Dilemmas of the Week - GW 38 (25/26)

 

And so we face the final curtain..... Gameweek 38 is always a bit of a lottery, as there are so many 'dead rubbers'. The title race is decided, and the relegation places very nearly so; Arsenal and Aston Villa might be a bit tired after celebrating their trophy wins this week, while City might be feeling a bit deflated about letting their title challenge fizzle - and about the imminent departure of their superstar manager. Arsenal and Palace have European finals coming up, so might be giving managed minutes to some of their star players. And with the World Cup just around the corner, a nervousness about possible last-minute injuries might take the edge off some players' games. One wonders also how Friday's announcement of the England squad may affect some players: will Palmer, Gibbs-White, Bowen and Calvert-Lewin be depressed at their - unexpected, possibly unfair - omission, or will they have a chip on their shoulder about it and be fired up to show that Tuchel was wrong about them?  It's very, very difficult to anticipate what team line-ups are going to be, or how well anyone's going to play.

However, the exceptionally tight midfield pack we've seen all season means that there's still quite a tussle going on for the European places. Even Everton and Newcastle in 11th and 12th were very nearly still in contention (to have a chance, they would have needed all three of the teams above them to lose their final match, and that can't happen as Sunderland and Chelsea are drawn against each other): all the positions from 4th to 10th could yet change. And of course Premier League survival is riding on the outcome of the Spurs v Everton and West Ham v Leeds games.

But there are fairly few new injuries this week, so this can be a quick last roundup of the year!

I have been trying to streamline these weekly round-ups a bit from last year, restricting myself for the most part to just the injuries etc. affecting players that are likely to have a major significance in FPL; and also, of course, only to new injuries - I figure everyone should be aware of players who've already been ruled out for some time!  

[For some years, I have found the 'Injuries & Bans' summary on Fantasy Football Scout the most reliable resource for this kind of information; although this site, Premier League Injuries, is a very good alternative (often a little quicker to update, I think - though it did go through a bit of a glitchy period for a while last year).  Go check these out for more comprehensive coverage. 

I see the Fantasy Premier League site has added an improved 'Player Availability' page this year (though hidden under 'The Scout' tab?!). That also seems to be reasonably comprehensive and up-to-date, but god knows how it's supposed to be 'organised' - maybe by 'date of injury'? Obviously, arranging it by club and alphabetical order would be more sensible; but the denizens of FPL Towers seem to have a deep aversion to the sensible.]

I've recently discovered this additional resource, the weekly Predicted Lineups from Fantasy Football Edits. My longtime standby for this sort of news, Fantasy Footall Scout, does usually provide some explanatory commentary on its predictions, even including reminders of the key injury concerns, and sometimes also some discussion of possible alternate selections; so, if you like a bit more detail with your 'probable lineups' for the week, that could still be the preferable roundup to look at. But because FPL Edits is so stripped-down, it's rather more straightforwardly accessible, easier to scan through quickly; and I think it's also perhaps a tad more reliable with its expected formations and lineups, and a little quicker to update.

So, what are the conundrums we face ahead of Gameweek 38?

Does anybody need to be moved out because of injury?

Emi Martinez apparently played through Wednesday's Europa League Final with a dislocated finger, so will probably give way to Marco Bizot on Sunday.

Malo Gusto missed last week's game against Spurs with a training knock, and is a doubt again for this week. However, Joao Pedro, who was also absent last week with a tight hamstring, has apparently been back in training at the end of the week and is expected to be available.

Chris Richards suffered ligament damage to his ankle against Brentford last week, so will be out for quite a while; this leaves Palace seriously short at the back.

Brenden Aaronson came off with a knock against Brighton last week; it didn't seem too serious, but there's been no further word on whether he's recovered.

Jeremie Frimpong and Alexander Isak were missing last week with minor injuries, but might possibly be available again for the final game, at least off the bench.

Sandro Tonali came off last week with a hamstring problem; Eddie Howe had initially thought that would certainly rule him out, but it seems the issue isn't too serious and he might possibly be able to make a return.

Omar Alderete came off with a knock against Everton last week, and looks unlikely to be available for the Chelsea game.

Do we have any players who are dropped, or not looking likely to get the starts we hoped for?

Ryan Christie, Joachim Andersen, and Dan Ballard are still serving out three-match bans.

Max Dowman is unlikely to be involved for Arsenal this weekend, as he's in the middle of his GCSEs.

And it has been decided that last week's home game at Old Trafford would be Casemiro's last appearance for the club.

Did anyone give other cause to consider dropping them?

There is much agitation in the FPL community about the prospect of Arsenal and Manchester City, in particular, possibly indulging in mass rotations this week. It's also a concern with Crystal Palace, who have their Europa Conference League Final in Leipzig this Wednesday against Rayo Vallecano - although they perhaps don't have that much scope for rotation, due to a limited squad and a lot of injuries at present. My feeling is that Arteta is proud and a perfectionist, and that he will thus want to end the season as strongly as possible (and will probably want to treat the Palace game as a valuable warm-up for next Saturday's clash with PSG). And Pep will also want to go out on a high note; and several of his players may perhaps be additionally inspired to produce goals to give him a happy send-off. But, of course, Pep Roulette is always a hazard, and since City have two elevens of almost equal ability, it is very hard to know who will get the start this week. I have a hunch that Khusanov and O'Reilly could make way for the longer established Dias and Gvardiol, and that perhaps Marmoush might get a start over Doku or Semenyo.

Many FPL managers are also fancying a punt on one or both of the relegation battlers, Spurs and West Ham. But there's a reason why they're in that predicament, and I fancy they'll both wilt under the pressure and lose quite badly - with Spurs staying up by the skin of their teeth, only because West Ham suddenly faltered again in the last few games.

Did anyone play so well, you have to consider bringing them in immediately?

If I were going to bring in one player from the relegation candidates, it would be West Ham's Taty Castellanos, who should be buzzed after scoring what might be the 'Goal of the Season' last week. However, among the thus-far unregarded forwards, Newcastle's Will Osula has been in even better form of late.

BEST OF LUCK, EVERYONE!

Dilemmas of the Week - GW 37 (25/26)

Not too many new injuries again this week, it seems, so...., hopefully, this can be another brief one.

I am trying to streamline these weekly round-ups a bit from last year, restricting myself for the most part to just the injuries etc. affecting players that are likely to have a major significance in FPL; and also, of course, only to new injuries - I figure everyone should be aware of players who've already been ruled out for some time!  

[For some years, I have found the 'Injuries & Bans' summary on Fantasy Football Scout the most reliable resource for this kind of information; although this site, Premier League Injuries, is a very good alternative (often a little quicker to update, I think - though it did go through a bit of a glitchy period for a while last year).  Go check these out for more comprehensive coverage. 

I see the Fantasy Premier League site has added an improved 'Player Availability' page this year (though hidden under 'The Scout' tab?!). That also seems to be reasonably comprehensive and up-to-date, but god knows how it's supposed to be 'organised' - maybe by 'date of injury'? Obviously, arranging it by club and alphabetical order would be more sensible; but the denizens of FPL Towers seem to have a deep aversion to the sensible.]

