FPL Gameweek 25 - Fixture Focus

I’m looking at the best attacking and defensive fixture runs ahead of FPL gameweek 25 in this piece.

Before I do that, I had a placeholder here for interesting transfer news. That is basically not needed. The only relevant transfer made on deadline day was Strand Larsen to Palace and there is more on that below.

AND, DO NOT FORGET MIDWEEK CARABAO CUP GAMES!!! 

That will decide whether Arsenal or Chelsea get a double gameweek in 26 which will heavily influence your transfers this week.

Like most weeks then, wait until closer to the deadline – Friday 6th Feb 18:30 UK time – before making your moves.

Best Attacking Fixtures

Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace actually tops the ticker but: do you believe Palace still has it in them with their fixture load? Maybe, maybe not.

Mateta has stayed at the club AND Strand Larsen has joined. In my head, that just means rotation at some point. So, I would just avoid the strikers.

The only “attacking” player I’d really consider from Palace is Ismaïla Sarr. He’s back from AFCON, and with Mateta out of the picture, Sarr’s apparently on penalties now. He’s a great pick – his underlying stats have been solid for a couple of years, and he’s continuing that form. Is Sarr better than other similarly priced options? At around 6.3 million, he should at least be in the conversation but he’s not a must-buy.

On the other hand, let’s talk about Daniel Muñoz. He’s technically a defender, but he plays so far up the pitch that he’s gold. Muñoz is on 92 points for the season, costs 5.8 million, and frankly, there aren’t many defenders we want right now. If you’re lining up a third defender alongside your two Arsenal guys, skip Chelsea – those defensive fixtures are ending soon. I’d take Muñoz over Chalobah by a mile. Muñoz can grab you attacking returns, clean sheets, and thanks to his tackling, maybe even some defensive contributions on the side.

Liverpool

I am interested in Florian Wirtz. I almost brought him in myself last week. He’s bedded into the Premier League really well now, and he’s got four double-digit hauls in his last eight games. He’s not going to give you 90 minutes every week, but he’s consistently playing enough, and when he’s on, he’s delivering. So, Wirtz is the pick for me from Liverpool.

As for Ekitiké, I can’t stand him (I sold him, and then he scored two goals). But beyond my personal vendetta, his minutes are patchy. Slot’s talking about protecting him, and the rotation with Gakpo is just too much. Gakpo’s out too, for the same reason – too unreliable. I liked Gakpo earlier in the season when he was shooting like crazy, but he’s fallen off. And, as fun as it would be to pick Mo Salah as some wild differential, it’s just too expensive. We’ve got cash around this season, but even then, you break the team to fit him. Skip.

Man City

On Man City, there are really just two picks to consider. One is a guy named Erling Haaland. Maybe you’ve heard of him. He’s that Norwegian kid who’s been pretty good at scoring goals. 

The other is Semenyo. I love Semenyo as a player, have done since he joined Bournemouth. He’s doing great at City and he looks nailed until Gameweek 30 because he can’t play in Europe. Just remember Pep is Pep is Pep, so he will Pep you at some point. If you own Semenyo, you hold. I’m not sure I’d buy. I had the option to do so last week but preferred Wirtz or Mbeumo just because of nailed on minutes. Still, he should be in the conversation.

Bournemouth

Bournemouth’s midfield is a mess – injuries everywhere and Semenyo gone. Honestly, wait a week or two and see how that settles. They’ve got this new guy Rayan, but he’s young and untested – I’m just keeping an eye on him for next season at this point. 

I’ve gone with Evanilson up top. Kroupi is fun, but he’s never lasting beyond 60–70 minutes. Evanilson is fine but not spectacular. His fixtures carry him and I’m just tired of constant forward transfers. He’s got good fixtures until you’re wildcarding, and that’s his biggest plus. He’ll probably get a couple of goals, and that’s fine.

Arsenal

At Arsenal, you can’t trust the strikers. Gyökeres hasn’t been a great FPL pick, and now Jesus and Havertz are fit, so it’s a rotation nightmare. 

