Premier League
Gameweek 33 saw the title race take a major shift in Manchester City’s favour as rivals Arsenal and Liverpool both lost at home.
Erling Haaland (£14.3m) rewarded those Fantasy Premier League managers who captained him with 20 points via a goal and assist in a 5-1 win whereas Mohamed Salah (£13.5m) blanked as Liverpool suffered a 1-0 defeat.
Here, we will cover the main talking points from the weekend’s action and look ahead to the next gameweek.
Spurs worry and Newcastle delight
Pedro Porro (£5.9m) was taken off injured for Tottenham after only 48 minutes as Ange Postecoglou’s side were thumped 4-0 by hosts Newcastle.
Spurs have two double gameweeks 35 and 37 on the horizon but Porro owners may have to sell him now if it emerges he is out for a while. Owners should wait until later in the week for an update on the Spaniard; if he’s only going to be out for one gameweek, when his club don’t play anyway, you’ll want to keep him.
This was only the second league game all season where Tottenham failed to score but a third in a row where Son Heung-min (£9.9m) didn’t find the back of the net, despite good fixtures. He was also substituted after only 57 minutes, which is less than ideal for his FPL owners.
However, I wouldn’t worry about his minutes going forward as it was likely due to game state as Spurs were already losing 3-0 when he was hooked and he wasn’t having the best of matches. Tottenham blank next gameweek, so I would only sell Son if you are wildcarding in Gameweek 35.
Newcastle have now won three of their last four and their assets are looking very attractive again. Alexander Isak (£8.0m) and Anthony Gordon (£6.1m) have been particularly strong and are Newcastle’s best attacking options by far.
(Stu Forster/Getty Images)
I would wait until Gameweek 35 to invest in them however, as they play Crystal Palace (A) next and, with Gameweek 34 being a big double, there will be better assets to own.
Ivan Toney (£8.1m) was an unused substitute for Brentford against Sheffield United despite getting minutes off the bench against Aston Villa in Gameweek 32.
Head coach Thomas Frank said post-match that his England striker “was ill during the week and I’m told his hip muscle injury is still not perfect. Now we have the time to get him ready for Luton, and I’m convinced he will be’’.
It looks as if Frank wanted to use the plum fixture against the division’s bottom side to give his star a further rest, so if you own Toney he’s not a bad hold given he has Luton (A) next.
Manchester City’s rotation continues
Phil Foden (£8.2m) was an unused sub for Manchester City last gameweek, which was understandable given he picked up a knock against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on the Tuesday and has the deciding match of that tie coming up on Wednesday.
If you already own Foden, it’s worth keeping hold of him due to City’s double in Gameweek 37. If you don’t own the England midfielder yet, I’d advise getting him closer to his double gameweek.
(Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
City also play Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals next weekend, three days after that second leg against Madrid. If they progress in both competitions, we will want to avoid most of their assets until Double Gameweek 37.
Kyle Walker (£5.3m) and Nathan Ake (£5.0m) have recovered from hamstring and calf injuries respectively and both were on the bench against Luton on Saturday. This probably means avoiding the City defence for the rest of the season, due to the competition for places and increased scope for rotation.
Wolves options aplenty
Rayan Ait-Nouri (£4.8m) failed to recover from the calf injury picked up against West Ham in Gameweek 32.
Speaking about Ait-Nouri’s situation after Wolves’ 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest, head coach Gary O’Neil said: “It was a late call because he was doing well this week, and up until yesterday we thought he would be available to start.’’
The Algerian is a definite keep for those who own him, given O’Neil’s comments and the fact Wolves have a double gameweek next. However, if you’re looking to buy, it might be safer investing elsewhere — it’s always risky buying a player coming back from injury and there are a few good options in defence we can opt for instead, given we have seven clubs doubling.
Matheus Cunha (£5.6m) started his first game since Gameweek 24 on Saturday following a hamstring lay-off, and scored both Wolves’ goals. He is a fantastic forward option at his price and those playing their Free Hit chip next gameweek should aim to own him.
(Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Hwang Hee-chan (£5.4m) has also thrown his hat into the ring, after coming on as a sub and playing just over half an hour following a five-match absence with his own hamstring problem. It’s a risk getting the South Korean midfielder in straight away for the double as there is no guarantee he will start both games. However, when he is fit he is the best attacking asset for Wolves.
It is also worth noting that it’s not clear which of Pablo Sarabia (£4.8m), Cunha and Hwang is Wolves’ penalty-taker when they are all on the pitch.
Liverpool favourites are back
Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.4m) and Alisson (£5.7m) returned from injury for Liverpool and look to be in contention for their imminent double gameweek.
Alisson started against Palace and will be nailed to play every game now, if he remains fit, while the injury which forced off Conor Bradley (£4.3m) makes Alexander-Arnold a tempting prospect. Having missed the previous seven league games, he played 42 minutes after the 20-year-old Bradley had to be replaced. We will find out later in the week how serious the damage to Bradley’s ankle is, however, I don’t think it matters much as Alexander-Arnold being available again curtails him as an FPL prospect.
Liverpool play away to Italy’s Atalanta on Thursday in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final, so we are likely to see Alexander-Arnold get more minutes there, and if Bradley is out a while then the England full-back’s expected minutes increase further.
(Michael Steele/Getty Images)
I think Alexander-Arnold will be worth going for if he gets a decent amount of minutes midweek, due to how explosive an option he is. He has goals and assists threat and is on the majority of Liverpool’s set pieces.
Diogo Jota (£7.9m) also returned and played 24 minutes against Palace, so there may be a bit of rotation in the front three now. I don’t think Jota is an option but he does slightly reduce the appeal of Darwin Nunez (£7.7m) and Luis Diaz (£7.7m) for their double gameweek.
Crystal Palace attacking options
It was Eberechi Eze (£6.0m) whose winning goal at Anfield yesterday put a huge dent in Liverpool’s title challenge.
For me, Eze is one of the best options to own for Double Gameweek 34. If you are Free Hitting, he would be one of the first names in my team, and if you’re wildcarding in Gameweek 35, find a way to get him in. He is nailed to start for Palace if fit, has goals and assists threat, and is their first-choice penalty taker.
His fellow Palace midfielder Michael Olise (£5.6m) is an option too, after starting and playing 67 minutes against Liverpool, having played only 26 minutes since gameweek 22. He has six goals and three assists in only nine league starts this season. I wouldn’t go for him instead of Eze but a double-up isn’t the worst idea in the world if you’re on a Free Hit.
Jean-Philippe Mateta (£5.0m) is also a good pick if you are looking for a doubling forward. He has seven goals and five assists and is nailed-on to start, provided he is fit — he has started every league game under Roy Hodgson and now Oliver Glasner since Gameweek 17.
Palace play at home to West Ham and Newcastle, two great fixtures from an attacking point of view.
(Top photo of Eze: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
