Players + teams to target

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With the deadline for the first Dual Game Week of the season over, it’s time to consider Game Week 27 – as well as what lies beyond.

In our latest edition of ‘Frisking the Fixtures’, we focus on six games between Game Weeks 27-32.

If you’re new to this series, we show you the FPL teams and players with the most interesting mid-term matches.

This is a very suitable six-match block as it is likely that Double Gameweek 33 and Blank Gameweek 34 will soon follow. There is still a lot that is unknown about these two Gameweeks.

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ABOUT TIKER FIXTURE

As always, our color-coded Season Ticker is the primary source for this article.

Using this tool as a Prime Member, you can sort by difficulty, rank by offensive and defensive potential, or find budget rotation partners.

You can even set your own difficulty level, if you don’t agree with ours.

And new, starting this season, is the ability to customize colors!

There is:

• Premier League green/red color scheme
• Good old Scout red/blue
• Colorblind friendly combination
• Option to set your own color – if you like pink and purple, you definitely can!

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SEASON TICKER OVERVIEW: THE NEXT SIX WEEKS OF GAMES

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LIVERPOOL

Sitting at the top of the Ticker Fixture between Gameweeks 27 and 32 is Liverpool.

There will of course be concerns about a ‘new manager emerging’ at Nottingham Forest, following the appointment of Vitor Pereira. Forest beat Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield in November.

After that, they will face West Ham and Wolves in successive weeks, both of whom the Reds have beaten in the 2025/26 season. The same goes for bottom mid-table sides Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton, who are both languishing at the wrong end of the standings.

It all means Arne Slot’s side have five good chances ahead of them – all against bottom teams – to pick up important wins in the race for a Champions League spot.

Each half of a thriving partnership Hugo Ekitike (£8.9 million) and Florian Wirtz (£8.4m) is likely to gain more supporters over this period, while being a superb free-kick taker Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.7m) returns from his one-match ban in Matchday 27. Mohamed Salah (£14.0 million) may be too rich for some people.

Meanwhile for Gameweek 26 carriers Virgil van Dijk (£5.9m), this Ticker-topping record certainly presents some ideal opportunities to pick up further clean sheets and perhaps even get back into the attack, especially considering Forest and the Hammers are so vulnerable from set pieces.

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ASTON VILLA

Next up is Aston Villa, who started this exciting run of games with a double header against Leeds and Wolves.

Villa beat both teams on their impressive winning streak earlier this season, although Leeds have shown good fight in many games since then while Wolves’ defense has tightened since the turn of the year.

The next double against Chelsea and Manchester United may be more difficult. However, once again, this is a team that Villa managed to beat (2-1 on each occasion) in their previous match.

Both the Blues and United have changed managers and experienced upturns in form since their last meeting with Villa, presenting a new challenge for Emery and company, but you wouldn’t bet against it. Morgan Rogers (£7.6m) spoil the party for Liam Rosenior and/or Michael Carrick. Rogers last bagged two goals against the Red Devils Ollie Watkins (£8.6m) did the same against Chelsea and has now done it Tammy Abraham (£6.0 million) there to provide support.

The run ends with West Ham (H) in Matchday 31 – a game that looks great, on paper, in a week where several clubs will be absent due to the Carabao Cup final – followed by Nottingham Forest (A) in Matchday 32. Once again, Villa have beaten both in the 2025/26 season, with Rogers scoring twice against the Hammers and Watkins scoring against Forest.

The fact that Villa have kept just one clean sheet (Wolves, Gameweek 13) in six attempts against these clubs at the start of this season is a bit of a cause for concern if you want something that is always there. Ezri Konsa (£4.4m), maybe so Matty Cash (£4.9m) – if he is declared fit for Matchday 27 as expected – is worth the extra outlay for the bonus attacking threat he brings.

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BRENTFORD

Brentford are flying high at the moment, having recently carried over some of their commendable home form over the course of the season into the away game.

Qualifying for European football – in a season where many expect them to be relegated – is a real possibility if the Bees persist.

Firstly, they face Brighton at the perfect time to gain revenge for their 2-1 loss in November, given the Seagulls’ poor recent form and lack of wins.

Then it’s a trip to struggling Burnley for the reverse fixture Igor Thiago (£7.0m) scored twice (13 FPL points). Dango Ouattara (£5.8m) scored a goal and an assist (12 FPL points) in the same match.

Brentford beat Gameweek 29 opponents Bournemouth 4-1 at home after Christmas, with Kevin Damage (£6.9m) scored a hat-trick. He is available again now after serving a suspension for a red card a few weeks ago.