I've recently discovered this additional resource, the weekly Predicted Lineups from Fantasy Football Edits. My longtime standby for this sort of news, Fantasy Footall Scout, does usually provide some explanatory commentary on its predictions, even including reminders of the key injury concerns, and sometimes also some discussion of possible alternate selections; so, if you like a bit more detail with your 'probable lineups' for the week, that could still be the preferable roundup to look at. But because FPL Edits is so stripped-down, it's rather more straightforwardly accessible, easier to scan through quickly; and I think it's also perhaps a tad more reliable with its expected formations and lineups, and a little quicker to update.

So, what are the conundrums we face ahead of Gameweek 37?

Does anybody need to be moved out because of injury?

There's still no word on the nature of the injury that forced Riccardo Calafiori to come off against West Ham last Sunday, but it seems he's still a doubt for this week. The knee injury that caused Ben White's early withdrawal in that game is at least serious enough to rule him out for the little that remains of the season.

Kaoru Mitoma pulled a hamstring when playing Wolves last Saturday, and will miss the remainder of the season.

Hannibal Mejbri was withdrawn against Villa last week, but apparently it was just cramp or fatigue rather than anything too serious, and he is possibly/probably in contention to play this week.

Pascal Struijk made an appearance against Spurs last week, but was forced off by the hip problem that's been bothering himn for a couple of weeks.

Manuel Ugarte supposedly missed selection last week because of a back issue - but does anyone really expect to see him playing in the Premier League again?

Joelinton is said to be a 'slight doubt' for Newcastle because of a thigh problem - but given how much he's suffered with muscle injuries in the past, I would imagine that means he's definitely out of action this week.

Do we have any players who are dropped, or not looking likely to get the starts we hoped for?

Bournemouth's Ryan Christie is out for the season, after picking up a three-match-ban red card for a bad foul on Timothy Castagne last week. Joachim Andersen also picked up a red card and a three-match ban for his crunching challenge on Adrien Truffert in the same match. Dan Ballard is in the middle of a three-match-ban for 'violent conduct' (a hair-pull), so we won't be seeing him again this season either.

Harvey Elliott is ineligible to play for Aston Villa against his parent club Liverpool on Friday night - although, since we haven't really seen anything of him all season, that's an irrelevant technicality. Facundo Buonanotte is similarly barred from representing Leeds against Brighton, though he too has hardly featured lately for his loan club.

Did anyone give other cause to consider dropping them?

I have to say, Liverpool are looking really ragged to me, and I don't think I'd be taking a chance on any of their players for a tough last two fixtures - even the always excellent Dominik Szoboszlai or the just-back-from-injury Alexander Isak. I don't have much faith in a De Zerbi renaissance at Spurs either, and I suspect they'll probably struggle, and almost certainly drop points against both Chelsea and Everton. Although Chelsea are looking fairly awful too....

The big problem this week is the FA Cup Final happening before the end of the league programme. With City and Chelsea contesting that on Saturday afternoon, their GW37 league games against Bournemouth and Spurs are delayed until Tuesday evening. Given that the Cup game is always likely to be especially emotionally draining, even if it's a fairly straightforward game, and could be physically too, if it goes to extra time and penalties, it's probably better - if possible - to avoid relying too much on City or Chelsea players on Tuesday. Some of them might well not play at all; and those who start might not be at their best, and might only get short minutes. A lot of FPL managers already got burned by Pep's rotations of Doku, Cherki, Reijnders, and even Haaland in last week's would-be 'Double Gameweek'; something similar is sadly likely this time. But.... at this stage of the season, with chips and Free Transfers probably all used up, folks won't really enjoy the option of moving out City/Chelsea players; alas, if they have too many of them, they could well end up fielding a short FPL team this week, or at least having a few 1-point returns. It is a cruel game.

Did anyone play so well, you have to consider bringing them in immediately?

I liked the look of Junior Kroupi, Josh King, and Kevin Schade last week,.... and everyone at Everton recently! But not enough to make any of them priority acquisitions. At this stage of the season, you really just have to save your transfers in case you get hit with a sudden avalanche of injuries in the final week!

BEST OF LUCK, EVERYONE!

Dilemmas of the Week - GW 36 (25/26)

Yes, I'm finally back - after a TWO-WEEK hiatus caused by a computer meltdown...

And not too many new injuries this week, it seems, so...., hopefully, this can be a brief one.

I am trying to streamline these weekly round-ups a bit from last year, restricting myself for the most part to just the injuries etc. affecting players that are likely to have a major significance in FPL; and also, of course, only to new injuries - I figure everyone should be aware of players who've already been ruled out for some time!  

[For some years, I have found the 'Injuries & Bans' summary on Fantasy Football Scout the most reliable resource for this kind of information; although this site, Premier League Injuries, is a very good alternative (often a little quicker to update, I think - though it did go through a bit of a glitchy period for a while last year).  Go check these out for more comprehensive coverage. 

I see the Fantasy Premier League site has added an improved 'Player Availability' page this year (though hidden under 'The Scout' tab?!). That also seems to be reasonably comprehensive and up-to-date, but god knows how it's supposed to be 'organised' - maybe by 'date of injury'? Obviously, arranging it by club and alphabetical order would be more sensible; but the denizens of FPL Towers seem to have a deep aversion to the sensible.]

I've recently discovered this additional resource, the weekly Predicted Lineups from Fantasy Football Edits. My longtime standby for this sort of news, Fantasy Footall Scout, does usually provide some explanatory commentary on its predictions, even including reminders of the key injury concerns, and sometimes also some discussion of possible alternate selections; so, if you like a bit more detail with your 'probable lineups' for the week, that could still be the preferable roundup to look at. But because FPL Edits is so stripped-down, it's rather more straightforwardly accessible, easier to scan through quickly; and I think it's also perhaps a tad more reliable with its expected formations and lineups, and a little quicker to update.

So, what are the conundrums we face ahead of Gameweek 36?

Does anybody need to be moved out because of injury?

Ollie Watkins suffered a nasty gash on the head in Villa's Europa League win over Forest, but was not considered 'concussed' and was able to complete the whole game - so, it seems likely he'll be able to play again against Burnley on Sunday.

Mats Wieffer is a doubtful starter after he had to come off early on against Newcastle last week with an ankle injury.

Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto missed last week's game against Forest with training knocks, and remain unlikely to be able to start this week. Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez suffered a head injury in that Forest game, and has been ruled out of this weekend's match at Anfield.

Oliver Glasner has highlighted Adam Wharton, Yeremy Pino, Ismaila Sarr, Tyrick Mitchell, and Jean-Philippe Mateta as players who are struggling with knocks and/or fatigue after their Conference League semi-final win on Thursday - so, none of those seem to be options for the Double Gameweek, as almost certain to get short minutes, or perhaps sit out one of the two fixtures entirely.

