Latest news with #Gameweeks
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
FPL Scout: Gameweek 35 Hints, Tips and Advice
Brentford have teamed up with Fantasy Football Scout to help bring you hints, tips and advice during the 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season. Scout will be using their expertise to provide info, advice and Gameweek tips which may prove useful in ensuring you sit on top of your mini-leagues. Best of the Bees A cup semi-final rearrangement meant that Brentford had the weekend off last week and didn't face Nottingham Forest until Thursday night, completing Blank Gameweek 34 for FPL managers. Advertisement Therefore, it's a good time to take a stock check on the Bees' assets, before the final four encounters versus Manchester United, Ipswich, Fulham and Wolves. Since the turn of the year, Brentford have been a team to target for FPL managers. January saw Thomas Frank's side winning five successive trips. Easter's 4-2 victory over Brighton was the first at Gtech Community Stadium since early December, but highlighted the importance of the Bees' assets in FPL. Chasing an eighth-place finish that would be the club's best since the 1930s, Brentford currently rank seventh for goals (58). By claiming 17 of them, Yoane Wissa (£6.6m) has been one of FPL's best forwards, while Kevin Schade (£5.1m) still has the second-biggest score for one match, grabbing 23 points against Leicester in Gameweek 13. No goalkeeper in Europe's top five leagues has more saves than Mark Flekken (£4.4m) and, in front of him, is centre-back Nathan Collins (£4.5m), whose recent assists against Arsenal and Nottingham Forest take him up to nine attacking returns. The Spotlight However, the Bees' star FPL asset has been Mbeumo - the sole player apart from Mohamed Salah (£13.8m) to surpass 200 points in this campaign. Advertisement His 18-point haul versus Brighton was a timely reminder to managers that he is near-essential for these final Gameweeks. This penalty-taker and frequent set-piece taker has played the most minutes of all midfielders and forwards, only once playing fewer than 88 of them, finding time to accumulate 25 attacking returns. Simply put, Mbeumo seems irresistible for these closing Gameweeks. His ownership has slightly dropped from its 4.5 million peak but expect an imminent increase, as managers begin considering the strong captaincy potential. Best of the Rest Meanwhile, the first seven matches of Blank Gameweek 34 brought success to one million Free Hit users, at the time of writing. When activated, this chip lets managers pick a one-week-only FPL squad and many selected the 15 points of Matheus Cunha (£7.0m) and Kieran Trippier (£5.7m). Advertisement Defensive team-mates Dan Burn (£4.5m), José Sá (£4.4m) and Rayan Aït-Nouri (£5.0m) each added success on top of their basic clean sheets, to achieve double-digit joy. While Fulham went 1-0 down to Southampton, a late Ryan Sessegnon (£4.2m) winner rewarded almost 700,000 managers with 11 points. In Demand Mbeumo is currently the most bought individual heading into Gameweek 35, where we're back to all 20 Premier League teams playing exactly once. Next is Cunha, having delivered two goals, three assists and 30 points in a mere 203 minutes since coming back from suspension. He's helped Wolves reach six consecutive wins, but they must travel to Man City straight after Friday night's deadline. Advertisement His opponents Joško Gvardiol (£6.3m) and Omar Marmoush (£7.6m) complete the top four, as Pep Guardiola's side try to secure Champions League football for next season. In terms of sales, Cole Palmer (£10.6m) keeps being ditched, having reached a stunning 12 league games without scoring. Captaincy Not many leading names have a standout Gameweek 34 fixture. Salah's Liverpool have already secured the Premier League title but the Egyptian still has personal records to chase. He visits his former club, Chelsea. At Arsenal, their Champions League semi-final could keep Bukayo Saka (£10.5m) as a looked-after substitute against Bournemouth. Perhaps Mbeumo could instead be this week's answer!
