Tips

The Complete Guide to Scout’s tips and advice to Double Gameweek 25

Welcome to the Fantasy Football Scout Guide to Double Gameweek 25 ahead of today’s 18:30 GMT deadline.

Leeds United and Southampton are the two teams with the extra fixture – the Saints travel to Elland Road on Tuesday evening.

The other main talking point as we plot our moves for the current round of fixtures and beyond, is the potential of more Double Gameweeks in the near future. Pep Guardiola hinted that Gameweeks 26 and 27 will be Doubles for his side but at the time of writing, we await confirmation from the Premier League.

Captain Candidates

Patrick Bamford (£6.9), Raphinha (£5.4m) and Danny Ings (£8.5m) are the leading trio in the captain poll, with the highly-owned Bamford the popular choice.

The best-value forward in FPL, returning over 19.1 points per million spent, Bamford has garnered over 50 per cent of the vote. This in itself poses Fantasy managers an intriguing shield/sword dilemma:

[Bamford]’s currently in just over 53 per cent of teams, the bulk of those will captain him so if you don’t captain Bamford you will probably get pretty much no ranking gain from him, [and] you could possibly get a red arrow if there’s a surge of support in people drafting him in. Whereas Raphinha was in under three per cent of teams [so] if you captain him the gains could be absolutely huge.

– Joe, Captaincy Video

The potential for either Leeds player to do well is there, especially in that Tuesday fixture. As Jan pointed out in his Captain Sensible article, Southampton have given up 11 big chances in the last four matches, the joint-most in the Premier League, while only Liverpool have a worse expected goals conceded (xGC) figure.

Encouraging stuff. But two bits of team news could influence our decisions.

Marcelo Bielsa confirmed that Kalvin Phillips (£4.9m) will miss the first match against Wolves and could possibly sit out the Southampton game too. While Ralph Hasenhüttl revealed that Southampton will be without Kyle Walker-Peters (£4.7m) for a few weeks. 

Without Kalvin Phillips they are really not the same team, he is the guy that holds the whole thing together both defensively and going forward … he’s missed five games this year and … Bamford’s blanked in three of those five games so it makes me a bit worried about him.

– David, Captaincy Video

Speaking on the Scoutcast, “professor of LeedsSeb, as he was dubbed by Joe, conceded that Phillips offers more than Pascal Struijk (£3.9m) in an attacking sense. But, nonetheless, his optimal Leeds trio for the Double would be Bamford, Raphinha and Jack Harrison (£5.5m).

The absence of Walker-Peters is good news for Harrison in particular. The Saints have conceded 17 chances down their right flank over their last four matches and with Walker-Peters missing out, it means we could see one of the centre-backs filling in.

Although, Brazilian Raphinha could also benefit:

Harrison and Raphinha have swapped sides a couple of times in the last few matches … Harrison was obviously subbed off last match … but Raphinha actually moved to the left with Hélder Costa coming on the right, so there is a chance you’ll see Raphinha on the left.

And on Harrison himself, his last two goals I believe, certainly his last goal, came straight down the middle. So if he’s up against the weak full-back that might be more for the assist [but] for the actual goals we might see him making those runs through the middle.

So I think realistically, what’s the crux of this conversation, it’s all quite close. Get the three attackers if you can, if you can’t get Bamford and Raphinha.

– Seb

Raphinha and Harrison touch heatmap last four matches

When it comes to deciding who to captain, it’s worth noting that Raphinha takes corners while Bamford is expected to stay on penalty duties.

No Premier League team has conceded more spot-kicks this season than Wolves (seven). And Southampton are not doing particularly well in that department, either, having given up four penalties  in 2020/21.

But Danny Ings should not be discounted, the Saints talisman has recorded six attempts on goal in his last two Premier League fixtures, including three big chances. And Southampton’s high-press could prove effective against Leeds, as Arsenal discovered in Gameweek 24 scoring four goals. 

Speaking on FPL Black Box, Pro Pundit Mark revealed that he is contemplating buying Ings with one of his two free transfers, factoring in that Southampton may have three Double Gameweeks in the next four. Although, as Greyhead noted in the 100th edition of The Great and The Good, how many of us will trust Danny Ings’ fragile hamstring to manage two games in quick succession?

And, as Jamie pointed out in his Members-only analysis of Southampton, if Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side are to get the best out of Ings, then they will need to create more chances, with the Saints creation ranking near the bottom in their last six matches.

Nonetheless, Ings is the only Southampton player included in the Scout Picks starting XI alongside a triple up of Bamford, Raphinha and Stuart Dallas (£5.0m) from Marcelo Bielsa’s troops.

