In Frisking the Fixtures, we pinpoint the teams and players with the strongest runs of matches over the next six Gameweeks and beyond.
Our colour-coded Season Ticker is the primary source for this piece.
Using this tool as a Premium Member, you can sort by difficulty, rank by attacking and defensive potential or find budget rotation pairings. You can even set your own difficulty ratings, should you disagree with ours.
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SEASON TICKER OVERVIEW: NEXT 10 GAMEWEEKS
The above colours reflect the ‘overall’ ratings of each side. There are options within the ticker to separate attack and defence.
Chelsea’s attack, for example, is rated more highly than their defence.
BEST FIXTURES: GAMEWEEKS 15-20
BOURNEMOUTH
On paper, Bournemouth’s favourable fixture swing began in Gameweek 11 although the first two results did not exactly go their way. Brentford have been excellent at home, while Brighton are having a dream season, and so the Cherries found themselves on the wrong side of 3-2 and 2-1 defeats respectively.
Bournemouth remain a dangerous side, however, as they proved in Gameweek 13 when trouncing Wolves 4-2 at Molineux. Indeed, win, lose or draw goals are guaranteed from Andoni Iraola’s side, who are fourth in the division for expected goals with 27.25 and second for shots on goal with 219.
The Wolves match was something of an anomaly in that Justin Kluivert (£5.4m) scored a hat-trick of penalties, a Premier League first, but the Cherries were well worthy of their victory; their xG dwarfed that of their hosts by 3.69 to 0.46.
Key to that win was Evanilson (£6.1m), who won all three spot-kicks and consequently collected three assists for his troubles. The Brazilian has been brilliant for Bournemouth in the last nine Gameweeks, delivering eight attacking returns.
Evanilson will surely add to those returns given how kindly the fixture list is smiling on the south-coast club. Five of Bournemouth’s next six opponents are in the bottom eight places in the table. The next two are in the bottom four places for expected goals conceded (xGC).
With an ownership of only 3.4%, Evanilson is still flying under the radar.
MANCHESTER CITY
Manchester City’s form dropped off the mother of all cliffs in recent weeks but their fixtures from Gameweek 10-14 were not easy.
Going forward they look much more benign with five of their next six opponents placed from 13th to 18th in the table at the time of writing.
That said, City have won only one of their last three home meetings with Crystal Palace, who sealed their first away win of the season in midweek. The Manchester derby is likely to be a close-fought affair (City have not won their last two against United) and City have not won at Villa Park since 2021.
The question for FPL managers is, which assets to buy from Man City? They aren’t keeping clean sheets, Phil Foden (£9.4m) has one return season and Josko Gvardiol‘s (£6.2m) errors became so persistent he was dropped for the Liverpool match – as was Ederson (£5.5m).
Some managers are keeping the faith with Erling Haaland (£15.0m) in the hope that his underlying stats translate to points, but even though the Norwegian goal king remains the league’s top scorer he has managed only three attacking returns in the last nine Gameweeks. Little wonder he is now owned by just 45% – down from nearly 80% a matter of weeks ago.
ARSENAL
Much has been made of Arsenal’s slow start to the season but apart from injuries, suspensions and red cards for random rule infringements impacting results, their opening run of fixtures was ferocious.
The Gunners’ fixtures took a swing for the better in Gameweek 12, which is why a large number of managers chose that moment to play their Wildcards. And, sure enough, successive wins followed against Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Manchester United.
Those results look set to continue over the foreseeable future, with three of Arsenal’s next four lying in the bottom six in the table. However, Mikel Arteta’s side will be very wary of the other side, Fulham, against whom they mustered only a point from two matches last season.
Arsenal look a force reborn with Martin Odegaard (£8.3m) back from injury to pull the strings. The Norwegian international has provided three attacking returns in as many Gameweeks, while Bukayo Saka (£10.5m) goes from strength to strength. He tops the charts for big chances created (17), chances created (38) and assists (10) and has three double-digit returns in seven appearances.
Many managers who have played recent Wildcards have opted to double up on the Arsenal defence with goalkeeper David Raya (£5.5m) and Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.2m) strongly fancied. The north London side are joint-third for clean sheets, with five, and Raya is in fact Arsenal’s third-highest FPL points scorer. But it is Gabriel who has the greatest appeal. He has scored three headers from corners this season and against West Ham even got an assist for being punched in the head. Given opponents don’t know how to stop him, he seems an FPL no-brainer (fitness permitting).
In all honesty, a case can be made for several Arsenal assets, but Jurrien Timber (£5.6m) represents a cheaper avenue into Arsenal’s defence. The Dutchman brings regular starts and attacking potential.
CHELSEA
Enzo Maresca is playing it down but Chelsea have sneaked up on the rails to challenge the top four with a minimum of fuss, and that progress looks set to continue given their attractive fixtures.
Even their trickier Gameweek 15 trip to Spurs will not faze them, given the Lilywhites’ willingness to push on and their shortage of centre-halves.
The Blues then welcome travel-sick neighbours Brentford (still winless on the road) and visit struggling Ipswich (one win all season) and Crystal Palace, with Fulham the only real fly in the ointment. The Cottagers have so far only lost once on the road to Man City this season.
