Latest news with #Gameweek38
New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The 2024-25 FPL champion on how he beat 11.5m players and why he's thankful to Oliver Glasner
It feels good to be on top of the world: especially when you've beaten more than 11.5million others to become the world No 1 in Fantasy Premier League. While many spend their time fixating over competing against friends, family and colleagues in mini-leagues, there can only be one overall winner and when Gameweek 38 concluded last weekend, top spot went to Lovro Budisin, who finished 23 points ahead of his nearest challenger. He summited to No 1 overall in Gameweek 31 and impressively stayed there since. The was his fifth season playing and here, he tells us his story, how it feels to be the FPL champion and what he considers the keys to his success. My name is Lovro Budisin. I'm 24 years old and I study geodesy (the science of accurately measuring and understanding the Earth's geometric shape, orientation in space, and gravity field) in Zagreb. I've been playing handball since I was a child, up until university. I enjoy following sports and having a good time with friends, listening to good music and playing cards. Here in Croatia, the pace of life is slower, especially in smaller towns. We prefer to spend our Saturday and Sunday mornings socialising at cafes, followed by a family lunch and then, at least in my circle, we watch sports for the rest of the day. Advertisement Evenings are full of life — hanging out over a drink or two, sometimes even a bit more. The feeling is incredible, even though I'm still not fully aware of everything. Everything changed all of a sudden — I started using email more often, created a profile on X, and have already done quite a few interviews, even including a podcast on the Croatian YouTube channel Tribina. It's a big shift for someone who's not used to media obligations. On top of all that, I have a lot of university responsibilities, so I haven't even had time to celebrate this probably once-in-a-lifetime success. I hope to finish all my university-related tasks and, at some point during the summer, have a celebration with my friends. Congratulations to our 2024/25 #FPL champion, Lovro Budisin 🎉 — Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) May 25, 2025 In the final gameweek, it was more about not messing things up than actually needing anything. The half-time results were more than favourable for me. I was defending a 36-point lead — it should have been 40 but, in all the rush and panic, I decided to take a four-point hit after hearing that Kevin De Bruyne wasn't starting, so I brought in Bukayo Saka, who also ended up not starting. That wasn't the best decision but luckily, it didn't have much impact on the final result anyway. In the last round, I was focused more on checking the teams of the players chasing first place and tried to guess who they might bring in. Oh, that's a really tough question, to be honest. I'm a big fan of the Premier League in general but I don't support a specific team. I actually think that's one of the reasons it's easier for me to build my squad and make transfers. Advertisement Since I'm a student, I can't go whenever I want, so I've decided I'll most likely go in the second half of the season. I'll have more time then and the weather will be nicer too. Once the schedule comes out, I'll take a closer look and know more. I know that whatever I choose, I probably can't go wrong. I watched the final games on a tablet and two phones, since the HNL (the Hrvatska nogometna liga, Croatia's top flight) matches — where three teams were fighting for the title — were being played at the same time, and I had those on the TV. I'm used to watching multiple matches at once, so it wasn't a problem for me. I believe that the most important thing in life is to trust yourself. At the same time, you should be open to advice from people around you — and in this case, from well-known FPL experts — but in the end, every decision has to be yours alone. All the information you gather can be useful but you should rely mostly on yourself, which is, in essence, the hardest part. Most people follow others' moves. It's clear they either lack the knowledge or don't have the courage to follow their own instincts, even if it goes against most popular picks. For me, this season, trusting my gut helped a lot — that was the key to my success. The stats speak for themselves. Mohamed Salah is the player I captained the most this season and he was the most logical choice. I believe that choosing the right captain is a major factor in achieving success. Also, I made a few really good decisions, like holding on to Phil Foden, who brought in 42 points between Gameweek 20 and Gameweek 22. I also made some well-judged 50-50 calls, like picking Jakub Kiwior in Gameweek 33, even though William Saliba was more expensive and considered the better option by most — but I trusted my gut. Advertisement There were also a few risky captain choices that paid off, and I let go of certain players at the right time. I also have to mention Chris Wood, Eberechi Eze, and Jarrod Bowen. Eze and Bowen especially were a big help in the final gameweeks, while Wood was