The Scout on how to plan for the Double, including who the best picks are and chip strategies
Managers in Fantasy Premier League can now start to plan for Double Gameweek 36 (DGW36) after the Premier League confirmed a new date for Manchester City’s home fixture against Crystal Palace on Tuesday.
The match (which was postponed last month due to it clashing with Man City’s EFL Cup final against Arsenal) has been rescheduled for Wednesday 13 May, in the midweek of Gameweek 36, giving both clubs a DGW36.
Pep Guardiola’s side will have two home matches, hosting Brentford and then Palace, while Palace entertain Everton prior to visiting the Etihad Stadium.
Fixtures for clubs with a Double Gameweek 36
Man City v Brentford
Crystal Palace v Everton
Man City v Crystal Palace
In addition, the Premier League have also confirmed that Man City’s visit to AFC Bournemouth and Chelsea’s home match against Tottenham Hotspur will REMAIN in Gameweek 37.
Following Chelsea and Man City’s progress to the FA Cup final last weekend, those two matches had been removed from the weekend of Gameweek 37, which takes place at the same time as the Wembley Stadium showdown.
The two matches have simply been moved back a few days into the midweek of Gameweek 37, and will therefore have no impact on Blank and Double Gameweeks.
Who are the best Man City picks?
While Erling Haaland (£14.5m) and Nico O’Reilly (£5.1m) are the standout assets up front and in defence, Rayan Cherki (£6.4m) has the form to provide a great differential alternative to Antoine Semenyo (£8.2m) in midfield.
Owned by just 11 per cent, Cherki has 28 points in his last four starts, scoring once and assisting three more goals.
Semenyo, whose 51 per cent backing makes him the most-popular midfielder in Fantasy, has blanked in all of his last four starts and totalled only nine points.
Great opportunity for Triple Captain chip
FPL managers who are yet to play their Triple Captain chip now have a great opportunity to use it on Haaland in DGW36, but O’Reilly’s outstanding form at the Etihad Stadium shows why he should not be overlooked.
Haaland and O’Reilly are among only four players this season to produce 100+ points in home matches, along with Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes (£10.4m) and Casemiro (£5.7m).
O’Reilly has blanked in only TWO of his 13 home starts, compared with Haaland’s five blanks in 15 starts at the Etihad Stadium, while he also has the edge for points per home start, by 7.6 to 7.2.
Top-scoring players in home matches 25/26
Player
Pts
Double-figure hauls
Blanks
Pts/start
Fernandes
110
8
3/15
7.3
Haaland
109
5
5/15
7.2
Casemiro
102
3
6/17
6.0
O’Reilly
100
4
2/13
7.6
Scroll across on mobile to see the full table
Who are the best Palace picks?
Palace players, meanwhile, are now bound to be popular picks for managers who are yet to play their Wildcard because, along with Man City, they have five matches left to play – one more than the other 18 clubs.
But notably, key attackers Ismaila Sarr (£6.3m) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.6m) have mainly been benched in the league recently, which suggests that Oliver Glasner is prioritising the UEFA Conference League.
Bearing in mind that Palace have reached the Conference League semi-finals, there is a chance he could continue to rotate in attack, which indicates investing in defence is the most risk-free and prudent strategy.
Centre-back Maxence Lacroix (£5.1m) offers goal threat and the likelihood of defensive contribution points to go along with clean sheets.
If you’re shopping in the budget bracket, Jaydee Canvot (£4.5m) has outperformed Chris Richards (£4.4m) since securing a starting role in Gameweek 27. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Dean Henderson (£5.1m) can be a great addition if you’re playing your Bench Boost chip in DGW36.
In attack, Sarr is the form pick if you’re willing to take the risk of rotation. While the Senegalese star has two goals and an assist across his last three starts across all competitions, he has only started one of their last three Premier League matches.