The FPL Banger boys provide their best picks for GW21, including an overlooked Manchester United midfielder and a defensive pairing from Newcastle.
Welcome back to our series for the 2024/25 season, provided by Siva & Sam, the twisted minds behind the FPL Banger Podcast (which returns ahead of GW22, we promise).
With the announcement of Double Gameweek 24, you’ll find plenty of content creators recommending saving a transfer. Which means that it’s exactly the time to strike.
Here’s our picks for GW21.
FPL Banger GW21 Picks
BEST CAPTAIN
Alexander Isak (£9.3m) – Wolves (H)
Captaining a yellow-flagged attacker isn’t something I would normally recommend, but assuming Alexander Isak is healthy this week, he is the standout captain pick by some distance.
His record of 13 goals is only bettered by Mo Salah and Erling Haaland, and Wolves travel to St. James’ Park having conceded 5 goals in their last 2 games.
My guess is that Isak will not play unless he is fit to start, and if he does start, I would expect the Swede to haul against a backline that still features Jose Sa and Matt Doherty in 2025.
TOP PICKS
Martin Dubravka (£4.2m) & Lewis Hall (£5.2m) – Wolves (H)
Last week we had Selz and Aina in these slots against the same opposition, and they duly returned a clean sheet.
I’m especially proud to say that I transferred in Lewis Hall before GW16, after a run of 5 blanks when most FPL managers had given up. But a true FPL manager is never late; he arrives precisely when he means to.
Since GW16 Hall’s hauls have been: 15, 7, 6, and 12 before his 2 pointer in GW20. I expect normal service to resume this week, with possibly another double-digit Hall.
Amad Diallo (£5.4m) – Southampton (H)
There is 1 simple rule in FPL: target Southampton.
The sacking of Russell Martin and appointment of Ivan Juric feels a bit like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
The Saints are basically headed back to the Championship, with their 6 points and negative 32 goal difference the worst ever record after 20 games in the Premier League.
At their current rate of 0.3 points per game, Southampton are on course to match Derby’s record-low points tally of 11 in 2007-2008.
Next up for Saints is a revitalised Manchester United, fresh off an impressive draw at Anfield and an even more impressive win at the Emirates Stadium, despite playing a sizeable chunk of the game with 10 men.
That win over Arsenal might just be the turning point for Rubin Amorim’s reign, and they will have no issues against Southampton. Time to run back that 9-0 win from 2021.
Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.2m) – Leicester (A)
Crystal Palace have struggled for goals since the departure of Michael Olise to Bayern Munich in the summer, but as Jim Ross would say, business is about to pick up.
A creditable 1-1 draw against Chelsea in GW20 is just what they needed ahead of a very favourable game at the King Power Stadium against a Leicester side who are on a 5-game losing streak.
Appointing an inexperienced coach in the midst of a relegation battle always seemed risky, and so far, it hasn’t been paid off.
There is only so much you can do when your starting centre backs are Jannik Vestergaard and Connor Coady, and Mateta should take full advantage this week.
Thanks for reading the article in this new series for SportsCasting. Be sure to follow @FPL_Banger for more FPL tips and hints, including their weekly podcast and team reveals.
