How many Double Gameweek 25 players should we own?

Man City, Brentford, Luton and Liverpool all play twice in Double Gameweek 25 but the latter two blank immediately after.

This means that simply stacking up on those about to play twice isn’t the answer. It’s less straightforward than that.

With extremely popular FPL picks Cole Palmer (£5.9m), Richarlison (£7.2m) and Pedro Porro (£5.8m) also blanking in Gameweek 26 – EFL Cup final weekend – managers are at risk of not being able to field a full 11.

Fantasy Football Scout‘s Season Ticker helps with planning a way to navigate the upcoming schedule, which also includes Double Gameweek 28 and Blank Gameweek 29.

Club-by-club, let’s assess which doublers are essential to own and which may need to be sacrificed for the greater good.

MANCHESTER CITY

As always at this time of year, the champions are in relentless form. Six straight league wins where Phil Foden (£8.0m), Erling Haaland (£14.4m), Kevin De Bruyne (£10.8m) and Julian Alvarez (£6.8m) have all hauled at some point.

Given that the previously undropped Kyle Walker (£5.5m) has been benched in two of the last three encounters, managers may even opt for an attacking triple-up, knowing that – unlike Liverpool – they don’t blank in Gameweek 26.

However, these Walker developments signify just how unpredictable minutes could be now that Champions League football is back. ‘Pep Roulette’ has returned, meaning caution is needed.

Many will use their Triple Captain chip on Haaland this week, making him a must-have. But bookmakers currently think their Gameweek 29 match is the most likely postponement due to FA Cup consequences.

LIVERPOOL

Meanwhile, not only is the possible run of blank, Nottingham Forest (a), Man City (h), blank a problem when overcommitting on Liverpool, but we also need Jurgen Klopp updates on the injury status of Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.6m).

The former will affect how much game time that explosive pair Darwin Nunez (£7.6m) and Diogo Jota (£8.2m) will receive. The latter is highly-owned himself and could instead be moved to Virgil van Dijk (£6.4m).

At the same time, Liverpool are the league’s best attacking team. No others have had more attempts (457), shots on target (160) or expected goals (xG, 52.61).

BRENTFORD

One of just five teams to currently be guaranteed participation in both Gameweeks 26 and 29, Brentford’s double means they’re the only team that definitely has six matches over these next five rounds.

That really boosts the appeal of Ivan Toney (£8.2m), even though it’s a tough double versus Man City and Liverpool. Being on penalties should almost make him fixture-proof but it’s probably worth avoiding his team-mates.

Perhaps there’s a slight case to be made for Sergio Reguilon (£4.4m). The attacking full-back bagged 12 points at the weekend thanks to an assist and clean sheet. Although it was their first of the latter in 13 attempts.

LUTON TOWN

With Luton, there’s a high-risk, high-reward strategy considering they’re the only team with two doubles but could also end up with two blanks as well. Not many FPL managers will have the squad depth to cope with this.

Despite the team losing to Sheffield United in Gameweek 24, their previous two outings brought four Hatters goals. Elijah Adebayo (£4.9m) has bagged five in five matches and Ross Barkley (£5.0m) has seven goal involvements in 10. Not only that, crossing machine Alfie Doughty (£4.6m) recently went on a six-game streak of returns.

It ended against the Blades, where he was still able to create nine chances – more than anyone else in a single 2023/24 Premier League match. This bargain trio have a lot to offer.

OPTIMUM NUMBER FOR DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 25

Therefore it might be wise to have no more than two or three players from the Liverpool and Luton pair, knowing they have Blank Gameweek 26.

Neither Man City nor Brentford have this problem, so managers can confidently collect three or four of them. Afterwards, they travel to Bournemouth and West Ham respectively – both of whom bring high potential for opposing midfielders and forwards.