This weekend will be one of the craziest of the entire FPL season. Some teams are playing twice and their players will be highly in demand, some are playing just one game, and some have no matches at all! Quite a mess that needs to be sorted out.
And this is all because of the FA Cup matches taking place at Wembley this weekend, as well as the subsequent midweek catch-up. Because of this, the 'normal' round of fixtures on Saturday and Sunday will only see seven games, with 14 teams in action. From Tuesday to Thursday, however, there will be a further six Premier League matches.
However, the situation has worked out in such a way that Tottenham will not play once, so despite such a busy league calendar, Ange Postecoglou's players will be well rested.
Arsenal and Liverpool players being bought
A number of teams will play two matches this round, but the players who come to the fore in this respect are from Arsenal and Liverpool. Despite the fact that both teams are on a very poor run, as they lost their league games at the weekend and let Manchester City sneak into first, and then dropped out in the midweek European competitions, they still have their value in FPL.
Mikel Arteta's players will play against Wolves and Chelsea, while Jurgen Klopp's charges will play against Fulham and Everton. Of course, the players can't let such an opportunity pass them by.
In fact, any player who is fighting for the best possible result should have three players from each of these two teams in his squad for this round. The question is who to decide on? Well, the must-haves seem to be Mohamed Salah (13.5) and Bukayo Saka (9.0).
Both are leaders of their teams' offensive lines and are likeliest to score. Of course, one can have reservations about the form of both of them in recent games, but their absence from the line-up during a week like this could be fatal. Both are capable of cranking out big scores and we should have them in our squad.
Another must-have seems to be defenders from both teams. If we're picking three players each from Arsenal and Liverpool, we should have at least one of each in defence to rack up points for possible clean sheets.
In the London team, it's fairly straightforward as Gabriel (5.4), William Saliba (5.9) and Ben White (6.0) all have a certain place in the team and should play in both matches. In The Reds team, only Virgil Van Dijk (6.6) is a certainty, although many will probably pick Trent Alexander-Arnold (8.4), whose performance is by no means guaranteed though.
What about Free Hit?
If you don't have any specific strategy for the end of the season and you can still use Free Hit, this round is definitely the best opportunity. This way, you can choose a line-up consisting only of players from teams that have two matches in this round and therefore you have a much better chance of scoring more points. After this round, in that case, your line-up will revert to its current shape.
So in addition to Arsenal and Liverpool players, it is of course then also worth reaching for players from weaker teams who nevertheless have two games on the schedule. You should therefore look to Wolves, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Everton and Sheffield United. It is, of course, much harder to find players in the squads of these teams who will hit double-digit points, but it is still worth trying as you can gain a lot of points on your rivals.
Who to captain?
Looking at the Golden Boot chart, the best choices would be leading scorers Cole Palmer (6.2) and Erling Haaland (14.3). The snag is that the teams they both play for are in action just once, and in tricky away games. The Norwegian's performances in recent weeks also leave a lot to be desired. So who to pick?
It doesn't take rocket science for me to suggest Salah, Saka or someone else from Arsenal or Liverpool. But at the end of the season, it is the time to make bold decisions. You might need a difference-maker. So for example, Darwin Nunez (7.7) is an option to give the armband.
Who to buy?
Luis Diaz (7.8) - At this point, I treat the Colombian as the second most dangerous link in Klopp's attack. He is pretty much a sure bet to play on the left wing, and in his last four Premier League games, he has scored two goals and had an assist. On top of that, he was relatively quick off the pitch in Thursday's game against Atalanta, meaning he should be ready for the league.
Alisson (5.7) - This is, of course, mainly an idea for those using Free Hit, as few would opt for a normal goalkeeper transfer at this stage of the season. The Brazilian is back healthy and has a secure place between the posts, and that stands out against defenders who are regularly rotated. Of course, Van Dijk is also a certainty to start, but that cannot be said of anyone else in the Reds' defensive line.
Martin Odegaard (8.6) - The Norwegian is the captain of the team and conductor of the entire attack. If Arsenal are to get back on the winning track at the end of the season and fight for the championship, they need Odegaard in top form to supply his colleagues. And that will, of course, translate into points in the game. Just as Diaz is the second option at Liverpool, the Norwegian is second only to Saka at Arsenal for me.
Radim Horak (one of the best Czechs playing in the Fantasy Premier League)
Virgil van Dijk (6.6) - Although it is Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold who certainly have more potential offensively, I recommend the Dutchman, who will definitely play in the starting line-up in both games. Jurgen Klopp's side crashed out of the Europa League and must now focus all their efforts on the league, where they face Fulham and Everton. Van Dijk poses a threat from set-pieces, and along with Arsenal, have the best chance of keeping a clean sheet.
Eberechi Eze (6.1) - Crystal Palace have a really interesting schedule this round as the Eagles play two home games - against Crystal Palace and Newcastle. On top of that, they are coming off the back of a sensational win against Liverpool. The London team confirmed that with Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, they are capable of doing really well. Of the two, I chose Eze because he is the one who takes the penalty kicks. Together with Salah, he is in my opinion one of the best candidates for captaincy in this line-up.
Ben Brereton Diaz (5.0) - This is the pick that differentiates your squad from the rest for this weekend, especially for those using Free Hit. I see Brereton Diaz as Sheffield United's best player and the least risky of the team's players. When he is on the pitch, he has been involved in 42% of his side's goals. Ahead of him is a home game against Burnley and a trip to Old Trafford. Both sides allow a lot of shots and I believe Diaz will take advantage of that.
