It is time to prepare our Fantasy Premier League teams for Gameweek 21. While December schedule was very busy and we saw 6 gameweeks in just one month, there are just 4 gameweeks in January, so this period will be less hectic.
Let’s jump to our FPL GW21 Tips with the best picks, fixtures, transfer targets, odds, captain picks, and team selection.
1. Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 21 Tips
- There are FA Cup and Carabao Cup games before GW21 (see more in our FPL calendar), so anything could happen before GW21 deadline
2. FPL Gameweek 21 Transfer Tips and Key Players to pick
Key players to pick
- Salah – the best player in the game
- Palmer – much easier to facilitate him after Saka injury
- Gabriel/Saliba/Raya – have at least one Arsenal defensive player
- TAA/VVD/Alison
- Isak/Wood – all are very close, all are talismans for their teams.
- Mbeumo – key man for Brentford, can deliver in any match, fixtures does not really matter
Transfer targets
- Munoz/Eze/Sarr – Crystal Palace with appealing fixture run up to GW31
- Gvardiol/Foden/Haaland – one City player, for those who believe that they will improve
- Gordon, Hall – to field next to Isak, or Murphy as differential
- Amad, Bruno Fernandes – as differentials against Southampton, next 4 fixtures for Man. United looks good, 3 are at home
FPL Reminders
In the next 2 tabs, you can find useful information, as reminders for every gameweek,
| Gameweek | Deadline (UK Time) | Other events |
|---|---|---|
| GW1 | 15 Aug 18:30 (Fri) | |
| GW2 | 22 Aug 18:30 (Fri) | |
| Carabao Cup R2 (w/c 25 Aug) | ||
| GW3 | 30 Aug 11:00 (Sat) | |
| International Break (1–9 Sep) | ||
| Summer Transfer Window Closes (1 Sep) | ||
| GW4 | 13 Sep 11:00 (Sat) | |
| UCL Matchday 1 (16–18 Sep)Carabao Cup R3 (w/c 15 Sep) | ||
| GW5 | 20 Sep 11:00 (Sat) | |
| Carabao Cup R3 (22 Sep) | ||
| GW6 | 27 Sep 11:00 (Sat) | |
| UCL Matchday 2 (30 Sep–1 Oct) | ||
| GW7 | 4 Oct 13:30 (Sat) | |
| International Break (6–14 Oct) | ||
| GW8 | 18 Oct 13:30 (Sat) | |
| UCL Matchday 3 (21/22 Oct) | ||
| GW9 | 25 Oct 13:30 (Sat) | |
| Carabao Cup R4 (w/c 27 Oct) | ||
| GW10 | 1 Nov 13:30 (Sat) | |
| UCL Matchday 4 (4/5 Nov) | ||
| GW11 | 8 Nov 13:30 (Sat) | |
| International Break (10–18 Nov) | ||
| GW12 | 22 Nov 13:30 (Sat) | |
| UCL Matchday 5 (25/26 Nov) | ||
| GW13 | 29 Nov 13:30 (Sat) | |
| GW14 | 3 Dec 18:30 (Wed) | |
| GW15 | 6 Dec 13:30 (Sat) | |
| UCL Matchday 6 (9/10 Dec) | ||
| GW16 | 13 Dec 13:30 (Sat) | |
| Carabao Cup R5 (w/c 15 Dec) | ||
| GW17 | 20 Dec 13:30 (Sat) | |
| Africa Cup of Nations starts (21 Dec) | ||
| GW18 | 27 Dec 13:30 (Sat) | |
| First Chip Window Closes (Tue 30 Dec 18:29) | ||
| GW19 | 30 Dec 18:30 (Tue) | |
| Second Chip Window Opens (Tue 30 Dec 18:31 – GW20 onwards) | ||
| GW20 | 3 Jan 13:30 (Sat) | |
| GW21 | 7 Jan 18:30 (Wed) | |
| FA Cup Third Round Proper (Sat 10 Jan) | ||
| Carabao Cup Semi-Final 1st Leg (w/c 12 Jan) | ||
| GW22 | 17 Jan 13:30 (Sat) | |
| Africa Cup of Nations ends (18 Jan) | ||
| UCL Matchday 7 (20/21 Jan) | ||
| GW23 | 24 Jan 13:30 (Sat) | |
| UCL Matchday 8 (Wed 28 Jan) | ||
| GW24 | 31 Jan 13:30 (Sat) | |
| Carabao Cup Semi-Final 2nd Leg (w/c 2 Feb) | ||
| GW25 | 7 Feb 13:30 (Sat) | |
| GW26 | 11 Feb 18:30 (Wed) | |
| FA Cup Fourth Round Proper (Sat 14 Feb) | ||
| UCL Knockout Play-offs 1st Leg (17/18 Feb) | ||
| GW27 | 21 Feb 13:30 (Sat) | |
| UCL Knockout Play-offs 2nd Leg (24/25 Feb) | ||
| GW28 | 28 Feb 13:30 (Sat) | |
| FA Cup Fifth Round Proper (Sat 7 Mar) | ||
| GW29 | 4 Mar 18:30 (Wed) | |
| UCL Round of 16 – 1st Leg (10/11 Mar) | ||
| GW30 | 14 Mar 13:30 (Sat) | |
| UCL Round of 16 – 2nd Leg (17/18 Mar) | ||
| GW31 (blank) | 21 Mar 13:30 (Sat) | |
| Carabao Cup Final (Sun 22 Mar) | ||
| International Break (23–31 Mar) | ||
| UCL Quarter-finals – 1st Leg (7/8 Apr) | ||
| GW32 | 11 Apr 13:30 (Sat) | |
| UCL Quarter-finals – 2nd Leg (14/15 Apr) | ||
| GW33 (likely double) | 18 Apr 13:30 (Sat) | |
| GW34 (blank) | 25 Apr 13:30 (Sat) | |
| FA Cup Semi-Final (Sat 25 Apr) | ||
| UCL Semi-finals – 1st Leg (28/29 Apr) | ||
| GW35 | 2 May 13:30 (Sat) | |
