Key FPL Tips for Gameweek 25

It really feels like we are entering the crunch stage of the season, where massive swings, doubles, blanks, injuries etc are all right on our doorstep. This is where mini-leagues are won and lost and where the elite separate themselves from the good.

Gameweek 25 like a lot of other weeks carries with it plenty of dilemmas for the FPL manager. So, we will do our best to assist you with the big ones.

If you are late to the party but still want to wildcard then make sure you check out our Gameweek 25 Wildcard piece.

Or, if you are looking for other ways to gain rank, check out our Best Gameweek 25 differentials, as well as our best captains for Gameweek 25 piece.

As always, make sure you consult with our Predicted Line-Ups and Team News Hub before locking in any changes.

So without further ado, let’s get stuck into some key FPL tips for Gameweek 25.

 

Best Saka Replacements

If you haven’t already, make sure you check out our Best Saka Replacements piece for a more in-depth analysis on who the best choice is depending on your team. Either way, we will include the brief summary here:

• Bruno – The Essential, should be the move if you can.
• Rice – The Simple, best for FT saving, still keep 3 Arsenal assets.
• Mbeumo – The Bagsman, Highest goals ceiling of all options here.
• Enzo – The Short-Term Spark Plug – If you’ve got spare FTs and want to save the most £, then Enzo is the way to go.
• Wirtz – The Differential Dice Roll – Lowest Ownership could mean biggest gains of any option. Unbelievable fixtures as well.

 

How to Attack and Maximise DGW26

Normally, the week before DGW26 would be the ideal time to load up on some players from either team, not this time, however.

Most engaged managers should already have 3 Arsenal players, and ideally 2 defenders. If however, you only own 2 or you are a Saka owner, then it’s a bit different. If you own Saka and Rice and have enough FTs, move Saka to one of the recommended players above and upgrade a defender to a 2^nd Arsenal defender.

If you do own Saka but have less than 2 Free Transfers, then we would advise the straight move to Rice. If you own Rice already, ideally you want to work towards that 2^nd Arsenal defender or keeper, so we would use 2 FTs to downgrade Saka and bring in an Arsenal defender. If you somehow own Saka and Rice but only have 1 FT then roll this week if you have good bench cover and bring in the extra Arsenal def ahead of the DGW. although given they have an excellent defensive fixture this week, if your bench cover isn’t great you could definitely think about taking the hit.

We would advise against taking the punt on a Trossard or Madueke because these will end up costing you a transfer out once Saka returns. Also, I back their defence to outscore any attacker to be honest.

Another great way to maximise the DGW is by triple captaining Gabriel. With Haaland’s form taking a turn and plenty of chips needing to be played towards the end of the season, this provides the perfect opportunity to use the Triple captain chip. Not least considering one of the fixtures is against Wolves.

Speaking of Wolves, I’ve seen a few people asking if they should target Wolves assets because of the double.

Short answer, No. One of the fixtures is against Arsenal, and outside of Mane I don’t even know who you can marginally consider. If you have Mane already then, it’s a great chance to start him but buying him for the DGW is a skill issue I’m afraid. Not least considering the other strikers coming into great form or fixtures. Namely Ekitike, Kroupi, Joao Pedro, Evanilson, Thiago, Bowen etc.

 

Is it too late to board the Chelsea train considering the fixture turn in GW28?

Short answer no, but there are some caveats. Given how leaky Chelsea’s defence looked against West Ham, I would probably advise against the double up in defence. Yes, they did look better against Arsenal in the League Cup, but I can’t see them setting up in a similar defensive manner against Wolves, Leeds and Burnley. Some defenders like James and Cucurella have also seen their minutes managed a bit of late.

Another key factor is the fixture turn in GW28 is one which is far worse for defenders than attackers, with fixtures like Villa, City and United during that run.

Essentially, I much prefer a Chelsea triple up with only 1 defender, ideally Chalobah (However if you do own a different defender, it’s not worth moving to Chalobah from them). This is in no small part down to that fixture run. Enzo, Joao Pedro, Palmer etc are all start-able against Villa, Newcastle, City and United. Defenders? Much less so. Meaning you would likely be looking to move off defenders around GW28.

Ideal trio:

• Chalobah
• Enzo
• Joao Pedro

 

Which other teams should I be targeting right now?

Make sure you check out our Best Teams and Fixtures to target article for in depth detail on who the best teams to target are but also who the best assets are from those teams. Once again however, with the exception of Chelsea and Arsenal, we will do a brief summary here:

• Liverpool
• Bournemouth
• Crystal Palace (Cautiously)
• Man United
• Villa (Attackers)

 

Shall I go and Buy Sunderland Assets like Mukiele?

Yes, the Sunderland result on Monday was a huge one for Sunderland and in particular Mukiele owners and yes I am definitely jealous I have not been a long term Mukiele owner, the man is on fire.

However, and I can’t stress this enough. Fellow non-owners, we have missed the boat. Most Mukiele owners have held him long term and will continue to do so. However, given he is now £4.5m, there are just other defenders in that category who I back to outscore him over the next few weeks, such as Senesi. So he is not worth the FT.

Sunderland, and particularly their defence, have a rotten set of fixtures where they play 3 of the league’s highest scoring teams in Arsenal, Liverpool and Bournemouth, so he is absolutely not a buy right now. If the FOMO is eating you alive, then I urge you to at least wait until GW29 or GW27 if you must. But if you are one of the impatient 54,831 buyers this week, learn some impulse control.

 

What to do with Thiago?

I get it, 3 blanks in a row is frustrating, I understand. But in fairness to him he has played 2 of the top 5 in that stretch. If there is one thing we have learnt about Thiago’s return patterns, he returns vs bad defences and struggles vs good ones. His most recent returns: Sunderland, Everton, Bournemouth, Burnley, Brighton etc.

Following the Newcastle – which isn’t even that bad a fixture at the moment – and Arsenal fixtures, Brentford come into an unbelievable stretch for an attacker which stretches until about GW35. So if you do have the patience, I would recommend holding him.

To be honest how Newcastle have been playing and the injuries they’re suffering I could see him hauling this weekend as well. Not least considering his brace against them earlier this season.

 

Gameweek 25 Clean Sheet Odds:

Arsenal — 62%
• Sunderland (H)

Fulham — 40%
• Everton (H)

Chelsea — 36%
• Wolves (A)

Manchester United — 35%
• Tottenham (H)

Leeds United — 34%
• Nottingham Forest (H)

Brighton — 33%
• Crystal Palace (H)

West Ham United — 33%
• Burnley (A)

Newcastle United — 32%
• Brentford (H)

Everton — 27%
• Fulham (A)

Nottingham Forest — 26%
• Leeds (A)

Aston Villa — 25%
• Bournemouth (A)

Burnley — 25%
• West Ham (H)

Liverpool — 24%
• Manchester City (H)

Bournemouth — 23%
• Aston Villa (H)

Manchester City — 22%
• Liverpool (A)

Crystal Palace — 21%
• Brighton (A)

Brentford — 18%
• Newcastle (A)

Wolves — 17%
• Chelsea (H)

Tottenham Hotspur — 14%
• Manchester United (A)

Sunderland — 11%
• Arsenal (A)

 

Check out our Game Week Tips section for more Gameweek 25 Tips.