Latest news with #DoubleGameweek
South China Morning Post
19-04-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Fantasy Premier League: here's my tip for the best possible team for Double Gameweek 33
Let us cut to the chase here: if you had followed my advice in the previous two FPL articles, you would have scored over 113 points from my tips alone. Advertisement Building on the 63 points I scored in Gameweek 31, I bagged an additional 93 points in Double Gameweek 32, which concluded with Newcastle's 5-0 demolishing of Crystal Palace on Wednesday night. My second green arrow in a row has lifted more than 50,000 places up the world rankings to sit in 145,409th, my highest rank since the dizzy heights of 57,700 in Gameweek 4. This week, I am going to make it very easy for you by highlighting the best last-minute team for Double Gameweek 33. Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers (left) will almost certainly play 180 minutes in Double Gameweek 33. Photo: dpa Lars' line-up Advertisement If I still had my Bench Boost, I would be using it this week as it is very easy to get at least 11 players from Arsenal, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Manchester City, who all play twice.
New York Times
11-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Fantasy Premier League: Analysing every chip strategy for Gameweek 32 and beyond
We have another double gameweek in Fantasy Premier League, with Newcastle United and Crystal Palace having two fixtures apiece as they face each other on Wednesday evening. With a further confirmed double in Gameweek 33 for Crystal Palace, along with Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa, this is an optimal time to play any remaining chips. Of course, we could also have another double in Gameweek 36 caused by the FA Cup final, which could create one or two blanks, so how should you maximise your chips for Double Gameweek 32 and beyond? It has quickly become clear that the new Assistant Manager chip is the most powerful one in the game, with its table bonus creating significant point swings for managers if played correctly. Consecutive double gameweeks for Crystal Palace provide plenty of opportunity to utilise this booster on Oliver Glasner (£0.8m), who has recorded three double-digit scores since the chip was introduced. Managers looking to play the chip this week should be aware of the disruption to the schedule coming in Blank Gameweek 34, where there's no fixture for the four teams who double in Gameweek 33. The Assistant Manager chip is active for three consecutive gameweeks, which would then block the Free Hit chip but will still be a very popular strategy play. Managers who activated the chip in Gameweek 31 should be looking to switch to Glasner this week if they aren't currently tripled up on players for Crystal Palace. Advertisement Eddie Howe (£1.5m) is another worthy contender for this week, and with a fixture for Newcastle United in the blank, you could theoretically stick with him for a three-gameweek period. Newcastle have the more attractive fixtures for Gameweek 32, with home games against Manchester United and Crystal Palace. They then travel to Aston Villa in Gameweek 33 before hosting Ipswich Town in Gameweek 34. Another manager well worth looking at is Aston Villa's Unai Emery (£0.8m), who is second in the form charts over the last four gameweeks, earning three wins from three FPL fixtures. Villa's focus is, of course, the Champions League, but they still managed a 2-1 win against third-placed Nottingham Forest last time out, despite fielding a rotated team. We can expect this again for their attractive trip to Southampton in Gameweek 32 before the double in Gameweek 33 against Newcastle United and Manchester City. By using an Aston Villa slot on the manager, owners will be immune from the heavy rotation expected in their starting XI in the next two gameweeks while hopefully still capitalising on significant results. For those managers who activated the Assistant Manager chip in Gameweek 31, I also like the look of Mikel Arteta (£1.5m) for the next two gameweeks. His team entertain Brentford this weekend before facing Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace in their double in Gameweek 33. Arsenal now have a significant advantage going into the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid after winning the home game 3-0, which should minimise rotation in the Premier League. The most challenging chip in the game to get right is the Bench Boost. The initial aim in theory is to build a squad of 15 players who all have a double gameweek to fully maximise the chip. However, Double Gameweek 33 is set to be the biggest double of the season, with just four sides playing twice, allowing a maximum of 12 doublers. This considerably weakens the value of the chip. Advertisement We tend to play the Bench Boost close to a wildcard in order to spread funds across our squads to invest carefully in all 15 positions, rather than the traditional setup of 11 'first-team' scoring players. On paper, Gameweek 33 looks to be the best time to use the Bench Boost, but this is very much team-dependent. If your Gameweek 32 bench has all starters with a reasonable selection of fixtures, don't be afraid to activate it this week. We expect less rotation in Gameweek 32 from the sides still involved in the FA Cup, with their semi-final ties