Leeds's Noah Okafor, a recent FPL phenomenon with 3 double-digit hauls in the last 4 games and an ownership that had surged to nearly 350,000, has pulled a calf-muscle and will struggle to be available again for the last game of the season.

Alexander Isak missed last week's game against Manchester United with a minor groin strain, but has returned to training, so might play some part against Chelsea.

Benjamin Sesko had to come off against United last week after taking a heavy blow to the shin; there appears to be no further word on whether that's gong to keep him out of action for a while.

Newcastle's Lewis Miley cracked a fibula in training this week, and will be out for the rest of the season.

Morgan Gibbs-White may also be a doubt to appear against Newcastle, after suffering a massive gash on the forehead in the Europa League tie against Villa on Thursday night. As with Ollie Watkins's injury, though, it is not deemed to have caused any concussion, so he might perhaps be OK to play this weekend with a heavy bandage or patch.

Jose Sa missed last week's game with an ankle problem, though Rob Edwards is hopeful he might be fit again this week. If not, Dan Bentley should deputise again.

Do we have any players who are dropped, or not looking likely to get the starts we hoped for?

Sunderland's Dan Ballard misses the rest of the season for tugging the hair of Tolu Arukodare last week, a 'violent conduct' offence (Sundlerland's appeal that the tug was 'accidental' was quickly rejected).

Did anyone give other cause to consider dropping them?

The big news of the week is that Bournemouth full-back Alex Jimenez was suspended by the club this Friday upon news that the police are investigating allegations that he had been flirting online with a 16-year-old girl. (I don't think that's actually illegal...? But there may be an issue that she was still only 15 when he began these conversations.) Even if he's ultimately exonerated, he's likely to miss the rest of this season and a good chunk of next. (Although he's returned 3 hauls in the last 9 games, he is - strangely - only owned by about 30,000 managers in FPL; so, this news won't have that much of an impact.)

Did anyone play so well, you have to consider bringing them in immediately?

Well, I haven't been able to watch very much football over the past few weeks, so I have limited insight into this, but...  

Rayan Cherki and Jeremy Doku have been absolutely superb of late; but surely should have made their way into people's FPL squads already! However, if they haven't, this week's Double Gameweek for City, with matches against Brentford and Palace (not the easiest, especially when they're so deperately playing catch-up in the title race), may prompt a lot of people to consider bringing them in now. They really ought to be the week's top captaincy picks; indeed, there's a case for dropping the recently points-shy Semenyo, and perhaps even Haaland to make room for the pair of them.

West Ham have been starting to look very impressive since the start of March (well, apart from last week's drubbing by Brentford...), with Castellanos and Mavropanos, in particular, and the perennially solid Jarrod Bowen looking very tempting picks - especially for anyone wishing for an upset for Arsenal this weekend to keep the title race alive. People getting excited over the spectacular return of Bukayo Saka against Fulham last week are, I think, dangerously overlooking the fact that he was withdrawn at the end of the first-half (and got similarly short minutes in the Champions League semis against Atletico). Given that Arsenal should be able to win their last three league games with a youth team, and that they've got by without Saka for a third of this season, I imagine it's quite likely he'll continue to be wrapped in cotton-wool (i.e., very short minutes) until the big PSG game in Budapest.

Crystal Palace, of course, also have a Double Gameweek this week; but Everton and City are daunting opponents; and their final two games of the season, against Brentford and Arsenal, possibly even worse. As I noted above in the injury round-up, they have a lot of tiredness and injury issues which are likely to lead to heavy rotations for their most important players. And, with nothing to play for in the league any more, keeping those players in good shape for the Europa Conference League Final at the end of the season is surely going to be the top priority.  So, I definitely can't see it being worth using transfers to bring in any additional Palace players, just for the possibility of them playing a second fixture. Indeed, I might even be inclined to offload a Palace player I already had - this DGW is really not likely to be worth much, if anything, for them.

BEST OF LUCK, EVERYONE!

Dilemmas of the Week - GW 33 (25/26)

A couple of major injuries this week (unfortunate for the players and their clubs, anyway, though probably not hugely consequential for FPL), but overall we seem to have been spared too much further disruption on that front. So,... it could be quite a brief review of the availability picture this week.

Of course, with GW33 being the biggest Double Gameweek of the season, many people are targeting their Bench Boost for this week (or some, alternatively, their Triple Captain, or even their Free Hit), while a large number deployed their 2nd Wildcard last week to 'set up' optimally for this set of fixtures. So, there's a lot at stake this week (not just for City and Arsenal!), and we're likely to see the global average significantly inflated by the number of chips in play, as well as by the exra fixtures.

I am trying to streamline these weekly round-ups a bit from last year, restricting myself for the most part to just the injuries etc. affecting players that are likely to have a major significance in FPL; and also, of course, only to new injuries - I figure everyone should be aware of players who've already been ruled out for some time!  

[For some years, I have found the 'Injuries & Bans' summary on Fantasy Football Scout the most reliable resource for this kind of information; although this site, Premier League Injuries, is a very good alternative (often a little quicker to update, I think - though it did go through a bit of a glitchy period for a while last year).  Go check these out for more comprehensive coverage. 

I see the Fantasy Premier League site has added an improved 'Player Availability' page this year (though hidden under 'The Scout' tab?!). That also seems to be reasonably comprehensive and up-to-date, but god knows how it's supposed to be 'organised' - maybe by 'date of injury'? Obviously, arranging it by club and alphabetical order would be more sensible; but the denizens of FPL Towers seem to have a deep aversion to the sensible.]

I've recently discovered this additional resource, the weekly Predicted Lineups from Fantasy Football Edits. My longtime standby for this sort of news, Fantasy Footall Scout, does usually provide some explanatory commentary on its predictions, even including reminders of the key injury concerns, and sometimes also some discussion of possible alternate selections; so, if you like a bit more detail with your 'probable lineups' for the week, that could still be the preferable roundup to look at. But because FPL Edits is so stripped-down, it's rather more straightforwardly accessible, easier to scan through quickly; and I think it's also perhaps a tad more reliable with its expected formations and lineups, and a little quicker to update.

So, what are the conundrums we face ahead of Gameweek 33?

Does anybody need to be moved out because of injury?

Riccardo Calafiori was a late omission against Bournemouth last week, after developing an unspecified problem during training; he seems likely to remain out. Noni Madueke had to come off against Sporting in midweek with a knee problem, though Arteta is bullish about his prospects of being OK again for this weekend. Arsenal are stretched a bit thin for their possible 'title decider' against City on Sunday, though, with Bukayo Saka now revealed to be suffering with an Achilles issue which will keep him out some time further, and Odegaard and Timber apparently still unavailable too.

Mikkel Damsgaard came off at half-time against Everton last week, struggling with an illness; but he is thought to be over that now, so should hopefully be able to start and last most of the game. Brentford are still going well, but injuries have left their squad stretched a bit thin.

Hugo Ekitike ruptured his right Achilles in the game against PSG on Wednesday, and will miss the rest of the season, and the World Cup. With Alexander Isak only just back after a long absence, Cody Gakpo seems likely to lead the line for a while.

