This article is part of our FPL Best XI series.
On the heels of another international break, the Premier League returns this weekend ahead of a welcomed uninterrupted period going into the holiday season.
Before previewing what Gameweek 12 has to offer fantasy owners, let's refresh on what transpired prior to the Premiership's recent layoff.
First-place Chelsea remained unbeaten with a 2-1 victory at Liverpool, who were crudely not awarded a penalty kick for an apparent handball in the waning stages of their defeat.
From there, Saturday's normal start-time kickoffs all featured clean sheet efforts, as Manchester United blanked Crystal Palace 1-0, Burnley earned their first victory by beating Hull City 1-0, and Southampton continued their incredible start by topping Leicester City 2-0. Additionally, West Ham and Aston Villa split points in a scoreless draw at Upton Park.
Saturday's final game sprung forth the surprise result of the day, as Queens Park Rangers gutted out a 2-2 home draw against mighty Manchester City.
On Sunday, a pair of second-half goals saw Sunderland and Everton play out a 1-1 draw, while Stoke City secured another stellar road win with a 2-1 result at Tottenham.
Meanwhile, Newcastle maintained their flying form with a fourth-straight win, this time defeating West Brom 2-0 to climb all the way to eighth in the current standings.
Now just one point ahead of the Magpies, Arsenal dropped points by losing 2-1 at a Swansea City side that jumped to fifth place behind some late Sunday heroics.
Those matches produced five clean sheets, four goals, and two assists from Gameweek 11's Best XI.
At goalkeeper, Southampton's Fraser Forster was not required to make a save to notch his seventh clean sheet of the season in Saturday's win over Leicester City.
Defensively, Branislav Ivanovic was shown a yellow card for Chelsea at Anfield and Pablo Zabaleta disappointingly fell victim to Manchester City's squad rotation, but West Ham's Aaron Cresswell provided a clean sheet to save face for the unit.
Midfield-wise, Angel di Maria assisted Manchester United's lone goal and earned a clean sheet, as did West Ham's Stewart Downing and Southampton's Dusan Tadic.
Rounding out the group, the sensational Alexis Sanchez netted his eighth goal of the season in Arsenal's match versus Swansea City.
Up front, Best XI captain Graziano Pelle supplied an assist for Southampton, Chelsea's danger man Diego Costa reached double figures by scoring versus Liverpool, and Manchester City's Sergio Aguero extended his league-leading tally to 12 goals with a brace at QPR.
Those outputs have set the bar highly for Gameweek 12, when six fixtures open the Premier League's return to action this weekend.
Chelsea will look to keep their undefeated record intact at home versus West Brom, who are fresh off a loss to an on-fire Newcastle team slated to host Queens Park Rangers in search of a fifth-consecutive victory.
Elsewhere, Leicester welcomes Sunderland for a bottom-half battle, while Stoke City will hope to prevent last-place Burnley from stringing together back-to-back wins in their meeting at the Britannia Stadium.
Besides those matches, three top-10 tussles headline Saturday's schedule, as tenth-place Everton awaits fourth-place West Ham, third-place Manchester City draws fifth-positioned Swansea City at home, and sixth-place Arsenal invites seventh Manchester United for a classic clash to close the day.
After the Saturday smoke clears, Crystal Palace will be desperate to end their current five-game winless streak, but a Liverpool side without a win since Gameweek 8 may match their incentive in Sunday's game at Selhurst Park.
Then, Sunday ends with a hard-pressed Hull City hosting Tottenham, with both sides floundering of late.
Given those matchups and also considering the usual travel of international players back to their clubs, here are some potential fantasy difference-makers for Gameweek 12 of the Premier League.
Formation: 3-4-3
Goalkeeper:
The Premiership's best goalkeeper to this point in the season, Forster has supported Southampton's special start by restricting opponents' scoring attempts with regularity. In doing so, Forster has seven clean sheets in 11 appearances this season, giving the Saints the top defensive record with only five goals allowed on the campaign. This weekend, Southampton takes their second-place position in the standings to Villa Park to face the top-flight's lowest-scoring team. To illustrate Aston Villa's sustained struggles in front of goal, the Villains have scored just once in their past seven matches.
Defenders:
Even though Stoke City holds a goal difference on minus-one, the Potters' defense remains resolute, as only Manchester City (third-place), Chelsea (first), Swansea City (fifth), and Southampton (second) have allowed fewer goals than Mark Hughes' men this season. Shawcross is the leader of Stoke's defense, which has conceded only one goal on average at home this season. Coming off a big victory in Gameweek 11, Shawcross will captain his side toward another victory versus last-place Burnley. Not only has Burnley mustered merely six goals all season, they've also been shut-out in four of five away matches as well.
