Fixture list provides captaincy conundrum as Morata red sparks firesale

The reverse of the gameweek 20 fixture list, GW24 looks as though it should be a high-scoring affair before the FA Cup fourth round sees fantasy managers given a weekend off.

Gameweek 24 Fixtures

Saturday 20th January

Brighton vs Chelsea (12:30)

Arsenal vs Crystal Palace (15:00)

Burnley vs Man Utd (15:00)

Everton vs West Brom (15:00)

Leicester vs Watford (15:00)

Stoke vs Huddersfield (15:00)

West Ham vs Bournemouth (15:00)

Man City vs Newcastle (17:30)

Sunday 21st January

Southampton vs Spurs (16:00)

Monday 22nd January

Swansea vs Liverpool (20:00)

The Captain Conundrum

Nailing the captaincy choice could be essential to rising up the rankings in GW24. Back in GW20, both Tottenham and Liverpool scored five times against the opponents they face this gameweek. Harry Kane (£13.0m) scored a hat-trick against Southampton as Tottenham ran riot. Mauricio Pellegrino’s side have conceded four times since GW20, with a miracle clean sheet against Man Utd the Saints’ only shut-out since GW10.

FPL top-scorer Mohamed Salah (£10.2m) clocked up two assists against Swansea as Roberto Firmino (£9.2m) bagged a brace. Caretaker manager Leon Britton oversaw the Swans’ sorry performance at Anfield, with the side since conceding four goals in three gameweeks under new boss Carlos Carvalhal. Despite being bottom of the Premier League table, Swansea are 19th in the FPL points conceded table with Stoke City ‘leading’ the way.

Top GW24 captaincy contender Sergio Aguero (£11.7m) played 76 minutes away to Newcastle in GW20 as a Raheem Sterling (£8.9m) goal proved decisive at St James’ Park. The Argentine did have a goal ruled out for offside, however, while spurning several good chances as the Magpies rode their luck in defence.

Finally beaten in GW23 by an impressive Liverpool, Pep Guardiola’s sharks could smell blood in the water at home to Rafa Benitez’s outfit. Aguero has a goal-per-game record against Newcastle, who have conceded 51 shots inside the box in their last four away ties.

The Toon Army have let in just one goal since GW21, however, though the fixture difficulty pales in comparison to Saturday’s test at the Etihad. It would be no surprise to see Benitez employ the 5-4-1 formation that somehow managed to concede just once to the Citizens in GW20.

Gabriel Jesus (£10.0m) is on course to return for the first leg of City’s Champions League last-16 tie against Basel on February 13, though could be available sooner. Aguero’s starts should be secure for games against West Brom (h), Burnley (a) and Leicester (h), though Guardiola has the option of playing either Sterling or Bernardo Silva (£7.4m) as a false nine.

All Aboard Arnie?

Topping the transfers-in column this week is Marko Arnautovic (£7.0m), with over 190,000 new owners. After missing out on the clash against Spurs in DGW22, the Austrian belatedly rewarded investors with a 16-point haul against Huddersfield in GW23.

The Austrian played over 50 minutes as West Ham required extra time to see off Shrewsbury Town in an FA Cup third-round replay on Tuesday. Another popular midfield target, Riyad Mahrez (£8.6m), was withdrawn with just 10 minutes to go after starting and assisting a goal in Leicester’s 2-0 replay win over Fleetwood Town.

Despite a first blank in five Premier League outings, the Algerian was the star of the show at Stamford Bridge in GW23. With just an away day at Man City blemishing an otherwise excellent Leicester schedule over the next seven gameweeks, Mahrez represents an intriguing pick should he remains with the Foxes.

Being sacrificed for the above duo, particularly Arnautovic, is Jesse Lingard (£6.4m). Four goals and an assist from the midfielder’s previous six gameweeks made the Man Utd attacker the most transferred-in player ahead of GW23.

Despite creating numerous opportunities for his teammates, Lingard left the pitch after 79 minutes with just two points to his name having picked up a booking for persistent fouling. Paul Pogba (£8.0m) did pick up two assists in an all-round dazzling display to re-stake his claim as United’s go-to fantasy option in attack.

Jose Mourinho’s side face a fairly decent run of fixtures over the next four gameweeks, with games against Burnley (a), Spurs (a), Huddersfield (h) and Newcastle (a). Owners of Phil Jones (£5.7m) and David de Gea (£5.9m) will be hoping for returns from three of those four games, while Tottenham might represent the only stern test for the Red Devils’ rampant attack. Burnley, for example, are winless in six having kept just two clean sheets over that period. Nick Pope (£4.8m) owners may also want to consider replacements over the coming gameweeks given the fact that Tom Heaton (£4.7m) has returned to training.

United are scheduled to play Chelsea at Old Trafford in GW28, though both teams will have a blank gameweek if Antonio Conte’s side reach the Carabao Cup final. One player unlikely to last in many teams until that gameweek is Alvaro Morata (£10.4m), who spurned two good chances after coming on against Norwich before receiving two extra-time yellows in seconds for diving and dissent.

The firesale of the Chelsea forward is starting in earnest, with over 40,000 owners dropping the Spaniard since his daft sending off. A second price drop of the week for Morata, who will easily top the transfers-out column ahead of GW24, is inevitable.

Aguero, Firmino and Jamie Vardy (£8.6m) are all popular targets for Morata sellers, while Callum Wilson (£5.8m) looks the standout budget option for those looking to redistribute funds. Having been dumped out of the FA Cup by Wigan, the Cherries will have a fixture in blank gameweek 31 should Liverpool beat West Brom in the fourth round next weekend.

Eden Hazard (£10.6m) lasted just 57 minutes in GW23 as Conte looks to manage his star attacker’s pitch time. The midfielder also played 20 minutes in extra time on Wednesday as the Blues eventually saw off the Canaries, with the Belgian scoring the winning spot-kick in a penalty shootout.

Despite Chelsea’s kind run of fixtures between GW24 and GW27, investment in the Blues’ attack seems unwarranted from a fantasy point-of-view. Marcos Alonso (£7.3m) remains the key Stamford Bridge asset. The Spaniard has scored at least six points in each of the last seven gameweeks, including two double-figure hauls.

Cut-price option Andreas Christensen (£5.6m) has started just once in the previous four gameweeks as Conte rotates his back three, though the injury status of Gary Cahill (£6.2m) will shed more light on the Dane’s viability as a fantasy asset.

The England defender was not part of Chelsea’s FA Cup replay squad due to the minor hamstring injury which forced him off early on against Leicester. Christensen played almost 40 minutes against Norwich, while both Alonso and Antonio Rudiger (£5.9m) were handed the night off.

Good Window To Save A Transfer?

With just gameweeks 24 and 25 left before the transfer window closes, holding a free fantasy transfer this week could be highly advantageous.

FPL bosses will hopefully have a clearer view of how squads will be set up for the business end of the season by GW25, while most players’ short-term futures should be resolved.

Pehraps Theo Walcott (£7.1m) can be the midfield differential all fantasy bosses will be looking for when playing the second wildcard.

One thing is for certain; there will be several more names to add to our watchlists before the window shuts on the 31st of January.