Bad news for Palace too, with both Adam Wharton (groin strain) and Maxence Lacroix (knee), arguably their two best players of the season, having to come off in Thursday night's game against Fiorentina. Newly-returned Jean-Philippe Mateta was withdrawn at half-time in that tie for 'minutes management'.

Good news, perhaps, for the recently outstanding Nico O'Reilly (still 13% owned in FPL, although some tens of thousands of managers have baled on him this week), who limped off in the Chelsea game last Sunday holding the back of his thigh. In Friday's press conference, Pep insisted that he was going to be fine for this weekend; but Pep, as we know, is not above fibbing occasionally....

Kobbie Mainoo missed Monday night's game against Leeds with a training knock (and Ugarte was a disaster in his stead, largely responsible for the defeat), but might be OK again for Saturday's. Leny Yoro has apparently developed an unspecified injury problem this week. Disturbing news for United, as Maguire and Martinez are both banned, and De Ligt is apparently still unavailable; they'll probably have to fall back on youngster Ayden Heaven and Luke Shaw or Mazraoui in a makeshift centre-back pairing.

Forest have been hit by multiple problems following their Europa League quarter-final against Porto, as both Murillo and Chris Wood had to come off after suffering bad knocks, and Callum Hudson-Odoi developed a leg-muscle problem. Wood was very lucky to escape serious injury, as his lower right leg visibly bent under a high challenge from Jan Bednarek; but Vitor Pereira is optimistic that he and Murillo might available this weekend. Elliot Anderson missed the Porto game after the death of his mother, and his involvement this weekend is in doubt.

Cristian Romero has a partial MCL tear in his right knee after colliding with his goalkeeper Kinsky last week; this will inevitably keep him out for the rest of the season - though there is a slim chance that he might still be able to get fit again for the World Cup.

Wolves's Matt Doherty has apparently been struggling with a 'niggle', but was back in training by the end of the week.

Do we have any players who are dropped, or not looking likely to get the starts we hoped for?

Lisandro Martinez has got himself a three-match 'violent conduct' ban for impetuously tugging on Dominic Calvert-Lewin's ponytail on Monday night, while Harry Maguire has been handed an additional one-match ban for 'improper conduct' in last month's Bournemouth game (sounding off at the fourth official after his sending-off). Joelinton is beginning a two-match ban for picking up his 10th booking of the season last week. Lewis Dunk will serve the second part of his two-match ban against Spurs, but can return for his team's second fixture of the week, against Chelsea on Tuesday; Wolves's Yerson Mosquera is also serving the second game of a two-match ban.

Did anyone give other cause to consider dropping them?

Newcastle have been pretty ropey of late, and now Eddie Howe has threatened to drop any players who do not seem committed to staying at the club - which, according to reports, could be about half of the squad. Avoid.

Did anyone play so well, you have to consider bringing them in immediately?

Chelsea overall are still severely unconvincing, but Cole Palmer, at least, looks back to something like his best. Marc Cucurella also had an outstanding game against City, and might have scored a hattrick! Alex Jimenez was superb in Bournemouth's title-upset win over Arsenal - but, thanks to the cruel caprices of FPL, somehow didn't earn any extra points for a 'Man of the Match' display.

I think it's likely to be unprofitable to bring in additional doubling players from clubs as weak as Brighton and Leeds, let alone Burnley!! And Bournemouth, let's not forget, prior to last week's cat-among-the-pigeons victory over leaders Arsenal, hadn't managed to win a game in two months. And Chelsea have been fairly awful over the past month or so. Everyone probably already has 3 players from City,... and maybe half a dozen or so from the other 5 doubling teams; that's plenty - there is no need to be stacking the squad with 10, 12, 15 doublers on a set of fixtures like this.

BEST OF LUCK, EVERYONE!

Dilemmas of the Week - GW 32 (25/26)

After nearly three weeks without any Premier League games (four weeks, for Arsenal, Manchester City, Crystal Palace and Wolves!), anticipating relative 'form' is going to be even more of a crapshoot than usual going into this Gameweek. But at least there haven't been too many new injuries since GW31,... and quite a few welcome recoveries.

Despite the relative dearth of new injury concerns, this is a prime moment to consider major changes leading into the league campaign's final run-in - and, in particular, to gear up for the imminent Double Gameweek in GW33 and the subsequent Blank Gameweek (because of the FA Cup Semi-Finals) in GW34. Indeed, if exceptional need - or foolish impatience - haven't prompted you to use the (largely superfluous) 2nd Wildcard yet, this is inevitably the optimal gameweek in which to do so. (And very nearly 500,000 managers have indeed done so. But that does beg the question,..... what the heck are the other 12 million up to???)

I am trying to streamline these weekly round-ups a bit from last year, restricting myself for the most part to just the injuries etc. affecting players that are likely to have a major significance in FPL; and also, of course, only to new injuries - I figure everyone should be aware of players who've already been ruled out for some time!  

[For some years, I have found the 'Injuries & Bans' summary on Fantasy Football Scout the most reliable resource for this kind of information; although this site, Premier League Injuries, is a very good alternative (often a little quicker to update, I think - though it did go through a bit of a glitchy period for a while last year).  Go check these out for more comprehensive coverage. 

I see the Fantasy Premier League site has added an improved 'Player Availability' page this year (though hidden under 'The Scout' tab?!). That also seems to be reasonably comprehensive and up-to-date, but god knows how it's supposed to be 'organised' - maybe by 'date of injury'? Obviously, arranging it by club and alphabetical order would be more sensible; but the denizens of FPL Towers seem to have a deep aversion to the sensible.]

I've recently discovered this additional resource, the weekly Predicted Lineups from Fantasy Football Edits. My longtime standby for this sort of news, Fantasy Footall Scout, does usually provide some explanatory commentary on its predictions, even including reminders of the key injury concerns, and sometimes also some discussion of possible alternate selections; so, if you like a bit more detail with your 'probable lineups' for the week, that could still be the preferable roundup to look at. But because FPL Edits is so stripped-down, it's rather more straightforwardly accessible, easier to scan through quickly; and I think it's also perhaps a tad more reliable with its expected formations and lineups, and a little quicker to update.

So, what are the conundrums we face ahead of Gameweek 32?

Does anybody need to be moved out because of injury?

Unwelcome uncertainties for Arsenal on their title run-in, as the recently impressive Piero Hincapie has apparently picked up quite a serious leg-muscle issue while playing for Ecuador, while Bukayo Saka, who was withdrawn from availability for the internationals for unspecified reasons (which were widely assumed to be exaggerated or entirely fake), is apparently still unfit to rejoin the playing squad. Moreover, Jurrien Timber, who suffered a heavy knock on the ankle against Everton in their last league game (four weeks ago!) is still a doubt, and Martin Odegaard - who has been almost constantly troubled by injury this season - had a fairly lacklustre game against Sporting in midweek and appeared to be limping when he was pulled off before the end. And now Riccardo Calafiori is also a doubt, after suddenly going missing from training on Friday. At least Ebere Eze appears to be over whatever phantom niggle was keeping him home from international duty....

