Following a two-week hiatus due to the final international break of 2024, the Premier League returns this weekend, with West Ham United set for a long trip up to the North-East to take on Newcastle United for Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.
The Hammers endured a frustrating afternoon against Everton before the break when they were held to a rare goalless draw at London Stadium.
Those who featured last season will have nightmares when they recall the 4-3 defeat the Irons took at the hands of Eddie Howe’s side after they relinquished a two-goal lead, and will be eager to quickly get back to winning ways under the St James’ Park lights.
Both sides will be full of individuals looking to provide the touch of magic required to make the difference on the day, meaning there are a number of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) decisions to be made in the lead up to kick-off.
The Gameweek 12 transfer deadline is set for 1pm GMT on Saturday 23 November ahead of a mouth-watering feast of weekend action that ends with the Hammers’ Premier League clash on Tyneside.
While we will be giving you FPL tips and tricks throughout the remainder of the 2024/25 season on whufc.com, see below for some of our picks for the upcoming round.
Also, don't forget to join the Official West Ham United FPL League by entering the code tezfax...
Back to our Gameweek 12 preview, and we’re looking for our all-time leading Premier League goalscorer to make an impact once again…
Positive underlying stats in Antonio’s favour...
Michail Antonio (£5.4m) has been involved regularly for West Ham this season. The Hammers’ leading goalscorer in four of the previous nine seasons, Antonio has featured in every Premier League match this term under Julen Lopetegui, and despite just one goal to his name, statistics show that his luck will surely change sooner rather than later.
The Jamaican’s huge potential for assists is underlined by the stats. Fulham’s Raúl Jiménez has been the top all-round performer in Fantasy Premier League recently with a total of nine big-chance involvements - joint-top with Erling Haaland among forwards over the last six Gameweeks.
But Antonio has run his two Premier League counterparts close, with eight big-chance involvements. Expect the 34-year-old to be an important figure in the North-East.
Fresh from scoring his first England goal against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday, Jarrod Bowen (£7.5m) can continue his early-season purple patch.
The West Ham captain ranks second among players in Claret and Blue for shots (behind Mohammed Kudus, who has taken two more), is our most creative asset, and has amassed 50 points from his opening eleven matches, more than any other Hammers player.
Opposition Watch: Newcastle United
After an inconsistent start to the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, Newcastle have found some much-needed form, with three successive wins over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.
Key to that turnaround has been Alexander Isak (£8.5m), who has 26 points in his last three outings and has quietly gone about his business after returning from injury after the October international break, while he also scored and assisted for Sweden last Saturday against Slovakia.
The 25-year-old has six goal involvements this season and has contributed to 60 per cent of all Newcastle's goals when on the pitch. The Irons have already shipped three or more goals on four separate occasions under Lopetegui and will have to be wary of the in-form Swede.
Elsewhere, Anthony Gordon (£7.2m) scored and earned nine points against Manchester City in Gameweek six and supplied the assist for other selection Isak’s winner against Arsenal in Gameweek ten.
Gordon was one of the most reliable performers in home matches last season for the Magpies and was the second top-scoring player in such contests in 2023/24 FPL, claiming an outstanding 133 points.
The Englishman has registered eleven key passes in home matches, which is more than double the total of any teammate, showcasing his incredible potential for assists. He's expected to be influential once again for Howe's charges on Monday.
