FPL Gameweek 25 Preview – Doubles and Blanks Galore!

Well, we’re in the thick of it now, boys and girls. Doubles and blanks – everybody’s favourite! Oh, and chuck in the usual injury and rotation unpredictability, just to add to the fun. 

Let’s get stuck right into a comprehensive preview of FPL Gameweek 25. 

Doubles and Blanks

James did an excellent job previewing the doubles and blanks in Gameweeks 25 and 26. It’s definitely still worth checking out here.

Hopefully, you read his advice or something like it, and prepared accordingly. If not – don’t worry! We’ll go through all the most significant recent developments now. 

Just to recap, our Gameweek 25 doublers are:

• Liverpool
• Man City
• Brentford
• Luton

Our Gameweek 26 blankers are:

• Liverpool
• Luton
• Spurs
• Chelsea

Return of the King

Your FPL idol and mine, Mohamed Salah, is back from injury. He was pictured in training smiling and generally having a great time. 

The question now becomes… how and when do we all get him back in?!

He’s currently priced at a nice, round 13.0. Obviously I doubt he’s starting both games, especially with relatively easy matchups. The two most likely scenarios are:

• Brought on vs Brentford (20-30mins) then starts vs Luton (80-90mins)
• Brought on for both games (40-60mins combined)

Liverpool are still in the thick of the #TitleRace, and he’s their best player. Yes, Diaz, Darwin, and Jota have all done well recently. But he’s Salah, and Klopp will want him back up to speed as quickly as possible. 

Would I chase him right now?

Even in 90mins combined across the two games, he’s obviously almost certain to return… because he’s Salah. The problem is the blank straight after. You’re paying a load of money for someone who’s very unlikely to play a full double gameweek anyway, then blanks straight after. 

Personally, I’m fine waiting. After Gameweek 26 though, he becomes a massive priority. So make sure you’re building towards getting him back then. 

Trent Out (Again)

Trent’s been an injury concern for a little while, and now it seems that he’s almost certainly out for the double gameweek. 

It’s not his fault he’s injured… but this has been a frustrating season for Trent owners. He was highly owned to start the season and was rubbish. Then he was great and we all got him back in. Now he’s injured again. 

You should bin him if you can. It’s too much money to be tied-up in a potential mid-term injury doubt, and he blanks next week anyway. Also with De Bruyne, Salah, Son, and Haaland all back, you can really use that money elsewhere. 

Latest City News

Of course we never wish injuries on anybody… but if we could have picked two players to get injured against Copenhagen, Grealish and Bernardo would’ve been up there. 

The big risk with the likes of Kev, Foden, and Alvarez was obviously rotation. Grealish just came back from injury, and only lasted 20mins, so seems unlikely to be rushed back again. Bernardo just took a knock, and is much more likely to play. 

Basically, if you’re considering any of De Bruyne, Foden, and Alvarez for the double (they also get Bournemouth straight after), this should definitely make your decision easier. 

Haaland Triple Captain?

Personally I tend to wait on using my chips. But we’re around 2/3 of the way through the season now, so maybe it’s time to get a move on. 

In all honesty, we’re going to want Haaland or Salah on a double gameweek for our triple captain. Both obviously fit the bill this week, although Salah’s a minutes doubt, so I wouldn’t consider him. 

This is a pretty nice double for Haaland. Chelsea recently shipped four goals to both Wolves and Liverpool. Brentford are hardly the world’s strongest defence, and conceded three at home to City recently. He’ll likely play something close to 180mins too. 

My instincts are telling me to wait, because that’s what I normally do… but I’m very, very tempted to just drop the triple captain on Haaland this week… and will probably do so! 

Other Business

Another significant piece of injury news dropped midway through the week. Porro – who hasn’t actually done much recently but is still 30%+ owned – is apparently injured. 

Sigh. 

In theory, he’s fine to bin. As noted, he hasn’t exactly been lighting it up, and Spurs blank in Gameweek 26 anyway. 

The problem is that there’s no obvious replacement. I don’t want any City defenders, nor any non-Trent Liverpool defenders, and the Brentford and Luton defences are poor. 

He’s fairly expensive though, so could definitely be part of a double move to free up funds for a more exciting player elsewhere (e.g. one of the Liverpool or City doublers). 

If you’re happy to commit to this, and go all-out budget, a couple of decent options are Van Hecke (4.0, Brighton defence is rubbish, but he’s nailed and has good fixtures), or Bell (3.9, Luton defence is also rubbish, but he’s nailed, you’re guaranteed at least a couple of points for his double gameweek, and he doubles again in 28).

A couple of slightly higher-end options are Senesi at Bournemouth, and Lockyer at Luton. Both are around 4.5, and both double in GW 28. The former has nice fixtures after GW 26, and the latter gets more attacking returns than Bell. 

Taking Hits

Obviously, I can’t just blindly tell you to take hits. It all depends on your available transfers, team composition, yada yada yada. 

But this is an appropriate time to be aggressive. Double gameweeks can lead to massive changes in your OR as the season goes along, so can absolutely be worth the risk. 

They’re not ‘necessary’. But plan ahead using a tool like FPL Team to check you’re not only getting enough doublers (min. 4, as a rough guide), and can put a proper team out in blank Gameweek 26 (min. 9 or 10 players, preferably). 

