FPL Gameweek 32 - Fixture Focus, Strategy and Wildcard Thoughts

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Double Gameweek 33 is fast approaching in Fantasy Premier League and so is Blank Gameweek 34 right after. 

In this preview, I’m going to break down which teams are doubling (and thus which will blank) while exploring how this shapes FPL strategy. 

We’ll talk chips, spotlight the key picks you should have on your radar, and then dive deeper into fixtures both for those doubling and those blanking. And finally, I will show you a current wildcard draft. 

Let’s get into it!

Double Gameweek 33 Confirmed

Six teams will double in gameweek 33:

Man City – Arsenal (H), Burnley (A)

Burnley – Nottingham Forest (A), Man City (H)

Leeds – Wolves (H), Bournemouth (A)

Bournemouth – Newcastle (A), Leeds (H)

Chelsea – Man United (H), Brighton (A)

Brighton – Spurs (H), Chelsea (H)

That means they will all blank in gameweek 34 too.

What are Double and Blank Gameweeks?

If you’re new to FPL, the concept of double and blank gameweeks is pretty straightforward.

A double gameweek simply means a team plays twice within that gameweek, giving their players two matches of opportunity. 

On the other hand, a blank gameweek means a team doesn’t play at all. So zero matches for their players.

Impact on Chip Strategy

Double Gameweek 33 is shaping up to be the biggest one of the entire season, not just in hindsight but looking forward as well. For that reason, it’s the prime time to play the Bench Boost chip and ideally aiming to field between 12 and 15 double gameweek players. 

In turn, that makes a Wildcard in Gameweek 32 a logical step: you’re essentially building a team tailor-made for that Bench Boost. 

Then, since Blank Gameweek 34 follows immediately after, it’s a natural spot to use your Free Hit. 

I still think this is the “meta” strategy. It is straightforward and effective. 

If you’re holding a Triple Captain

Another double (likely Gameweek 36 for Manchester City and Crystal Palace) will be perfect and Erling Haaland is an obvious candidate. But if that doesn’t work out, stick with the core strategy and Triple Captain Haaland (or your favourite) whenever you feel like having a bit of fun!

If you don’t have your Bench Boost

I’d still aim for about 10 or 11 doublers in Gameweek 33. Without a Bench Boost, you might not need to Wildcard in Gameweek 32 at all. Instead, you could Wildcard in Gameweek 33 and set up optimally for both that double and the weeks after. In that scenario, you’d likely have a stronger Gameweek 32 team than I would if I’d Wildcarded early. So, if you’re Bench Boost-less, that’d be my approach.

If you don’t have free hit

Things do get trickier. Hopefully, you’ve banked a good number of transfers in preparation. In this situation, I’d prioritise loading up on triple Manchester City as they’re clearly the top team doubling. Use your transfers to get them in, then maybe a couple of other key doublers. After that, if you need to, take a hit or two in Gameweek 34, or just aim to field around 10 players. I honestly don’t think that will be the end of the world. It’s about minimising damage and keeping your core strong.

If you’re chasing

Whether rank or a mini-league rival, and you know they religiously follow the “meta” strategy from blogs or podcasts, that’s a valid reason to shake things up. 

Now, it is risky. Doing something different can backfire, and you might ultimately think you’d have been better off sticking with the standard approach. Even then, you could just pick slightly different players than your opponent might. 

That said, it’s not crazy to take an alternative route. For instance, you might survive Double Gameweek 33 with fewer doublers, Free Hit in Gameweek 34 instead, and then Wildcard in 35. The only problem is that I don’t really see who you would get.

You could then triple up on Manchester City for Gameweek 36 or pull another twist. Ultimately, there are too many possible permutations to map out every scenario. But the point is: you’re not forced to follow the basic strategy if you have a reason to differentiate.

Key Picks for Double Gameweek 33

Let’s break down the key picks for Double Gameweek 33, starting with Manchester City. 

Man City

The trio, in my view, picks itself. In defence, it’s O’Reilly. At just 5 million, you’re getting a Manchester City defender from the second-best defense in the league. He’s shown recently he can deliver attacking returns so is pretty much a no-brainer. 

Next is Semenyo. Since joining City, he’s on a consistent roll – not explosive, but steady 8-9 pointers. Sure, he’s overperforming stats, but at this stage, just ride the form. 

And Haaland is obvious. You likely already have him; don’t overthink it.

