Holly Shand from Fantasy Football Community returns with captaincy corner and her three player picks in three positions for Gameweek 12.

Gameweek 11 was another captaincy disaster, with some of our most trusty Manchester City assets failing to deliver against a questionable Southampton side. Sergio Aguero came good, despite seeing fire sales ahead of the game. Those who went rogue were rewarded, with Sadio Mane storming in for a late double-digit haul: Salah captainers were not so lucky.

The International Break is just around the corner, with another Friday deadline looming - don't miss it. Seven teams are involved in Champions League and Europa League action once more, so be wary of those early transfers and check the team news carefully. We may see some of those infamous phantom injuries occurring, meaning players are removed from international squads. As always, keep an eye on midweek minutes and any early substitutions.

Captaincy Corner

The shield pick is likely to be the most captained player of the week, allowing you to play safe and keep pace with the pack. The sword pick will be a less popular selection: if they perform it can shoot you up the overall rankings, but the risk from failure is higher.

Shield Pick: Jamie Vardy vs Arsenal (H)
Anytime Goalscorer Odds: 5/6

Don't be put off by the fixture at first glance, a home game against a defensively weak Arsenal is not a difficult game from an attacking perspective! This fixture generally brings plenty of goals and Jamie Vardy has an excellent record against The Gunners, with eight goals from eight starts. Vardy is the leagues top goalscorer, with ten goals from 11 appearances. He's also on penalties, which could be another valuable source of those fantasy points. He and Leicester in general have a ruthless streak this season and he won't rest on his laurels at any point in the game, whatever the scoreline. He's had nine shots from his last three games, with seven of those on target. Meanwhile, Arsenal were only behind Aston Villa and Southampton (who faced Liverpool and Manchester City respectively) for shots conceded in Gameweek 11. Will you play safe with the Shield Pick?  

Sword Pick: Tammy Abraham vs Crystal Palace (H)
Anytime Goalscorer Odds: 8/11

Tammy Abraham could be a very popular captain pick this weekend, his ownership is the highest in FPL and he has the form: with two goals and two assists from his last four games. His points tend to come away from home, but he has been unlucky not to return better results at Stamford Bridge. He's had nine shots in his last three games, with four of those on target. Crystal Palace's defensive statistics have dropped over the course of the season, and they certainly tend to struggle on the road against this calibre of opposition. The Eagles are also without a clean sheet since in their last four games, averaging almost two goals conceded per game. Are you going to take a risk in selecting the Sword Pick?

Holly's Hopefuls

I share my top three players for each Gameweek, selecting one defender, one midfielder and one striker. These are players that I'm tipping for the FPL Dream Team and they could also make intriguing differential captain decisions for you to consider too.

DEF: Cesear Azpilicueta vs Crystal Palace (H)

Chelsea are one of the teams that look best set to keep a clean sheet in Gameweek 12. They've kept two clean sheets in their last six games and Crystal Place have scored just four goals in their last four fixtures. Cesar Azpilicueta his the most appealing selection from the Chelsea defence, with two assists already this season: he has built an understanding with striker Tammy Abraham. Hopefully there are more attacking returns and clean sheets just around the corner.

MID: Sadio Mane vs Manchester City (H)

The big game of the weekend is a difficult one to call, but I'm tipping Liverpool to have the edge in the end. They are the league leaders and have the home fixture, and if anyone is going to get the goals right now for Liverpool it's Sadio Mane. He tends to perform better at Anfield than away, with three goals and two assists from his last four home appearances. Clearly Mo Salah still has issues with injury, making Sadio the most interesting asset from their attack. His status on the bench midweek says a lot about his potential this weekend.

FOR: Teemu Pukki vs Watford (H)

The party is over and everyone else has gone home, but those managers who've held Teemu Pukki through the dark times will be looking for one last dance. A visit from bottom of the league Watford does look appealing, but their defence has been surprisingly resolute in recent weeks. They'll want goals and three points in this game though, which could leave some space for Pukki. The home game for Pukki is appealing: six of his seven league goals have arrived at Carrow Road.

Until next time…
Good luck!

Holly

Find even more Fantasy Premier League Tips over on Holly's website: Fantasy Football Community