Pro Pundit Plans

Along with Jack Harrison, the other players who could exploit the weakness down Southampton’s right side are Timo Werner (£9.2m) and Marcos Alonso (£5.7m).

I get the feeling that [Alonso] could drop a 15-pointer in any game if he continues in the same attacking vein. It looks like Tuchel is going to persist with the 3-4-3 formation and his comments with regards to Alonso seems particularly encouraging.

– Lateriser

As high-flying Pro Pundit Andy mentioned, the Spaniard offers massive potential at both ends of the pitch if you can cope with him missing the odd game.

Chelsea were picked out by both Andy and Lateriser due to their appealing fixtures, despite a difficult-looking Gameweek 26.

West Brom, Leeds and Palace are all in the bottom three for expected goals conceded this season, with Everton the seventh-worst team in the league. The fixtures from Gameweek 27 look prime for goals.

– Andy

Werner, who has started Chelsea’s last four matches under new boss Thomas Tuchel, has accumulated the joint-highest number of big chances (five) over the last four Gameweeks. 

Lateriser also noted that for those who are not Wildcarding in Gameweeks 25/26, there is a decent fixture swing in Gameweek 31, and it could be a good time to Wildcard. Something fellow Pro Pundit Az is planning to do, his thinking no doubt supported by some colourful spreadsheets!

Meanwhile, Werner was not one of the forward options being considered by Hall of Fame No 1 Fábio Borges.

The consistent top 10,000 manager is looking to replace the injured Michail Antonio (£6.6m) in his side and, after running the rule over several candidates, it boiled down to getting Danny Ings now or benching Antonio before buying Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.7m) for Double Gameweek 26.

Community Competitions and Head-to-Head Fixtures

This is your last chance to enter the open-to-all Fantasy Football Scout Cup with qualifying for the first round taking place in Gameweek 25. Qualifying for the Members Cup – entry for Premium Members only – gets underway in Gameweek 26.

A total of £300 in prizes is available across the two tournaments.

RedLightning rounded-up the latest Community mini-leagues and competitions.

Impressively, the two main FFScout mini-leagues are the top two Leagues in FPL, followed by Andy’s own mini-league. Well done to the top five managers in each of those mini-leagues.

There’s been another small tweak this week by Mat (aka matzi11a) to the fixtures and results displayed on the Head-to-Head Leagues main page.

From now on the scores and tables will update each night, so managers can see how they are getting on as the Gameweek unfolds.

The fixtures for Gameweek 25 can be found below:

Use the drop-down menus to show your league and division. To find out which league and division you are in, follow the instructions on the main Head-to-Head page.

Once the Gameweek starts, if you click on your opponent’s name you will be linked to their team on the FPL website.

May your arrows be green!

TopMarx Fan of Fantasy Football and Monty Python. "Archimedes out to Socrates, Socrates back to Archimedes, Archimedes out to Heraclitus, he beats Hegel. Heraclitus a little flick, here he comes on the far post, Socrates is there, Socrates heads it in! Socrates has scored! The Greeks are going mad, the Greeks are going mad! Socrates scores, got a beautiful cross from Archimedes. The Germans are disputing it. Hegel is arguing that the reality is merely an a priori adjunct of non-naturalistic ethics, Kant via the categorical imperative is holding that ontologically it exists only in the imagination, and Marx is claiming it was offside. Follow them on Twitter

2,870 Comments Post a Comment
  1. OverTinker
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Antonio + Grealish to Ings + Raphina for a hit DONE!!

    1. Iceball
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Same as I did

    2. Prison Mike
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      My moves!

    3. OverTinker
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      sorry for copying guys

    4. Silecro
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Same for free, feels good!

  2. Alisson WondHaaland
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Bench one:

    A) Stones
    B) Cancelo
    C) Watkins

  3. Ian Davis
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Any 4.0 of below defenders worth getting?

    1. Messiah Hazard
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Struijk / Kilman

    2. Pep's Money Laundry
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Strujik is the only one I think

  4. jaywills
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    A) Play Che Adams
    B) Play Antonio?

    1. GOTHAM City F.C.
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      A

    2. Bees4Lyf
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      A

  5. Prison Mike
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    People still activating their wildcard despite no fixtures confirmed?

