Double Gameweek 24: Merseyside picks + chip strategy

In his latest article, two-time Indian Fantasy Premier League (FPL) champion Lateriser gives his opinion on Double Gameweek 24. It’ll see both Liverpool and Everton feature twice.

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So, the first double of 2024/25 is now official. Liverpool and Everton will play twice in Gameweek 24, conditional to Arne Slot’s side finishing in the top eight of the Champions League. They only need one more point from two games to do so, meaning this all looks very likely.

Having a quick look at the schedule between Gameweeks 24 and 25, a couple of things stand out to me.

LIVERPOOL

Firstly, Liverpool have a couple of cup matches between their two Double Gameweek 24 outings. After visiting Bournemouth, it’s their home EFL Cup semi-final against Tottenham. With a one-goal deficit to overturn from the first leg, you’d expect the Reds to field their first-choice XI.

So it’s the following FA Cup tie versus Plymouth Argyle where the relatively fringe players will participate, as the Merseyside derby will be deemed far more important. This should be good for owners of Mohamed Salah (£13.7m), Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.2m) and Cody Gakpo (£7.4m).

However, in Gakpo’s case, his current starting XI status has time to change. When buying a second Liverpool attacker, all estimates of expected minutes should be more accurate the closer we get to Double Gameweek 24. Because the return of Diogo Jota (£7.2m) means Slot now pretty much has a fully-fit squad.

“It’s definitely helpful for every manager everywhere around the world to have all your players available. That is what we almost have at the moment. That’s a very positive thing because we play so many games and not only us, all the teams that are in Europe in England play a lot of games because there’s the League Cup and FA Cup to be played in as well.” – Arne Slot

When buying into Liverpool’s attack, both Gameweek 22 and 23 are good entry points, as there are always goals at Brentford’s stadium. But this also makes a clean sheet unlikely. If, like me, you don’t yet own Alexander-Arnold, Ipswich Town at home is therefore the preferred purchase point.

Whoever comes in will be a good medium-term investment because Liverpool possess attractive fixtures all the way from Gameweeks 23 to 33. Just note that the second attacker is riskier over a longer period, given the league leader’s squad size.

One other point is that the transfer window shuts after the first part of Double Gameweek 24. Just in case you’re waiting to see if Real Madrid try again for Alexander-Arnold.

EVERTON

Meanwhile, the Toffees’ picks should be in and out. Their double features Leicester City at home but, in terms of defence, no other fixture screams clean sheets until maybe Gameweek 28 or 29. So I much prefer the cheap Vitalii Mykolenko (£4.3m) who can then be hidden on the bench.

It’s the same for Iliman Ndiaye (£5.4m), should managers become tempted between now and the double. His talent is there for all to see and, though David Moyes is no Roberto De Zerbi, he does roll more of the Dyche in attack than his predecessor.

ASSISTANT MANAGER CHIP?

Now, let’s talk about chips. A fair few will be looking to use Assistant Manager in Double Gameweek 24 – the first available time. But before committing to putting it on Slot, perhaps observe how the Toffees initially fare under their new boss.

Liverpool’s fixtures are good but not great, in my opinion. Everton and Bournemouth will both be away trips. Maybe you can activate it in Gameweek 24 and, before visiting Manchester City in Gameweek 26, twist by moving onto another manager, to chase some upside.

Top of the table, they’ll get no extra points for wins and draws. Whereas Ipswich and Crystal Palace face higher sides Tottenham Hotspur (h) and Fulham (a) at that moment.

Then again, using the new chip between Gameweeks 24 and 26 is a safe bet. If opting for Slot, I’d prefer easier matches on paper but the extra fixture makes it ok. Definitely think about using a transfer on him after Gameweek 25, though.

I want to see Moyes’ team against tough opposition before deciding whether to use it on him. A roll of the dice at home to Liverpool is interesting but, as of now, neither of their other opponents Crystal Palace and Manchester United are five or more places above them, so they also won’t get the bonus. Should this change, I’d become much more interested in giving Assistant Manager to Moyes in Gameweek 24.

As for Triple Captain, I’m personally looking to put it on Salah during that double but, again, it’s not the nicest pair of fixtures. Having said that, Bournemouth injuries are starting to pile up and Moyes’ Everton might turn out to be more obliging defensively than Dyche’s was.

Being a chaser, I’d love to use this chip on a differential later on but we might need the Bench Boost and Assistant Manager chips at the same time.

Anyway, that’s all from me today. Such thoughts will obviously evolve but it always helps to put down an initial foundation to work off.

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