Back-to-back home matches against Norwich City and Leeds United in the newly announced Double Gameweek 26 make Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) a very strong contender for the Triple Captain chip in Fantasy Premier League.
Liverpool’s Egyptian is the top-scoring player in 2021/22 Fantasy, averaging 8.8 points per match.
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He produced a combined 25 points over his meetings with Norwich and Leeds earlier this season.
Salah has plummeted to just 36.3 per cent ownership due to his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with Egypt.
He will now be earmarked as the top replacement for Bruno Fernandes’ (£11.7m) backers after Manchester United’s Double Gameweek 25.
Liverpool and Leeds are among eight sides set to play twice in Gameweek 26 after their match, which was originally due to take place on Sunday 26 December, was rescheduled for Wednesday 23 February at 19:45 GMT.
Sides in Double Gameweek 26
| Club | Opp |
| ARS | BRE (H), WOL (H) |
|---|---|
| BUR | BHA (A), TOT (H) |
| CRY | CHE (H), WAT (A) |
| LEE | MUN (H), LIV (A) |
| LIV | NOR (H), LEE (H) |
| TOT | MCI (A), BUR (A) |
| WAT | AVL (A), CRY (H) |
| WOL | LEI (H), ARS (A) |
Salah’s team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.5m) has matched the Egyptian for double-figure hauls, with seven apiece, and could be his main rival for the armband.
Meanwhile, both Andrew Robertson (£7.1m) and Diogo Jota (£8.4m) make a strong claim for those looking to bring in three of Jurgen Klopp’s squad.
Value in Arsenal
Arsenal are the only other Double Gameweek 26 side to play at home twice, facing Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The north London side offer in-form value picks at both ends of the pitch.
Aaron Ramsdale and Kierney Tierney (both £5.1m) are the standout options at the back, with Gabriel Martinelli (£5.4m) and Bukayo Saka (£6.4m) the best picks in attack.
While loading up on Liverpool and Arsenal players will be a popular tactic on a Free Hit chip, managers who will play their Wildcards for Double Gameweek 26 need to be wary of both clubs’ subsequent schedules.
Indeed, Liverpool and Arsenal are the only two Double Gameweek 26 sides who also have a Blank Gameweek 27.
Among the other Double Gameweek 26 sides, Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur have favourable fixtures in Gameweek 27 and offer solutions at either end of the price scale in Fantasy.
Eagles duo Conor Gallagher (£6.1m) and Odsonne Edouard (£6.5m) are at home to Burnley, while Spurs pair Son Heung-min (£10.6m) and Harry Kane (£12.3m) visit Leeds.
That may persuade the 18.3 per cent of managers who own Gallagher to hold the midfielder, despite the fact he is unavailable to face his parent club Chelsea in Palace's first match of Gameweek 26.