FPL Top Picks for Gameweek 36
Gameweek 36 would have been the last double gameweek of the season, but the Premier League has adjusted its calendar to allow all teams to play on gameweek 37, which would otherwise have been a blank one.
This means that it is business as usual, and it will remain so until the end of the season, which is in two weeks. There are quite a number of interesting fixtures for Fantasy Premier League managers to take advantage of in the upcoming round of games. In this article, we will be looking at those games and discussing the best strategies to come out on top after gameweek 36.
Gameweek Analysis
This is what the fixtures list looks like:
- Wolverhampton Wanderers v Brighton and Hove Albion
- Fulham v Everton
- Southampton v Manchester City
- Ipswich Town v Brentford
- AFC Bournemouth v Aston Villa
- Newcastle United v Chelsea
- Manchester United v West Ham United
- Nottingham Forest v Leicester City
- Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace
- Liverpool v Arsenal
Key Strategy
Just like in week 35, it is best to avoid teams in the top five looking to cement their place ahead of next season’s UEFA Champions League. Teams that fall into this category in week 36 are champions Liverpool, second-placed Arsenal, Newcastle United and Chelsea.
Newcastle and Chelsea are teams to especially avoid, as both teams are equal on points in the table and will be competing fiercely to usurp the other when they clash in week 36. It looks like a tasty fixture, but a draw is a very likely outcome, which could hurt your FPL prospects.
Best Matches for Asset Selection
After careful consideration of each team’s chances, below are the matches where we believe FPL managers can get good returns from and should be considered for asset selection.
Manchester United v West Ham
Man United are favourites to win this match, but their Premier League form is very different from their European competition form. West Ham, however, beat Man United at home back in October, which gives Ruben Amorim’s side even more of a reason to come out on top in this reverse fixture at Old Trafford. This gives players like Bruno Fernandes (£8.5m) and the returning Amad Diallo (£5.3m) a chance to work their magic.
Spurs v Palace
Alongside Liverpool vs Arsenal and Newcastle vs Chelsea, this is the game that stands out the most in terms of entertainment value. This is not captured in hard data, but football lovers understand that entertaining games mean that the pendulum could swing either way. If you’re willing to go all out on attacking returns in week 36, assets like Eberechi Eze (£6.9m) and Son Heung-Min (£9.7m) should be in your crosshairs.
Best FPL Players for Week 36
Omar Marmoush (£7.6m) — Manchester City
Omar Marmoush is in the race for Europe’s Golden Boot thanks to his exploits at both Eintracht Frankfurt and Manchester City, where he joined in January. His six goals and one assist in the Premier League are a healthy return for the man who has comfortably slipped into Erling Haaland’s place since the Norwegian got injured.
He’s gone quiet in recent times, but in week 36, he’s got his easiest fixture yet, which could get him back among the goals and/or assists. Man City will travel to bottom-placed Southampton, and although Haaland is back in Pep Guardiola’s Premier League squad, Marmoush is more likely to start as Haaland may not get many minutes thanks to Liverpool winning the league.
Data places Marmoush at a 45% anytime goalscorer probability, and places Man City as one of the favourites to score over 2.5 goals. With these odds, Marmoush could even be captain material for week 36.
Kevin Schade (£5.1m) — Brentford
Kevin Schade has come back into prominence in the Brentford setup thanks to consistent performances and returns. He has started every match since week 23 for the Bees and has notched 10 goals and four assists this season so far, which are great numbers considering how long he was forced to play second fiddle.
His returns compared to his price tag in the game make him a great differential option. Also, Brentford’s upcoming games against Fulham and Wolves are really good for the young German, who has overperformed his xG by 2.1 goals and his xA by 2.4 assists thanks to the clinical nature of players like Yoanne Wissa just ahead of him. Here’s another incentive for managers to consider him in week 36: he’s owned by less than one percent of FPL managers ahead of games against Ipswich Town, Fulham and Wolves.
Nikola Milenković (£5.1m) — Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest have one of the best clean sheet odds for gameweek 36. Their opponents, Leicester City, are not the sharpest in front of goal. Forest won the reverse fixture 3-1 away from home and will host them now that they have been relegated. Forest also have two of the top-performing defenders in the Fantasy Premier League. The Serbian, Milenković, is one of them. With 134 points amassed this season and 13 clean sheets, the former Fiorentina man is decently priced and still largely underrated.