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. Tsparkes10
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Save FT? 1FT 0.3itb

    Martinez
    Dias Dallas Mee
    Son Sterl Bruno Greal Raph
    Bamford Ings
    (Johnstone, Antonio, Stones, Justin)

  2. The Red Devil
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    RMWCT (some differential picks)

    Martinez/Ederson
    Stones/Dunk/Dallas/Shaw/Rudiger
    Salah/Gundogan/Fernandes/Smith-Rowe/Raphinha
    Kane/Ings/bamford

    1.9 ITB for Raph to Barnes in GW26 & maybe upgrade ESR

    thoughts?

    1. Weeb Kakashi
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      G2G. Solid

    2. djman102
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Are you BBing 26? Don't see a reason for the GK pairing otherwise, but the rest of the squad doesn't look BBable.

      1. The Red Devil
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 28 days ago

        Yes, BB in G2 26, raph will become barnes
        Suggestions to improve?

        1. djman102
          • 14 Years
          3 years, 28 days ago

          No reason not to upgrade ESR now so you don't have to do it for a hit on 26. With that and the Raph upgrade I actually think you're gtg for 26.

          1. The Red Devil
            • 9 Years
            3 years, 28 days ago

            Martinez/Sanchez
            Cancelo/Lowton/Dallas/Shaw/Rudiger
            Salah/Gundogan/Fernandes/Neto/Raphinha
            Kane/Ings/bamford

            going with this mostly

            BB in 26 i guess

            1. djman102
              • 14 Years
              3 years, 28 days ago

              Looks good

  3. TheBiffas
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Bench Grealish, Gundo or Watkins?

    1. Weak Become Heros
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Grealish

  4. WE GO FOR IT
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Double City defense or mdouble City mid?
    With double defense, I might take a punt on Neto for GW25 and GW26.
    With double mid, I would probably get a Leicester defender (Castagne/Pereira)

    1. Third Eye Vision
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      I’m going one def + one mid and then I’ve got the flexibility to move for KDB if I feel the need to.

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

    Play McCarthy or Pope?

    Also have Lowton

    1. RAFA THE GAFFA
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Torn. On mac

    2. TheBiffas
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      McCarthy

  6. Eleven Hag
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    G2G?

    Martinez
    Dias Cancelo Mee Dallas
    Salah Bruno Gundagon Rafinha
    Watkins Bamf (c)

    - DCL Grealish Digne

  7. TorresMagic™
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • Has Moderation Rights
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    DCL to Ings worth a -4?

    1. RAFA THE GAFFA
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      No

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

      spice up your life

      1. Here's Tom with the We…
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 28 days ago

        I’m not even sure about doing it for free

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

      Yup, technically a -2 hit

    4. Simon69
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      I would say yes solely for the Leeds game.

    5. g40steve
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Debating this exact move, 1 game vs 2 & Ings is a bonus monster

    6. DARK SIDE OF THE LOON
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      No.

    7. DickFranDyke
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Yes,roll the dice

    8. sminkypinky
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Yes

    9. TorresMagic™
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Cheers all.

    10. 'Broadsword Calling Da…
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      I'd say yes (I have done Antonio to Ings -4)

    11. Mo Mané No Problems
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      No. Keep DCL for DGW 26

  8. Tronity
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    As a Dias owner, do I double-up and start Emerson or play Martinez instead?

  9. RAFA THE GAFFA
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Kane or Ings?

  10. g40steve
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Thoughts?

    A, Gündoğan > Raphinha
    B, DCL > Ings
    C -4 both

    1. Hart-ake
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Take the hit.

  11. Saka Rice
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Who gets more points this week Antonio or DCL?

    1. djman102
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      DCL for me

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

    Doesn't make much sense for Dean Smith to not mention his best player is out or is he one of those manager?

