DREAM TEAM managers should look beyond the international break before deciding their next moves.
The temptation is to make transfers tailored to this weekend’s fixtures but it might be wise to start planning for April’s schedule with a view to attaining long-term gains.
Gameweek 29 is relatively simple on paper with 18 of the 20 Premier League clubs scheduled to play once — Wolves and Crystal Palace are the teams to miss out.
This is because they were originally due to face Arsenal and Manchester City respectively in league games that had to be rearranged when the two title challengers qualified for the Carabao Cup final.
The Gunners will meet Pep Guardiola’s side at Wembley this coming Sunday in a fixture that will feature several of Dream Team’s most popular players, some in direct competition.
For example, many Dream Team bosses will own Gabriel (£4.9m) and Erling Haaland (£6.6m) — it’s unlikely both will succeed as a goal for the latter would wipe out the former’s clean sheet.
This is the nature of such match-ups.
GAMEWEEK 29 FIXTURES
- Bournemouth v Manchester United
- Brighton v Liverpool
- Fulham v Burnley
- Everton v Chelsea
- Leeds v Brentford
- Newcastle v Sunderland
- Aston Villa v West Ham
- Tottenham v Nottingham Forest
- Arsenal v Manchester City
Gameweek 30 is a trickier prospect for gaffers as all teams eliminated from the FA Cup and Europe will not play even once.
Six top flight teams will compete in the cup quarter-finals: Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, West Ham and Leeds.
Of that sextet, the Gunners are the only club with a Champions League quarter-final first leg also in the diary for Gameweek 30 as things stand.
Arne Slot’s men could join Arsenal in doubling up after the break if they are able to overturn a one-goal deficit against Galatasaray later today.
It’s worth noting that the Reds will travel to the Etihad in the FA Cup on April 4th while Mikel Arteta’s troops will visit Southampton.
Saints are one of the better Championship teams but Arsenal should be able to rotate whereas Slot will probably have to name strong line-ups for both fixtures (if they remain active in Europe).
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The truly juicy double headers, the ones worth targeting, will follow in Gameweek 31 when the European quarter-final second legs will follow a full round of league games.
Arsenal’s back-to-back home games against Bournemouth and Sporting CP are ripe with potential.
Here are the other potential Gameweek 31 double headers if the English clubs make it past the last 16 of their respective competitions, excluding Spurs who need a miracle against Atletico Madrid.
- LIVERPOOL v Fulham (h) & PSG (h)
- NEWCASTLE v Crystal Palace (a) & Atletico Madrid/Spurs (a)
- ASTON VILLA v Nott’m Forest (a) & Roma/Bologna (h)
- NOTTINGHAM FOREST v Aston Villa (h) & Porto/Stuttgart (h)
- CRYSTAL PALACE v Newcastle (h) & Fiorentina/Rakow Czestochowa (a)
Among those, the Villains are the only team who won their round of 16 first leg and are therefore the most likely to join Arsenal in having two fixtures to fulfil in Gameweek 31.
The picture will be clearer at the end of the week but the best gaffers will already be plotting how to approach the next three Gameweeks ahead of Friday’s 6:30pm deadline.
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