.e.) 90 minutes before the start of the first gameweek of the season. Fulham host Arsenal in the season opener, with Scott Parker's side looking to cap off their return to the top-flight with a bang.
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Note:
1)MUN, MCI, BUR, and AVL have a blank Gameweek 1.
2) The deadline for setting your team has been pushed back to 90 minutes before the start of a Gameweek.
Gameweek 1 Deadline: Saturday, 12th September at 11:00 AM (British Summer Time), and 03:30 PM (Indian Standard Time)
The Fixtures
Gameweek 1 of PL 20/21 opens with a 12:30 BST kickoff between newly-promoted Fulham and Arsenal at Craven Cottage on Saturday, 12th September. Manchester United, Manchester City, Burnley, and Aston Villa will be without a fixture in this game week as those games will be played at a later point.
Defending champions Liverpool take on Leeds United, while Frank Lampard's Chelsea take on Brighton.
Click here to view the full fixtures for Gameweek 1.
FPL Pre-Season Tips
Here are some tips which you can follow before setting up your gameweek 1 FPL team:
1) Wait on the new transfers of sides and the newly-promoted teams: It's a fairly common habit for FPL managers to get new signings right from the onset of a campaign. This season, however, with no considerable pre-season action, it might take a while for new signings to adapt to the conditions.
We will also get enough time and data to assess who are the best FPL options from each side. The same applies to the newly-promoted clubs. While we can invest in one or two of them, it's not wise to get a lot of those players before the start of the season.
2) Make your FPL transfers as late as possible: This tip is much more important in this season of FPL. Considering that this season is being played during the COVID-19 pandemic, FPL managers need to get as close to the deadline as possible before making their transfers, so that they receive all the updates on their players.
Factors to Consider
1) The Manchester Blank in this Gameweek: The blank fixtures for United and City in the opening gameweek of the season has forced many FPL managers to change their plans.
While a lot of FPL managers are thinking of playing an early Wildcard, others are opting to hold on to that chip, bench an asset from United, and later bring in a Manchester City player. You must be clear in deciding what strategy you will use to navigate the blank and set your team accordingly.
Best FPL XI for Gameweek 1
Chips activated: None
Captain/Vice-captain: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang/Mohamed Salah or Heung-Min Son
Mohamed Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are the standout captaincy picks for this Gameweek. Form points to Aubameyang, and the Arsenal forward can rack up the points against Fulham.
Also Read: FPL 2020/21: Top 5 Budget Defenders this season | FPL Tips
Goalkeeper:
Alex McCarthy (SOU)- £4.5 m | Opponent: CRY(A): Southampton shot-stopper Alex McCarthy is one of the best budget goalkeepers in FPL this season. At £4.5 m, McCarthy offers both save and clean sheet points. Southampton look to be the best side for budget FPL options this season and given their favourable opening run of fixtures, McCarthy is a great pick.
Defenders:
James Justin (LEI)- £4.5 m | Opponent: WBA(A): Leicester right-back James Justin offers good FPL value for the opening game weeks of the season. Justin has played in that position since the injury of Ricardo Pereira and has received praise from both his manager and the fans. While Pereira is expected to return to training soon, Justin is an excellent short-term FPL option from Leicester, who have good opening fixtures.
Eric Dier (TOT)- £5.0m | Opponent: EVE(H): Eric Dier offers a cut-price route into the Spurs' defence. Mourinho's side have a good run of opening fixtures, and their signings in the transfer window should shore up their defence. Dier offers consistent clean sheet points and the possibility of bonus points, making him an excellent FPL option.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV) - £7.5 m | Opponent: LEE(H): The most-owned player in FPL, Alexander-Arnold is a must-have this season. He has a high ceiling for attacking returns, both from set-pieces and from open play. With Liverpool's defensive solidity, Trent is a bargain FPL option at £7.5 m.
