Amid the fanfare of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) relaunch, some midweek pre-season friendlies took place.

Nottingham Forest continued their encouraging pre-season preparations with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers, whilst Tottenham Hotspur edged their opening friendly against MK Dons 1-0.

Meanwhile, Chelsea had another behind-closed-doors win, this time over Bromley.

Below, we’ve rounded up the key Fantasy Premier League talking points from these kickabouts, including the goals, assists, minutes played, standout performers, selection hints and any notable absences ahead of the new campaign.

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NOTTINGHAM FOREST 3-0 BLACKBURN

• Goals: Igor Jesus, Kalimuendo, Awoniyi
• Assists: Gibbs-White, Moreira, Awoniyi

Starting XI: Sels, Morato, Milenkovic, Jair, Williams, Yates, Dominguez, Aina, McAtee, Jesus, Gibbs-White

Second half starting XI: Victor, Richards, Nwosu, Abbott, Netz, Bakwa, Bindon, McDonnell, Moreira, Awoniyi, Kalimuendo

SCOUT NOTES

• Nicolo Savona, Murillo and Callum Hudson-Odoi missed out again through injury, as they had in Forest’s opening pre-season friendly. Omari Hutchinson, who had featured against Notts County on Saturday, also missed out. It doesn’t sound like there is much concern about any of them, however.

“We are working to get Nicolo Savona, Murillo and Callum Hudson-Odoi back – and Omari felt some tightness, so it was just a precaution. He was rested today and maybe tomorrow, then hopefully he’s available for Sunday. It is now for everyone to show they can play for us and can help the team.” – Oliver Glasner, via Nottingham Post

• Several players who featured at the 2026 World Cup also remained absent but those internationals are starting to filter back in, with Chris Wood now joining his teammates.
• There is plenty of interest in Glasner’s tactical setup, and in the first two friendlies, he opted for the back-three system that brought him success at Crystal Palace.
• The new Forest boss named a strong starting XI for the opening 45 minutes. In fact, it was the same one that he had picked on Saturday, except for the enforced change involving Hutchinson. Nicolas Dominguez came in.
• Igor Jesus led the line well and looked sharp throughout. He saw one effort blocked inside the box before striking the post with another chance. His persistence paid off just before the break. Morgan Gibbs-White’s blocked effort fell kindly to the Brazilian, who reacted quickest to tap home from close range. Jesus has now started and scored in both of Forest’s pre-season friendlies. That said, he still faces plenty of competition from Wood, Taiwo Awoniyi and maybe even forgotten man Arnaud Kalimuendo.
• Awoniyi made an immediate impact after coming on at half-time. The Nigerian slipped Kalimuendo through for Forest’s second goal before getting on the scoresheet himself. Eric da Silva Moreira squared the ball across the six-yard box, leaving Awoniyi with a simple finish to make it 3-0.
• The first half also offered a few tactical clues. Neco Williams regularly pushed high up the pitch, while Ola Aina adopted a more reserved role on the opposite flank. If that pattern continues, Williams would naturally become the more appealing FPL option.
• James McAtee took several indirect free-kicks despite Gibbs-White being on the pitch. It’s still early days, but Forest’s set-piece hierarchy looks worth monitoring over the coming weeks.
• Gibbs-White also operated in advanced areas alongside Jesus for long spells. Aside from his Fantasy assist for the opening goal, however, he had relatively little end product.
• It was another encouraging display from Glasner’s side. Forest have now scored five goals and kept two clean sheets across their opening two friendlies. Most of their key players have already featured, putting them in a strong position ahead of the new campaign. As a result, plenty of FPL managers may already have their eye on Forest’s attacking and defensive assets.

“We had a really tough session yesterday, which is why we decided to not play anyone for more than 45 minutes, which were very intense.

“Every win and clean sheet helps us in getting more and more confidence.

“We have plenty of attacking players on the pitch and we want them to arrive in dangerous areas. We created many chances and scored three nice goals; we’re encouraging our strikers to show up in these areas and today it worked.” – Oliver Glasner

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1-0 MK DONS

• Goal: Fernandes
• Assist: None

Starting XI: Kinsky, Kyerematen, Davies, Takai, Gray, Fernandes, Tonali, Tel, Gallagher, Solomon, Solanke

Second-half starting XI: Dubravka, Kyerematen, Hall, Scarlett, Hardy, Byrne, Donley, Moore, Williams-Barnett, Min-hyeok, Richarlison

SCOUT NOTES

• Roberto De Zerbi set his side up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, and his tactical ideas were already clear to see. Spurs looked far more comfortable building from the back, with Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali forming an impressive double pivot. The pair regularly rotated positions, shared build-up duties and helped Spurs play through the press, while the full-backs and midfielders constantly interchanged to create new passing angles.
• Fernandes also made an instant impact at the other end. The midfielder scored the game’s only goal after smashing a superb first-time volley into the top corner following a punched clearance from an MK Dons corner. Tonali showed flashes of quality in possession, but outside of one half-chance and a rash challenge, he had fewer opportunities to influence proceedings.
• After an injury-hit campaign last season, Dominic Solanke led the line from the start. He nearly marked his return with a goal inside the opening minutes after meeting Mathys Tel’s cross, but goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray produced a smart save from close range.
• The second half offered fewer talking points as De Zerbi changed almost his entire side. New signing Martin Dubravka made his unofficial debut and enjoyed a much busier 45 minutes than Antonin Kinsky, who started the match. Richarlison also featured after the break. He had a goal ruled out for offside before seeing a golden one-on-one opportunity saved.
• The Lilywhites were without several key players for their pre-season opener. Pedro Porro, Djed Spence and new signing Marcos Senesi all remained absent after featuring at the 2026 World Cup. Cristian Romero also missed out, although speculation over his future at the club continues. Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr are both on extended leave, too.
• James Maddison, Destiny Udogie, Andy Robertson, Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke were also not present here but have all been confirmed in the squad for the upcoming pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia.
• Mohamed Kudus, Xavi Simons, Dejan Kulusevski and Wilson Odobert will stay at Hotspur Way to continue their rehabilitation from long-term injuries. Guglielmo Vicario also remains behind after picking up a minor knock in training.
• Outside of the encouraging partnership between Fernandes and Tonali, along with the chances created for Solanke and Richarlison, there were few firm FPL conclusions to draw. A win and a clean sheet provide another positive platform, but with several senior players still to return, Spurs’ strongest XI is likely to evolve significantly over the remainder of pre-season.

CHELSEA 3-0 BROMLEY

• Goals: Pedro, Gittens, Emegha

SCOUT NOTES

• Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens and Emmanuel Emegha all found the net in Chelsea’s behind-closed-doors friendly.
• This really was behind closed doors – no confirmed line-ups, no club match reports and no highlights. There are suggestions, however, that Xabi Alonso once again opted for a 4-2-3-1.
• We also know from local media that aside from the goalscorers, youngsters Landon Emenalo, Reggie Walsh, Reggie Watson and Mahdi Nicoll-Jazul all featured. We’re still at the stage of pre-season where several of Chelsea’s internationals are on post-World Cup leave, so we’re not going to get a proper feel for Alonso’s starting XI for some time.
• Next up for the Blues is a clash with Western Sydney Wanderers next Tuesday, which kicks off their tour of Oceania and Asia.