So, you’ve finally made it here, eh? Double Gameweek 25. Alright, I’ll let you relish those moments of blissful peace. It’s a double gameweek, so you’re expecting double the points, right?
Wrong. This is FPL, so brace yourself for double the pain.
But fear not, for I am here to help you avoid this agony. And so is LazyFPL, so, you know, subscribe to the free LazyFPL newsletter for all the information you need every gameweek, and all for free.
Okay, now that your moment of blissful peace is over, let’s look at what you need to know ahead of this double gameweek.
A Brief Look at the Horizon
Teams that double in gameweek 25:
Liverpool – Brentford (A) + Luton (H)
Man City – Chelsea (H) + Brentford (H)
Luton – Man United (H) + Liverpool (A)
Brentford – Liverpool (H) + Manchester City (A)
Teams that blank in gameweek 26:
Liverpool
Spurs
Chelsea
Luton
Teams that double in gameweek 28:
Luton – Crystal Palace (A) + Bournemouth (A)
Bournemouth – Sheffield United (H) + Luton (H)
Hence why you should make sure you’re able to sell/bench any Liverpool players that you bought in gameweek 25 for their blank gameweek in 26.
Tricky, I know.
But don’t be averse to hits. I usually advise against them, but they’re actually pretty decent in double gameweeks. In fact, I’m likely to take a hit too.
Plus, blank gameweeks aren’t really that bad. Yes, Chelsea have a blank gameweek, but their assets blank every week anyway, so what’s new?
Chips
No, no, not that kind. Ah, jeez, now I’m going to get incessant emails from fast-food chains. No, John from the local chippy, I don’t want your chips. Wait, extra spicy?
Chip strategies are very team-dependent, of course; however, I only like the triple captaincy this week, particularly on Erling Haaland.
A lot of teams look good for a bench boost (and it could be worth it), but you should factor in the opportunity cost of benching, which is the points the triple captain could have earned you.
Personally, I prefer TC25, WC30/31, FH34/37, BB34/37. If you can’t stretch your wildcard to 30/31, I also like WC26/27. Wildcarding in GW35 is reasonable too.
I wouldn’t free-hit or wildcard this week, as they may make navigating future blank gameweeks harder, particularly in GW29.
If you don’t want to use your triple captain this week, Solanke is a viable option in GW28. Gameweeks 34 and 37 are more likely to favour free hits and bench boosts, so I wouldn’t rely on them as triple-captain options.
Who to Buy in FPL Gameweek 25?
Kaminski
Am I advocating buying a goalkeeper playing for the worst defence in the league? Yes. Well, sort of.
If you have a solid goalkeeper rotational pairing, Kaminski is a great option. He doubles this gameweek and has an excellent double gameweek in gameweek 28.
There’s a good chance he will play in gameweek 29 too (pending FA Cup results).
He also played for a club called Beerschot.
And Beerschots are exactly what you’ll do when Darwin Núñez misses another open goal. Look, I’m just surprised Darwin didn’t miss the team bus at this rate.
Gabriel
Suggesting a single gameweek player in a double gameweek feels like a crime.
But if I were arrested for it, at least I’d go knowing that I’ve suggested buying a defender for the best defence in the league (by a large margin), a defence that has incredible set-piece threat, and a defender that has 30 points in his last four gameweeks.
Arsenal have a great fixture with Burnley (A) this week, and Burnley’s xGC from set-pieces is the worst in the league. Arsenal’s xG from set pieces? The best in the league. Plus, Arsenal don’t blank in gameweek 26.
As far as I’m concerned, Gabriel and Saliba are set-and-forget options for your team.
As forgettable as the tweets that people posted calling Gabriel a minutes risk at the start of the season.
van Dijk
I suggested buying van Dijk in last week’s article too, but now he’s an even better option. Trent Alexander-Arnold is injured, and van Dijk’s xMins are the best out of anyone in a very solid Liverpool defence.
Connor Bradley is Twitter’s poster boy for this week, but I don’t think he starts both games, as Joe Gomez can easily fill in for added physicality.
I have the same qualms with Robertson, although his biggest threat is a sleep-deprived Scouser who, for some reason, has a Greek passport (Tsimikas).
But why is van Dijk a good option? Dijk, in Dutch, means “a barrier to prevent flooding.” In other words, van Dijk is a wall. Clean sheets are a guarantee.
In all seriousness, Liverpool have the second-best clean sheet odds this week and are third for xGA over the season.
Trent Alexander-Arnold -> van Dijk is a very viable move, in my opinion.
Nathan Aké
It’s amazing how many good defenders the Netherlands have. This makes their occasional incompetency on the big stage just that much more spectacular.