Wolves and Everton were both killed by Keith Andrews’ men earlier this season, the latter with a six-goal thriller including a Thiago hat-trick, while their previous game against Leeds ended in a stalemate. It was actually a rare high position against teams in the bottom half, which Keith Andrews’ side have generally found difficult to defend against.

A Gameweek 31 trip to Elland Road or an away day at Bournemouth two rounds earlier are perhaps Brentford’s two toughest tests on paper during this period. However, after back-to-back away wins at famed fortresses Villa Park and St James’, you can’t look past the Bees – who haven’t even lost a single key player at the moment – ​​to get the job done.

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FULHAM

Meanwhile for Fulham, a direct trip to Sunderland in matchday 27 is perhaps the least interesting considering the Black Cats’ excellent form at home since returning to the top flight.

However, The Cottagers managed to win the previous match with a score of 1-0… can they become the first team to achieve a double victory over Regis Le Bris and friends?

Even if they don’t manage to achieve that feat, Fulham enjoy three home games in their next four games. That is good news for Marco Silva, considering his team has collected 23 points at Craven Cottage but only 11 points away from home.

As well as a visit to Forest in Matchday 30 (who, like Sunderland, suffered a 1-0 defeat in their previous game), there are also the aforementioned home games, against Tottenham, West Ham and Burnley.

The Clarets, winless in 16 games before Matchday 26, have conceded a league-worst 32 goals on the road this season. Harry Wilson (£6.0m) – who terrorized them with 16 points in their previous outing – has scored six of his eight Premier League goals at home.

Wilson also scored against Spurs in the previous game.

Also worth noting is the fact that four of Fulham’s five clean sheets this season have come at home. Three of That obtained against these three clubs (Sunderland, West Ham, Forest). Hello, Joachim Andersen (£4.5 million)?

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Bournemouth

The last team we will discuss in their respective sections is Bournemouth.

Despite ranking seventh in overall Gameweek 27-32 estimates, the Cherries would be FIRST if only looking at Gameweek 27-31.

Arsenal only narrowly beat the Cherries in their previous meeting, on the south coast, but Bournemouth – like Fulham – have performed much worse away from home than at home this season.

Luckily for Andoni Iraola, his team’s other two away games in this period were against West Ham and Burnley, whose shortcomings we have already discussed.

Among them are home matches against Sunderland, Brentford and Man Utd.

All three have taken points from the Cherries, with United in the other party with an entertaining 4-4 ​​draw, while Sunderland won 3-2 and Brentford 4-1 at home.

The Black Cats are much worse on the road. On paper, this was probably Bournemouth’s most profitable win of those three home games, while the main mission against the Bees and Red Devils should be… not conceding four more goals!

If that was achieved, or even if the defenses were tightened a bit, Marcos Senesi (£4.8 million) and James Hill (£4.0m) could be a solid option, especially considering their potential defensive contribution (DefCon).

Elsewhere, the midfield is quite thin on the pitch however RYAN (£5.5m) has hit the ground running with three returns in his first three appearances.

There are doubts about Evanilson (£7.0 million), considering wastage, and Eli Kroupi Jr (£4.7m), who was on the bench in Gameweek 26.

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ALSO CONSIDER IT

In addition to the teams already discussed, the trio of Arsenal, Manchester City and Crystal Palace all rank in the top half of the Gameweek 27-32 Fixtures.

However – and this is a big deal – it is likely (or in Arsenal’s case, certain) to fall short in Matchweek 31. If you don’t have a Free Hit that week, you will have to make contingency plans for living without players from those clubs.

Burnley, meanwhile, had a promising performance in Matchday 28. Scott Parker will be looking to build on the winning streak in Matchday 26, but as time goes by, we won’t want much of their assets beyond that. Martin Dubravka (£4.0 million) and Maxime Esteve (£3.9 million).

Can be a dead ball specialist James Ward-Prowse (£5.6m) change it? We will see later.

Then there is United. If Michael Carrick’s side maintain their unbeaten run, this stretch offers some good opportunities to pick up important wins that would increase the chances of a return to the Champions League in 2026/27.

Bruno Fernandes (£9.8m) is approaching (or already is, in the eyes of many) must-have status due to its multiple routes to FPL points, while Diogo Dalot (£4.5m) has quietly achieved seven attacking returns (one goal, six assists). Bryan Mbeumo (£8.6m) has played more frequently up front under the caretaker coach, with three goals in four games.

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