What to watch out for in midweek ahead of FPL Double Gameweek 36

Here we are: the biggest Double Gameweek in a season that had the most Double Gameweeks ever. This week we’ll be bombarded with information on players to target from the 12 teams that play twice, Free Hit drafts and Bench Boost enablers. So I thought I’d take advantage of writing early in the week and talk about the various things that I am looking out for ahead of the deadline that will impact my transfer decisions. This includes injuries, minutes played and results in European fixtures and, of course, the press conferences. 

One thing to note is that I’ll be making some predictions here based on recent minutes using the table made by the excellent Anna Woodberry but fully I am conscious that managers don’t pick players solely on game-time. However, we do the best that we can from the information we have available.

Let’s get right into it in chronological order.

Villarreal v Liverpool (Tuesday)

Liverpool go to Estadio de la Ceramica where they hold a commanding two-goal lead. One further goal for the Reds should see some early substitutes and/or managed minutes for the big hitters. An unexpected Mohamed Salah (£13.3m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.4m) rest against Newcastle United gives us some assurance for their minutes over the Double Gameweek 36, but the third slot is getting interesting.

Andrew Robertson

As seen from Anna’s table above, Andrew Robertson (£7.3m) has played 90 minutes in each of the five games across all competitions (Gameweek 35 data is not included in the table, as Anna updates these later in the week). No other player barring the rotation-proof Virgil van Dijk (£6.8m) or Allison (£6.0m) have played the same.

Here is what Klopp said about Roberson after the Newcastle game:

“Tsimikas would’ve deserved to play and Robbo could have had a break as well but when you change one full-back and a centre-half and there are three changes in the last line, what I think then is ‘No, don’t do that, let’s do it like this.’ – Jurgen Klopp

This immediately tells me that a Robertson benching is coming. Klopp has shown that freshness comes over league state. If Salah/Alexander-Arnold can miss a game, then anyone else can. Should the Scotsman play midweek, I can see a rest in one of the Double Gameweek matches – perhaps the Villa game sandwiched between Spurs and the FA Cup final.

Joel Matip

Joel Matip (£5.2m) has emerged as a great budget enabler for one of the best defences in the league. Since Gameweek 22, Matip has only not played 90 minutes once in the league – against West Ham United in Gameweek 28, when he was ill. His competition, Ibrahima Konate (£5.1m), has meanwhile started in all the recent FA Cup and Champions League quarter-finals/semi-finals. Another start for Konate in midweek pretty much cements Matip’s two starts in the Double Gameweek, I feel. I can see Free Hitters or those without Robertson going there if the Scotsman does indeed start against Villarreal.

Sadio Mane

Finally, the second most nailed forward for Liverpool. Could he be an option for the Double Gameweek? Sadio Mane (£11.7m) has also started the last five games across all competitions so carries some risk. However, he has come off early (substituted after 60, 72 and 68 minutes) over the last three matches. He could therefore start midweek and still feature twice in the Double Gameweek. With two goals and an assist in the last four matches, he is certainly one to consider for those looking for that explosive third player from Liverpool. I’d ideally like another early substitution midweek, though, to be assured of two starts in Double Gameweek 36.

Real Madrid v Man City (Wednesday)

After one of the most exciting and end-to-end first legs in Champions League history, this tie is wide open at 3-4. 

Joao Cancelo’s (£7.2m) suspension in the first leg, while at the detriment of City’s defending, has given FPL managers some comfort about his minutes in the Double Gameweek. In fact, despite missing that game, Cancelo has played the most minutes of all City players in the last 11 matches, even more than Ederson (£6.1m), as seen from the table below. He is as nailed as they get. The same applies to Aymeric Laporte (£6.0m), but I’ll be looking out for John Stones (£5.2m) injury updates going into Double Gameweek 36.

Kevin De Bruyne (£11.9m) is also someone who consistently gets starts and this weekend’s rest versus Leeds United was a positive for his minutes in Double Gameweek 36. Interestingly, however, after playing 90 minutes quite consistently from March 14 to April 13, De Bruyne has now only played over 70 minutes twice in the last six games across all competitions. Is he essential to the team? Yes. Will his minutes be managed, especially when City are comfortably ahead? Also yes.

These are all fairly obvious. Now let’s look at the other Manchester City boys whose minutes in the midweek will give us some clues.

Gabriel Jesus

After starting three matches in the previous eight games, Jesus has now started the last three fixtures. He looks to be back in favour and, as we know, Pep Guardiola rewards form. Gabriel Jesus (£8.6m) certainly has that, with six goals in the last three matches across all competitions. As someone potentially in the market for a forward, I would absolutely love it if Guardiola somehow decides to play a ‘false nine’ with De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva (£7.0m) or Phil Foden (£7.8m), and Jesus sits the Real Madrid game out. He’d be my number one pick from the City attack in Double Gameweek 36 if that happened. If he does indeed start his fourth game in a row, you’d imagine six straight starts would be a stretch.

Phil Foden

He got his rest against Watford in Gameweek 34 and looks good for another start midweek. It will, however, be his third start in a row. Will you back him to start five consecutive matches? Maybe.

Oleksandr Zinchenko

Oleksandr Zinchenko (£5.3m) looks set to start in midweek, with Nathan Ake’s (£4.7m) injury and Kyle Walker (£5.4m) still out. This is simply one for the press conferences on Friday. If the duo remain sidelined, Zinchenko looks nailed. Surely after Real Madrid, Guardiola would have also seen what happens when you play Fernandinho (£4.7m) at right-back. At £5.3m, though, you could just go Laporte for a little more – unless really stretched for budget.

Others

I am not going to talk about Raheem Sterling (£10.5m) since I don’t want hate mail from currently disgruntled owners. Let’s be honest, no-one else is going there. Riyad Mahrez (£8.6m) also seems to be a midweek man. If he somehow missed the Real Madrid game, then there is again a discussion to be had. 

Eintracht Frankfurt v West Ham (Thursday)

The implications for this game are fairly simple. Should West Ham turn the one-goal deficit around and get into the Europa League final, their fixture against Manchester City in Double Gameweek 37 would be three days before the final. One would think that with a weakened Hammers team, the score against Man City could be anything. 

How does that impact my Double Gameweek 36 plans? It would make me much more tempted to target a Man City triple-up ahead of this Saturday’s deadline, knowing that another favourable fixture awaited round the corner in Gameweek 37.

Roma v Leicester City (Thursday)

With these two teams drawing 1-1 in the first leg, we got the heavily rotated Leicester side most of us expected against Spurs. Congratulations again to Son Heung-min (£11.0m) captainers! 

The thinking with this tie is that, should Leicester win, we can safely continue to ignore them for the rest of the season. Players like Jamie Vardy (£10.3m), James Maddison (£6.9m) and Harvey Barnes (£6.5m) should all continue to be wrapped in cotton wool over Double Gameweek 36, and maybe just play one game out of the two.

However, should Leicester lose the match, the focus might shift back to the league and ending the season strongly. Of course, there is an equal likelihood that the team basically just checks out for the summer. 

I’ll end this piece with one tip as you evaluate your transfers: don’t settle for a sub-optimal player just because he plays twice or is a risk for one of the two fixtures. Pretty much everyone’s team will have 11 doublers this week. That in itself isn’t an advantage. So don’t be afraid to take a hit or two if you see an opportunity arise. This is after all the biggest Double Gameweeks of the season – therefore it’s also the opportunity to make the most gains as we conclude the campaign three weeks from now.

Good luck!