  13. Tsparkes10
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Captain?
    A) Raph
    B) Ings
    C) Bamford

    1. Blue&White85
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      C

    2. Oven Glover
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      How about some random letters, like FAHQ?

  14. Giles G
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Start Martinez (LEI) or Sanchez (CRY)?

    1. TheBiffas
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Martinez. Always Martinez

  15. wulfrunian
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Bench one:

    a)Mee
    b)Dias
    c)Dallas
    d)Shaw

  16. FallingDuck
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Meslier (Martinez)

    Cancelo, Stones, Mee (Cresswell, Mitchell)

    Salah, Bruno, Gundo, Grealish (Romeu)

    Bamford, DCL, Antonio

    Got 2 free transfers

    Should I:
    A) Romeu and Antonio --> Raphina and Ings (Bench DCL)?
    B) Romeu and DCL --> Raphine and Ings (Bench Antonio and bring in Kane next gw)?
    C) Romeu and Cresswell --> Raphina and Shaw (Bench Mee, mitchell, antonio)?
    D) Romeu --> Raphina and save 1 ft?

  17. Nemanja Vidic
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Martinez or Forster this GW?

    1. g40steve
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      The one guaranteed to play

  18. Nespinha
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    BB or Hold for next another week?

    McCarthy
    Cancelo, Dallas, Mee
    Salah, Bruno, Sterling, Grealish, Raphinha
    Bamford, Adams

    Pope, Watkins, Stones, Rudiger

    1. DARK SIDE OF THE LOON
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Hold

  19. DropkickMurphys
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    They will announce the dgw26 matches at 6.29 pm.

  20. DARK SIDE OF THE LOON
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Is this G2G? Bench and bench order too?

    Martinez
    Stones Vestergaard Struijk
    Salah KDB Gundo Bruno Raphinha
    Kane Bamford (C)

    Steere DCL Rudiger Taylor

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

      yep, GtG

      check my post above yours pls

  21. _Gunner
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Play Martinez or Areola?

  22. Weeb Kakashi
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Play Mee(WBA) OR Lookman (SHU)

  23. wagner is king
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    start rudiger or dan burn?

  24. Skymonkey
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Who else has WC and not WCing this week?

    1. el polako
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      I'm not, no confirmed schedule plus few uncertainties around Grealish, Kane and Gundo make me want to wait.

      Worst case scenario I go for strong DGW XI next week.

      1. Skymonkey
        • 3 Years
        3 years, 28 days ago

        I am saving mine for GW 31.

        1. Eleven Hag
          • 6 Years
          3 years, 28 days ago

          this

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

      Me, not worth it for now

    3. sminkypinky
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      o/ Hoping for a new chance. Missing info too much. Well, confirmation of probable info. Hence changed my plan, took a hit and saving.

    4. FPL_Motty
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Depends if you have free hit. I dont so I won't won't wcing. Need it to fix team post 29

  25. GCM0803
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    At a loss

    Ederson McCarthy
    Cancelo konsa coufal rudiger justin*
    Salah grealish bruno son gundo*
    Bamford dcl antonio*

    2ft, 0.1itb
    Suggestions?

    1. Trane84
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Grealish and Antonio to Raph and Ings is tempting. Depends how lucky you're feeling.

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

    Pick one for WC team, BB26

    A. Soyuncu
    B. Shaw

  27. winchester
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    Hey lads, 2ft and 2.9m itb. wc, bb and tc available. Is it wise to keep double city defenders? Will Adams play lads? cheers lads

    pope
    dias cancelo dallas
    bruno salah gundo son soucek*
    adams bamford

    martinez antonio coufal taylor

    a) soucek -> raphinha
    b) soucek+dias -> raphinha + which defender?
    c) soucek+antonio -> raphinha+dcl

  28. HuttonDressedasLahm
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    To play
    A. Watkins
    B. Sterling

    And..
    1.Sanchez
    2.Pope (Playing Tarkowski)

  29. suddenorgan
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    who out of Cancelo/Dias/Sterling is most likely to be rested against Arsenal?

    1. Bambi
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Cancelo bench incoming IMO with champions league midweek

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

        Stones Zinchenko shoe ins for Sunday. City could play both Gundo & KDB. Cancelo may get rest after kick on knee

    2. DickFranDyke
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 28 days ago

      Cancelo

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

      Cancelo

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

        Thanks guys

  30. Bambi
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 28 days ago

    For this week:
    McCarthy or Ederson? Soucek or Cancelo?

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

      McCarthy & Soucek