FPL long view: Get ready to load up on Arsenal in Gameweek 6

The Scout helps managers in Fantasy Premier League to plan ahead for Gameweek 6 and beyond, highlighting the clubs and players with the best and worst fixtures ahead. Remember, you can now save up to FIVE free transfers.

Arsenal

A visit to Manchester City in Gameweek 5 this weekend may well prove the toughest fixture of the season for Arsenal.

But the Gunners’ schedule after that looks set to spark major investment in their key players at both ends of the pitch. 

Back-to-back home matches against promoted pair Leicester City and Southampton, combined with a visit to AFC Bournemouth immediately afterwards, could help Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) and Kai Havertz (£8.1m) deliver huge hauls. 

Arsenal's schedule from Gameweek 6

Alongside Erling Haaland (£15.2m), Saka is the only player to produce a goal or an assist in each of the first four Gameweeks of 2024/25. 

The winger’s peerless attacking potential among team-mates is further highlighted by his underlying statistics. Saka’s 11 shots, 10 shots in the box and seven shots on target are all more than any other Arsenal player and show he is their top goal threat. His 10 key passes is also a team-high total and highlights his prospects for assists. 

In defence, Gabriel (£6.0m) is by far the most attacking pick thanks to his huge threat at set-pieces – the Brazilian’s headed goal in the 1-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend earned him a bumper 15-point haul.

Gabriel's goal v Spurs

If you are one of the managers who are Wildcarding to take advantage of this fixture swing, now could be the time to consider doubling up with Gabriel and goalkeeper David Raya (£5.5m). The pair are neck-and-neck on 29 points, with Raya’s potential for save points and bonus points helping him keep pace with the centre-back. 

Brentford

After visiting Spurs this weekend, Brentford embark on a mid-term run of opponents that has the potential to offer big value to managers in Fantasy.

The Bees have five home matches between Gameweeks 6-13 and, according to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), each of them score just two. Thomas Frank’s side also visit Fulham and Everton in a very encouraging eight-match spell.  

Brentford's schedule from Gameweek 6

*1= easiest, 5= hardest

Yoane Wissa’s (£6.1m) two-month stint on the sidelines has forced a revision of Brentford’s attack in Fantasy, with Bryan Mbeumo (£7.1m) undoubtedly the most reliable of the bunch. The Cameroonian is on penalty duties and guarantees you 90 minutes each Gameweek at a point in the season where a number of players involved in European action had their minutes reduced last weekend.

Kevin Schade (£5.4m) and Fabio Carvalho (£4.8m) can also now come into the picture in the sub-£5.5m midfielder bracket.

Schade was fielded as Brentford’s lone forward in their 3-1 League Cup win over Leyton Orient on Tuesday evening, while Carvalho – who has yet to start a league match this season - turned in a man of the match display by scoring once and supplying two assists. 

At the back, Nathan Collins’ (£4.5m) set-piece threat has already helped him to two assists, while goalkeeper Mark Flekken (£4.5m) should supply a steady stream of save points at least.

AFC Bournemouth

Back-to-back matches against promoted pair Southampton and Leicester in Gameweeks 6-7 offer significant upside in attack for Fantasy managers who are happy to make short-term moves, given Bournemouth’s schedule quickly takes a turn for the worse again in Gameweek 8.

Antoine Semenyo (£5.6m) is the form pick, with two goals, an assist and a single blank in his first four outings of 2024/25. The Ghanaian's 20 shots rank first among midfielders and his 12 shots in the box are joint-top with Mohamed Salah (£12.7m).  

Summer signing Evanilson (£5.9m) has boasted a strong goal threat, despite failing to score. The Brazilian’s average of 29 minutes per shot ranks fifth among forwards with 200+ minutes under their belt.

Time to sell Newcastle and Brighton stars?

Elsewhere, managers are likely to be freshening up their forwards soon as two of the three most-owned -  Newcastle United's Alexander Isak (£8.4m) and Brighton & Hove Albion's Joao Pedro’s (£5.7m) - brace themselves for tough schedules. 

Newcastle embark on a five-match run over Gameweeks 6-10 that starts with an encounter against Man City and ends against Arsenal.

From Gameweek 6, Brighton face Chelsea, Newcastle, Spurs, Liverpool and Man City in a brutal six-match spell. 

Many are already revising their plans as both Isak and Joao Pedro are currently doubtful for Gameweek 5 - indeed, they are the most sold players ahead of Saturday's 11:00 BST deadline as a result, moved on by more than 343,000 and 222,000 managers respectively.