Cole Palmer (£11.0m) has four double-digit returns already and will surely pick up more over the festive season, while Nicolas Jackson (£8.2m), continues to shine. No forward has amassed more attacking returns since Gameweek 5 (nine) and he is a very likely starter this weekend after a midweek breather.
Chelsea’s defensive assets are less appealing as, despite having conceded only 15 goals, they are eighth when it comes to xGC. Injuries to key defenders mean they have an unsettled rearguard and with the likes of Marc Cucurella (£5.1m) and Malo Gusto (£4.9m) deployed in an attacking framework, the fact they haven’t conceded more is more luck than judgment.
Enzo Fernandez (£4.9m) could be one to watch, though. The Argentinian has been deployed in a more advanced playmaking role of late. Here he has been able to demonstrate his creative qualities and has produced five attacking returns in the last four Gameweeks. Enzo is a budget differential well worth considering over the Christmas period.
LIVERPOOL
Given the way they are playing this season the Fixture Ticker is pretty much an irrelevance to Liverpool. Good teams, bad teams, average teams – most have been swatted aside by Arne Slot’s all-conquering side.
The received wisdom up until Gameweek 8 was that they hadn’t actually played anyone good yet. Well, now they have, and they have passed most tests with flying colours, drawing at Arsenal, and beating Chelsea, Aston Villa and Man City (even Real Madrid for good measure).
Although the Merseyside derby poses the old ‘form-goes-out-of-the-window’ adage, it’s impossible to foresee anything other than a win at their last trip to Goodison Park, although it should be said Everton have managed five clean sheets this season (joint third-best with Arsenal). Thereafter, of the next six opponents, perhaps only Spurs or Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United might have it within them to trip the Reds up.
At the back Liverpool have the best defensive record (11 conceded), the lowest xGC (13.68) and the most clean sheets (seven).
Up front they have scored the second-most goals (29), have the second-best xG (29.17) and the leading FPL points scorer by a country mile in Mohamed Salah (£13.3m). The Egyptian King is back to his imperious best. He has rattled off a remarkable six double-digit returns in his last seven appearances (he posted a nine in the other one) and is now one ahead of Haaland in the goalscoring stakes.
For context, he has amassed more than double the points of Liverpool’s next highest scorer, Luis Diaz (£7.5m). His rate of scoring is simply off the charts and the reason he is now owned by over 60% of the game. Lord only knows the waste he will lay to his next victims. Surely a Triple Captain call beckons for those still with the power.
With competition for places so high and so many budget forwards available elsewhere with a greater guarantee of starts, it’s hard to go with anyone else in the Liverpool attack.
A safer bet is at the back, where Virgil van Dijk (£6.4m) continues to pick up clean sheets and offer considerable goal threat. He is the highest-scoring defender with 64 FPL points and a menace on corner kicks, from which he has scored once and hit the woodwork once. Trent Alexander Arnold (£6.9m) is back from injury and threatening attacking returns again.
Joe Gomez (£4.8m) offers value, so long as he can keep his place. With Ibrahima Konate (£5.3m) out for the foreseeable future, Gomez represents a welcome cheap route into the Reds’ high-returning rearguard.
BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
These two teams have been grouped together as they’ve both got similar runs in the shorter term.
Brighton are enjoying a fairytale season despite Thursday’s loss. The remarkable thing about their achievement is they have played all of the big guns and lost only to Liverpool and Chelsea.
Now they can make hay while the sun shines, so long as they don’t lower their level as they did against Saints in Gameweek 13.
The only thing that might perturb Seagulls fans is the new manager bounce at Leicester, and the rediscovery by Oliver Glasner of Crystal Palace’s vital signs.
The fact is though, Leicester have conceded the third-most goals (28) in the division and have the second-worst xGC (28.80), West Ham have shipped the fourth-most goals (27) and have the fourth-worst xGC (25.58) and Brentford are bottom six on both fronts (26 and 24.41).
All of which should fall nicely into the hands of a Brighton side spoilt for choice when it comes ot attacking options. Kaoru Mitoma (£6.5m) has scored in two of the last three matches. Joao Pedro (£5.8m) has five returns in four Gameweeks. Then there’s six-goal Danny Welbeck (£5.9m), although his fitness is a concern at present.
Wolves are an aberration in defence (36 goals conceded is the worst in the league) but will fancy themselves to score against defences that are almost as bad as theirs. West Ham have conceded eight goals in their last two matches, Leicester have let in 10 in four. Both of these sides, along with Ipswich feature among the bottom four sides for xGC.
This strengthens the cause for Matheus Cunha (£7.1m) and Jorgen Strand Larsen (£5.6m). The Brazilian has mustered more created chances (23) and big chances created (nine) than any other forward, while only Haaland has unleashed more shots. The Brazilian has eight attacking returns in the last eight matches.
Strand Larsen has racked up six attacking returns in the last eight Gameweeks in the form of five goals and an assist. These two could do some serious damage across the next three Gameweeks in particular.
