Double Gameweek 25 concludes on Wednesday evening when Aston Villa host Liverpool in both teams’ second match of the gameweek.
From the weekend’s action, there were plenty of Fantasy Premier League talking points, including potential Arsenal and Manchester City gems. We also had the surprise announcement of a double gameweek in April for Newcastle United and Crystal Palace.
Here, we will discuss the implications of Double Gameweek 32 and look at how the weekend’s results might affect your FPL strategy.
Cut-price Arsenal options
Mikel Arteta’s side have been hit with a raft of injuries. The latest absentees — Kai Havertz (£7.8m) and Gabriel Martinelli (£6.6m) — join Bukayo Saka (£10.2m) and Gabriel Jesus (£6.5m) on the sidelines. Martinelli is expected to return this season but Havertz will probably be out until the summer, as will Jesus.
Saka should return in mid-March.
Leandro Trossard (£6.9m) started up top for Arsenal, with Raheem Sterling (£6.7m) and Ethan Nwaneri (£4.5m) on the flanks — and the teenager could be an absolute bargain.
Nwaneri impressed hugely and was Arsenal’s best player, setting up the first of Mikel Merino’s (£6.0m) two goals. He played the full 90 minutes, created two chances and also looks to be a bonus magnet, picking up all three for a score of nine.
After all their injuries, Arsenal need creative flair in the final third and Nwaneri provides this, so he will be pretty nailed for the foreseeable. His low price makes him a great enabler, too.
Merino is another one to watch. He is unlikely to be a long-term No 9 option for Arteta but if he adds to his 21-minute cameo up front, Merino would be another fine option considering his price and FPL position as a midfielder.
Merino scored twice on Saturday (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Manchester City’s Egyptian king
Omar Marmoush (£7.1m) arrived at the Etihad with a glowing reputation. He had scored 15 goals and provided nine assists for German club Eintracht Frankfurt in only 17 Bundesliga appearances this season before signing for Manchester City in the winter transfer window.
He hasn’t taken long to land on his feet, scoring a hat-trick against Newcastle United in City’s 4-0 win this weekend. He played just behind Erling Haaland (£14.7m) and was taking up plenty of positions in the box.
Marmoush might even play as the No 9 after Haaland went down off the ball, looking to have hurt his knee and was duly subbed off in the 86th minute.
There hasn’t been any news on his injury but we should get an update on Wednesday before City play the second leg of their Champions League play-off against Real Madrid.
Marmoush looks like incredible value on FPL, especially if Haaland is out for a while, increasing Marmoush’s minutes up front.
City assets will be very popular in the coming weeks as their fixtures improve massively from Gameweek 29 until the end of the season. They host Liverpool on Sunday but I wouldn’t be against picking up Marmoush from the following gameweek when Pep Guardiola’s side play Tottenham Hotspur away.
The Egypt international will rack up goals and assists and he is likely to be a mainstay in the City attack, regardless of Haaland’s fitness.
Marmoush scored a hat-trick on Saturday (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Rejuvenated Everton
Everton have won four of their last five league games, drawing the other one, and have seen a stark improvement under new manager David Moyes.
One player in particular who has come to the fore is Beto (£4.9m). He has started the last four games, played 90 in the last two and scored four goals.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.4m) is out injured with no definitive return date and Iliman Ndiaye (£5.5m) suffered a medial ligament injury against Liverpool in Gameweek 24. According to Moyes, it “doesn’t look great“.
This not only makes Beto nailed as the No 9 and boosts his expected minutes but, with Dwight McNeil (£5.1m) also sidelined, he is likely to be the first-choice penalty taker too.
Everton’s next four fixtures are as great as they play Manchester United (H), Brentford (A), Wolves (A) and West Ham United (H). Of course, they also have a fixture in the blank Gameweek 29.
They have clearly improved in the final third too, scoring 12 goals in the last five.
Beto is a great enabler at his price and could be a cheaper upgrade on Ndiaye, Joao Pedro (£5.5m) or Nicolas Jackson (£7.7m).
If you are wildcarding in Gameweek 30 or 31 it makes sense to get him now, especially before his price increases.
Beto will get a lot of minutes over the coming weeks (Warren Little/Getty Images)
How to prepare for Double Gameweek 32
The biggest news of the week came before a ball was even kicked. A double for Newcastle and Crystal Palace was announced for Gameweek 32.
Eddie Howe’s side will play Manchester United (H) and Palace (H) and Oliver Glasner’s men travel to Manchester City (A) and Newcastle (A).
It was expected that these fixtures would fall into Double Gameweek 33 but this twist and the short-notice Double Gameweek 25 announcement show the Premier League is more proactive.
The extra games in April will have big implications
First, if you were planning on getting rid of your Newcastle or Crystal Palace assets before Blank Gameweek 29, you might want to think twice if you have a lot of value tied up in them.
Also, it increases the appeal of using the Triple Captain on Alexander Isak (£9.5m) for Manchester United and Palace at home.
Isak is having a fantastic season, registering 17 goals and five assists in the Premier League. With no more doubles expected for Liverpool, you should not use it on Mohamed Salah (£13.7m).
I plan to use my Triple Captain chip on Isak in Double Gameweek 32. I will also use my Bench Boost in Double Gameweek 33, which is still likely to be the biggest double of the season.
If you have not used your Assistant Manager chip yet, this is probably the best time to use it. Activating it in Gameweek 31 or 32 would give you back-to-back doubles, similar to those who used for Double Gameweek 24.
We could have more opportunities for table bonuses but more importantly, if you use it on Howe (£1.5m) or Glasner (£0.8m) in Gameweek 32, it gives you five fixtures over the three gameweeks for the game’s most powerful chip.
If you still have your second wildcard then this makes using it in Gameweek 30 or 31 even more optimal. It allows you to attack the two doubles and load up Newcastle since they are expected to have back-to-back doubles.
(Top photo: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
