The Premier League have announced the full line-up of fixtures for all the remaining Double Gameweeks of the 2018/19 season.
They have confirmed that Gameweeks 32, 34 and 35 will all feature an expanded number of matches.
Manchester City’s are the pick of the bunch as they are set for a Double of Fulham (away) and Cardiff (H) in Gameweek 32.
Meanwhile, Brighton will have three Double Gameweeks between now and the end of the season.
We have listed all the additional fixtures below and will give our initial thoughts on the programme, which we will update throughout the afternoon.
DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 32
Here are the pairs of fixtures for those playing twice in Double Gameweek 32…
Brighton: Southampton (H) + Chelsea (A)
Cardiff City: Chelsea (H) + Manchester City (A)
Chelsea: Cardiff City (A) + Brighton (H)
Crystal Palace: Huddersfield (H) + Spurs (A)
Fulham: Manchester City (H) + Watford (A)
Manchester City: Fulham (A) + Cardiff City (H)
Manchester United: Watford (H) + Wolves (A)
Spurs: Liverpool (A) + Crystal Palace (H)
Watford: Manchester United (A) + Fulham (H)
Wolves: Burnley (A) + Manchester United (H)
DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 34
We have also been handed a further Double Gameweek for Brighton and Cardiff in Gameweek 34…
Brighton: Bournemouth (H) + Cardiff City (H)
Cardiff City: Burnley (A) + Brighton (A)
DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 35
The Premier League have also confirmed the line-up for Double Gameweek 35…
Arsenal: Crystal Palace (H) + Wolves (A)
Brighton: Wolves (A) + Spurs (A)
Manchester City: Spurs (H) + Man United (A)
Manchester United: Everton (A) + Manchester City (H)
Southampton: Newcastle (A) + Watford (A)
Spurs: Manchester City (A) + Brighton (H)
Watford: Huddersfield (A) + Southampton (H)
Wolves: Brighton (H) + Arsenal (H)
INITIAL THOUGHTS
As had already been suggested by Pep Guardiola, Manchester City have been handed an appealing Double Gameweek in Gameweek 32.
They will face Fulham and Cardiff and present Fantasy managers with the chance to capitalise on a glut of attacking returns.
A triple-up on Manchester City options will surely be
Sergio Aguero (£11.8m) and Raheem Sterling (£11.6m) are likely to take up the first two spots, but who takes the third? We’ll be looking at that in the coming days.
Chelsea have also been handed some positive fixtures for the next round of action.
They will travel to face Cardiff before hosting a travel sick Brighton side to Stamford in the following midweek.
That will further the case for Gonzalo Higuaín (£9.6m) and Eden Hazard (£10.9m) in Free Hit squads.
Those looking for budget options in Gameweek 35 could turn to Watford as their Double Gameweek 35 looks very promising indeed.
The Hornets travel to Huddersfield first, before hosting Southampton midweek.
Troy Deeney (£5.9m) and Gerard Deulofeu (£5.6m) will arguably be the most popular players to look at although with the FA Cup semi-finals looming large, Javi Gracia may shift his focus there.
A NEW CHIP STRATEGY?
Until today, we thought we knew what the optimum chip strategies would be for Fantasy managers.
However, a Double Gameweek for Brighton in Gameweek 34 does open up a new chip strategy for some looking for a different approach.
They will host Bournemouth and Cardiff in Gameweek 34 in what looks like a hugely appealing set of fixtures.
Both the Cherries and Bluebirds have been poor away from home this season and the Seagulls themselves will be fighting for their own Premier League survival.
Gameweek 34 had been pencilled in as the best time to play a second Wildcard ahead of deploying the Bench Boost in Double Gameweek 35.
However, this confirmation of a hugely appealing Double for Brighton the week before could allow those who have already used their second Wildcard to use their Triple Captain chip instead.
It would be a hugely differential move to do so but Mat Ryan (£4.4m), Shane Duffy (£4.7m) and Glenn Murray (£6.3m) all stand the chance of securing double-figure hauls in Double Gameweek 34.
This strategy might not even be open to those without their second Wildcard.
Anyone who has not played the Free Hit on Gameweek 32 might be tempted to play the Wildcard instead, use the Free Hit in Blank Gameweek 33 so that they can use the Triple Captain chip on a Brighton player.
Otherwise, the Triple Captain chip will still have to be used in a single Gameweek, with Liverpool at home to Huddersfield in Gameweek 36, Manchester United at trip to the Terriers in Gameweek 37 or Cardiff’s visit to Old Trafford on the final day of the season the favourite options at this point.
Also, those who have already played their Free Hit chips, and are unable to do so in Double Gameweek 32, might want to consider the Triple Captain chip then.
Manchester City’s double of Fulham and Cardiff makes one of either Aguero or Sterling an excellent option for that chip if it looks like they’ll play a significant part in both matches.