    1. Real Socially Distant
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Yes...just done it last min...feel happy with team. Still got big hitters in there

    2. GOTHAM City F.C.
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Just because they can BB next week? Im not keen

    3. Quan MisTaka
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Yeah easy WC imo

  6. Duke Silver ☑
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Would be hilarious if PL twitter announces the DGW fixtures at 6:30pm 😆

    1. Fudgy
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Lol

    2. Arteta
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      They're nasty so it's quite possible haha

  7. Pep's Money Laundry
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Bottomed

    Start one

    A. Cancelo (ars)
    B. Gundagan
    C. Barnes(avl)
    D. Rudiger (sou)

  8. George Agdgdgwngo
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Start stones or cancelo?

    1. aapoman
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Both

      1. aapoman
        • 10 Years
        3 years, 28 days ago

        But if only one then Cancelo

      2. George Agdgdgwngo
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 28 days ago

        Not helpful

  9. SuperDan
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Pick a plan for next weeks transfer:

    A) Dallas > Dunk & start and play Kane this week
    B) Ings > Kane & start with Dunk and play him instead of Dallas this week

    1. Quan MisTaka
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      both mate

      1. SuperDan
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 28 days ago

        Not for a hit

  10. Garfield1001
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Soucek or DCL first sub?

    Cheers

    1. Bees4Lyf
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      DCL

    2. jdp219
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Soucek

    3. Iwantmorepointsthanks
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      DCL

  11. Plagued by indecision
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Triple Leeds and Bamford (c) to look forward to this evening!

  12. CERVELO
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Have Cavani, Antonio and Gund - 1 FT.

    Looking at

    Cavani > Ings
    Or
    Cavani & Grelish > Ings & Raph (-4)

    Which one?!?

    1. Bees4Lyf
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      C > I

      1. CERVELO
        • 10 Years
        3 years, 28 days ago

        Tar. Or Antonio to Ings and Grelish to Rapha?

  13. Bees4Lyf
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    First on bench:

    A) cresswell (tot)
    B) cancelo (ars)

  14. Champions League Varane
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Play Barnes or Gundogan?? Thanks alot

    1. Defochibe
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Gun

    2. aapoman
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Barnes

    3. Genji3lade
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Barnes

    4. Arteta
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Barnes.

  15. aapoman
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Hames to Raphinha -8?

    1. jdp219
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      I wouldn't for -8

  16. 1912 F.A Cup Winners
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Play Lowton over Cancelo?? Have Dias too, or start Cancelo??
    Cheers folks!!

  17. Real Socially Distant
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Should I start Konsa or Rudiger?

    1. aapoman
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Rudi easy

      1. Christina.
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 28 days ago

        x

  18. Jdpz
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Play Cancelo or Gundogan?

  19. School of Poch
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    GTG?

    Martinez
    Dallas Cancelo Lowton
    Salah Bruno Son Gundo Barnes
    (c)Bamford Watkins

    Forster Dias DCL Coufal

  20. Sun Jihai
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    For the next two:
    A) Sanchez
    B) Areola
    C) McCarthy

    1. EmreCan Hustle
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      A

    2. Gomolon
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Deadlines passed pal

  21. Gunners in Haaland
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Soucek->Raphinha (-4)? Have Bamford

    1. Drexl Spivey
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      I did exactly that about an hour ago.

      1. Gunners in Haaland
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 28 days ago

        Thanks

  22. Jam0sh
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Grealish to Barnes or save FT?

    1. aapoman
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Save. How many double players you have?

      1. Jam0sh
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 28 days ago

        4 this week

  23. rayyanfarooq
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Bench Martinez or McCarthy?

    1. buttsy9
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Martinez

  24. Starky22
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Chance of Cancelo coming off bench...? Just bench him for Dias to avoid the risk?

    1. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      what if Cancelo starts and Dias comes off the bench?

  25. buttsy9
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    GTG?

    Meslier (Pope)
    Cancelo, Stones, Dallas, Lowton (Coufal)
    Bruno, Sterling, Salah (Soucek, Smith-Rowe)
    Bamford (c), DCL, Antonio

    1FT 1.1m ITB

  26. NATSTER
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    -4 for DCL -> Kane and bench Grealish

    Yes or No?

    1. buttsy9
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      No.

  27. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    is grealish out or not?

    1. NATSTER
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      wondering too

    2. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      maybe

    3. Fudgy
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      It's 50/50

    4. AC/DC AFC
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      How would anyone on here really know?

    5. Well you know, Triffic
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Yes he's snorting a line right now.

  28. Genji3lade
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Castagne or Pereira?

  29. IAWC ( It's a Wonderfu…
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Watkins to ings for a hit?yes or no

    1. Starky22
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Nope

  30. jason_ni
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Is
    Cavani to Ings worth -4?

    If cavani is no show dcl comes in for me.

    1. TRE2
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Tempted myself. Have Stones 1st sub