The Scout helps managers in Fantasy Premier League to plan ahead for Gameweek 7 and beyond, highlighting clubs with good fixtures around the corner. Remember, you can now save up to FIVE free transfers.
Manchester City
Following their trip to Newcastle United this weekend, the champions embark on a schedule so favourable it’s likely to render the captaincy debate redundant for millions of managers in Fantasy.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), each of Man City’s five matches from Gameweek 7 onwards score only two.
Home encounters with Fulham and Southampton, combined with visits to Wolverhampton Wanderers, AFC Bournemouth and Brighton & Hove Albion, give Erling Haaland (£15.3m) every opportunity to deliver more huge hauls and add to his prolific run of nine goals in his first five appearances in 2024/25.
Man City's fixtures from GW7
| GW | Opp. | FDR* |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Fulham (H) | 2 |
| 8 | Wolves (A) | 2 |
| 9 | Southampton (H) | 2 |
| 10 | Bournemouth (A) | 2 |
| 11 | Brighton (A) | 2 |
*1 = easiest possible fixture, 5 = hardest possible fixture
Haaland is the only player to score in each of the opening five Gameweeks of 2024/25 and, with an ownership of nearly 72 per cent, he is bound to be the runaway captain pick for every one of those matches.
While Haaland has hogged the early-season headlines, Phil Foden (£9.3m) has managed only two appearances off the bench due to his late return to pre-season training.
However, the England star has stepped up his match sharpness by playing from start to finish in Man City’s EFL Cup win over Watford in midweek. Owned by just five per cent of FPL managers, Foden - who was the second top-scoring player in Fantasy last season - could prove an outstanding differential for managers in midfield.
Kevin De Bruyne (£9.5m) is also capable of huge hauls, but his fitness issues remain a deterrent and make him less of a long-term option than Foden.
In defence, Pep Guardiola’s side surely have the chance to improve on their opening run of one clean sheet in five matches. But with the Arsenal and Liverpool defences managing four clean sheets by contrast, premium assets such as Josko Gvardiol (£6.0m) will need to up his output considerably before managers reconsider his services.
There’s no question that the appeal of Rico Lewis (£4.7m) has tumbled given he has played just 45 minutes across the last two Gameweeks. However, with Rodri (£6.4m) now sidelined for an extended period, it remains to be seen whether Guardiola will go with a like-for-like midfield replacement in Mateo Kovacic (£5.5m) or recall the versatile Lewis in a potential change of tactics.
Ipswich Town and Leicester City
The FDR is also particularly favourable for promoted pair Ipswich and Leicester from Gameweek 7, with each club’s subsequent four matches scoring only two.
Ipswich and Leicester's fixtures from GW7
| GW | Ipswich | FDR | Leicester | FDR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | West Ham (A) | 2 | AFC Bournemouth (H) | 2 |
| 8 | Everton (H) | 2 | Southampton (A) | 2 |
| 9 | Brentford (A) | 2 | Nott'm Forest (H) | 2 |
| 10 | Leicester (H) | 2 | Ipswich (A) | 2 |
Ipswich centre-back Jacob Greaves is one of the few £4.0m defenders who has secured a starting role and offers a decent threat from set-pieces.
While Greaves looks a great option to stick on your bench in case of emergencies, goalkeeper Arijanet Muric (£4.4m) and left-back Leif Davis (£4.5m) merit consideration as starters.
Muric has averaged four points per match and offers plenty of save points, while Davis’s dominance of free-kicks and corners boosts his potential of assists.
For Leicester, Jamie Vardy’s cost of £5.7m, combined with his penalty duties, could come in handy if you’re looking for a cut-price forward.
Manchester United
If you are one of the 351,000+ managers with a Wildcard currently active, Man Utd’s schedule from Gameweek 8 onwards could be worth factoring into your plans. According to the FDR, five of their subsequent six matches score only two.
Man Utd's schedule from GW8
| GW | Opp. | FDR |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Brentford (H) | 2 |
| 9 | West Ham (A) | 2 |
| 10 | Chelsea (H) | 3 |
| 11 | Leicester (H) | 2 |
| 12 | Ipswich (A) | 2 |
| 13 | Everton (H) | 2 |
Investment in defence seems the smart move at present, with Erik ten Hag’s side claiming three clean sheets in their first five fixtures. Diogo Dalot (£5.0m) has collected six bonus points across those three shutouts, while Matthijs de Ligt (£5.0m) has already shown his big threat at set-pieces with a goal and 15 points against Southampton.
Bruno Fernandes (£8.3m) is the likeliest Man Utd attacker to profit in this spell, but there’s simply too much competition in the midfielder bracket in Fantasy to justify paying his price tag.
Amad Diallo (£5.0m), on the other hand, has the underlying statistics to suggest he can announce himself as a great budget pick. The winger has supplied 12 key passes this season, TWICE the total of any team-mate.