Ruben Vinagre (WOL) - £4.5 m | Opponent: SHU(A): Ruben Vinagre is the most popular budget FPL pick in defence after Jonny's injury. The young Portuguese, at £4.5m, can offer great value if he plays at left wing-back. The arrival of Marcal, however, does create some doubts over whether he'll start, so try to have some backup options for him in your FPL team.
Kyle Walker-Peters (SOU) - £4.5 m | Opponent: CRY(A): The Southampton right-back wasn't initially in my plans, as I was thinking of benching a Burnley defender for GW 1. The threat to Vinagre's game-time meant that I needed another starting defender for gameweek 1, and Walker-Peters fits the bill perfectly.
He wasn't my first pick because I didn't want to double-up on Southampton's defence, but they do seem on course for a clean sheet in their first match, so Walker-Peters is a pretty good pick.
Midfielders:
Heung-Min Son (TOT) - £9.0 m | Opponent: EVE(H): Heung-Min Son is one of the most popular FPL midfielders owing to his £9.0 m price tag and his impressive pre-season performances. Son has had the most goal involvements under Mourinho and is a cheaper alternative to Kane. He's likely to remain in my team for an extended period.
Mohamed Salah (LIV) - £12.0 m | Opponent: LEE(H): Salah hasn't been in good form since Gameweek 34, and that combined with his unremarkable pre-season showing and Aubameyang's reclassification as a midfielder has pushed his FPL ownership down.
He's still owned by close to 30% of FPL managers and remains the best attacking option from the Reds. The fact that he's on penalties and tends to get more chances makes him a better choice than Mane. He looks likely to remain in my FPL team for the entirety of the season.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (ARS) - £12.0m | Opponent: FUL(A): Aubameyang's FPL ownership has risen since the fixture postponement of the two Manchester sides. Aubameyang has two great opening fixtures against Fulham and West Ham. His price of £12.0 m means that he can be moved on to accommodate the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, or Bruno Fernandes.
He's undoubtedly the most exciting option for the opening two gameweeks and is a prime FPL captaincy pick.
Forwards:
Eddie Nketiah (ARS) - £6.0 m | Opponent: FUL(A): Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah is another placeholder for FPL assets from Chelsea or Manchester City, and has good short-term fixtures to shine. While he's not assured of a start, his good showings in pre-season and for the England U-21s might get him the nod over Lacazette. He offers great short-term FPL value, especially at £6.0m.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (EVE)- £7.0 m | Opponent: TOT(A): Dominic Calvert-Lewin wasn't the first name I had on my mind, but looking at their new signings and the underlying stats from last season, I quickly included in him in my FPL team. He offers a very high goal threat and should get some quality chances, now that Everton have strengthened their midfield.
With a good run of fixtures, Calvert-Lewin is practically a steal at £7.0 m.
Bench:
GK: Mathew Ryan (BHA) - £4.5 m | Opponent: CHE(H): Mathew Ryan is the perfect £4.5 m FPL goalkeeper to rotate with McCarthy. Brighton's defence looks to be settled, and they should get more clean sheets than they did last season. Ryan also offers a lot of save points.
1st Sub: Marcus Rashford (MID) (MUN)- £9.5 m | Opponent: None: Marcus Rashford's reclassification to a midfielder makes him a very attractive FPL option. Manchester United have a great run of fixtures, and that's why I'm benching him for this gameweek to avoid using a free transfer in the next one.
2nd Sub: Oliver Norwood (MID) (SHU)- £5.0 m | Opponent: WOL(H): With Tomas Soucek a doubt for the start of the season, I have selected Sheffield United's captain Oliver Norwood as my midfield enabler. Norwood is a guaranteed starter and is a very creative player. He's on penalties and set-pieces for the Blades and is a decent FPL pick.
3rd Sub: Keinan Davis (FWD) (AVL) - £4.5 | Opponent: None: Keinan Davis is another enabler in the forwards position. There aren't any £4.5m FPL forwards who consistently start games, but Davis is the most likely to get some game-time among the available options.
Also Read: FPL 2020/21: Top 5 Budget Midfielders this season | FPL Tips