Joško Gvardiol’s injury means Aké’s minutes are that much more secure. Of course, Akanji can pose a threat, but I think Aké will start both. He only costs £5.1m too.
City have the second-best defence in the league, and you can run wild with the ‘plays against former teams’ narrative. Increased xMotivation, anyone?
Luis Díaz and Diogo Jota
Liverpool and footballers called Luis (Suarez). A match made in heaven. The Luis’ are so good, in fact, that Liverpool just don’t lose matches with them in the XI, as all they lose are… teeth.
My apologies for bringing up any unwanted PTSD, Chiellini.
In a world of Jota’s and Darwin’s, everyone seems to have forgotten about Luis Díaz. He has an npxG+xAG/90 of 0.45 and should see good minutes across a very favourable double gameweek.
Jota is a good option, but given the uncertainty around Salah, I’m not too sure of his minutes. If we get any inclination that Salah isn’t fit to make the squad, however, Jota’s the far superior option. If Salah’s on the bench or starts, I prefer Luis Díaz.
Martin Ødegaard
Ødegaard once won a fish for winning Player of the Month at Real Sociedad.
It’s not relevant to how good an FPL asset he is, I just find it funny.
Ødegaard’s role recently changed. He’s become an all-phases creator and has stopped running into the zones Saka should occupy.
This means that he’s always involved in Arsenal’s attacks, increasing his BPS collection propensity. Take a look at his performance vs. West Ham: 10 points, an npxGI of 0.57, 123 touches, and 7 key passes.
He’s even nailed on for 90, and gets the occasional penalty or two.
And Arsenal have great attacking fixtures ahead—bur, NEW, shu, BRE in the next four.
Son Heung-Min
I think Son is an absolutely brilliant option, and you have to have a route to him after Spurs blank in gameweek 26. He plays for an incredible attack and has an npxG+xAG/90 of 0.67, a number he consistently overperforms.
If you can get away with benching him or are using a chip next week, I think he’s a good buy this week too.
As mentioned in last week’s article, Phil Foden is an excellent option. De Bruyne is as well, although I’m not too confident in his xMins, which is why I’d advocate you avoid him.
Forwards
As mentioned in last week’s article, Darwin Nunez and Ivan Toney are good options. I really like Darwin for this double gameweek, and where I don’t like Toney’s double (LIV + mci), he plays in blank gameweeks 26 and 29.
Solanke remains an excellent option and should be your go-to captain in DGW 28.
And Haaland… Well, he’s competent. He can kick a football quite well, to be fair, so you should probably have him on your team.
…and triple captain him.
Who to Captain in FPL Gameweek 25?
Erling Haaland
I say this often, but I wouldn’t overthink this. Erling Haaland is the standout captaincy option for this week, and by a very big margin.
On paper, Brentford and Chelsea actually have decent xGA numbers, but Haaland (and City) in general trump this; in fact, Haaland npxG+xAG/90 is over one.
I expect him to get at least 80 minutes in both games, and we know how good City are at home. Yes, their xG may be low at home, but their overperformance makes up for it. In fact, they have the second-most goals/90 at home in the league.
Erling Braut Haaland. Braut in German means bride. And you’d definitely want Haaland to be yours after he coolly gets you 15 points this week. Now say, “I do,” Erling.
Darwin Núñez
We’ve once again reached the peak of masochism. I’m starting to get a little concerned by how much I enjoy touting Darwin as an FPL option.
And Darwin’s girlfriend is starting to get concerned about him, too. He messaged her, saying how much he missed her. She replied, “Babe, you missed me too?! Will you ever hit the target?!”
Brentford’s xGA at home is 14th in the league, and Luton are 20th for away xGA. Darwin’s npxG+xAG/90 is 1.02. The same as that Norwegian, half-decent Erling Haaland fella.
It’s a punt of sorts. But it’s one I really like. If you’re confident in his minutes (160+), go for it. Although it’s worth mentioning that when Salah returns, Darwin won’t take penalties anymore.
Phil Foden is another alternative, but I much prefer Haaland and Darwin.
As always, I’d like to end with a story. You see, I have this colleague at work, and mocking his poor FPL season is my only source of pleasure. So, I decided to pay him a little visit again today. In front of him lay a mind map perfectly depicting his chip strategy for future gameweeks and a dartboard with my face on it.
I was shocked. Was Nick from HR suddenly competent? And does he want me dead? I asked him how he managed all of this, especially for such a lazy man.
“I’m a part of the Lazy Revolution,” said Nick. And you should be too. Sign up for the free LazyFPL newsletter and win more by doing less.
