Double Gameweek 31 was a thrilling one at both ends of the table. At the top end, Man City and Liverpool each triumphed ahead of their clash this coming Sunday, Pep Guardiola’s side beating Burnley 0-2 at Turf Moor last Saturday after the Reds had defeated Watford 2-0 earlier in the day. Four midfielders were on the scoresheet in the form of Kevin De Bruyne (£11.7m), Ilkay Gundogan (£7.1m), Diogo Jota (£8.3m) and Fabinho (£5.4m). Spurs also took a huge step forward in their quest for a Champions League place by triumphing 5-1 against Newcastle, before fierce rivals Arsenal lost 3-0 to Crystal Palace the following night.
At the bottom, Everton fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of West Ham in their opening fixture, Jarrod Bowen (£6.9m) marking his return to the Hammers starting line-up with a goal, before losing 3-2 to Burnley in a proverbial “relegation six-pointer”. Richarlison (£7.5m) scoring two penalties could prevent the outcome as the Clarets came back from 2-1 down to win 3-2 with Maxwel Cornet (£5.9m) netting the all-important winning goal.
No doubles or blanks on the horizon this time round as we look ahead to Gameweek 32. Each Premier League teams will be competing with another round of bumper fixtures and we analyse the three games which should attract the most attention from an FPL perspective, highlighting a number of players in the process.
GAMEWEEK 32 FIXTURES
Friday 8th April
Newcastle vs Wolves (20:00)
Saturday 9th April
Everton vs Man Utd (12:30)
Arsenal vs Brighton (15:00)
Southampton vs Chelsea (15:00)
Watford vs Leeds Utd (15:00)
Aston Villa vs Spurs (17:30)
Sunday 10th April
Brentford vs West Ham (14:00)
Leicester vs Crystal Palace (14:00)
Norwich vs Burnley (14:00)
Man City vs Liverpool (16:30)
MAN UTD KEANE TO ATTACK IN GOODISON BEARPIT
All eyes may be on Everton in this Saturday lunchtime clash between them and Man Utd, however the Red Devils desperately need the three points for their own reasons. Dropping points against Leicester last weekend have left their top four hopes hanging in a balance and victory here is crucial for them. Everton though, are fighting for their Premier League lives and anything less than a win in Gameweek 32 could see them drop into the relegation places later on in the weekend should Burnley better their result away to Norwich.
Forward Richarlison offers the most FPL potential from an Everton point of view, although goalkeeper Jordan Pickford (£4.9m) is also worthy of consideration as he is expected to be busy against the Red Devils. For Man Utd, Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.2m) is expected to return to the starting line-up after illness sidelined him against Leicester. It would also be remiss not to mention midfielder Bruno Fernandes (£11.6m), who has accumulated two goals, two assists and 32 FPL points across his last five Premier League appearances.
ARSENAL TO FEAST ON TOOTHLESS SEAGULLS
A big reaction is expected from Arsenal following their beating at the hands of Crystal Palace last Monday which saw them lose their place in the top four as they return to the Emirates Stadium for Gameweek 32. Brighton are the visitors and Graham Potter’s side are in terrible league form. The Seagulls have scored just once in their last seven top flight fixtures, losing all seven games and confidence within their dressing must be at an all-time low.
It would be no surprise to see Arsenal defensive assets prove attractive this weekend, including goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale (£5.1m) and cheap centre-back Ben White (£4.6m), whilst midfielders Martin Odegaard (£5.5m) and Bukayo Saka (£6.8m) also stand out as attractive fantasy picks. Saka especially, has impressive this season for the Gunners and is comfortably their highest scoring FPL asset in 2021-22 with 140 points.
SALAH THE SCOURGE OF CITY AGAIN?
When Mo Salah (£13.3m) faces off against Man City, normally he finds himself on the scoresheet and the Egyptian will be looking to make it four goals in as many fixtures against Pep Guardiola’s side in Gameweek 32 as Liverpool travel to the Etihad Stadium knowing that victory takes them top of the Premier League. Guardiola’s men are susceptible to pace on the counter-attack in particular, which plays to Salah’s strengths more than most.
Also an enticing option is Salah’s fellow midfielder Sadio Mane (£11.7m) who was also on the scoresheet in the reverse fixture earlier in the campaign, as was Man City’s Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian international has discovered some real goalscoring form for City, scoring in each of his last three games in all competitions. Whilst De Bruyne, like Salah and Mane commands a premium price, his creativity and penchant for goals from midfield makes him worth the cost.
