If you’re in a rush and need some last-minute Fantasy Premier League (FPL) advice, here’s a quick round-up of what you need to know about Gameweek 27.
WHEN’S THE FPL GAMEWEEK 27 DEADLINE?
All transfers and team selections need to be done by 13:30 GMT on Saturday 2 March.
CHIP STRATEGIES
After weeks of saying ‘if’ and ‘maybe’, FPL managers finally know exactly what Blank Gameweek 29 will look like. Midweek FA Cup results mean it will contain just four matches.
Armed with this new information, people are now thinking of this year’s chip strategies. Some need to Free Hit in Gameweek 29 due to a lack of available players, like Az. Others prefer to dead-end their team into that week and keep the chip for later.
In fact, some managers want to be proactive and Wildcard right now. Pro Pundit Pras has looked into all three ideas.
Lateriser and reigning Fantasy champion Ali have supplied their own thoughts, meanwhile
SOLANKE DOUBT HARMS BOURNEMOUTH PREP
Adding to the complications is a Double Gameweek 28 for Luton Town and Bournemouth. The latter don’t play in Blank Gameweek 29 but have great-looking fixtures surrounding it.
However, star forward Dominic Solanke (£7.1m) has over 2.5 million owners on tenterhooks, as he missed the cup game with a knee issue and may not take part at Burnley.
“We have one more training session before Sunday so I leave chances open but it depends on how he manages the pain. Tomorrow I find out if we have a chance with Dom. It’s a matter of if he still feels the pain, or if it’s improved. He will be the one making the decision.” – Andoni Iraola, speaking on Friday
As for his Bournemouth team-mates, we’ve spoken to fan and international cricketer Brad Currie (FPL Scofield) about recommended Cherries to pick. Centre-back Marcos Senesi (£4.5m), for example, could be a great way to replace Brighton and Hove Albion’s out-of-favour Pervis Estupinan (£5.0m) – it’s just a shame that he’s two bookings from a ban.
HWANG, RICHARLISON, PORRO + SALAH OUT
Just like during Blank Gameweek 26, unlucky managers could be struggling to field an XI this time as well. Last week’s most-bought player Hwang Hee-chan (£5.6m) is injured, with popular Spurs duo Richarlison (£7.1m) and Pedro Porro (£5.7m) also ruled out.
It’s mixed news at Liverpool. Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) joins Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.1m) and Diogo Jota (£8.5m) on the sidelines but Darwin Nunez (£7.6m) could be fine. Other notable absentees include Rasmus Hojlund (£7.1m), plus Brighton pair Kaoru Mitoma (£6.4m) and Joao Pedro (£5.3m).
BEST FPL GAMEWEEK 27 CAPTAIN
Fresh from five FA Cup goals, Erling Haaland (£14.5m) loves Manchester derbies and is the recommended armband recipient of both Captain Sensible and our Rate My Team (RMT) algorithm.
In second place, they both back Bukayo Saka (£9.2m) with a split decision on third between Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) and Son Heung-min (£9.6m).
TEAM REVEALS
SCOUT PICKS + DIFFERENTIALS
Our weekly selection – which is essentially a Free Hit in all but name – has had to remove Solanke from the bus team. In comes fifth midfielder Cole Palmer (£5.7m).
Meanwhile, in the trio of differential picks is Marcus Tavernier (£5.4m), Rodrigo Muniz (£4.5m) and Carlton Morris (£5.1m).
PREDICTED LINE-UPS
We’ve predicted the starting XIs of all 20 Premier League teams.
Whatever you decide to do, good luck with FPL Gameweek 27!
