This long gap until Gameweek 32 is when a lot of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers intend to activate their second Wildcard chip of the season.
But until the FA Cup quarter-finals take place and subsequent match rearrangements are announced, it’s hard to commit to a particular 15-man squad. Even finalising a chip strategy will probably depend on them.
- READ MORE: Hit the FPL Wildcard button… or wait a bit longer?
- READ MORE: What to look out for before the FPL Gameweek 32 deadline
Still, it’s best to be organised. Let’s check out a couple of hypothetical scenarios and see what a Wildcard squad could look like.
GUESSING THE DOUBLES
The biggest assumption of all is that Gameweek 34 matches which clash with the FA Cup semi-finals will move earlier, forming a Double Gameweek 33. That’s what happened last season.
Apologies to Southampton and Port Vale fans, but we’ll start by predicting that Arsenal and Chelsea will progress. Doing so would push those, Newcastle United and Brighton and Hove Albion into Double Gameweek 33.
Some fixture gurus believe that the West Ham United or Leeds United winner will simply have their match moved to the midweek of Gameweek 34.
So, deciding who to pick on a Wildcard could hinge on the Manchester City v Liverpool outcome.
Thankfully, we should know all of this by Gameweek 32’s deadline on Friday 10 April.
GAMEWEEK 32 WILDCARD BUS TEAMS
DRAFT 1: MAN CITY BEAT LIVERPOOL
Both drafts focus on Double Gameweek 33, where a manager can navigate Blank Gameweek 34 either with a Free Hit or some saved-up free transfers.
A Man City victory would please many because there’s already an assumption that their unscheduled hosting of Crystal Palace will result in a Double Gameweek 36. Therefore, there’s a triple-up that puts faith in Erling Haaland (£14.5m), despite him only once exceeding six points since Gameweek 17.
FPL defender Nico O’Reilly (£5.0m) has often been used in midfield. Even at left-back, he was able to score two close-range headers in Sunday’s EFL Cup final.
Antoine Semenyo (£8.2m) gets the nod over Declan Rice (£7.3m), too. It’s hard to leave out the Arsenal man for such fixtures, but he’s low on attacking returns – just a couple of assists in 11 outings. Getting two parts of the Gunners’ defence is still recommended, though; they’re the best backline around.
Meanwhile, Anthony Gordon (£7.4m) and Ismaila Sarr (£6.3m) could be bargains. As the fixtures toughen for Harry Wilson (£6.1m), we can see that Gordon has scored in three consecutive matches and is playing up front. Fellow penalty-taker Sarr is a slight differential who’d have a double on the horizon.
It’s the same for Palace teammate Daniel Munoz (£5.8m). The wing-back offers huge attacking potential, though he’s quietened since returning from a December-to-January knee injury.
He goes against El Hadji Malick Diouf (£4.1m) in Gameweek 33, from a West Ham side that boasts three clean sheets in seven. Plus, there’s only one defender over the season who beats Diouf’s six assists.
Other cheap, Bench Boost-friendly players include goalkeeper Karl Darlow (£3.9m) and midfielder Jack Hinshelwood (£5.1m). The latter is doing well in Brighton’s number 10 role, where six successive starts have seen 10 shots from inside the box, two big chances and three assists.
DRAFT 2: LIVERPOOL BEAT MAN CITY
However, if Arne Slot’s lot wins the quarter-final, this Wildcard will instead focus on their hosting of Fulham, before potentially playing Everton and Palace in Gameweek 33.
This situation makes the Eagles even more appealing, and there’s money left over to bring in Man City assets in time for Double Gameweek 36.
Of course, there’s a strong argument to go without Haaland here, versus Chelsea and Arsenal, but we’ve seen lately that ditching him for Mohamed Salah (£14.0m) might not be the answer either. Perhaps the Egyptian’s farewell announcement will spark some late nostalgic magic.
- READ MORE: 15 quiz questions on Salah’s FPL career
But Liverpool are annoyingly hard to call. Both Salah and Hugo Ekitike (£9.3m) were benched in Gameweek 30, while Alexander Isak (£10.3m) will soon be ready. At least with Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.0m), you’d get a 90-minute player who is one of the best all-round midfielders, delivering a mix of free-kick goals, crosses, passes into the box and defensive contribution (DefCon) points.
Recent weeks have brought returns for Virgil van Dijk (£6.3m), but keep an eye on Alisson Becker’s (£5.4m) muscle injury. It could make Giorgi Mamardashvili (£4.1m) an interesting option between the sticks.
Instead, this draft goes with cheap goalkeeper Jose Sa (£4.2m) and covers Leeds’ defence via centre-back Joe Rodon (£3.9m). He and Anton Stach (£4.8m) are at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley in Gameweeks 33 and 35.
The German is one of several appealing low-priced midfielders. That spot could easily be Hinshelwood, Elliot Anderson (£5.5m) or James Garner (£5.2m). But Stach is another all-rounder, placed joint-second for chances created (58) this season behind the essential Bruno Fernandes (£10.3m).
Beyond this, there’s centre-forward Joao Pedro (£7.8m). He’s a safety move, considering his ownership of 6.8 million will likely get a Double Gameweek 33. Not that Manchester United (h) and Brighton (a) are easy fixtures.
From Gameweek 24 onwards, the Seagulls are yet to concede more than once. No team has restricted opponents to fewer big chances (eight) in that time. Combine that with Jan Paul van Hecke‘s (£4.5m) three overall goals, and we suddenly see a good value defender.
Additionally, Danny Welbeck (£6.2m) has four goals in five. The veteran has the motivation of possibly, maybe, reaching England’s World Cup squad, though his minutes tend to be managed. Each of this season’s five previous weekend-to-midweek league turnarounds saw him benched in at least one of them.
