As Pascal Struijk’s penalty sent Leeds fans into bedlam, the doubles for gameweek 33 were all confirmed. With a clearer picture of the double and blank landscape, we can begin to finalise chip strategies.
In this article, we look at all official doubles and blanks, as well as the most likely final double gameweek. Whether you have all chips available or a few missing, we have you covered.
Confirmed and Projected Fixtures
Gameweek 33 and 34 are confirmed. In the end, six teams were given doubles and blanks. The main surprise that went against nearly all projections was Arsenal and Newcastle missing out. The Gunners’ loss to Southampton meant that their potential double against the Magpies was off.
Bournemouth and Leeds also secured quite appealing double gameweeks in somewhat of a shock to predictors. The Premier League proactively announced that the winner of West Ham – Leeds in the cup would get a double in gameweek 33. Most had thought that these fixtures would stay in gameweek 34 due to no European commitments, but in the end, this was not the case.
These key changes in the final shake-up were a blow to those planning to wildcard in gameweek 32 and bench boost in gameweek 33. Bournemouth and Leeds have tough fixtures in 32, while Arsenal and Newcastle assets would have been much easier to include for gameweek 32, ahead of the gameweek 33 double.
As a result of the double announcements, gameweek 34 became much easier to navigate for those who have already wildcarded or do not have a free hit. 14 teams will be in action, including heavily owned Arsenal and Newcastle assets.
Bournemouth and Leeds will no longer feature, but the West Ham - Everton fixture going ahead will be welcomed by those with players such as Jarrod Bowen and Iliman Ndiaye.
The one remaining fixture that has not yet been confirmed is Manchester City – Crystal Palace, which is left over due to City reaching the League Cup final. Using our ‘Set Planet FPL Projected Fixtures’ feature, you will see this is pencilled in for gameweek 36. This is the most likely possibility and would mean that City end up with two double gameweeks to end the season. To go alongside the rescheduled fixture, City would play Brentford at home, while Palace would host Everton.
Navigating with a Wildcard, Free Hit and Bench Boost Available
Whilst the doubles in gameweek 33 are less appealing than the original projections, there are still opportunities for those with all chips intact. There are, however, a few more headaches to ponder.
Wildcard gameweek 32, bench boost gameweek 33 and free hit gameweek 34 will most likely remain the most popular strategy.
The debate now is whether to include any Arsenal assets on the gameweek 32 wildcard. They are still leading the title race and have the strongest defence, but they play City away in gameweek 33. This is not the most appealing for those considering the bench boost.
The risk with this strategy is that loading up on the doubling assets in gameweek 33 would leave managers with teams full of Brighton, Bournemouth, Leeds and maybe even Burnley players for the run-in. Bournemouth and Leeds also do not benefit from particularly kind fixtures in gameweek 32.
An alternative strategy would be to still wildcard in gameweek 32, but to free hit in gameweek 33 instead. This would allow managers to set their teams up nicely in 32, with assets that feature in gameweek 34, while benefitting from the best possible XI in gameweek 33 on the free hit. The bench boost chip could then be used in gameweek 35 or 36, depending on team structure.
Navigating Without a Wildcard but With a Free Hit
Anyone without the wildcard chip will have celebrated Southampton’s winning goal against Arsenal like most of St Mary’s. Gameweek 34 became much easier to navigate, and the template strategy became weaker.
For those who were looking to use the free hit chip in gameweek 34 originally, the option to use this to capitalise on the doubles in gameweek 33 may now be too good to ignore. A couple of free transfers should be enough for most teams to navigate through gameweek 34 now, making it a waste of the free hit.
Lots of popular picks have good fixtures in gameweek 35, making this a good week to potentially bench boost if the chip is still available.
Navigating With No Chips
The toughest route of all will be for those who have used their chips already. A decision will need to be made as to whether to target gameweek 33 more aggressively or to set up more conservatively to navigate through gameweek 34 safely.
In our previous article looking at the fixture landscape, we highlighted the need to save free transfers coming into gameweek 32. With the fixtures now confirmed, it should be happy shopping for anyone who took this advice on board.
