🧠 The Gameweek 17 cheat-sheet 🔥

Summary for the lazy.

🚽 Today is Christmas, which means you're probably reading this while dropping off the kids.

🍷 Warning: we're writing most of this on Christmas Eve, a few drinks in.

⏰ Gameweek 17's deadline is 11:00 GMT, Monday 26th December

⚽️ Haaland, Salah and Rashford score this week in the Carabao Cup.

💺 Mitrovic a doubt, Nunez not spotted in team photo

Stay for possibly the best reason that any player has ever missed a Premier League game.

It's Christmas time. There's no need to be afraid.

...unless you're an FPL manager and don't happen to subscribe to this newsletter.

Season's greetings one and all. You're probably short on time and patience today, so let's pull the cracker and see what's inside. But first...

Have you been bitterly disappointed by this season's present Haul?

Too many novelty socks?

You should consider entering our Premium-only second-chance league and compete for a PlayStation 5.

All you need to do is join FPLTips Premium. It costs a few quid a month, you get two extra emails a week and access to the premium WhatsApp group too.

The key stats

We'll set the nativity scene with some key stats, because apparently none of you can remember Nottingham Forest's xGC from over a month ago. Pathetic.

Did anyone else completely forget that Aubameyang is a Premier League player? Maybe it's just me...

Mitrovic a doubt

Mitrovic has a foot injury, which isn't very Christmassy.

According to Silva, the Serb still isn't fully fit. If you're getting de ja vu, it's because Mitrovic gets foot injuries more often than you get red arrows.

This throws a Serbian-shaped spanner in the works, doesn't it. The Professor was one of many managers who had him locked in his team, and you'll find out his favourite alternative pick later in the email.

(But if it's your turn at charades and your family are shouting for you to get off the shitter, Wilson is probably the Professor's Mitrovic replacement.)

The Carabao best bits

Few moments in sport are bigger than the return of the Carabao Cup, which saw 10 Premier League teams play competitive football for the first time since Gameweek 16.

And it didn't disappoint.

If, for some inexplicable reason, you weren't able to watch every match (if you missed Charlton's 0-0 draw with Brighton then, frankly, I feel sorry for you), here's a summary of the main stuff that happened:

🔵 Haaland (1 goal) De Bruyne (2 assists), Salah (1 goal) and Nunez (1 assist) all returned in a 5 goal thriller at the Etihad.

🔴 Rashford scored a Giggs-esque wonder goal in United’s 2-0 win over Burnley - continuing a longstanding tradition of Burnley's opponents running 80 yards with the ball and scoring without much in the way of obstruction. Watch it here with Burnley-supporting commentary.

🐧 Newcastle roll out a full strength line-up including Wilson, Almiron and Trippier. Almiron, incidentally, missed a sitter.

🎅 Che Adams (Southampton) and Brennan Johnson (Nottingham Forest) both scored a brace.

😱 Vardy, Jimenez, Lingard and Eriksen also made the scoresheet.

The best captain for Gameweek 17

Have you missed pictures of Haaland? Tough, 'cos you're getting 'em regardless until he's injured.

The Professor's Gameweek 17 team

It'd be arrogant to call this the best Gameweek 17 team in the world, but given the Professor is one of the best managers in the world, it wouldn't be totally crazy either.

If you've had one too many ports to formulate your own independent thoughts today, feel free to copy this.

Current rank: 47k

The Prof is yet to hit "confirm" on these transfers, but he'll be posting his final selection on the Premium WhatsApp group on Boxing Day morning.

Btw, the reason he's got this cool view is because he uses the BetterFPL Chrome extension. You can try it for free.

Three popular players you should probably avoid

As Salt Bae consistently demonstrates, being popular doesn't mean you're good, cool or in any way redeemable.

The same goes for FPL picks.

Here are three popular options we think you should swerve:

🔵 Mason Mount

Mason Mount is gathering steam faster than the shower in your bastard-cold bathroom. That's partly because of Chelsea's Double Gameweek in 19, and partly because they have excellent fixtures in gameweeks 17 and 18.

But listen: Mount has scored 0 goals and registered 0 assists in his last five games. And he has the stats to back it up.

With no big chances and only one big chance created, this is the epitome of fixtures over form. We'd swerve him.

🐧 Miguel Almiron

There comes a point in every over-performing budget midfielder's life where, without warning, they suddenly fade into obscurity and never get mentioned again. We saw it happen to that bloke who played for Watford, and the guy who pulls the strings for West Ham. I can't remember their names.

Controversial though it sounds, Almiron might well be on the precipice of such a fate.

Don't tell the Professor.

Unlike Mount, Almiron's returns have been exceptional over the last five gameweeks. But, similarly to Mount, his underlying stats have dwindled like a neglected box of After Eights.

Only the empty wrappers remain.

🔴 Andy Robertson

Whilst the Professor has been bullish about Liverpool's attacking prospects, their defence over the last four gameweeks has been the fourth-worst in the league.That's not a problem if you're offering excellent attacking potential, but here's the disparity in expected goal involvement between Alexander-Arnold and Robertson so far this season:

He's not offering enough to justify his £6.8m price-tag. Don't splash out.

Darwin or Darlose?

Darwin was excluded from the Liverpool squad Christmas picture, which is apparently a thing football teams do. It's essentially a squad photo but with Santa hats.

Here they are, sans Darwin.

Fan theories include:

• Darwin was busy preparing the Christmas Turkey with a thorough, 72-hour marinating routine 🦃

• Darwin was getting in some much needed shooting practice 🎯

• Darwin is, in fact, Santa 🎅

Either that, or he could be injured.

Pep being Pep

It wouldn't be Christmas without Pep Guardiola shedding doubt over the starting berth of players who will definitely start on Boxing Day.

Will Haaland be benched?

Probably not. But Pep doesn't enjoy Christmas unless he's dangled it as a possibility.

Okay, this was meant to be a short one, and you've probably got mince pies to eat.

It wouldn't be Christmas without a little gift, so here's ours. From us, to you (with a little help from our elf, Alexis Mac Allister).

Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates it. FPL IS BACK!

Ross, James and The Professor.