West Ham United quickly turn their attention to Leicester City as they look to return to winning ways in the Premier League on Tuesday night, with an 8.15pm trip to King Power Stadium.
Julen Lopetegui’s side visit the East Midlands after defeat against Arsenal on Saturday, and the Irons will be looking to bounce back with a strong performance that could serve as a catalyst ahead of a packed festive period.
The Hammers will be wary of the threats posed by a Leicester side that are at the start of a new era after recently changing managers, with Ruud van Nistelrooy set to take charge of the Foxes for the first time against West Ham.
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 14 transfer deadline is set for 6pm GMT on Tuesday 3 December ahead of a mouth-watering feast of midweek action that begins shortly before the Hammers’ Premier League clash at King Power Stadium.
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 14 preview, and we’re looking for our free-scoring right-back to make an impact once again…
Wan-Bissaka continues to impress...
As far as weeks go, it was a pretty good one for West Ham United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£4.5m).
The 27-year-old is thriving in Claret and Blue, having found the net twice in the space of five days against Newcastle United and Arsenal, scoring as many goals for West Ham (two) as he had in his first 182 appearances for Crystal Palace and Manchester United in the Premier League.
It’s not a complete fluke, as Lopetegui has tasked him with more attacking responsibility than he’s previously been used to. Both full-backs have been pushed very high this season for the Irons, with left-back Emerson also getting on the scoresheet against the Gunners.
Right-back Wan-Bissaka is among the cheapest defenders in Fantasy Premier League and has undoubtedly been one of the most underrated assets in recent weeks. Against Arsenal, he recorded impressive underlying statistics, having won seven out of eight duels, made four tackles, had three touches inside the opposition box, made two interceptions and had two shot attempts, which recorded him an outstanding 15-point FPL haul.
Leicester have a lot to improve on across the pitch. According to Opta, their expected goals against (xGA) is one of the worst in the top flight, while they’ve conceded the second-highest amount of goals in the Premier League (27).
With 39 points from his opening 13 matches and a Fixture Difficulty Rating (FDR) of two, FPL believes Wan-Bissaka could be an important figure in the East Midlands, so don’t miss the opportunity to draft this big-game player into your line-up!
Opposition Watch: Leicester City
Despite reduced minutes for 37-year-old striker Jamie Vardy (£5.5m), the former Premier League Golden Boot winner was still Leicester’s top scorer last season and is the joint-top scorer this term alongside Facundo Buonanotte (£5.0m), having started the 2024/25 campaign in fine form with two goals in his first four matches.
Vardy racked up 20 goals in just 37 appearances in all competitions during the 2023/24 EFL Championship campaign, which gave him a Goals per 90 of 0.93 last season, more than three times that of any other current Foxes player.
FPL managers and those who set the player prices were probably guilty of writing the former England international off before a ball was kicked. Just under half of Vardy’s appearances in the Championship last term were as a substitute, and FPL’s £5.5m valuation of him was presumably made in the assumption that he would be an impact sub again in this campaign.
Instead, Vardy has started every game he’s been available for this term (12). Despite his underlying numbers not being particularly impressive, he has proven himself as a clinical finisher throughout his career, and in manager van Nistelrooy's first match in charge - the man whose Premier League record for goals in consecutive games Vardy beat - it would be somewhat poetic if he was to help his side to victory with another all-round contribution.
While West Ham fans will be hoping Vardy has an off-day, FPL managers may feel including him gives them a good chance of scoring points on Tuesday.
