This article is part of our FPL Best XI series.
Before the Premier League embarks on yet another international break, Gameweek 12 of this season features a number of interesting storylines set to unfold this weekend.
On Saturday, the league's three highest scoring players will square off, as Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez's surprise Leicester City side host Odion Ighalo's upstart Watford outfit.
Elsewhere, under fire Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will serve a stadium ban after his latest round of post-match antics, precluding him from being involved with the Blues' visit to Stoke City.
Conversely, Sunday will welcome a new manager to the fold, as Remi Garde is tasked with making his debut for last-place Aston Villa at home against first-place Manchester City.
Later on, Garde's former club, Arsenal, will look to overcome their midweek Champions League thrashing at Bayern Munich with an improved effort when Tottenham travel for the latest installment of the North London derby.
With those notable matchups and more in mind, let's dive into the Best XI for Gameweek 12 of the Premiership campaign.
Goalkeeper:
Petr Cech
Put simply, Cech has been fantastic since joining Arsenal this season and rightfully re-establishing himself as a No. 1 goalkeeper. Heading into Sunday's rivalry match against Tottenham, Arsenal's defense has tied to concede a league-low eight goals, and Cech's six clean sheets are also tied for the best mark among goalkeepers. With Arsenal's top defender, Laurent Koscielny, expected back Sunday, Cech probably won't be forced into eight saves like he was in the Gunners' midweek Champions League beat down. Additionally, the fact that Arsenal have blanked Tottenham in two of their past three meetings at the Emirates Stadium bodes in favor of another outstanding performance from Cech.
Defenders:
Aleksandar Kolarov
Despite playing for a Manchester City team that leads the Premier League in goals scored, it was Kolarov, a defender, who was chosen to take a penalty kick last weekend. Although Kolarov ultimately missed the rare opportunity, the fact that he was picked among the Citizens' bevy of options illustrates just how highly thought of he is offensively. Having such a well-rounded skill set while regularly starting for a City defense with six clean sheets makes Kolarov a great fantasy threat on most occasions, but this weekend's matchup against last-place Aston Villa is especially intriguing. The Villains have lost seven straight and only one team has scored fewer goals this season.
Chris Smalling
Quietly the league-leader in clean sheets, Smalling has reeled off three straight scoreless outings, bringing his tally to seven heading into Saturday's match against West Brom. Like Aston Villa, only Stoke City has scored fewer goals than West Brom to this point in the campaign, which hardly bodes well against a Manchester United defense that is tied for the fewest goals conceded. Furthermore, this weekend the Red Devils will be at home, where they've impressively only allowed one goal this season. All in all, those developments make Smalling a fine fantasy selection this weekend.
Ryan Bertrand
After emerging as a fantasy star with two goals, three assists and 13 clean sheets last season, a knee injury caused Bertrand to miss the first six games of the current campaign. Since returning, he has been faced with a schedule that's made clean sheets tough to come by, yet Southampton remains unbeaten in the five games he's played. Admittedly, Southampton got a break last weekend by hosting Bournemouth, but Bertrand capitalized by posting his first clean sheet and also dished out an assist. Rounding back into form, the Englishman now gets to take on Sunderland, who aren't known for their offensive exploits.
Midfielders:
Kevin De Bruyne
De Bruyne has quickly entered the conversation surrounding the Premier League's best midfielders. Since becoming Manchester City property, the Belgian has three goals and four assists in seven league matches, and seven goals and four assists in 14 appearances for club and country. With new teammate David Silva (ankle) still out, De Bruyne figures to once again be the chief creative force in the Citizens' attack this weekend, when Aston Villa stands in his way. In addition to currently being the worst team in England's top-flight, the Villains have allowed nine goals in their last three meetings with Manchester City, painting a bright picture for De Bruyne's brilliance to continue.
Mesut Ozil
Right there with De Bruyne among the elite midfielders plying their trade in England, Ozil doled out two more assists last weekend, taking his season tally to nine already. While that mark comfortably leads all Premiership players, it's also at least three more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues. With Ozil fueling the supply chain, no team has scored more than Arsenal's 16 goals over the past six weeks of Premier League action. Despite a midweek European hiccup, one that saw an Ozil goal disallowed, the Gunners are still firing steady going into Sunday's rivalry match versus Tottenham, whom Ozil scored against in the teams' most recent league meeting.
