Serie A Fantasy Gameweek 26 arrives with injuries piling up and European fixtures just around the corner, increasing the risk of rotation across several sides. That added uncertainty makes planning even more important this week.
Our experts share their latest thoughts and strategies ahead of the deadline.
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@PSzpak
NOTES
- My squad for Gameweek 26 has taken a serious hit. I can’t remember facing this many problems in a single round. Every time I check the team, there’s another red flag staring back at me. One week you’re mapping out green arrows, the next you’re just trying to survive.
- Suspensions for Nico Paz, Gift Orban and Tarik Muharemović have already reduced my options, and then injuries followed. Mario Gila, Oumar Solet and Strahinja Pavlović were all forced off early, which only made things worse. On top of that, Scott McTominay still isn’t fully fit ahead of the Roma game, and there’s growing talk that Kenan Yıldız could be rested. It’s not ideal.
- With all that in mind, I don’t really have a choice. I’ll need to make three or possibly four transfers just to put out a full XI. I’m not keen to sell Paz, Pavlović or McTominay – they should return soon and the fixtures ahead are promising – so the focus shifts elsewhere. The immediate exits look like Orban, Muharemović, and one of Gila or Solet.
- In attack, I’m weighing up options to replace the Verona striker, with Nicolo Zaniolo and Santiago Castro firmly on the shortlist. At the back, there’s no shortage of alternatives, with Marco Palestra, Manuel Akanji, Giorgio Scalvini and Gianluca Mancini all catching my eye.
- This is one of those weeks where you just try to steady the ship. I’ll need a bit of luck to get through it.
@TheCrisk
NOTES
- The news around a possible injury to Lautaro Martínez in the Champions League has forced my hand. There’s simply too much budget tied up in that slot to carry the risk, so a transfer feels unavoidable.
- To replace him, I’m looking at staying within Inter with either Marcus Thuram or Francesco Pio Esposito, while Donyell Malen also enters the conversation. At the moment, Malen has the edge thanks to his recent form and sharpness in front of goal.
- Overall, I feel relatively fortunate. Plenty of managers are dealing with far bigger fires to put out, and last week’s wildcard gave me a solid structure. It allowed me to reshape the squad and cover the key players I wanted, which now gives me a bit more flexibility heading into this round.
@Wojtfc
NOTES
- After a disastrous Double Gameweek 25 that saw me drop around 80% in rank, things look much more stable heading into Gameweek 26. I have 12 players likely to start and one free transfer available, so structurally the squad is in decent shape despite last week’s damage.
- The priority sale is Gift Orban. He’s suspended and, looking beyond this round, I’m not convinced by him as a long-term option. The most likely replacement is Donyell Malen, who has arguably been the most in-form striker in the league recently and also benefits from encouraging fixtures.
- I’ll be keeping Nico Paz despite his suspension. I still like him as a medium-term pick, so there’s no reason to move him on for just one absence. The situation around Mario Gila is slightly different. If he’s only ruled out for this week, I’m comfortable holding. If it turns into a longer layoff, I may have to consider taking a hit. A second Milan defender looks the most straightforward route in that scenario.
- If I decide to wait, another option would be to hold Gila for now and switch to Alessandro Circati next week, as he’s currently serving his own suspension.
@Cosminalx5
NOTES
- This week I’m working with just one free transfer, but the squad is covered in flags. It’s not ideal, so a hit looks likely – not out of choice, but out of necessity.
- Gift Orban saw red at the weekend and is suspended, so he’s a guaranteed transfer out. Any additional moves will cost me five points, so I’ll only use them to remove players who are confirmed unavailable. At the moment, the situations around Mario Gila and Wesley remain unclear. If one of them has a realistic chance of featuring, I’ll move the other on instead.
- On a more positive note, Scott McTominay should return this week. He was close to making the squad against Roma but just missed out, and I expect him to be back in contention for the Atalanta fixture.