Saka… Well, I’m fuming. He was supposed to start last week but felt something in the warm-up, and now I’m stuck. Arsenal are in all competitions, so minutes are a risk. If Saka plays midweek, he might be fine at the weekend. But do you need him to play Sunderland? Probably not. I don’t trust his minutes at all right now so he feels like a nightmare pick. I look forward to selling him and him scoring his first goal since gameweek 14 immediately.

Declan Rice, though, is a steady pick. People say he’s not that good, and they’re right but they’re also wrong. He just ticks along, loads of routes to points. He’s like a bad Bruno Fernandes, and since Bruno is the best pick in the game, that’s fine.

Chelsea

From Chelsea, I don’t want anyone other than Enzo Fernández. And even Enzo isn’t spectacular – he’s just nailed, occasionally on penalties, and always around. He’s had great underlying numbers, but he’s played everywhere, so they are noisy numbers and its hard to tell by watching him what he actually does so well.

Pedro Neto is worth a thought but probably just that. He’s the most nailed winger, but he rarely hits 90 minutes and his numbers aren’t great season on season. 

Cole Palmer is the fun pick, but he’s always injured or appears unfit. He missed Gameweek 23 and then played a full 90 in 24. If you want a fun differential, he’s your guy. But I’m sitting at 120k, and I’m not risking that for him. Maybe I should lighten up?

And as for João Pedro I’ve said it a hundred times – I hate that pick. If you got lucky with him, great. Hold for three weeks, then sell. His minutes are all over the place. Avoid the strikers, period.

Enzo is your sensible pick. Neto maybe. Palmer if you want to be a lot more daring than me. And just avoid stepping into the João Pedro trap again!

Newcastle

As for Newcastle, just forget it. None of the wingers are nailed, the strikers are in and out, and Bruno Guimarães (who was only kind of okay) is injured. So, it’s a hard avoid from me. 

Best Defensive Fixtures

Arsenal

Gabriel is probably the best defensive pick in FPL, maybe even overall. Jurrien Timber is next best when fit, and Raya’s nailed in goal. Saliba is fine, but don’t think he covers Gabriel’s points. And, Calafiori – I am just not certain of the fitness.

Liverpool

At Liverpool, I wouldn’t bother. Sure, they played well against Arsenal, but they’ve mostly been defensive chaos. If you go there, it’s Virgil or nobody. He’s at least got attacking threat. 

Chelsea

Skip them now. If you wanted them, you should’ve gone a couple weeks back or last week. Chalobah or Cucurella were okay, but at 5.7 or 6 for just three fixtures, it’s not worth the transfer. As they proved this week, the defence isn’t that good.

Man City

The only real option is Marc Guéhi, and if you got him at 4.5, don’t sell. Think of him as a budget defender you can rotate – bench him for Liverpool, start him for Fulham, easy.

Bournemouth

Senesi’s still decent. Play him mostly at home—maybe Burnley or West Ham away, but not Arsenal. I’d start him most weeks until the wildcard, though. Truifert could be fun—he’s got one assist, low ceiling, but maybe. Hill is only 3.9 which is obviously mega cheap so well worth a look at if you need to save money.

Crystal Palace

It’s Muñoz or bust. The rest don’t have reliable routes to points. They’re fine for occasional clean sheets, but Muñoz at least offers attacking returns—so I’d pass on the rest.

Aston Villa

At Villa, Matty Cash is a good pick. I won’t hear otherwise. He’s 4.8 for an attacking fullback with great fixtures pair and rotate him with Senesi, maybe. Konsa and Pau Torres are super cheap at 4.4 and 4.3. They’re just for clean sheets but are fine for how much they cost. The key point here is that you want to play Villa defence when at home and skip their away games.

Everton

Tarkowski is just a great pick. He’ll tick over forever with defensive contributions and occasional clean sheets. 

Keane and Branthwaite both started at the weekend which confused me. Maybe Keane is still an option, but we’ll have to wait-and-see.

That’s It.

Lots of fun to be had in the midfield then! Come and tell me your plans on Reddit.