a player I used at different points throughout the season. Every gameweek is stressful in its own way. We all know that matches feel completely different when your fantasy picks are playing but for me, the most stressful moment was Gameweek 26 and an infamous 'late' transfer involving coach Oliver Glasner (who earned 20 points when his Crystal Palace side beat Fulham). I always keep track of the transfer deadline but at that moment, I was at dinner with family friends and time just flew by. Thank God — though I still don't know how or why — I suddenly looked at my watch and saw the bad news that I'd missed the (6.30pm UK time/ 1.30pm ET) deadline. It was a minute afterwards and I was instantly hit with panic. I quickly opened the app and, somehow, I was still able to make the transfer. I didn't think too much in that moment — I just immediately switched to Glasner and exited the app. A few minutes later, I saw that the deadline had actually been moved back by 30 minutes. To this day, I don't understand how that happened but I'm not complaining — I would've been really disappointed in myself if I had missed it. Honestly, I don't spend as much time on it as people probably think. I follow sports in general — from football and basketball to handball and combat sports. It's part of my everyday life, so I don't really spend a lot of extra time researching fantasy. FPL comes up almost daily in conversations with friends who also play this game. Advertisement I spend the most time in front of the computer during the final hour before the deadline. That's when I follow well-known YouTubers, who usually share useful information about injuries, who's starting, who's on the bench, and so on. Well, to start with, watch a tutorial on YouTube or ask a friend to walk you through the basic rules and point out the key things that help while playing. It's very important to understand that team value plays a big role. In the second half of the season, if you've managed to build up enough value, you can have a strong team where even the players on your bench are good enough to be in the starting line-up — and you can still expect returns from them. Keep an eye on price rises and falls, but don't get rid of a player at all costs just to avoid losing 0.1 million. Don't stress about your rank every gameweek. The season is long and things can change quickly. Take risks when you feel they might pay off. Not every decision will be the right one but, if everyone has the same players and follows the same advice, the game loses its magic. In the final gameweek, the Premier League title will be decided by a late wonder goal.
New York Times
23-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Fantasy Premier League live Q&A: FPL Gameweek 38 advice from Ben Dinnery
May 23, 2025 at 9:00 AM EDT And here we are. Another long, gruelling Fantasy Premier League season is almost at its end. On Sunday, the 2024-25 season reaches its climax in Gameweek 38, with all 20 Premier League teams playing at the same time (4pm UK time/11am ET). So ahead of the last deadline of 2024-25 (2.30pm UK time/9.30am ET on Saturday), Ben Dinnery of will be on hand today to talk you through the players to target, who to avoid, and the injury doubts you need to be aware of to give you the best chance of success. Send your questions below, and Ben will be online to offer his expert insight at the earlier time of 2-3pm UK time (9-10am ET). Ben Dinnery
New York Times
23-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Fantasy Premier League: Every burning question answered ahead of Gameweek 38
It's the final gameweek of the season in Fantasy Premier League and, as ever, there are likely to be plenty of surprises. Typically, in Gameweek 38, we see rotated line-ups, teams 'on the beach' for their last game before going off on summer holidays and some big scorelines — over the previous five years, this final gameweek has averaged more than 20 per cent more goals per match than the rest of that season. Advertisement All we can do is prepare the best that we can with the information available to us — and hope for some luck. Here, we will address some burning questions and provide general advice on how to approach Gameweek 38. Before looking at transfers and team selections, have a look at FPL analyst Rob T's numbers for expected goals and clean sheets. These are from spread odds and are handy for helping with FPL decisions, especially when looking at only one gameweek. This is a useful guide to which teams are expected to score the most goals on Sunday, or who the favourites are to keep a clean sheet. This will help identify the games where we are likely to see the biggest scorelines, so we can target said players. 