Jadon Sancho suffered a heavy fall in a club friendly two weeks ago, and has a damaged shoulder which may continue to make him a doubt for a little while (although he's never really established himself as a regular starting prospect for Unai Emery).

Burnley's Hannibal Mejbri is going to be out for a while, after pulling a hamstring against Fulham last time out.

Palace winger Evann Guessand suffered a knee injury in Thursday night's game against Fiorentina, the severity still being assessed.

Leeds are suffering a tide of injuries in their back-line at a very inopportune moment: both Joe Rodon and Anton Stach had to come off in the FA Cup win over West Ham, after rolling their ankles badly. while Jaka Bijol (training knock) and Gabriel Gudmundsson (minor groin strain) were unavailable for that game, and might still be doubts this weekend.

Alisson was a late withdrawal from Liverpool's last league game, the defeat against Brighton, after suffering another leg-muscle issue - which now seems likely to keep him out until 'near the end of the season'. At least his new understudy Giorgi Mamardashvili was looking pretty sharp in Wednesday's game against PSG - but looking their talismanic long-time goalkeeper is further unwelcome disruption at a time when the club are starting to look in serious disarray.

Ruben Dias missed out on the League Cup Final three weeks ago because of a hamstring issue, and has since suffered a further setback which probably makes his return date still at least a week or two off (although you wonder if Abdudokir Khusanov hasn't been playing well enough to keep him out of the team now....). And John Stones withdrew from the England squad with a sore calf-muscle (although - who can remember the last time he was fit for a decent run of games??).

Sven Botman suffered a facial fracture in the north-east derby three weeks ago, but recent reports say that he is being fitted with a protective mask and that there is a chance he can be considered for selection against Palace (presumably at the expense of Malick Thiaw, who has had a few struggles in recent games). Fabian Schar was thought to be close to a return from his serious ankle injury three months ago, but has apparently suffered from an infection in the foot which may keep him out for some more weeks. Even more worryingly for Newcastle, Bruno Guimaraes was just about ready to return from his hamstring layoff, but went down with the mumps last week - which can be a particularly debilitating virus, one that can have a lingering impact on physical fitness for several weeks afterwards; so, I'd be betting that we won't now see Bruno again until the end of the season, if at all.

Just to make things even worse for Spurs, it's been announced that Mohammed Kudus has suffered a serious setback in his rehabilitation from a hamstring injury and may now require surgery (although, when things get as bad as this at a club, you can't help but wonder if some players are exaggerating injuries to just avoid being involved in the ongoing shitstorm any more....). Mathys Tel had to come off with a knock in the last league game against Forest, and Pape Sarr picked up a shoulder injury while playing for Senegal, while first-choice keeper Guglielmo Vicario had to have surgery on a groin hernia at the start of the break and is likely to be missing for at least another week or so. On the bright side, at least the club's first-choice back-four appears to be available again.... for practically the first time this season.

Do we have any players who are dropped, or not looking likely to get the starts we hoped for?

Harry Maguire is suspended this week, after getting sent off for a 'denial of a goalscoring opportunity' against Bournemouth last time. Meanwhile, Brighton's Lewis Dunk and Wolves's Yerson Mosquera are starting a two-match ban for having reached the threshold of 10 yellow cards for the season. 

After this weekend, we have an amnesty on suspensions for accumulated yellow cards till the end of the season. These are the players who stand on the precipice: unsurprisingly, it is mostly the defensive midfielders who've got themselves into jeopardy with their 'taking one for the team' fouls - Caicedo, Casemiro, Bernardo Silva, Joelinton, and Wolves's Andre and Joao Gomes, as well as Bournemouth full-back Alex Jimenez and Brighton winger Diego Gomez are all just one more card away from a 2-game ban, and so will have to tread very carefully this weekend; they might indeed be 'rested' to keep them out of harm's way.

Enzo Fernandez has been suspended by Chelsea for this gameweek (and for last week's FA Cup tie against Port Vale) for imprudently mentioning his eagerness to live - and play? - in Madrid during an interview he gave over the international break. Sounds like storm-in-a-teacup stuff, and I wouldn't expect it to impact his selection or performance for the remainder of the season (unless Real or Atleti have already made approaches about buying him this summer....?).

Did anyone give other cause to consider dropping them?

I'm not betting on a De Zerbi Miracle at Spurs just yet. Neither is anyone else, it seems: the North London club are now the favourites to join Wolves and Burnley in the drop, with some bookmakers trimming the odds on them going down to as little as 13/10.

Recently, Liverpool are starting to look very nearly as toxic, and it's now looking very much as if - without a dramatic turnaround in the league (I think we can write off the chances of a comeback against PSG in the Champions League) - Arne Slot will be sacked at the end of the season.

Did anyone play so well, you have to consider bringing them in immediately?

Three weeks after the last batch of games, 'form' back then is scarcely relevant. Although.... Harry Wilson had another absolute banger there, and it is astonishing that fewer than 25% of FPL managers owned him then. (That might be a strong indication of how many people remain 'active' within the game!)

BEST OF LUCK, EVERYONE!

Dilemmas of the Week - GW 31 (25/26)

Arsenal, Manchester City, Wolves and Crystal Palace, of course, have a Blank Gameweek this week - because their League games have been rescheduled to allow Arsenal and City to face each other in the League Cup Final on Sunday. At least, we don't have to worry this week about possibly unexpected rotations ahead of another important European clash - since there aren't any more of those until the beginning of April; indeed, there isn't even any more Premier League until April 10th! However, the teams who played in Europe this week, particularly those who had big games on Thursday - Villa, Forest, and Palace - are likely to be showing signs of weariness from that. And I'd imagine some of the Champions League participants too, probably Newcastle in particular after their emotionally draining double-header against Barcelona, will be a bit depleted by those games, even though they happened on Tuesday. At least there don't seem to have been too many new injuries over the past week; so, hopefully, this can be a fairly brief round-up.

I am trying to streamline these weekly round-ups a bit from last year, restricting myself for the most part to just the injuries etc. affecting players that are likely to have a major significance in FPL; and also, of course, only to new injuries - I figure everyone should be aware of players who've already been ruled out for some time!  

[For some years, I have found the 'Injuries & Bans' summary on Fantasy Football Scout the most reliable resource for this kind of information; although this site, Premier League Injuries, is a very good alternative (often a little quicker to update, I think - though it did go through a bit of a glitchy period for a while last year).  Go check these out for more comprehensive coverage. 

I see the Fantasy Premier League site has added an improved 'Player Availability' page this year (though hidden under 'The Scout' tab?!). That also seems to be reasonably comprehensive and up-to-date, but god knows how it's supposed to be 'organised' - maybe by 'date of injury'? Obviously, arranging it by club and alphabetical order would be more sensible; but the denizens of FPL Towers seem to have a deep aversion to the sensible.]

