In Frisking the Fixtures, we’re pinpointing the teams and Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players with the best fixtures from Gameweek 32 onwards.
The usual six-Gameweek assessment has been stretched to seven, reaching the end of 2024/25. As ever, 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.
SEASON TICKER OVERVIEW: FINAL SEVEN GAMEWEEKS
The above colours reflect the ‘overall’ ratings of each side. There are options within the ticker to separate attack and defence.
BEST FIXTURES: GAMEWEEKS 32-38
NEWCASTLE
Topping the ticker is one of a couple of teams that have eight matches rather than seven. Not only that, five of Newcastle’s will take place at St James’ Park.
Confidence is high, as the Magpies have recently ended football’s most notable trophy drought and followed it up with two vital wins in their chase for Champions League qualification.
Four of the last five Manchester United meetings (in all competitions) have been wins without conceding, helping Alexander Isak (£9.5m) be the leading Triple Captain contender for Double Gameweek 32.
Anthony Gordon (£7.4m) wasn’t close to making the win at Leicester City and isn’t yet training, further increasing the appeal of Monday night hero Jacob Murphy (£5.2m). The cheap midfielder has FPL’s third-most returns since Gameweek 15. Both he and Tino Livramento (£4.6m) racked up a double-digit delight at the King Power Stadium.
However, while managers unable to Free Hit in Blank Gameweek 34 will want to triple-up against Ipswich Town, Gameweek 33 Bench Boosters might not like over-committing to their sole Aston Villa trip.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Also in the hunt for Champions League football is Nottingham Forest, which still feels weird to read. They’re in the FA Cup semi-finals, too.
Not many teams have a nice-looking run from Gameweek 35 but the Tricky Trees do, with their Gameweek 33 visit to unpredictable Tottenham Hotspur capable of being anything.
But a few injuries need mentioning. Chris Wood (£7.0m) hasn’t recovered from his hip problem, fellow forward Taiwo Awoniyi (£5.5m) is hurt, highly-selected defender Ola Aina (£5.2m) has a calf issue and in-form Anthony Elanga (£5.5m) needed an early withdrawal last Saturday.
One to consider is Morgan Gibbs-White (£6.6m). Pricier than Elanga, he’s the next name after Murphy for returns since Gameweek 15, accumulating 14 of them. In fact, there are three other Forest players in that top nine – Elanga, Wood and Nikola Milenkovic (£5.1m).
Their resolute backline has kept the joint-most overall clean sheets (13) and allowed the second-fewest big chances (53). At the very least, it’s worth owning a defender like Milenkovic or Neco Williams (£4.4m).
MANCHESTER CITY
One of the better post-Blank Gameweek 34 runs belongs to the four-in-a-row champions, though this time they might not even qualify for the Champions League.
Man City have won only two of their previous six home matches versus Crystal Palace, with Double Gameweek 33 throwing up a couple of potential banana skins. Still, they’ll not be facing anyone inside the current top six and are worth some investment.
It’s just that Erling Haaland (£14.8m) is injured until perhaps the final few occasions and Phil Foden (£9.2m) looks a shadow of his former self. Last campaign’s 230 FPL points were the second-most but – apart from a January burst – he’s done virtually nothing this time. Foden can’t be trusted for game time either, starting no more than two of their last five.
That leaves just Omar Marmoush (£7.6m) and Josko Gvardiol (£6.1m) as strong options, alongside a possible punt on Savinho (£6.2m).
The Egyptian’s nine Gameweek 30 shots against Leicester were this season’s most by any player in one match. Defender Gvardiol has five goals and consecutive clean sheets, while differential Savinho is on an impressive 11 assists. He’s the league’s second-biggest expected goals (xG) underachiever (-3.77).
ASTON VILLA
Elsewhere, three successive league wins and the deep Champions League and FA Cup runs have Aston Villa fans feeling optimistic. But those additional matches could also become their undoing.
Multiple January arrivals have deepened Villa’s squad to the point that Ollie Watkins‘ (£8.9m) minutes are being managed. Furthermore, Marcus Rashford (£6.7m) and Marco Asensio (£6.2m) have started less than half of their available league matches.
Perhaps Morgan Rogers (£5.6m) is immune to rotation, starting all 30 contests where he wasn’t suspended. Of course, maybe Gameweek 32’s trip to Southampton is set to be the exception, as it sits between both Paris Saint-Germain legs and he played all 90 minutes in the Parc des Princes.
We can’t even guess Ezri Konsa (£4.4m) or Lucas Digne (£4.5m) at the back, as Unai Emery played completely different back fours against Brighton and Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest. It certainly dents the appeal for an otherwise lovely sequence of Southampton, then Double Gameweek.
CRYSTAL PALACE
Slightly further down the list, Palace need a mention because of the sheer quantity of fixtures. They’re the other side with eight of them, even though the consecutive Double Gameweeks involve trips to Man City, Newcastle and Arsenal.
Still, the Eagles are in great form, winning 11 of their last 14 in all competitions. Eight clean sheets have arrived in this period, as they’ve conceded this season’s third-fewest Premier League goals (35).
Wing-back Daniel Munoz (£5.2m) has added a spectacular two goals and three assists during eight occasions. He feels essential, as does at least one Eagles attacker.
Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.8m) put them ahead against Brighton and we remember how he ended 2023/24: nine goals in six, including a Double Gameweek score of 29 points.
In midfield, Ismaila Sarr (£5.8m) tends to save the goals for whenever he’s not owned. He’s without a single shot in two matches, while Eberechi Eze (£6.8m) racked up four plus a couple of assists. Sarr still beats him for points (117 v 97), big chances (17 v 7) and shots on target (24 v 22), but Eze is the one player with a bigger xG underachievement than Savinho (-4.40).
OTHERS TO CONSIDER
Those not able to Free Hit in Blank Gameweek 34 might want some Wolverhampton Wanderers at home to Leicester. Matheus Cunha (£6.8m) is back from suspension, cheap defender Emmanuel Agbadou (£4.0m) looks nailed and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (£4.9m) is going under the radar after doing well in these three successive wins.
The latest of these overturned Ipswich’s 1-0 lead and likely condemns the Tractor Boys to relegation. But Liam Delap (£5.6m) and Dara O’Shea (£3.9m) have a chance to bow out on a high and keep themselves in the shop window.
As for Liverpool, their form is slipping, but an 11-point lead should still secure a league title in due course. Once the task is completed, calling their final line-ups might become tougher. It’s still worth having at least Mohamed Salah (£13.8m) for Gameweek 33’s trip to Leicester, though very few of his fixtures will attract captaincy.
Before that, they host West Ham United – a side lacking appeal under Graham Potter and lingers safely in 16th place. Yet their Gameweek 33 hosting of Southampton will attract Bench Boost and Free Hit purchases towards Jarrod Bowen (£7.6m) and Alphonse Areola (£4.2m).
TEAMS TO AVOID
Meanwhile, it’s advised to stay away from a few sides. Chelsea have won their last five home matches but picked up just three points from eight on the road.
Although four of their final seven will be at Stamford Bridge, it’s a nasty-looking schedule after Ipswich. Cole Palmer‘s (£10.7m) notorious goalless run has reached nine matches, though four clean sheets in five offer defensive potential.
West London neighbours Fulham also have it tough but, in fairness, they’ve recently beaten Liverpool, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest. Antonee Robinson (£4.9m) stands out for Gameweek 34 Free hits.
The Cottagers also beat Tottenham in March, as Ange Postecoglou’s lot seem to be prioritising Europa League glory. It’s not a good selling point for FPL managers.