💹 PL GW38 matchups Early look at market projections for the final round of PL fixtures, covering: 🔹 projected goals & clean sheet odds 🔹 teams to target 🔹 #FPL Assistant Manager projections 🔹 WDL odds — Rob T (@robtFPL) May 20, 2025 Arsenal defender Saliba is injured and has been ruled out of Gameweek 38 by their manager Mikel Arteta. If you have a decent alternative in your squad you can play instead, I would bench Saliba (£6.5m) and use this week's free transfer in attack. However, if you have to transfer him out, your top targets should be Milos Kerkez (£5.2m) or Tino Livramento (£4.6m). Alternatively, you could replace him with one of his team-mates: Jakub Kiwior (£4.9m) or Ben White (£6.1m) should both start away to Southampton, with fellow defenders Gabriel (£6.1m) and now Jurrien Timber (£5.6m) also on the absentees list. Arsenal, Newcastle and Bournemouth are the three teams most likely to keep a clean sheet this weekend and the players mentioned above all possess attacking threat, too. Advertisement Newcastle's fixture is one of the best of the gameweek from an attacking point of view. An Everton side who have nothing to play for go to St James' Park in what is a must-win game for Eddie Howe's men as they try to qualify for the Champions League. This is why we have to give Isak every opportunity to be fit before considering a sale. The Swede has 23 goals and six assists this season, and is the highest-scoring forward in the game. But if he's a doubt going into this final weekend having missed last Sunday's match with Arsenal, then we might have to sell. If we don't get any definite news on his status and you have a really good first substitute, you can risk starting Isak. I imagine he will either be in the starting XI or won't be in the squad at all — it's just too risky to take a gamble on him. The top replacements are Evanilson (£5.8m), Ollie Watkins (£9.1m), Yoane Wissa (£6.9m) and even Danny Welbeck (£5.5m) if you fancy a differential. When looking at the final day of the season, it's good to consider narratives and game states. Of the 10 fixtures in Gameweek 38, Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea is the one I would expect to see the fewest goals in. These are two decent defences and I can see it being a cagey affair as both teams will see it as a must-win game, again for Champions League qualification reasons. Palmer also hasn't been in great form, so I would look to sell the England international if you can. He isn't a must-sell as he's still nailed-on to start, on Chelsea's penalties and will be a huge differential. However, the alternatives are better. If Palmer is your biggest issue, then sell to add either Bukayo Saka (£10.3m) or Jarrod Bowen (£7.9m). Bowen is also sure to start for West Ham at relegated Ipswich and play the 90 minutes, and is the talisman for his side. Saka's Arsenal have a fantastic fixture and I expect him to start, but his expected minutes are less certain than with Bowen. Advertisement Anthony Gordon (£7.4m), Harvey Barnes (£5.9m), Antoine Semenyo (£5.7m) and Luis Diaz (£7.5m) are all great differentials who also allow you to upgrade another spot in your squad if you have two or more free transfers. If you still own the Brazilian, then he's an easy sell. Wolves actually have a very nice fixture (home against Brentford) but with his benching last gameweek, he's too much of a risk. It's an easy move to one of Evanilson, Wissa or Welbeck, depending on your risk appetite. They are all cheaper than Cunha, so can be acquired in one move. This is a tough one because the likes of Kevin De Bruyne (£9.6m) and Omar Marmoush (£7.4m) are good options if they start. It's no secret that we usually get leaked Manchester City team news before the FPL deadline via social media and if you can be present around then, I would definitely recommend this. With all the games in Gameweek 38 kicking off at the same time on Sunday, we should get leaks for a few teams. If we hear that De Bruyne is on the bench, then I think it's a fairly easy move to Saka or Bowen. If you have Marmoush, then I would be tempted to move off him to Bournemouth's Evanilson even if he starts for City, due to the latter's promising fixture against relegated Leicester. In the final week, you can chase by either going for a differential captain or buying low-owned players you think can do well. Also, remember chasing a rank tier (such as the coveted top 10,000) is different to pursuit of a mini-league rival. To differentiate from a single fellow manager, you have to look at their team and try to predict who they will captain, and possibly bring in a player they are unlikely to own. Similarly, if you are protecting a lead in this scenario, then you try and cover as many players as possible. When you are chasing a rank tier, it's harder to make up ground. If you are 10 points behind the top 10,000, for example, you will need to score around 13 points more than the top 10,000 average to stand a chance of pulling it off. No! There is so much information to be gained this week. We will have the press-conference news for all 20 teams in good time this week and those bulletins are sure to throw up a few surprises. Also, keeping an eye on photos and video of clubs training in the next few days is going to be vital, especially for making decisions over the likes of Isak or any other players who are a doubt. Advertisement As mentioned earlier, try to make your transfers as close to Sunday's deadline (2.30pm UK, 9.30am ET) as possible and be prepared for all scenarios — you might learn shortly before the clock strikes zero that a player in your team who you didn't expect to miss out is only a substitute or isn't involved at all. (Top photo of Alexander Isak:)