Now, if you have Guehi from his Crystal Palace days at 4.5, I’d just hold him. I wouldn’t swap him for O’Reilly. Honestly, my triple-up would be Guehi, Semenyo, and Haaland. O’Reilly isn’t going to score three goals. He’s a defender. His expected goal involvement per 90 is just 0.24 so one attacking return every four games. He could easily blank in both matches. Keep Guehi, it’s fine!

Burnley

Next up is Burnley and, as you can probably guess, they’re not exactly FPL gold. Honestly, there’s no one I’d genuinely consider from Burnley for the double. Their fixtures aren’t great: away at Nottingham Forest and home to Manchester City. City will smash them, and Forest might too. Sure, Forest might give them something, but it won’t be predictable.

You could get Dubravka if you think Darlow isn’t nailed but I think he probably is. Anthony could be a big differential, but only because Burnley suck so how much do you benefit?

Bournemouth

Next up is Bournemouth, who’ve been my personal favourite team to watch this season. They’ve been fun, though losing Semenyo in January took a bit of that spark away. Still, attacking football, enjoyable side.

Now, I’ve owned Petrovic for most of the season, and honestly, I don’t think that was a great idea. I don’t rate their defence that highly. It’s fine in good runs, but these fixtures aren’t fantastic. I’m not keen on having him. 

If you want a defender, Senesi is great for attacking returns, but honestly, you might as well just go for James Hill. He’s 4.2 million, consistently hits defensive contributions, and is 0.9 cheaper than Senesi. He’s been nailed since January.

In midfield, Tavernier is a go. He’s fun, he attacks, he’s on pens. His expected goal involvement per 90 is 0.44 which is insane value at 5.4 million. I’d go there.

I don’t hate having Evanilson up front. I’ve had him a couple of times. But he’s not getting the service I hoped, even after Semenyo left.

Chelsea

Let’s talk Chelsea, and I’m really only considering three names. 

First, Marc Cucurella. I had my eye on him all season because, for a defender, his expected goal involvement is decent at 0.2 per 90. He’s always in the box. But even then, he rarely returns, and at 6 million, he’s expensive. Chelsea can’t defend, and trusting them for clean sheets is, as my friend Joe says, stupid. I’ll probably keep Gabriel instead.

Next is Cole Palmer. He’s a fantastic footballer. He can explode for 20 points, and he’s done it once this season already. Is he consistent? No, but I don’t need that. I just want that one-week spike. Besides Haaland, no one else has that ceiling. I want a piece of that upside.

Finally, João Pedro. I’ve tried denying him all season. He’s bad in tough games and only good in easy ones. These fixtures aren’t easy. But he’s 50% owned, and if he hauls, my rank is wrecked. I’m buying him out of fear. I’ve bet against him enough and it worked when he failed, hurt when he didn’t. Right now, I’m consolidating. If you’re chasing, go against him and get Evanilson. I think he’s crap!

Leeds & Brighton

I’m pairing these guys because they rotate well together.

First off, goalkeepers: Darlow and Verbruggen will probably be everyone’s go-to rotating pair. That’s a great set-and-forget combo. If you’d rather go with Raya plus one of these guys then that’s totally fine. Raya is the best keeper in the league, Arsenal’s defence is top-tier, and honestly, you might sack one of the cheap guys by Gameweek 35 to go back to triple Arsenal’s defence. But you can absolutely ride Darlow and Verbruggen rotating until season’s end, which is a strong plan.

Defensively, that means you can do the same with, say, Bijol and Van Hecke. They rotate beautifully. Love that idea.

Up front, Dominic Calvert-Lewin is my pick. I wasn’t a fan in recent seasons because he underperformed his xG, but I may have let that cloud my judgment. I don’t think he’s amazing, but at 5.6 million, he’s super cheap. I’ll get him for the double and bench him after. He’s just a great enabler. I need someone who will likely play both games, and Calvert-Lewin fits the bill. He may not get 180 minutes, but he should play in both.

Meanwhile, I’m avoiding Danny Welbeck at Brighton. He’s never played a full 38-game season, and now, at this stage of his career, he rarely gets consecutive 90s. Maybe once this season. I don’t trust it. 

Brighton have a massive squad and rotate a lot. So, players like Minteh or Mitoma are talented, but they don’t need to play them all. And at full90FPL, we love full 90s. I just don’t believe any Brighton attackers will play full 90s consistently, so I’m steering clear.

