Fantasy Premier League: How to navigate cup-final rotations
Preparation for Gameweek 37 is tricky, given the proximity of the FA Cup and Europa League finals to the Premier League fixtures.
Though our fantasy transfers are now only impacting the short term, it's still important to make good decisions on who to buy and sell.
The key this gameweek is targeting the right fixtures and knowing which players to avoid…
Crystal Palace and Manchester City contest Saturday's FA Cup final at Wembley before Palace face Wolves at home and City entertain Bournemouth, in their delayed Gameweek 37 matches, both on Tuesday.
These will be the final home game of the season for the two clubs, before Palace go to champions Liverpool and City visit Fulham on the last day of the league campaign. With three matches to play each in eight days, we can expect rotation to heavily impact their respective Premier League team sheets.
Advertisement
Palace are out of the running for European qualification through their Premier League position but will earn a Europa League place if they lift the FA Cup.
This gives added motivation to be successful at Wembley, moving their two remaining league games well down the pecking order in terms of importance. FPL managers owning Palace assets should be looking to sell, including Eberechi Eze (£6.9m), despite the England midfielder scoring four goals in their past three league games.
City looked to have Champions League football sewn up before a surprise 0-0 draw away to relegated Southampton last time out. They must secure a top-five finish to be sure of inclusion in the competition next season, so their last two Premier League games are still significant, and forward Erling Haaland (£14.9m) and midfielder Phil Foden (£9.1m) made their first starts since returning from several weeks out injured against Southampton.
Manager Pep Guardiola has the squad depth to rotate in the final week of the season, so it's difficult to know exactly where to invest, despite City's motivation. You can add to the mix the first 32-team edition of the revamped Club World Cup, which starts a month from today — they will want a fully-fit squad going into that.
Josko Gvardiol (£6.5m) remains a sound investment, having started all but one of their 35 league games so far, playing 500 more minutes (over five full matches) than any other City asset. The deposed champions have kept five clean sheets in the seven games since the March international window while conceding just three times, with Gvardiol boasting a league-leading five goals among defenders.
I would look to sell Omar Marmoush (£7.5m), who found himself benched against Southampton with Haaland fit again. While I expect him to start alongside the Norwegian in City's final two games, Marmoush has looked restricted in a wider role in recent games, making him less prolific.
This season's Europa League final will be contested in the Spanish city of Bilbao on Wednesday evening between Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, with a trophy and Champions League qualification as the prizes. This will be a huge feat for the victorious side after hugely underwhelming domestic seasons for both leave them currently 16th (United) and 17th in the 20-team table.
Advertisement
United midfielder Bruno Fernandes (£8.5m) is the only asset from either club with significant ownership among active managers and should be considered a sell ahead of this fixture.
With both finals having the potential to go to extra time and penalties, fantasy managers could look to buy assets from their opponents in anticipation of rotation and fatigue. We expect Spurs and United to rotate heavily when they visit Aston Villa and Chelsea respectively on Friday ahead of their showdown in Spain.
Villa are a key team to target for the reason above, with their striker Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) being the most transferred-in player this week and a popular replacement for Marmoush. He has three goals and one assist in the seven matches since the March international break and is set for increased minutes with Marcus Rashford having suffered a potentially season-ending hamstring injury.
An attacking double-up with Morgan Rogers (£5.7m) could prove fruitful: they combined for the only goal of the game against Bournemouth last weekend. Rogers boasts 18 goal involvements for this season and could be a good replacement for Fernandes this week.
Villa's last game of the season is away to Manchester United, who could be fatigued after their European final in midweek, and Unai Emery's men are still looking to secure a Champions League place.
Investment in Chelsea assets is trickier as they are trying to qualify for the Champions League too, but also have a UEFA Conference League final against Spain's Real Betis three days after their Gameweek 38 fixture.
They travel to Nottingham Forest, who will be equally motivated in the race for Champions League football, on that Sunday. Cole Palmer (£10.5m) may still be worth a look.