to be played on the weekend immediately after the midweek Double Gameweek 33 fixtures. It is worth looking ahead to Gameweek 33 and the potential bench for that gameweek before making a final decision on which week would be better for your squad. This chip can also be saved if you haven't yet wildcarded. For managers who have arrived at Double Gameweek 32 not close to a full complement of Newcastle and Crystal Palace players, the wildcard should be considered the best course of action. The look of your wildcard team will depend vastly on whether you have Free Hit available for Blank Gameweek 34 and also Bench Boost for Double Gameweek 33, which would be the optimal play during this period. If you have both chips remaining, then you can go all in on the next two blanks by tripling up on players from Crystal Palace, Newcastle United and Manchester City. Palace's double-double makes their assets highly attractive, with Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.7m) leading the way for fantasy points and defender Daniel Munoz (£5.2m) boasting nine goal involvements. At Newcastle, the second-highest owned player in the game, Alexander Isak (£9.5m), is a must, with 20 goals this season. It could well be worth doubling up on their attack with the in-form Jacob Murphy (£5.1m), who is friendly on the budget. And for Manchester City, it's Omar Marmoush (£7.6m) taking the headlines in the absence of Erling Haaland (£14.8m). You should pick up a defender, too, after consecutive clean sheets since the international break; Josko Gvardiol (£6.1m) has five goals this season. I would be less bullish on Aston Villa and Arsenal assets given their continuous involvement in the Champions League, with Villa also competing in the FA Cup. Advertisement Playing the minutes game, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez (£5.0m) and midfielder Morgan Rogers (£5.6m) are the best options from Villa for this immediate period. Arsenal star man Bukayo Saka (£10.4m) started in the Champions League on Tuesday but limped off as he works his way to full fitness, but he is perhaps worth the risk on a wildcard. And don't overlook the record-breaking Mohamed Salah (£13.8m) in any wildcard team, despite no doubles forecast for Liverpool in the remainder of this season. He is still the best player in the game by some margin. If your strategy doesn't suit any of the chips above, then the Triple Captain chip is the one to play for Gameweek 32. I expect the majority of managers with this chip remaining to have it in play for this gameweek. Newcastle star Isak is the best candidate on paper, with 25 goal involvements for the campaign. His biggest barrier to points is his minutes, as a groin complaint has hampered him in recent games, but he's expected to be fit for this weekend. His team-mate Murphy has outscored him in recent games and played more minutes and shouldn't be ignored in the captaincy conversation, but it would be a big risk to back him with the triple captain chip. Newcastle have better fixtures than Crystal Palace, but some will be tempted to back striker Mateta for captaincy this week too, and that's a move well-justified given he scored double digits the last time he played Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. Of course, there's always the option to wait until Gameweek 33, where Saka or Marmoush would be among the leading options. There's also the potential to wait until Gameweek 36, where Haaland could be back in the frame or simply save the chip for a single gameweek option over the run-in. For my team, with just a wildcard and the Bench Boost remaining, I won't be playing a chip at all in Gameweek 32, but I will have the maximum six doublers from Newcastle and Palace. I plan to Bench Boost in Gameweek 33, which has marginally better fixtures for my squad, before deploying the wildcard in Gameweek 34 or Gameweek 35 to set me up for the remaining gameweeks of the season.
South China Morning Post
05-04-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Fantasy Premier League: Southampton set for the drop, managers face double jeopardy
Things are starting to get real in the Premier League. Southampton could have their relegation to the Championship confirmed on Sunday night, Liverpool could wrap up their title bid by the end of the month, and FPL managers are gearing for Double Gameweek 32 and 33. Advertisement Gameweek 31's deadline is Saturday at 6pm Hong Kong time, so we've put together a handy guide on how to handle this weekend and the crucial closing stages of the season. Gameweek 31 tips Gameweek 31 could be a high-scoring affair as managers can load their teams with popular FPL picks who are facing the three promoted sides. A triple-up on Newcastle players is a popular choice, given they face Leicester before games against Manchester United and Crystal Palace in Gameweek 32. An injury to Bournemouth's Justin Kluivert means Lars Hamer's team essentially picks itself this week. Photo: DPA Nick Pope (£4.9m), Jacob Murphy (£5.0m) and Alexander Isak (£9.5m) are the best picks, but Kieran Trippier (£5.6m) could be a great differential. The defender is only owned by 4.2 per cent of players, and has started the past two games. Advertisement He currently has a knock and could miss the game, but if his injury is only minor, given Newcastle's other injury woes, expect him to be in the starting XI going forward.
