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 25.
WHEN’S THE FPL GAMEWEEK 25 DEADLINE?
Not long from now. Because of the early match, all transfers and team selections need to be done by 18:30 GMT on Friday 14 February.
DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 25
Immediately after taking part in this season’s first double, Liverpool are about to play twice more in Gameweek 25. Their March meeting with Aston Villa is instead happening next Wednesday, placing plenty of pre-deadline FPL focus on these two sides.
Their players dominate the Scout Squad selections and our resident Villa fan Tom Freeman has spoken in detail about his club’s leading assets.
One setback for eager investors is that, although star forward Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) is available, he may be eased back after a recent knock, while Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo (£7.6m) is “a bit of a doubt” for match one, according to his manager. At least Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.4m) came through his midweek cameo unscathed.
Elsewhere, since the last deadline from a fortnight ago, we’ve seen Kai Havertz (£7.8m) suffer a season-ending injury, with Nicolas Jackson (£7.8m) and Iliman Ndiaye (£5.5m) out for many weeks. Those with Anthony Gordon (£7.6m) and Mark Flekken (£4.4m) can breathe a sigh of relief, though.
CHERRY-PICKING
Like Watkins, Bournemouth’s Dango Ouattara (£5.1m) was labelled one of the January transfer window’s biggest winners because the Cherries failed to buy a replacement for injured Evanilson (£5.6m).
In fact, midfielder Ouattara has put up some good underlying numbers since moving up front, including a Gameweek 23 hat-trick.
That 5-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest has suddenly thrust Andoni Iraola’s side into Champions League contention and, even though Liverpool swiftly ended the 11-game unbeaten streak, they’re about to begin an attractive fixture run.
Saturday’s short trip to last-placed Southampton is a nice entry point for those wanting one of their bargain midfielders.
Lateriser prefers penalty-taking Kluivert, while Zophar has his own opinion on Bournemouth and Villa purchases.
CHIP SEASON IS UNDERWAY
Meanwhile, over 2.68 million chips were activated in Double Gameweek 24, signalling the start of FPL’s annual delve into madness.
Arne Slot’s post-match red card does NOT affect him from an Assistant Manager perspective – no points were lost and he shouldn’t be sold. Some may move on from David Moyes though, despite his successful tally of 22. At Scout, we’ve now added a managers section to our points projections.
As for the usage of other chips, our Pro Pundits have laid out some provisional plans. Pras’ roadmap for the season will prove incredibly handy, alongside Lateriser’s strategy thoughts and Zophar answering questions on the Assistant Manager.
The community is split on whether or not to Free Hit in Gameweek 29, when Liverpool, Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Crystal Palace will blank. The latter two have just been handed a Double Gameweek 32 for their clash at St James’ Park.
BEST FPL GAMEWEEK 25 CAPTAIN
The automatic armband choice in a standard Gameweek, Mohamed Salah (£13.7m) ended the latest round with 29 points. Triple Captain users received a stunning 87 from the Egyptian alone.
Unsurprisingly, he is the recommended armband recipient of Captain Sensible and our Rate My Team (RMT) algorithm.
Both mention Ollie Watkins inside their top three, completed by Morgan Rogers (£5.6m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold respectively.
TEAM REVEALS
SCOUT PICKS + DIFFERENTIALS
Our weekly selection – which is essentially a Free Hit in all but name – picks five between Liverpool and Villa.
There’s also some love for Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri (£4.5m), someone who can benefit from the extended Havertz absence. Team-mate Leandro Trossard (£6.8m) is expected to go up front, significantly boosting his differential appeal.
PREDICTED LINE-UPS
We’ve predicted the starting XIs of all 20 Premier League teams.
Whatever you decide to do, good luck with FPL Gameweek 25!
