Double Gameweek 25 + Blank Gameweek 29 for Liverpool + Villa

So, then, it’ll be back-to-back Double Gameweeks for Liverpool after they progressed to the EFL Cup final.

Their mid-March league meeting with Aston Villa – which clashes with the Reds’ trip to Wembley – will now be brought forward to Gameweek 25, creating a ‘double’ for both clubs.

Those two sides will also now blank in Gameweek 29, however.

LIVERPOOL + ASTON VILLA: REVISED SCHEDULES

In Double Gameweek 25, Liverpool entertain Wolverhampton Wanderers before they travel to Villa Park.

That’s their only home league game among the five they contest in Gameweeks 24-26.

Wolves made it tricky for Arne Slot’s side in the reverse fixture, going down fighting in a 2-1 loss.

As for the Villans, they have a much more favourable encounter with Ipswich Town before they face the might of the league leaders.

Thereafter, both clubs have Gameweek 26 encounters with big-six clubs who, while tricky opponents on paper, leave a lot to be desired from a defensive perspective these days.

There’s certainly a school of thought that both sides’ Gameweek 27 opponents might prove to be a tougher nut for Mohamed Salah (£13.7m), Morgan Rogers (£5.6m) and co to crack.

Probably the easiest fixture of the season, Southampton at home, precedes Liverpool’s Blank Gameweek 29 – so players from Slot’s squad are not easy early sells for Gameweek 29 dead-enders.

LIVERPOOL TRIPLE-UPS ALREADY IN PLACE FOR MOST

The above image from LiveFPL shows how many players from each club feature in the average top 100k squad.

Most FPL managers are already well set up for Liverpool’s Double Gameweek 25, then, having trebled up on the Reds – be it players and/or Arne Slot (£1.5m) – before Double Gameweek 24.

We’ll obviously have to monitor the fitness of the well-owned Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.4m) ahead of the February 14 deadline. The early noises from the Liverpool camp are positive, however.

ALL EYES ON ASTON VILLA

So, attention turns anew to Aston Villa. Unai Emery’s side are the third side to ‘double’ this season after Liverpool and Everton.

Given that we got very little notice that Double Gameweek 25 was even a possibility for Villa, most FPL sides aren’t flush with their players. The average top 100k squad houses around 0.8 Villans, mostly Rogers.

Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) will likely be a popular target if he shakes off the muscle injury he sustained in Gameweek 24.

Ezri Konsa (£4.4m) and Emi Martinez (£5.0m) are the minutes-safe picks at the back, for anyone interested in a defence that has kept a dismal three clean sheets in 24 games.

The picture at Villa is clouded somewhat by the arrival of some new signings. Will Marcus Rashford (£6.6m), Marco Asensio (£6.0m) or, er, Axel Disasi (£4.2m) impress sufficiently in the FA Cup audition on Sunday to warrant a look? But will any of them start both Double Gameweek 25 fixtures and whose places will they take?

Rogers has started every league match he’s been available for this season. Now would be an inopportune time for that record to come under threat.

We’ll get resident Villan Tom Freeman on the case after Sunday’s cup tie (hopefully) gives us a few more clues. He’s already looked at where Rashford and Asensio may fit in in a Scout Report.

CHIP USAGE

For those FPL managers who handed the Assistant Manager chip to Slot in Gameweek 24, it’s a case of sit tight and enjoy another ‘double’.

Those who backed David Moyes (£0.5m) now have the option of moving to Unai Emery (£0.8m) – assuming they’re maxed out on Liverpool assets – but only if they have £0.3m in the bank.

With Emery, you’re pretty much getting the same as Moyes got in Gameweek 24: a theoretical home banker followed by a crack at the Assistant Manager table bonus.

Gameweek 24 Triple Captainers can also now consider the Assistant Manager chip anew. You’ll only get a maximum of four fixtures from Gameweeks 25-27, of course, rather than the five that those using it in Gameweeks 24-26 can.

And, of course, Gameweek 25 presents another opportunity to use the Triple Captain on Salah for those who a) haven’t used it already and b) don’t have another chip active. Salah scored a combined 24 points against Wolves and Villa earlier in 2024/25.