New York Times
21-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Fantasy Premier League: Who to choose as assistant manager in Gameweek 26
The Assistant Manager chip became available in Gameweek 24, with more than one million managers using it at the first opportunity for the first double gameweek of the season. A further 900,000 managers activated the chip in Double Gameweek 25, meaning more than two million managers are still assessing their managerial options going into Gameweek 26. So should you be looking to make a managerial switch? What are the options? GO DEEPER Fantasy Premier League: Non-Mohamed Salah FPL captaincy options for the next two gameweeks In Double Gameweek 25, over 70 per cent of Assistant Manager chips were active on the two managers with a double gameweek: Liverpool's Arne Slot (£1.5m) and Aston Villa's Unai Emery (£0.8m). For Gameweek 26, no teams are playing twice, so those managers could save the transfer this week (particularly if this is your third week on the chip) and stick with the same choice. Transfers are becoming increasingly precious, particularly with popular picks Cody Gakpo (£7.6m) and Amad (£5.5m) recently added to the injury list. Advertisement Blank Gameweek 29 also looms — Liverpool, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace won't have a Premier League fixture due to the Carabao Cup final. Liverpool and Villa played their rearranged fixture in Gameweek 25, while it was announced by the Premier League last Friday that Newcastle and Palace will play their postponed game in Gameweek 32, leading to another small double gameweek on the horizon. Though the Free Hit chip is an option for Gameweek 29, most managers will target Gameweek 34, when there is further disruption in the schedule coinciding with the latter rounds of the FA Cup. So what are the prospects for Slot and Emery, and should people stick with them? Slot travels to Manchester City, one of the toughest fixtures on the calendar, with City winning three of their last four league games, including last weekend's 4-0 win against Newcastle. The away fixture for Liverpool is enough to put me off here, despite the league leaders winning the reverse fixture 2-0. The scoring actions of a win (or draw), goals and clean sheets all feel low probability. Slot owners should look elsewhere. The argument for sticking with Emery is stronger as they have a home game against Chelsea. Villa have not lost at home in the Premier League since August, whereas Chelsea haven't won on the road in their last five league games. If you can afford him, the safest buy on the Assistant Manager chip this week is Arsenal's Mikel Arteta (£1.5m) before his side host West Ham United. Arsenal are one of the Premier League's form teams despite their injury crisis. They've scored 12 goals in their last four while keeping two clean sheets, earning three wins and a draw. Arteta is averaging 10 points per game on the assistant manager scoring matrix since its introduction to FPL, and the odds of an Arsenal win and clean sheet are among the shortest for the weekend. Advertisement Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola (£1.1m), pictured top, is also tempting before Wolverhampton Wanderers' visit this weekend. Bournemouth come into this game with three wins in their last four league games. Their goalscoring form is particularly attractive, scoring 21 goals in six games across all competitions as their new-look front three thrives. Bournemouth were the 4-2 victors in November's reverse fixture and Wolves have lost three of their last four league games, conceding six goals in the process. The table bonus in the assistant manager scoring matrix is always tempting, with an additional 10 points for a win or five points for a draw on offer for those fantasy bosses prepared to take the risk. This boost is in play when the opposing side is five places or higher above the manager's team in the Premier League table, which is the case for Crystal Palace (13th) against Fulham (eighth) this week. Six managers can qualify for the table bonus this week and three of them have a home game, which feels so important when taking this gamble. According to the bookies, Leicester City have the best chance of a victory among these sides, making Ruud van Nistelrooy (£0.5m) a possible option at the King Power Stadium. However, Brentford won 4-1 in the reverse fixture. Add into the mix that Leicester have taken just three points in their last 10 games and a significant FPL haul feels like a tall order. If you have limited funds, you could back Ipswich Town's Kieran McKenna (£0.5m) as they host Tottenham Hotspur, having won the reverse fixture in north London 2-1. Ipswich's form is equally concerning, with just two points in 2025, but they have managed some significant results at home this season, including the 2-0 win against Chelsea in late December. Palace's Oliver Glasner (£0.8m) could be the best buy for managers who activated the chip in Gameweek 25 and are looking for a boss to serve them for the next two gameweeks. He is eligible for table bonus points away at Fulham this weekend, before hosting Aston Villa in the midweek round of fixtures for Gameweek 27, who have been in a very congested period of games. GO DEEPER Fantasy Premier League: What we have learned from Gameweek 25 - Nwaneri's value and City options
South China Morning Post
30-01-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
FPL: triple captain Salah, back Ndiaye, and keep an eye on transfer window
The first Double Gameweek of the Fantasy Premier League season kicks off on Saturday, thanks to the rearranged Merseyside derby. Liverpool's first of two games will be a tricky fixture away at Bournemouth, and this is followed by the short trip to Goodison Park, while the Blues' pre-derby match sees them welcome Leicester City. So, after a quick Gameweek 23 review, we'll get into the best Double Gameweek transfers and team selection. Gameweek 23 Like many FPL managers, I benefited massively from bringing in Cody Gakpo (£7.6m), who scored two and created one for 16 points. Bournemouth's Justin Kluivert has been flying in recent weeks but is up against Liverpool next. Photo: Reuters And those who opted for Bournemouth's Justin Kluivert (£5.7m) after his hat-trick against Newcastle were rewarded, with the midfielder again making the team of the week after his goal and an assist bagged 13 points. But it was a different story for anyone who signed up Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.4m) with an eye on the Double Gameweek, as the Everton forward went off after 12 minutes with an injury. Last week , I correctly backed Mohamed Salah (£13.7m) and Alexander Isak (£9.5m) to score big. My captain Salah scored 16 points and Isak got 13. OK, I may also have told you to bring in Cole Palmer (£11.3m), who scored a blank for a second week in a row. But let's forget about that. Overall though it was a great week, with my 77 points haul catapulting me 100,000 places up the world rankings to 181,000.