I've recently discovered this additional resource, the weekly Predicted Lineups from Fantasy Football Edits. My longtime standby for this sort of news, Fantasy Footall Scout, does usually provide some explanatory commentary on its predictions, even including reminders of the key injury concerns, and sometimes also some discussion of possible alternate selections; so, if you like a bit more detail with your 'probable lineups' for the week, that could still be the preferable roundup to look at. But because FPL Edits is so stripped-down, it's rather more straightforwardly accessible, easier to scan through quickly; and I think it's also perhaps a tad more reliable with its expected formations and lineups, and a little quicker to update.

So, what are the conundrums we face ahead of Gameweek 31?

Does anybody need to be moved out because of injury?

Jurrien Timber was pulled off just before half-time against Everton last week after suffering a heavy knock, and he wasn't able to take part against Leverkusen on Tuesday. Apparently an ankle problem, though not too serious: Arteta claims to be hopeful that he might be available for the League Cup on Sunday. That might just be the usual 'smoke-and-mirrors', but.... it doesn't seem like a problem that we should be still need to be worrying about for Gameweek 32 in the second week of April.

A fair old injury crisis at the back for poor Chelsea this week: Trevoh Chalobah was stretchered off against PSG on Tuesday with an ankle injury; not as bad as first feared, but could sideline for six weeks or so (enough to put his World Cup chances in jeopardy). Reece James finally pinged his infamous hamstring again towards the end of last week's Newcastle game; still being assessed, but his previous history with this sort of injury doesn't inspire optimism that he'll be playing much further part this season. And Malo Gusto and Benoit Badiashile were both wiped out by illness this week (there's something going around...). Goalie Filip Jorgensen also missed out against Newcastle with a sudden groin issue; and that, apparently has required surgery, which means he's likely to be unavailable for most of the rest of the season (good news, at least, for Robert Sanchez - and anyone who still owns him in FPL).

James Tarkowski was an unexpected absentee last week against Arsenal, having allegedly picked up a late knock in training. Moyes has been oddly enigmatic in failing to give any details at all on what the problem is or how long he might be out for; but if you need to ditch a player to make room for one of your blankers on the bench this week, he's suddenly looking like a prime candidate. (And, given that he's the third highest scoring defender in the game this year, after only the gobsmacking Arsenal pair of Gabriel and Timber, how was he owned by only 11.5% of FPL managers??)

Emile Smith Rowe was another surprise omission last week, having suddenly complained of feeling a muscle problem in training shortly before the game.

Mo Salah is another doubt this weekend, having asked to come off with a quarter of an hour left against Galatasary on Tuesday after feeling stiffness in his leg.

Noussair Mazraoui is another who's been down with illness this week, though Michael Carrick is bullish about him being OK again this weekend (though not a regular starter, anyway!).

Sandro Tonali had to come off with a muscle problem (groin and/or hip??) against Barcelona this week, and looks very doubtful for this weekend.

Sunderland defensive stalwart Dan Ballard (owned by nearly 4.0% in FPL) had to come off against Brighton last week with a tight hamstring; seems not too serious, but makes him a doubt for the derby game. Robin Roefs, however, might be back - at least on the bench - this week.

Yet more injury woes for Spurs: Yves Bissouma (although he hasn't been getting regular gametime this year) missed out at Liverpool last week because of a muscle injury. And Dominic Solanke was unable to take part against Atleti on Tuesday because of a hip problem - although Tudor seems hopeful that he'll have shaken it off in time to face Forest on Sunday.

Wolves - remarkably - have NO PLAYERS listed as injured this week.

Do we have any players who are dropped, or not looking likely to get the starts we hoped for?

Leeds's Gabriel Gudmundsson, sent off for two yellow cards against Palace last weekend, is the only suspension this week. Wow!

Tyrique George is a loanee from Chelsea, so can't play for Everton against them this week.

Did anyone give other cause to consider dropping them?

A lot of people have been turning against Haaland for his patchy returns in the past couple of months or so. But that's always a high-risk strategy: even if he hasn't scored much recently, he is still the best forward in the league, and playing for the best creative team in the league (well, OK, Manchester United are making a fight of that at the moment; but one of the best creative teams....).

I observed ruefully last week that Spurs players had been looking like poison for a while,... and Liverpool players were suddenly not so very far behind them in the under-performing stakes. But Spurs were immeasurably better at Anfield last Sunday; and Liverpool weren't. But perhaps Liverpool have now turned their form around with a much better performance in the Champions League? (Although, that was only against Galatasaray; and they had a very poor game....)  I'd still treat Fantasy selections from both teams with extreme caution; especially Spurs! But in the last few months, it is Florian Wirtz who's been making Liverpool tick; and now that he's back from injury, we're seeing immediate results. (Having Szoboszlai released from the right full-back role helps enormously too! Although Frimpong still doesn't look at all convincing there, especially defensively.)

Did anyone play so well, you have to consider bringing them in immediately?

Cole Palmer, despite still only looking at around 85% or 90% of full fitness, came very, very close to a 20-point game against Newcastle. And I'm still banging the drum for Marcus Tavernier too; he put on another superb display for Bournemouth - without actually being rewarded with any FPL points (he is now very much due). Dwight McNeil, suddenly back in David Moyes's good books after being in limbo for most of the season, is starting to look pretty tasty too.

BEST OF LUCK, EVERYONE!

Dilemmas of the Week - GW 30 (25/26)

 

Although it was a dismal week in Europe for the English clubs, at least we seem to have come through the ordeal with no new injuries. And last weekend's FA Cup ties were mercifully free of casualties too. And some teams who'd exited the Cup early and aren't involved in Europe were able to take brief warm-weather breaks this past week. Touch wood, despite the ongoing dismal weather in England, it looks as though the peak of the inevitable midwinter injury crisis may now be passing. Although, with 9 teams facing difficult return legs in the European competitions this coming midweek, there is an extremely high risk of rotations this weekend - and, with that, probably an increased likelihood of some eccentric results.

I am trying to streamline these weekly round-ups a bit from last year, restricting myself for the most part to just the injuries etc. affecting players that are likely to have a major significance in FPL; and also, of course, only to new injuries - I figure everyone should be aware of players who've already been ruled out for some time!  

[For some years, I have found the 'Injuries & Bans' summary on Fantasy Football Scout the most reliable resource for this kind of information; although this site, Premier League Injuries, is a very good alternative (often a little quicker to update, I think - though it did go through a bit of a glitchy period for a while last year).  Go check these out for more comprehensive coverage. 

I see the Fantasy Premier League site has added an improved 'Player Availability' page this year (though hidden under 'The Scout' tab?!). That also seems to be reasonably comprehensive and up-to-date, but god knows how it's supposed to be 'organised' - maybe by 'date of injury'? Obviously, arranging it by club and alphabetical order would be more sensible; but the denizens of FPL Towers seem to have a deep aversion to the sensible.]

So, what are the conundrums we face ahead of Gameweek 30?

Does anybody need to be moved out because of injury?

Leandro Trossard came off early in the Cup game against Mansfield with a muscle problem, and wasn't involved against Leverkusen midweek.