Andre Ayew
After starting his Premiership career with three goals in his first four games for Swansea City, Ayew cooled off a bit, going scoreless in the next three matches, but he has since found the back of the net in two of the Swans' last four. For those scoring at home, that gives Ayew five goals in 11 Premier League games, and he's also doled out an assist as well. This weekend, the Ghanaian can look forward to Swansea's matchup at Norwich City, who have lost four consecutive games and have allowed the third-most goals this season. Given Swansea's average of two goals over their last six meetings with the Canaries, Ayew seems to have a good shot of finding the scoresheet once again in Gameweek 12.
Riyad Mahrez
Another player that started hot, Mahrez just hasn't cooled down, as he bagged a brace last weekend to inflate his season totals to an eye-opening seven goals and five assists. That performance brought Leicester City up to third-place in the standings and also returned Mahrez to the point-lead in the Premier League's fantasy game. In Gameweek 12, Mahrez and the Foxes will welcome Watford to the King Power Stadium, giving the Algerian a home matchup against a recently promoted team. While the Hornets have shown solid defensive organization while generally acquitting themselves nicely so far, Mahrez's unstoppable form just makes him too good to pass up this weekend.
Forwards:
Jamie Vardy (C)
Mahrez's partner in crime, Vardy would arguably be his biggest competition for Player of the Season to this juncture. An absolutely amazing development, Vardy has scored in every Premiership match he's played in since Aug. 29, which spans Leicester's last eight league affairs and includes 10 total goals from Vardy. That alone makes Vardy a no-brainer to keep in fantasy lineups this weekend, but his searing form is complemented by an advantageous home matchup against Watford. Vardy has at least one goal or one assist in every game at King Power Stadium this season, earning him the Best XI captain's armband once again.
Olivier Giroud
To a lesser extent than Vardy, Giroud has been in special form this season, especially of late. The Frenchman has scored six league goals in just 532 minutes, making him good for a goal every 89 minutes. Moreover, he has scored in three straight Premier League efforts, and boasts seven goals in his last seven appearances for club and country. That includes Arsenal's lone goal in the midweek against Bayern Munich, which should boost Giroud's confidence further ahead of Sunday's North London derby. Making his point clear now that he's back as the Gunners' starting center forward, Giroud could very well take the next step by scoring against Arsenal's hated opposition this weekend.
Graziano Pelle
With a goal last weekend against Bournemouth, Pelle piled on his sixth score of the season, which goes with five assists to boot. This weekend, the towering Italian has an excellent opportunity to grow those totals, as he's gifted with a matchup against Sunderland, who have shipped a league-high 25 goals this season. While current form is enough to select Pelle, recent history between Sunderland and Southampton cements his supreme status. In their first meeting last season, Southampton accumulated eight goals against the Black Cats, with Pelle scoring twice himself. So with the Saints now unbeaten in five, expect Pelle to propel them further against welcomed opposition Saturday.
BENCH
GK: Lukasz Fabianski
Pitted against a Norwich City side with only three goals in their last three games and that was blanked against Swansea in their most recent encounter.
DEF: Nathaniel Clyne
Coming off a midweek clean sheet in the Europa League, Clyne gets to face a Crystal Palace outfit that has failed to score in two of their past three matches.
MID: Philippe Coutinho
A somewhat streaky player, Coutinho scored a pair of pretty goals at Chelsea last weekend, which should provide momentum ahead of Sunday's visit from Crystal Palace.
MID: Sadio Mane
Scored in Southampton's most recent game against Sunderland, who leaked eight goals to the Saints in their other meeting last season, and presently sport the Premiership's worst defense.
MID: Willian
One of very few Chelsea players performing well this season, Willian has five goals and one assist in his past 10 appearances.
FWD: Odion Ighalo
Scored a brace last weekend to take his tally to seven goals this season, and has also assisted twice, giving him a hand in nine of Watford's 10 goals heading into Saturday's tie at Leicester City.
FWD: Wilfried Bony
Still starting in the injured Sergio Aguero's (calf) coveted central striker position for Manchester City, Bony goes against last-place Aston Villa this weekend.
