Stop! I can’t take anymore. My hopes are already dead, why can’t you just leave me with a shred of dignity? My score of 30 was miles below the average of 46, it was horrible and I didn’t care for it. I captained Hazard and he did precisely nothing, watching on as Fabregas made pretty patterns around him. I’m down to 408,796th and frankly taking advice from me is not something I would recommend. Even I am sceptical of what I’m about to write. Let’s get this over with.
The Dilemma
Oh my, that’s a lot of games. Five of the top six play twice, with Liverpool the only team with one fixture. They’re away at West Ham which, as Spurs will tell you, is a bit of a banana skin. FPL hero Lukaku is home to Watford, and although they only have one game, he may well do more in one game than many will do in two. Food for thought. Anyway, as it’s a bit of a strange week, I’m going to run you through the double game-weekers in what I perceive to be the best order.
Manchester City (Leicester Home, WBA Home)
If Sergio Aguero was fit, I would probably just write his name 400 times and the words “Triple Captain.” However, he’s carrying a knock that saw him miss out last weekend, and with the team doing well in his absence, I doubt he’ll be rushed back unnecessarily. On the plus side, Man City have lots to play for and the likes of De Bruyne, Silva & Sane are almost guaranteed to play twice. Gabriel Jesus is the only question mark – if Aguero was ruled out then this boy would be an excellent choice for triple captain. However, there’s every chance Aguero will feature in at least one of the games, will it be at the expense of Jesus? Friday’s press conference will tell us more.
Chelsea (WBA away, Watford home)
The Champions elect will be the Champions in actuality if they win on Friday night. That poses a problem of its own though – if Chelsea wrap up the league on Friday, will they go full strength at home to Watford on Monday night? Or will Conte see it as the chance to pacify some players with some more game time? I don’t know!
Arsenal (Stoke away, Sunderland home)
Arsenal are on a mini revival but they have traditionally not done well at Stoke. I don’t think this is really a traditional Stoke team though, and with nothing to play for, I think Arsenal will win. Follow that up with Sunderland at home and you’re having a great time. This is Wenger’s time of year, when 4th spot is up for grabs.
Tottenham (Manchester United home, Leicester away)
The last home game at White Hart Lane should be quite the occasion and Spurs will want to go out on a high. Mourinho’s men will have a Europa League final to look forward to and with 4th place looking pretty unlikely, I’d expect a heavily rotated team with an element of caution. Leicester away will be a curious game, but with Leicester missing their centre halves, it might not be the worst fixture for Spurs.
Manchester United (Tottenham away, Southampton away)
Two games or not, there won’t be many of the Man Utd team who play both fixtures. Mourinho has made it very clear his priority is the Europa League.
Bargain Bin
It’s barely worth looking for bargains with all these double fixtures on the go, but Jack Stephens (4.1m) of Southampton seems likely to play both of their games, whilst Rob Holding (4.0m) seems fairly ensconced in the Arsenal back three. Aside from that, pick players who are playing twice, and lots of them.
Also Consider…
It’s another Friday deadline, with the transfer window slamming shut at 6.45pm. You also have two weeks left to use your chips, don’t forget!
Captain
I’ve talked myself in and out of so many options, but at the moment I’m favouring Gabriel Jesus, closely followed by Alexis Sanchez. My faith in Hazard has been rocked by his Monday night performance but Diego Costa seemed as hungry for goals as ever. Just pick someone who plays twice, is my advice.
With an FPL match every day from Friday until next Thursday there’s an awful lot to play for, and I Imagine this will be a pivotal week in many of your mini leagues. Whatever your predicament, I wish you luck and may all your arrows be green.