Considering the next opponents of the FA Cup finalists, Wolves are at Palace in midweek before hosting Brentford on the final day. They are out of the running for European qualification, so their motivation is questionable, especially off the back of two defeats since securing Premier League survival. Despite this, I'd still look to invest in striker Matheus Cunha (£7.1m), who has 22 goal involvements in the league this season and could be playing for a move away.
Advertisement
Bournemouth also carry appeal with relegated Leicester City to come at home on the final day following their trip to the Etihad Stadium and the potential of European football coming with eighth place — that's currently occupied by Brentford, who are two points ahead of them.
Forward Evanilson (£5.8m) and midfielder Antoine Semenyo (£5.7m) remain the most attractive picks from the Bournemouth attack, with 15 and 16 goal involvements this season respectively.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Premier League operating profit hits five-year high as PSR bites
Premier League clubs recorded their highest collective operating profit since 2019 last year as controversial PSR regulations enforced a greater emphasis on balancing the books. Aggregate operating profits among the 20 teams in the top division increased by 36 per cent to £533m in 2023-24, according to Deloitte's latest Annual Review of Football Finance published today. Premier League clubs' revenue grew four per cent to a record £6.3bn which, combined with tougher profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), led to their best operating profit figures since before the Covid-19 pandemic. 'We are starting to see a bit of a ripple when it comes to clubs focusing on compliance within regulations,' Jennifer Haskel, knowledge and insight lead in the Deloitte Sports Business Group, told City AM. 'As we continue within this evolving regulatory landscape, clubs are being run more and more as traditional businesses. While clubs are continuing to grow the top line and diversify their revenue streams, hopefully that will lead to more long term sustainability and profits.' Both Everton and Nottingham Forest received points deductions in the 2023-24 season for breaching PSR, while other teams – including Aston Villa and Chelsea – narrowly avoided sanctions with some late player trading. Premier League clubs made a pre-tax loss of £136m, although that was an improvement of almost £550m on the previous season. The relegation of heavily loss-making teams also contributed to the improvement. The total European football market grew by eight per cent to a record €38bn, with the Big Five leagues – England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France – generating more than €20bn for the first time. That growth may plateau due to a French media rights crisis, however, Deloitte said. Ahead of the imminent introduction of the Independent Football Regulator, meanwhile, the report warns that 'there can be no doubt that the system in English football is under strain'. 'We still await the output of the Independent Football Regulator to fully understand how this may impact the game in England, but it is clear that the way in which the game is governed and the regulation that underpins it needs to seek to drive value, fan engagement (both physical and digital) and competitive balance,' writes Deloitte's lead sports partner Tim Bridge. 'The level of interest and the demand to engage with English football remains high and investors still see the opportunity, particularly when there is a strong community link or adjacent investment opportunities, but the lack of clarity over the future regulatory regime is now unhelpful.' Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Premier League 'under strain' despite record £6.3 bn revenues
Fan protests over rising ticket prices have become commonplace in the Premier League (Oli SCARFF) The combined revenue of Premier League clubs rose to a record £6.3 billion ($8.5 billion, 7.5 billion euros) in the 2023/24 season, but fan unrest and worsening competitive balance are cause for concern, according to financial experts Deloitte. The rise in income for England's 20 top-flight clubs was fuelled by commercial income surpassing £2 billion for the first time and a rise in matchday revenue beyond £900 million. Advertisement English clubs continue to enjoy a huge financial advantage over their European rivals. Spain's La Liga, the second highest revenue-generating league, earned just over half that amount at 3.8 billion euros, almost 50 percent of which came from Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, fan protests have become a common sight at Premier League stadiums over rising ticket prices and the squeezing out of local supporters to make way for more tourists willing to spend more for a special matchday experience. "There can be no doubt that the system in English football is under strain," said Tim Bridge, the lead partner in the Deloitte Sports Business Group. Advertisement "Repeated reports of fan unrest at ticket price and accessibility demonstrate the challenge in the modern era of balancing