FPL Gameweek 32 – Fixture Focus

Usually, we take a look at the next five fixtures and identify the teams with the best attacking and defensive runs using the data from our own fixture ticker.

From now on, we will go to the end of the season. And, because I think most people will free hit in 34, I will include a ticker that removes that.

Best Attacking Fixtures (incl. Gameweek 34)

Best Attacking Fixture (excl. Gameweek 34)

Looking at the best attacking fixtures for the run-in, Arsenal lead the ticker regardless of blank or double gameweeks. The challenge is that there hasn’t been a clear option lately. However, once we know Bukayo Saka is fully fit again, he becomes an interesting pick for the run-in. If you have Cole Palmer for Double Gameweek 33, you could switch him to Saka for Gameweeks 35 to 38. Without chips, you might consider Saka over Palmer, though I’d probably still lean Palmer first. Just something to consider.

Liverpool are up there, too. While there aren’t many clear options, maybe Ekitike stays in our thoughts, possibly as an alternative to João Pedro if you want to bet against him. Everton away could be a big derby game where he delivers. 

Manchester United feature on both tickers, although excluding Gameweek 34 makes their fixture strength tighter. Still, I’m holding Bruno Fernandes until the end of the season. I don’t think Mbeumo, Cunha or Sesko are trustworthy, but Bruno is a season-keeper.

Manchester City also appear on both tickers. That confirms I’ll hold Semenyo and Haaland until the end of the season unless we see rotation.

Newcastle are in both lists, too. Anthony Gordon might be someone to keep in mind, perhaps not for the next couple of weeks, but afterward.

Finally, Brighton appear when excluding Gameweek 34. I still don’t trust their assets, but if you do lean that way, you aren’t making a big mistake having one.

Best Defensive Fixtures (incl. Gameweek 34)

Best Defensive Fixtures (excl. Gameweek 34)

When we look at the best defensive fixtures, Arsenal top the ticker again, whether there’s a blank or not. I think this means we just want to hold Gabriel. Depending on your free hit strategy, you might even go double or triple Arsenal defence by Gameweek 34 or 35. I wouldn’t overthink it. Yes, Arsenal haven’t been amazing outside the league lately, but the final four fixtures are so nice. Before their cup exits, we all considered them the best defence, and I still think they are. You should have at least one.

When including Gameweek 34, you’ll see Sunderland, Everton, and Man United. I don’t rate those defences in these runs, but you could find decent rotation. Sunderland and Everton might rotate decently, but realistically, you’ll probably pick good Arsenal assets and a cheap option to get through. That’s likely what everyone will do and rightly so.

If you’re free hitting in 34, you’ll probably end up on that strategy anyway. The next few weeks may be odd, but come Gameweek 35, you’ll likely want transfers ready to double or triple up on Arsenal defence.

My Current Wildcard Draft

I haven’t hit the Wildcard button yet. Honestly, I’ve been pretty busy, so it’s been tough to sit down and think it through. But I’ve pulled together a draft tonight. You can see it in the image above. It follows much of what I’ve said, so I won’t go into too much detail, but I’ll highlight where I’m still deciding.

Starting with goalkeepers, I’d love to have Raya as a set-and-forget. The thing is, double gameweek goalkeepers are great as they almost always play both games. If you’re bench boosting, having one feels ideal. In my draft, only my bench keeper will double. I’m keeping Gabriel, Bruno Fernandes, and Elliot Anderson. They are all solid point-scorers weekly. I can’t see anyone I’d rather have. I have money tied up in Gabriel and Bruno, and while Anderson isn’t expensive, I don’t see an obvious replacement. Maybe a Bournemouth mid? Anton Stach from Leeds is possibly injured so I don’t think we can go there. I’m left with Brighton players I don’t love. Why bother when Anderson gives me five points each week?

Also, I don’t love how my draft looks for Gameweek 32. My current team is bad, so there’s not much to lose. But I’d have Chelsea facing Man City ans that’s not great. I’d likely play a 3-4-3 with Gabriel, O’Reilly, Van Hecke; Semenyo, Palmer, Fernandes, Anderson; Pedro, Calvert-Lewin, Haaland. The meta has leaned toward more defenders, not 3-4-3. But that said, my current team is awful, so I don’t hate this draft. I’ll be thinking about it in the next few days.

That’s It.

I will probably try and squeeze another article out this week looking at players you should buy or sell but hopefully this covers a lot of what you were wondering about ahead of FPL Gameweek 32.