The Sun
24-04-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Transfer recommendations ahead of Gameweek 33: Gaffers spoiled for choice up front
DREAM TEAM managers have until 11am this Saturday to confirm their transfers for Gameweek 33. Four teams are set to play twice - Manchester United, Tottenham, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest - with all but the latter doubling up again in Gameweek 34, when Arsenal will also have an additional fixture. 5 Before we recommend some less fancied players as transfer targets, let's underline some obvious top priorities. Cole Palmer (£5m): Form an issue but Chelsea's two-legged Conference League semi-final is almost impossible to ignore Bruno Fernandes (£7m): Simply the highest points scorer among players with four fixtures across the next two Gameweeks Bukayo Saka (£6.4m): No longer an injury concern. A must-have for Arsenal's double header in Gameweek 34 5 Chris Wood (£3.6m) Dream Team bosses in need of a potential difference-maker should consider Nottingham Forest's target man. Wood scored his 19th goal of the season last time out and has a rare double Gameweek coming up with Nuno Espirito Santo's side due to face Manchester City (FA Cup) and Brentford (Premier League). Forest don't have a double header in Gameweek 34 but with Leicester and West Ham in the diary for May, the big New Zealander may be viable for the remainder of the campaign - especially so if an FA Cup final is added to his schedule. Wood features in just 6.9% of teams at the time of writing. Much of Forest's success has stemmed from their tight defence (ably supported by Matz Sels between the sticks) but given both City and Brentford pack a punch in attack with weaknesses at the back, it's probably best to back one of their attacking assets and who better than the top flight's fourth-top scorer? 5 Alejandro Garnacho (£3.3m) The aforementioned Fernandes is clearly the best Man United option but his immense popularity (32.9% ownership) means his returns may not impact your Mini League standings in the manner required. Still a raw 20-year-old, Garnacho can be a frustrating watch at times but his tally of nine goals and 12 assists is not to be sniffed at by any means. The Argentine winger is just outside the top ten midfielders with 247 points to his name. Perhaps surprisingly, only Erling Haaland (£7.8m) and Mohamed Salah (£7.2m) have registered more shots on target than Garnacho this season. Granted, his conversion rate needs to be improved but shot-happy players make for useful Dream Team assets. The Red Devils face Bournemouth, Athletic Bilbao (x2) and Brentford across the next two Gameweeks. 5 Alexander Isak (£5.9m) There's more than one way to skin a cat. We're constantly urging gaffers to target double Gameweeks but that doesn't mean all other options should be ignored. For example, Newcastle will be in action just once in Gameweek 33 but a home game against Ipswich represents a very favourable match-up. The Magpies' Swedish striker bagged a hat-trick against the Tractor Boys in the reverse fixture and he will be licking his lips at the prospect of taking on a defence that have shipped 71 league goals. Only three players (Salah, Fernandes, Haaland) have racked up more points than Isak at this late stage of the season. 5 Matheus Cunha (£5.3m) If Isak is a tad too mainstream for your taste then there's another quality forward due to face weak opposition this Saturday. Wolves are preparing to host Leicester in what is a meeting of the league's most and least in-form sides - Vitor Pereira's troops have won five in a row while the Foxes have earned just one point since the start of February! Cunha appears in only 2.5% of teams despite the fact Salah and Haaland are the only players who boast a higher points-per-game average in 2024/25. The talented Brazilian has scored 16 goals but also ranks highly for tackles, big chances created and bonus points among players in his position. As with Newcastle, Wolves don't have the benefit of a second fixture but Cunha could easily bank a double-digit haul against a demoralised Leicester side already condemned to relegation.