Matty Cash had to come off at half-time against Chelsea in GW29 with a calf problem, but it looks as though he should be available again this weekend.

Rico Henry, only recently reintroduced after a long lay-off, has picked up a serious hamstring strain which looks as though it might keep him out for the rest of the season.

Kaoru Mitoma came off at half-time against Arsenal in GW29 with an ankle problem. Scans reveal nothing serious, but he has been struggling with pain and hasn't trained much since.

Daniel Munoz had to come off against Spurs in GW29 with a shoulder injury, and is still looking doubtful to return this week.

Leeds are suddenly missing their two preferred forward options, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin suffering with a knee problem and Noah Okafor missing training this week with a hip issue. Presumably Lukas Nmecha, and perhaps also Joel Piroe, will get more of a chance while they're out.

Alisson missed the trip to Galatasary this week after feeling a muscle problem in training; Slot is hopeful he might be back this weekend.

Forest winger Dan Ndoye missed the European game on Thursday because of a training knock.

Cristian Romero and Joao Palhinha suffered a clash of heads in Tuesday's game against Atletico Madrid, and will both have to miss this week. Conor Gallagher is also a doubt, having missed training with an illness this week.

Recently in-form winger Crysencio Summerville suffered a calf-strain in Monday night's Cup win over Brentford, and looks likely to miss out this weekend.

Jose Sa has been troubled by a persistent ankle injury, which led to him being omitted in the FA Cup game against Liverpool last weekend.

Do we have any players who are dropped, or not looking likely to get the starts we hoped for?

Pedro Neto is still suspended, having received an additional one-match bna from the FA for failing to leave the pitch promptly after being sent off for a second yellow-card offence against Arsenal at the start of the month.

Micky Van de Ven is suspended this week after being sent off for a 'denial of a goalscoring opportunity' against Palace in GW29.

Jadon Sancho is, remarkably, still a Manchester United player, and is thus ineligible to play against them for Villa this week.

Raul Jimenez will be missing for Fulham as his father has recently died.

Did anyone give other cause to consider dropping them?

Spurs, of course, have been FPL poison for months; but I rather fear Liverpool are getting there as well - they have been absolutely awful in the last few league games. Villa have also been in a very bad run - but at least Onana is back to give them a bit more steel in the middle of the park, McGinn should be close to a return, and Ollie Watkins managed to get on the scoresheet against Lille on Thursday, so... maybe things are about to turn around for them? (Just as Morgan Rogers became the week's most transferred-out player.....)

Did anyone play so well, you have to consider bringing them in immediately?

Marcus Tavernier - not Joao Pedro! - produced the 'Performance of the Gameweek' last time: he was absolutely magnificent, and very, very unlucky not to come away with a 20-point haul. This was a classic example of how the FPL points returns are often no guide at all to how well someone has played. Against Burnley this time, I'd seriously fancy him as a captaincy option. James Tarkowski and Marcos Senesi also recommended themselves as top defensive options - but they've actually been decent picks for most of the season, and many managers will have kept them since Gameweek 1.

BEST OF LUCK, EVERYONE!

Dilemmas of the Week - GW 29 (25/26)

Not too many new injury doubts emerging at the weekend - but the ones we have seen all happen to be to very highly-owned players, so many FPL managers are facing a little bit of a crisis for this vexed Midweek Gameweek.

And with many of the managerial press conferences not happening until Tuesday, we won't have a clear picture of availability and likely line-ups until fairly shortly before the deadline. And, with evening kick-offs, late-breaking news on likely starting elevens - and the FPL deadline itself - will only happen after half the world has gone to bed.

I am trying to streamline these weekly round-ups a bit from last year, restricting myself for the most part to just the injuries etc. affecting players that are likely to have a major significance in FPL; and also, of course, only to new injuries - I figure everyone should be aware of players who've already been ruled out for some time!  

[For some years, I have found the 'Injuries & Bans' summary on Fantasy Football Scout the most reliable resource for this kind of information; although this site, Premier League Injuries, is a very good alternative (often a little quicker to update, I think - though it did go through a bit of a glitchy period for a while last year).  Go check these out for more comprehensive coverage. 

I see the Fantasy Premier League site has added an improved 'Player Availability' page this year (though hidden under 'The Scout' tab?!). That also seems to be reasonably comprehensive and up-to-date, but god knows how it's supposed to be 'organised' - maybe by 'date of injury'? Obviously, arranging it by club and alphabetical order would be more sensible; but the denizens of FPL Towers seem to have a deep aversion to the sensible.]

So, what are the conundrums we face ahead of Gameweek 29?

Does anybody need to be moved out because of injury?

Declan Rice came off with a knock 15 minutes before the end against Chelsea on Sunday. Martin Odegaard was also missing (again) for that game, with a knee problem.

Bournemouth striker Evanilson suffered a dead leg against Sunderland on Saturday and has been struggling since.

Vitaly Janelt was a late omission against Burnley, and apparently has a metatarsal injury which will now keep him out for a while. Reiss Nelson, supposedly back from his long injury woes, also missed that match with a calf-strain, and remains doubtful.

Winger Marcus Edwards had to miss Burnley's last match after a training knock.

Joachim Andersen was an unexpected absentee for Fulham at the weekend because of illness; it's not clear if he's yet recovered.

Harry Wilson limped off 20 minutes before the end against Spurs after suffering a knock to his ankle, but Marco Silva seems hopeful he might be OK again for the West Ham game on Wednesday night. 

Joe Rodon, only recently back from injury, felt tightness in his hamstring against City at the week, but scans seem to be all clear, so Daniel Farke is hopeful he will be able to play this midweek.James Justin is also a doubt, after suffering a gashed leg in the weekend game.

The BIGGIE of this gameweek (of the season...) is that Erling Haaland missed the weekend's game against Leeds because of a late training knock, and Pep was initially hesitant to say when he might be back; but now, apparently, things are looking much more promising on that. Still, a yellow-flag is a yellow-flag....

Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire came off early on Sunday against Palace, suffering with a bug. (Just about nobody owns either of them at the moment; but it is worrying that other Manchester United players might suddenly drop out, if there's something going around.)

Jacob Ramsey was also pulled off at half-time against Everton because he was suffering with an illness. He is now reportedly over that problem, though it's not clear how much of training he's been able to attend since the weekend. Nick Woltemade has now been laid low (with the same bug?); and there may be concerns about something running through the Newcastle camp.

Stefan Ortega was another late omission at the weekend, having picked up a calf problem in the European game against Fenerbahce a few days before; not too serious, but he's likely to miss the game against City as well.

Do we have any players who are dropped, or not looking likely to get the starts we hoped for?

Maxence Lacroix has to serve a one-match ban for a 'denial of a goalscoring opportunity' offence at the weekend. Pedro Neto also has to miss a game after earning two yellow cards against Arsenal.

Cristian Romero and Freddie Potts are serving the last games of their long bans this gameweek.

Did anyone give other cause to consider dropping them?

I haven't had any Newcastle or Palace players for a while, but I am worried that they are now joining Spurs in pariah territory.