Here at Full 90 FPL, for example, I’m currently running with four doublers, and will be making a double move next week to get a full team out, with no hits planned. James is being more aggressive and has a couple of hits planned. Who will be proved right? Hopefully me, but time will tell. 

Upcoming Fixtures

Here’s a quick look at the five teams with the best upcoming FPL fixtures. As always, home games are in all-caps. 

• Luton – Not the most appealing FPL team, but their two double gameweeks do make them an option. As noted, I don’t mind either Lockyer or Bell from their defence
• Arsenal – They’re in great form and now have a lovely run of fixtures. Saka is must-own, Odegaard and Martinelli are solid options, and Raya/Gabriel are the best clean sheet bets in the league right now
• West Ham – They have nice fixtures but basically no appealing FPL players. Bowen is the only one, but – as touched upon below – his role is making it very difficult for him to get returns
• Villa – You have to hold Watkins for this run. I don’t trust any of the other attackers though. The defence is also a bit of a mess – Digne is a threat to Moreno, Diego Carlos is yellow-flagged, Konsa’s injured, and Pau hasn’t started for seven weeks. I guess Moreno is the pick of the bunch, but I wouldn’t actually bring him in right now
• Man City – Haaland is must-own, and Foden probably is too. Obviously I’ve got no problem trebling-up, either, whether it’s with Kev or Alvarez

Should I Buy?

This and the next section aren’t quite as useful as usual right now, since the doubles and blanks are so dominant in our thinking. As in James’ preview last week, therefore, this will be a slightly shorter look at the most-bought FPL players than usual.

• Haaland – Yes. He should be your number one target if you haven’t got him back yet
• Jota – Maybe. Obviously he’s got great potential for this double gameweek, so if you’re viewing this as a short term move it’s fine. But he blanks straight after, and could be a minutes doubt with Salah’s return after that
• Darwin – Maybe. Basically the same reasoning as with Jota
• Hojlund – Yes. We can’t ignore him any more – he’s definitely a legitimate option. He’s scored four games in a row, and now has Luton and Fulham back to back. He’s a great price at 7.1 too
• Diaz – Maybe. I prefer Jota, but Diaz is significantly cheaper
• Foden – Yes. In great form, doubles, doesn’t blank, and Grealish injury helps him
• Gabriel – Maybe. I’m generally not a fan of spending on centre-backs. If you did go that route though, he’s top of the pile. Arsenal’s defence is great, they have nice fixtures, and their set pieces have been great since the winter break (and he’s the primary set piece threat)
• Toney – Maybe. It’s a tricky one. Liverpool/Man City is a terrible double. But he’s great, he’s right back in form, and historically he’s been fine against the big teams. His fixtures don’t get any easier though, with Chelsea and Arsenal also coming up. Personally I wouldn’t, but he’s a high upside pick
• Son – No. Wait until after the blank
• De Bruyne – Yes… But also remember that Salah is back, and having both will definitely require planning ahead
• Saliba – No. Just get Gabriel for 0.5 less
• Salah – Addressed above. Personally I’d wait, but you’re going to want him back anyway, so it’s not a terrible idea to just get him now

Should I Sell?

See above for why this is a bit briefer than normal. I solemnly swear it’s not an excuse for me to do less work. 

• Solanke – Maybe. He’s not exactly been in terrible form, but has dropped off a bit. Still, I don’t mind the Newcastle matchup at all. They never keep clean sheets, and – if Bournemouth do score – Solanke’s got an extremely high chance of being involved. He also doubles in GW 28, and has Burnley the week before that
• Watkins – No. I don’t get it. He’s the second-highest scoring player in the game, and now has Fulham, Forest, and Luton back to back
• Trent – Yes. Probably missing the double, blanks after, and is super expensive
• Alvarez – No. Just hold him for the double, especially with injury question marks over Bernardo and Grealish
• Bowen – Yes. He’s class, and will come good again. But he just looks isolated as West Ham’s number 9 right now, and there are many other good midfield options
• Porro – Yes, I’m fine with selling. Hasn’t been great recently anyway, might be injured, and blanks in 26
• Palmer – Maybe. Hold him if you can, since he’s incredibly consistent and great value. But if you need to free up funds for someone else, like a doubler, now is the right time to sell him (before City, then a blank)
• Richarlison – No. Personally I’m holding, despite the blank. He’s a 7.2 out of position forward, for one of the best teams in the league, in great form
• Gordon – Maybe. As with Palmer, if you have to sell him for a doubler, that’s fine. But the recent injury news to Wilson and Isak means he’s nailed for the foreseeable, and he’s a reliable returner
• Estupinan – Yes. Brighton defence is rubbish, he costs 5.0, and his place is no longer secure

Final Thoughts

This can definitely be an… intimidating time of year. A little time spent on forward planning, however, using a site like FPL Team, can put your mind at rest. 

Is there any guarantee your plan will actually play out as intended? Absolutely not! In fact, it’ll almost certainly be derailed by injuries. James and I spent over half an hour planning our moves, then Trent and Porro – who we both own – immediately got injured. 

Basically, plan for the best, prepare for the worst – that’s the FPL mentality in a nutshell. 

Thanks for reading, everybody. For all our latest amazing advice, give us a follow on Reddit or Twitter. Best of luck in this testing time!