The Sun
23-04-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Shot-happy Alejandro Garnacho an option for Dream Team bosses in need of bold strategy
TIME is running out for Dream Team managers who need to make moves if they are to achieve Mini League glory. The upcoming European semi-finals offer additional point-scoring opportunities and gaffers preparing a bold strategy for the next two Gameweeks should consider Alejandro Garnacho (£3.3m) when mulling over potential difference-makers. 4 Still in the infancy of his professional career, the Manchester United winger is far from the finished article. However, while he can be a source of frustration at times, it's simply a fact he's among the top ten midfielders in Dream Team right now. Garnacho, equally capable of the sublime and the ridiculous, has amassed 247 points via nine goals and 12 assists. This total puts him above the likes of Eberechi Eze (£4.8m), Brennan Johnson (£3.1m), Phil Foden (£5.3m), Justin Kluivert (£4m) and Anthony Gordon (£4.5m) in the rankings. 4 The Red Devils are one of just four teams set to fulfil four fixtures across Gameweeks 33 and 34. This coming Gameweek, they will travel to Bournemouth (Premier League) and Athletic Bilbao (Europa League). After that, they will face Brentford in London before hosting the La Liga stalwarts in the second leg of their European semi-final. The majority of Dream Team bosses will be sceptical of Man United's prospects for the remainder of the campaign given how 2024/25 has gone to date. Ruben Amorim's side are currently 14th in the table, just two points ahead of West Ham in 17th. It's understandable if gaffers are hesitant to rely on a team that have underwhelmed to such a degree but Garnacho might be able to produce healthy returns even if everything else crashes and burns around him. 4 It looked for all the world that Amorim's troops would be eliminated from Europe by Lyon in the quarter-finals before they mustered a spirited comeback of immense drama. Garnacho notched a double-digit haul across both legs against the Ligue 1 outfit. The most notable statistic regarding the Argentina international is his overall tally of 49 shots on target in 2024/25, a total only bettered by Erling Haaland (£7.8m) and Mohamed Salah (£7.2m). MOST SHOTS ON TARGET AMONG DREAM TEAM PLAYERS THIS SEASON (ALL COMPS): 83 - Erling Haaland 73 - Mohamed Salah 49 - Alejandro Garnacho 49 - Alexander Isak 49 - Cole Palmer 47 - Ollie Watkins 44 - Matheus Cunha 44 - Bruno Fernandes 42 - Antoine Semenyo 39 - Bryan Mbeumo Critics would say Garnacho should have converted more of his shots into goals this campaign - a fair comment - but the level of threat he offers is encouraging. Shot-happy players make for very useful Dream Team assets. 4 It goes without saying that Bruno Fernandes (£7m) should be the first port of call for managers aiming to target Man United's fixtures in the next two Gameweeks. The Portuguese playmaker is comfortably the leading midfielder in the game with 384 points to his name. However, given Fernandes is the third-most popular player in his position, his returns may not shape Mini Leagues. Combining him and Garnacho in midfield offers a potential point of difference if Man United are able to score a few goals in the next fortnight.
South China Morning Post
27-03-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Fantasy Premier League: who's hurt, which teams to target, best Gameweek 30 Wildcard draft
Fantasy Premier League is back with a 1.15am deadline on Wednesday, after a two-week break for international football followed Blank Gameweek 29. Advertisement But before the Premier League gets back under way, the FA Cup quarter-finals will be played over the weekend, the results of which will create both Double and Blank Gameweeks. Add injuries to key players during World Cup qualifiers and Nations League games, and it is easy to see why more than 55,000 managers have activated their Wildcard. This week's FPL article will outline which teams to target, the best Gameweek 30 Wildcard draft and who picked up injuries over the break. Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood was withdrawn by his New Zealand team with an injury. Photo: dpa International break injuries Nottingham Forest could be without their leading man, Chris Wood (£7.3m), who was withdrawn from New Zealand's game against New Caledonia with a hip injury.
New York Times
06-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Fantasy Premier League: Mateta, Cunha and other FPL red flags to overcome in Gameweek 28
A pause in Premier League action hasn't meant a break from planning for FPL managers after an eventful round of FA Cup last-16 action. We now have more information on how the blank and double gameweeks will pan out later in the season, with doubles scheduled for Gameweeks 32 and 33, followed by a blank in Gameweek 34. The bad news? There were several injuries and incidents leading to suspensions involving players who were set to be popular fantasy picks in the coming weeks. So, what are the key takeaways from the weekend and how should they impact your transfer plans? Sunday saw the return of Newcastle's Alexander Isak (£9.4m) from injury, with the Sweden international having missed his club's midweek 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in Gamweek 27 with a groin issue. The 56 per cent-owned striker duly scored the opening goal in a 2-1 extra-time FA Cup defeat against Brighton from the penalty spot before being replaced by Callum Wilson in the 86th minute. Isak visibly limped off the pitch at St