A constant force on the league's second-best defense, Ivanovic has been fantastic for Chelsea and fantasy owners this season. Along with a pair of goals, Ivanovic sports three clean sheets, all of which have come at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea hosts West Brom come Saturday. In addition to scoring against the Baggies last season, Ivanovic's bright fantasy outlook is enhanced by the fact that only the bottom-three teams on the table have scored fewer away goals than West Brom.
As Newcastle built a three-game winning streak in Gameweek 11, Janmaat was largely the architect, as he was credited with both of the Magpies' assists on the day. Even further, Janmaat's display brought forth his third clean sheet in four matches. With that strong dose of confidence, Janmaat takes on Queens Park Rangers at home this weekend in a fabulous matchup. The R's are the Premiership's only team to have not earned a point on the road this season and their tiny two away goals have hugely contributed toward that demise.
Midfielders:
The most expensive transfer in Premier League history, di Maria completed a seamless transition to England. To quantify, di Maria ranks in the top-five at his position in goals (three), assists (five), and shots on target (10), but he has done so in only nine appearances for Manchester United. Following a pair of outings for Argentina over the international break, di Maria approaches a tasty fixture at Arsenal this weekend. Considering how both teams' defensive ranks have been ravaged by injuries this season, a shootout could ensue at the Emirates on Saturday. That would bode perfectly for di Maria, as he'll likely line-up against 19-year-old Arsenal right-back Calum Chambers, who endured a horrid performance in his most recent Premiership performance.
Eden Hazard
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Last season, Hazard was Chelsea's top goal scorer; however, with the addition of Diego Costa, the winger welcomes less pressure to carry the Blues' attack. Although that may slightly damper his fantasy value, Hazard is still the most dynamic playmaker on the Premier League's highest-scoring side. Also, the Belgian's three league goals are only bettered by Costa on Chelsea this season. Hazard scored against West Brom last season and his team has fired at least two goals in 24 of their last 29 matches in the top-flight.
Victor Moses
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An emerging engineer this season, Moses has been brilliant during his loan spell at Stoke City. To that point, he leads Stoke with three assists and six shots on goal, while his 17 total shot attempts are tied for the Potters' best. The Chelsea outcast has excelled in a less-crowded setting and is gifted with a Gameweek 12 matchup against the league's worst team, Burnley. Prior to last time out, Burnley shipped 15 goals over their previous five outings, including nine conceded on the road. So with Stoke at home this Saturday, and Moses coming off a goal in his last effort at the Britannia Stadium, he's a player on the rise that could continue his ascent this weekend.
Alexis Sanchez (C)
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Arguably no player entered the international break on better form than Alexis, who hauled six goals in his past four matches into the off period. However, the sizzling South American's stat stuffing didn't stop there, as Alexis scored one goal in both of his games for Chile over the past week. Counting those goals, Alexis has magnificently found the scoresheet in six straight appearances. His appetite for more goals makes him fantasy's best midfielder, a status that could be advanced further this weekend, as Manchester United figures to start a makeshift defense at Arsenal. The Gunners' summer signing has scored in four games in a row at his new stomping ground, which adds another reason for Alexis to earn this week's Best XI captain's armband.
Forwards:
Going against his boyhood club of Manchester United, Welbeck should take plenty of pride in his performance this weekend. Although the Red Devils often deployed Welbeck out wide during his time at Old Trafford, the pacy and powerful 23-year-old has strived since his sale to Arsenal, where he spearheads the North London club's attack in his preferred central role. In fact, Welbeck has five goals, two assists, and 40 shot attempts (15 on goal) in 12 total starts for Arsenal. Although he's gone five games without a goal for the Gunners, Welbeck did set up a score in his side's most recent match and bagged a brace for England over the international break. With that momentum, coupled with motivation to beat his former teammates, Welbeck's encouraging credentials are bolstered even further when considering United's suspect defensive options.
Diego Costa v.
Subject of controversy with his much-maligned choice country of Spain, Costa stayed in London over the international break, citing his lingering hamstring concern. Despite the ailment, Costa has been plenty useful when declared fit this season, as his 10 goals rank second among Premier League forwards and have come in just nine games. Costa should be itching to play this weekend and is always a threat to score when in the Blues' lineup. Facing a West Brom side allowing one goal per game on the road thus far, Costa himself is averaging a goal at Stamford Bridge.
The only player with more goals than Costa, Aguero has slotted home 12 in 11 Premier League appearances this season, including only nine starts. Amazingly, Aguero is also averaging 5.2 shot attempts per game, proving his relentlessness in testing opposing goalkeepers. Even though he's slated to face a Swansea City side in high spirits Saturday, Manchester City's banged-up starting lineup should shift more focus on feeding Aguero to spark some magic. Furthermore, the Citizens will be desperate to keep pace in the title race and Aguero has been their horse this season.
Forster
Shawcross – Ivanovic – Janmaat
di Maria – Hazard – Moses – Alexis (C)
Welbeck – Costa - Aguero