| UCL Semi-finals – 2nd Leg (5/6 May) | ||
| GW36 (likely double) | 9 May 13:30 (Sat) | |
| GW37 (unlikely blank) | 17 May 13:30 (Sun) | |
| FA Cup Final (Sat 16 May) | ||
| Europe League Final (20 May 2026) | ||
| GW38 | 24 May 14:30 (Sun) | |
| Conference League Final (27 May 2026) | ||
| UCL Final (Sat 30 May, Budapest) | ||
| International Break (1–9 Jun) | ||
| FIFA World Cup (11 Jun – 19 Jul) |
3. Fixtures to target in FPL GW21
In which fixtures we could expect a lot of fantasy points? These are the fixtures to target in Gameweek 21 according to bookies odds.
- Manchester United vs. Southampton: The Red Devils 74 % to win, 45 % to score 2.5+ goal
- Newcastle vs. Wovles: Newcastle 71 % to win, 46 % to score 2.5+ goal
- Arsenal vs. Tottenham: Arsenal 70 % to win, 49 % to score 2.5+ goal
- Brentford vs. Man. City: Citizens 60 % to win, 39 % to score 2.5+ goals
Find 2.5+ goals odds for all teams in our article: Premier League Over 2.5 Goals Odds.
4. Updated watchlists: Best players to pick in Gameweek 21 and beyond
We also looked at players from each position: goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and forwards and updated our watchlist. Check our watchlists with our ratings and comments here:
- Best FPL goalkeepers to pick in Gameweek 21 (Watchlist)
- Best FPL defenders to pick in Gameweek 21 (Watchlist)
- Best FPL midfielders to pick in Gameweek 21 (Watchlist)
- Best FPL forwards to pick in Gameweek 21 (Watchlist)
5. Best captain pick in Gameweek 21
According to our captaincy index, Salah is the best captain in FPL Gameweek 21 with a captaincy index score of 1.2.2.
Isak (captaincy index score 1.72) is the number 2 captaincy pick and Haaland (1.52) is number 3.
But you could also consider Bruno Fernandes or Palmer.
6. What bookies odds say about Gameweek 21
As usual, we converted bookies odds into probabilities using our Odds to probability calculator, to assess the potential of gameweek 21. Haaland leads the odds of scoring a goal.
Clean sheet odds for GW21
Manchester United (46 %) is the most likely team to keep a clean sheet in GW21. Bookies also favor Newcastle (40 %) and Arsenal (35 %) to potentially keep a clean sheet in GW21.
Bookies expect 4.51 clean sheets in gameweek 21 in the last season, we were used to a rate of 4.13 per clean sheets gameweek. This season we have seen clean sheets at the rate of 4.45 clean sheets per gameweek.
You can see the expected clean sheets table and clean sheet odds for all Premier League teams here.
Expected clean sheets
Due to correction in the number of clean sheets: Nottingham, Everton
Nottingham overperformed their defensive expectations the most of all teams. They should have kept 3.96 clean sheets instead of 9 according to our expected clean sheets table.
Due to an improvement in the number of clean sheets: Man. City, Aston Villa
Man City underperformed their defensive expectations the most from all teams. They should have kept 7.22 clean sheets instead of 4 according to our expected clean sheets table.
You can see the expected clean sheets table and clean sheet odds for all Premier League teams here.
Goalscoring odds for GW21
Check who leads any time goalscoring odds for GW21 here: Premier League Goalsocring Odds.
7. FPL GW21 Team selection: Scout Picks
Now let’s look at our FPL team selection for Gameweek 21 and beyond. Salah is our captain.
8. Fantasy Premier League Tips
Find more tips, strategies and picks for Fantasy Premier League in these articles:
- Beginner? Read our guide: How to play Fantasy Premier League
- Confused about the rules? Read the Official rules of the game or check our FAQs
- Want to beat your mini-league rivals? This article is for you: 7 Key Tips for Fantasy Premier League Success
- Interested in improving your decision-making process when picking players to your fantasy team? Check out Books that will help you to improve your FPL skills
We hope our FPL GW21 tips with the best picks, fixtures, transfer targets, odds, captain picks, and team selection helped you to gather some useful information before the Gameweek 21 deadline.
Good luck in FPL GW21!