James' Park, but Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe quashed any fitness concerns in his post-match press conference, citing tiredness for the 25-year-old, who is no longer flagged as a Gameweek 28 injury concern in FPL. Advertisement Fantasy managers may be considering selling Isak given his looming blank in Gameweek 29 and the fact Howe could choose to protect his star man ahead of the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool that weekend. However, Isak has risen in price by £0.9million since the start of the season, with many owners carrying significant value in a player who has 19 league goals already in his 24 appearances. Keeping in mind that he is also set to double in Gameweek 32, it's important to keep hold of Isak. However, Newcastle's failure to beat Brighton and progress to the FA Cup quarter-finals means they are unlikely to double again this season. Staying with Newcastle, left-back Lewis Hall (£5.0m) is out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury he suffered in that Liverpool match. Naturally, the 22 per cent of managers in the game who own him (at the time of writing) should now look to sell. Rayan Ait-Nouri (£4.7m) of Wolves is the best like-for-like replacement to take advantage of his club's good fixtures. Alternatively, consider Manchester City's Josko Gvardiol (£5.9m) if you have the funds in the bank. The player-availability problems worsened for Newcastle with the red card for Anthony Gordon (£7.4m) in that FA Cup defeat. The England midfielder will serve a three-match ban, including the Carabao Cup final, and so won't be available again for FPL selection until the trip to Leicester in Gameweek 31. This is an appropriate point for his owners to sell Gordon, with the potential there to reinvest in him on a wildcard in Gameweek 31 ahead of Newcastle's Double Gameweek 32. Among the potential replacements are Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo (£8.0m), who is the third highest-scoring player in the game this season behind Mohamed Salah of Liverpool and Chelsea's Cole Palmer. Advertisement We also saw Wolves striker Matheus Cunha (£7.0m) sent off late in his team's FA Cup defeat against Bournemouth. He had scored the equaliser in a 1-1 draw, with Wolves eventually losing 5-4 on penalties. Cunha has been charged by the FA, so is set to miss more than just the next three games after his clash with Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez during extra time. We should hear an outcome from the FA next week. The Brazilian was among the most-bought players going into last weekend due to an exciting blend of form and upcoming fixtures, but he is now a sell given another period of absence from Wolves' line-up. Cunha's ban is not the only problem currently facing our forward lines as Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m) sustained a head injury in a wince-inducing collision with Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts on Saturday in the FA Cup and is now a doubt for Crystal Palace's home game against Ipswich this weekend. The striker, who was placed in a neck brace and taken to hospital, had been the most-purchased player heading into Gameweek 28 after five goal involvements in his previous four Premier League matches. If Mateta doesn't play against Ipswich, he blanks in Gameweek 29. For those managers looking to navigate Blank Gameweek 29 without using the Free Hit chip, Mateta's lack of availability ahead of the next two gameweeks also makes him a likely sell. If you are among those managers who don't already own Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood (£7.2m), now is absolutely the time to buy. He also has five goal involvements in the past four gameweeks, taking him to 18 league goals for the season. Alternatively, Brentford's Yoane Wissa (£6.4m) may be a wise investment, with the striker having scored in their past two games. The west Londoners' fixtures may not justify the double-up with midfielder Mbeumo, however. It's worth noting that Manchester City's Erling Haaland (£14.7m) looks to be the best captain pick for Blank Gameweek 29 at home to Brighton in the cup final-enforced absence of Salah (£13.8m). If you have the option to bench Cunha this week, you could then free up funds elsewhere in Gameweek 29 to find the route to buying and captaining Haaland. The FA Cup round of 16's results have allowed us to build a picture of what Blank Gameweek 34 might look like, with three or four postponements expected given the teams who are through to the quarter-finals that weekend. There are just four league games set to go ahead as things stand: Chelsea vs Everton, Liverpool vs Tottenham, Wolves vs Leicester and Newcastle vs Ipswich. Advertisement FPL experts predict postponed fixtures are most likely to move up into Gameweek 33, which could create the busiest double gameweek of the season and the big target for your Bench Boost chip. The schedule will be confirmed after the quarter-finals take place over the last weekend in March, with final fixture confirmations likely to come ahead of Gameweek 31 the following weekend. The close proximity of a Double Gameweek 33 immediately followed by a Blank Gameweek 34 likely impacting a similar pool of clubs means that, in terms of chip strategy, playing your Free Hit in the latter is the obvious move. For that reason, fantasy managers should be encouraged to navigate the looming Blank Gameweek 29 without using that chip, with Aston Villa, Palace, Liverpool and Newcastle the absentees. (Top photos: Jean-Philippe Mateta, left, and Matheus Cunha; by Getty Images)