And although Liverpool were ultimately able to come away with a high-scoring win against West Ham last Saturday, they were absolutely bloody awful (especially in the first-half, especially in defence) and scarcely deserved even a point from the game.

Did anyone play so well, you have to consider bringing them in immediately?

Jordan Pickford!!! (I have tended to feel all season that he's a bit too expensive, and that Everton's form isn't quite solid enough to justify him being an FPL goalkeeper pick, but.... he is the best keeper in the league. And he should have got 20 extra points for that save!)

BEST OF LUCK, EVERYONE!

Dilemmas of the Week - GW 28 (25/26)

 

Not too many major new injuries this week, it seems, but.... a fair few minor 'niggles' and uncertainties.

And of course, press conferences on Friday morning (in the UK) won't get widely reported (or at least not written up on the main FPL reference sites like Fantasy Football Scout) until mid- or late afternoon,... which is the middle of the night for folks like me, in East Asia. And dammit, Wolves v Villa is a Friday evening kick-off, so people in my timezone will be struggling to get fully up-to-date... before the extremely inconvenient FPL deadline. If I catch any late-breaking news this evening, I'll endeavour to update here (but, to be honest, I'm more likely to be down the pub!).

I am trying to streamline these weekly round-ups a bit from last year, restricting myself for the most part to just the injuries etc. affecting players that are likely to have a major significance in FPL; and also, of course, only to new injuries - I figure everyone should be aware of players who've already been ruled out for some time!  

[For some years, I have found the 'Injuries & Bans' summary on Fantasy Football Scout the most reliable resource for this kind of information; although this site, Premier League Injuries, is a very good alternative (often a little quicker to update, I think - though it did go through a bit of a glitchy period for a while last year).  Go check these out for more comprehensive coverage. 

I see the Fantasy Premier League site has added an improved 'Player Availability' page this year (though hidden under 'The Scout' tab?!). That also seems to be reasonably comprehensive and up-to-date, but god knows how it's supposed to be 'organised' - maybe by 'date of injury'? Obviously, arranging it by club and alphabetical order would be more sensible; but the denizens of FPL Towers seem to have a deep aversion to the sensible.]

So, what are the conundrums we face ahead of Gameweek 28?

Does anybody need to be moved out because of injury?

Bukayo Saka is one of the biggest worries this week, having come off early with a 'knock' in the trouncing of Spurs last week. At least his absence would make room for the impressive Madueke to get more gametime. (And Kai Havertz and Max Dowman are thought to be nearly ready to rejoin the action too. They might also get a look-in on the right side of the forward trio.) Ben White missed last weekend's game owing to an unspecified niggling injury - but he seems to have fallen out of favour as a starter anyway.

Bournemouth's midfield stalwart Lewis Cook felt a problem in his hamstring in trainiing the day before last weekend's game; Iraola hopes it isn't too serious, but it's likely to keep him out this week as well.

Brentford appear to have lost two of their full-back options in quick succession: Michael Kayode missed last week's game with a late training injury, and Aaron HIckey had to come off with a knock in the first-half against Brighton. This might mean that Keane Lewis-Potter, lately more dangerous as an attacker, might have to go back to being a wing-back/full-back.

Carlos Alcaraz was unavailable to face Manchester United on Monday because of a training injury.

Fulham's young Brazilian winger Kevin had to come off with a knock in last week's game against Sunderland, and might be missing for a little while. Antonee Robinson was also a surprise absentee in that game, having apparently suffered an ankle injury late in the previous week's training.

The biggest uncertainty of the week is Florian Wirtz, who's really come into form over the past couple of months or so, and is now owned by 8.5% of managers. He missed last Sunday's game against Forest after straining his back in the warm-up, and remains a doubt; nearly 130,000 have already offloaded him this week.

Lisandro Martinez missed the Monday night trip to Everton with a calf issue, and is expected to be out for at least a couple of weeks. Bryan Mbeumo limped off near the end in that match, but it appears to have been just some cramp, and he's apparently been training again this week.

Jacob Ramsey dropped out of the squad to play Qarabag on Tuesday with a tight hamstring, but apparently scans have revealed nothing seriously amiss, so he might be available again for this weekend.

Sunderland are really in the wars: Nordi Mukiele limped off after just 10 minutes against Fulham last week with a calf-strain, and forwards Romaine Mundle (hamstring) and Brian Brobbey (groin strain) had to withdraw before the end. The little used Dennis Cirkin had also been unavailable because of an injury just before that match.

Do we have any players who are dropped, or not looking likely to get the starts we hoped for?

Wesley Fofana is serving a one-match ban for a second yellow card last week (and is lucky it wasn't more, as his clumsy lunge on James Ward-Prowse was worthy of a straight red).

Ladislav Krejci is also facing a one-match ban for picking up two yellow cards last week (he's rather unlucky, since he appeared to be just clearing the ball upfield because he hadn't heard the referee's whistle, when he earned his second). 

Cristian Romero is now serving the third instalment of a four-game ban (he's had an extra game added on automatically, because his clogging of Casemiro a couple of weeks back was his second red card of the season).

And West Ham's Freddie Potts is serving the second part of a three-game ban.

Did anyone give other cause to consider dropping them?

Pep's midfield rotations are getting more and more worrying: last week, Cherki, Foden, and Reijnders were all left on the bench. It makes you wonder how 'safe' any City picks are. Even Semenyo, I fear, might find himself in a three-way rotation with Cherki and Doku, once the latter is fully fit again.

And I'm afraid all Spurs players are avoid-like-the-plague options at the moment, as any 'new manager bounce' with Igor Tudor seems unliekly to be able to slow their death-spiral into the relegation zone.

Did anyone play so well, you have to consider bringing them in immediately?

Bournemouth's 19-year-old Brazilian winger, Rayan, is in sensational form at the moment; but, given his tender years, I doubt if he'll continue to start every week, now that Marcus Tavernier appears to be fit again.

Although he hasn't come up with a return in the last two games, Dango Ouattara is relishing finally getting a regular start at Brentford, and has come into some useful form in the past month or so (although I'd still probably incline towards Kevin Schade, if taking a second attacking asset from Brentford).

Benjamin Sesko and Martin Gyokeres finally seem to have found their scoring boots - although neither can be relied upon as an invariable starter (Gyokeres, perhaps, is very nearly so; although he might face some competition once Havertz is fully fit again; but, unfortunately, Arsenal are notoriously creating very few open-play chances this year, so even their most promising attacking players aren't as attractive for FPL as all that - if people are still sceptical of Saka, Gyokeres shouldn't be getting anywhere near consideration).

And young Nico O'Reilly, of course, produced the performance of the week last time with a fine brace of goals against Newcastle, and now bears the curse of being the gameweek's most transferred-in player (well, nearly - he is, somehow, being narrowly beaten by Virgil Van Dijk at the moment; they're both closing in on half a million new owners). But, as I just noted above, you really can't trust Pep to field any of his midfielders every week, no matter how well they play.

BEST OF LUCK, EVERYONE!