commercial growth with the historic essence of a football club's role and position in society: as a community asset." There is also uncertainty over the implications of an incoming independent regulator for England's top five leagues. And for the past two seasons, all three promoted clubs from the Championship have been immediately relegated back to the second tier. "The financial implications of the 'yo-yo effect' on clubs, their spending, and overall competitiveness are major factors to address in order to continue attracting high levels of investment across the system," added Bridge in Deloitte's Annual Review of Football Finance. Advertisement Total revenue of European clubs rose by eight percent in the 2023/24 campaign to 38 billion euros, boosted by increased commercial revenue and stadium developments. The women's game also continues to grow commercially, particularly in England's Women's Super League (WSL). Collective revenues in the WSL rose 34 percent to £65 million in 2023/24 and are projected to reach £100 million in the upcoming season. kca/nf
New York Times
4 hours ago
- New York Times
European football revenue hit record €38bn in 2023-24 season
The growth of the European football industry continues to show little sign of slowing after collective revenues for the 2023-24 season climbed to a record €38billion (£32.2bn, $43.6bn). Deloitte, the leading accounting firm, has published its 34th Annual Review of Football Finance today and reported an eight per cent increase in turnover across the continent. Advertisement The so-called big five leagues — the top divisions from England, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France — still contribute the greatest figures, with their aggregate revenues found to have topped €20bn for the first time last season. Over a third of that sum continues to come from the Premier League's 20 clubs, who reported growth of four per cent on the previous campaign. Germany's Bundesliga was the only major European league to see a downturn in revenues, falling one per cent year on year to €3.8bn. That allowed La Liga's combined wealth to almost draw level as the closest competitor to the Premier League, with aggregate revenues enjoying a six per cent uplift in 2023-24. European football's aggregate revenues, with figures including domestic leagues and national associations, have grown consistently since the turn of the century and are forecast by Deloitte to continue in the next two years. They estimate revenues will have climbed to €39.3bn in the season that is just finishing, before heading north again to €43.1bn in 2025-26. Amid those positive projections, though, are warning signs. Deloitte's report sees small growth for the big five leagues in 2024-25, before revenues then plateau next season. That is predominantly down to the deep uncertainty over Ligue 1's broadcast rights, but projects largely flatlining numbers for Serie A and Bundesliga. Those forecasts suggest that the Premier League's place as market leader will only grow. Last season saw commercial revenues of the top 20 English clubs go beyond the £2bn mark for the first time, with matchday revenues climbing to £909m. Broadcast revenues (coming in at £3.3bn with earnings from European competitions) alone are more than any other top European league turns over in total. Premier League clubs are assured of that figure growing again next season as a new and improved domestic broadcast cycle begins in 2025-26. Deloitte forecasts the Premier League's aggregate revenues to touch almost £7bn next season. Advertisement Other patterns point to a more pragmatic approach on the continent. Clubs in the big five leagues were found to have reported an operating profit of €600m in 2023-24. Wages as a percentage of revenue also fell from 66 to 64, suggesting that lavish spending has been tempered. 'The pressure is mounting for more clubs to drive additional revenue at the same time as managing rising costs,' Tim Bridge, lead partner in the Deloitte Sports Business Group, said in a statement accompanying the report. 'More than ever, leaders and owners must recognise the great responsibility they have of managing these businesses, capturing the historic essence of a football club while honouring its unrivalled role as a community asset for generations to come.' Deloitte's report found Championship clubs had recorded revenues just shy of £1bn, but found wages had climbed significantly to £892m. That ensured 93 per cent of turnover from the 24 Championship clubs in 2023-24 was spent on wages, with 11 of the 24 clubs committing more on salaries than they generated. League Two's aggregate revenues climbed significantly to £160m, but 17 per cent of that inflated sum came from Wrexham, as they passed through the division in 2023-24 en route to League One. The greatest growth witnessed, though, came in the Women's Super League. Deloitte's report found that £65m had been generated, 34 per cent up on the previous season. All 12 WSL clubs reported income of over £1m for the first time, and forecasts estimate that total revenues for the top-flight of the English women's game will reach £100m in 2025-26.
