FPL Blank Gameweek 30 – The Fixtures
Double Gameweek 29 despite not being completed as of yet, has already thrown up a number of twists and turns both at the top and bottom of the Premier League table, not to mention in the world of FPL. The weekend began perfectly for most as Liverpool recorded a comfortable 0-2 victory over Brighton. Clean sheets for the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.5m) and Virgil van Dijk (£6.8m), plus goals for Mo Salah (£13.3m) and Luis Diaz (£8.0m) were received gratefully by the FPL community.
Saturday evening saw Man Utd triumph 3-2 against Spurs in an Old Trafford thriller. Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.2m) struck a magnificent hat-trick, cancelling out a goal from Harry Kane (£12.4m) and a Harry Maguire (£5.4m) own goal. The following day saw Leeds Utd clinch a dramatic 2-1 victory at the death over Norwich, whilst a Conor Coady(£4.8m) header gave Wolves a 0-1 win over Everton. A late Kai Havertz (£7.8m) goal subjected Newcastle to defeat the hands of Chelsea and across London, Arsenal comfortably beat Leicester 2-0. League leaders Man City however, were held to a goalless by Crystal Palace. A few days later on Wednesday night, Kane netted again for Spurs as they bounced back with a 0-2 win away at Brighton, whilst Liverpool defeated Arsenal 0-2 at Emirates Stadium.
We turn our attentions from a double gameweek to a far slimmer one this coming weekend, with only five fixtures making up Blank Gameweek 30. Of the teams in action, we focus on the three who appeal most from an FPL point of view, alongside the most enticing player assets.
BLANK GAMEWEEK 30 FIXTURES
Friday 18th March
Wolves vs Leeds (20:00)
Saturday 19th March
Aston Villa vs Arsenal (12:30)
Monday 14th March
Leicester vs Brentford (14:00)
Spurs vs West Ham (16:30)
SPURS OUT TO SEAL SUCCESSIVE HOME HAMMERINGS
The last team Antonio Conte’s side were in action at home, they thrashed lowly Everton by five goals to nil. Whilst West Ham represent admittedly superior competition, Spurs will still fancy their chances of victory on their own patch. With a number of attractive FPL assets within their side, the North London club will be subject to plenty of attention in Blank Gameweek 30, with options limited elsewhere.
Understandably, Harry Kane is expected to prove extremely popular and will likely be the most captained player of the gameweek, whilst midfielders Heung-Min Son (£10.9m) and Dejan Kulusevski (£6.2m) will also court attention. Under Conte, wing-backs are expected to contribute significantly from an attacking point of view, which makes both Matt Doherty (£4.8m) and Sergio Reguilon (£5.2) each worthy of consideration when looking for Spurs defenders.
WOLVES TO STOP LEEDS MARSCH IN ITS TRACKS
Wolves backed up their 4-0 thrashing of Watford in the perfect way last Sunday, beating Everton 0-1 at Goodison Park. Bruno Lage’s men put in a very good performance against a side fighting for their lives and with European football well within reach, they’ll be looking to make it three Premier League wins in a row against Leeds, who are coming off the back of their first win under the command of Jesse Marsch. After conceding late on against Norwich after holding the lead since the first half, Leeds hit back in second half stoppage time to grab a late winner. Winger Raphinha (£6.5m) was vital in the Whites’ winning goal, recording the crucial assist after hitting the woodwork twice across the match and the already healthily owned Brazilian will no doubt garner plenty of attention among FPL bosses.
When assessing the home side, a number of players holds fantasy appeal. Wolves’ notorious defensive prowess should see the likes of goalkeeper Jose Sa (£5.3m) and defender Conor Coady come under the spotlight, whilst going forward Raul Jimenez (£7.6m) will be looking to find the net in successive home league fixtures. It would also be remiss not to mention Ruben Neves (£5.3m), Wolves’ creative spark in midweek who has registered a goal and an assist across his last two league appearances.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT AT ARSENAL
Although Arsenal failed to back up their 2-0 victory over Leicester last Sunday after being beaten 0-2 in midweek by title-chasing Liverpool, the Gunners still have plenty of reason to be optimistic about the future. They still sit in an excellent position to claim a top-four place and contain an exciting young midfield capable of goals and assists from left to right. Boss Mikel Arteta certainly seems to have settle on his favoured starting line-up, which benefits those FPL managers worried about potential rotation.
The Gunners face a trip to the West Midlands in Blank Gameweek 30 to face Aston Villa and all three of their starting attacking midfielders provide fantasy appeal, whether it be Gabriel Martinelli (£5.3m), Martin Odegaard (£5.5m) or Bukayo Saka (£6.6m). However, on the Villa side you have Philippe Coutinho (£7.5m) to consider. The Barcelona loanee boasts two goals and an assist to his name over the course of the hosts’ last three league games
