If you’re in a rush and need some last-minute Fantasy Premier League (FPL) advice, here’s a quick round-up of what you need to know about Gameweek 30.
WHEN’S THE FPL GAMEWEEK 30 DEADLINE?
All transfers and team selections need to be done by 18:15 BST on Tuesday 1 April.
HAALAND + WOOD INJURIES
It’s been two and a half weeks since the last FPL deadline and, predictably, a few things have happened.
Plenty bought Erling Haaland (£14.8m) just beforehand but his FA Cup injury will keep him sidelined for numerous Gameweeks.
“They told me, the doctors between five and seven weeks, so hopefully the end of the season and the World Cup he’ll be ready.” – Pep Guardiola on Erling Haaland
To rub salt into wounds, Chris Wood (£7.2m) – the only forward with more points – picked up a hip problem on New Zealand duty. Although his manager’s initial “not good” verdict has softened slightly.
“He’s improving, he’s improving. He’s getting better day by day. We have to assess him day by day, it’s all about him being pain-free and then getting back to fitness.” – Nuno Espirito Santo
This has caused Haaland’s Manchester City team-mate Omar Marmoush (£7.4m) to shoot up in popularity. He’s a unanimous Scout Squad pick, also backed as a handy one-week punt by Lateriser.
KLUIVERT DOUBT
What may trigger even more Gameweek 30 Wildcards is this afternoon’s news that Justin Kluivert (£6.3m) is also in trouble.
“Probably Justin [Kluivert] is the one that we’re more in doubt [about] because he finished with some issues. We have to check today if he is ready to go again or at least he can help us for some minutes.” – Andoni Iraola
Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s (£7.3m) ankle injury will keep him out for a spell. And our well-renowned collection of international minutes touches on slight doubts regarding Vitalii Mykolenko (£4.4m) and Alisson Becker (£5.6m).
SAKA + MATETA SHOULD BE FINE
However, some rays of sunshine have emerged. We saw Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.6m) return to Crystal Palace’s line-up in their FA Cup quarter-final, wearing protective headgear.
Not only that, but Bukayo Saka (£10.2m) sounds ready to start for Arsenal.
“Bukayo [Saka] is ready to go. All the careful things he’s already done, so now it’s about putting him on the grass in the right moments. But he’s pushing because he really wants it. We have respected the timeframe, we have done everything and we have had to hold him back even, so he’s ready to go.” – Mikel Arteta
Arsenal are on 17 fewer goals than at this stage last season, influenced by Saka’s three-month absence. But it’s this same length that has Zophar cautious about buying him straight away.
We won’t hear about Cole Palmer (£10.8m) from Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca before the deadline. He missed Gameweek 29 but has been seen in training, just like forward Nicolas Jackson (£7.7m). Perhaps the return of Jackson can spring Palmer back into form, especially as upcoming opponents Tottenham Hotspur have little to play for and are focusing on the Europa League.
BLANK GAMEWEEK 34 TAKING SHAPE
The weekend’s FA Cup quarter-final results have finally taken place, painting a clearer picture of the upcoming schedule. Arsenal, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Man City look set to blank in Gameweek 34, though the lack of official confirmation is what’s keeping some managers from activating their Wildcard.
- READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 30 Wildcard – Three no-Haaland drafts to consider
- READ MORE: The best players and teams to target in FPL Gameweeks 30-32
Palace should get consecutive Double Gameweeks, as they and Newcastle United play twice in Gameweek 32.
We’ve therefore looked at the best times to Wildcard and Bench Boost. Daniel Munoz (£5.1m) is one of the most attacking defenders around and Eberechi Eze (£6.7m) has the second-most attempts (23) of any midfielder’s last six outings. Yet cheaper colleague Ismaila Sarr (£5.7m) beats the latter when it comes to meaningful shots. Both scored in Saturday’s cup win.
As for Newcastle, the Carabao Cup winners top our Season Ticker for the remaining weeks and Alexander Isak (£9.4m) is their star player.
BEST FPL GAMEWEEK 30 CAPTAIN
Fresh from breaking FPL’s all-time points record with two months remaining, five of The Great and The Good sold Mohamed Salah (£13.7m) for Blank Gameweek 29. His quietness in recent Champions League and Carabao Cup matches even had some asking if he’s still an essential pick.
Well, he’s the recommended armband recipient of both Captain Sensible and our Rate My Team (RMT) algorithm.
In second place, they back Alexander Isak and Cole Palmer respectively, with Omar Marmoush and Phil Foden (£9.2m) getting third.
TEAM REVEALS
SCOUT PICKS + DIFFERENTIALS
Our weekly selection – which is essentially a Free Hit in all but name – triples up on both Man City and Crystal Palace.
Although he’s been one of this season’s biggest disappointments, Kieran Trippier (£5.6m) is named in the trio of differential picks.
PREDICTED LINE-UPS
We’ve predicted the starting XIs of all 20 Premier League teams.
Check out our match previews, too!
Whatever you decide to do, good luck with FPL Gameweek 30!
