Archive May 15, 2025

The penultimate Fantasy Premier League weekend will be a time to go big or go home for many game players, with seasons in the balance.

A problem, however, is that the fixtures in gameweek 37 are hard to predict.

Teams handed supposedly the easiest home fixtures are not teams you can often rely on – relegated Leicester (v Ipswich) and Everton (v Southampton).

Who knows what line-ups Manchester City and Crystal Palace will put out after the FA Cup final, when they play their league games on Tuesday.

Likewise Spurs and Manchester United, who play in the Europa League final next Wednesday and will probably look to protect some key figures beforehand.

On top of that, Mohamed Salah, Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka – the game’s three most expensive midfielders – have a total of seven returns between them in the past seven games.

That’s right – we’ve entered FPL silly season where anything can happen.

Oh Erling. It was such a good move on paper bringing Haaland in against one of the worst teams in Premier League history, but who knew Southampton would turn into a version of a prime-Mourinho defensive side?

Jordan Pickford, Everton, keeper, £5.1m – Southampton (h)

A simple pick against the league’s worst attack – if only FPL choices were always this easy!

Josko Gvardiol (£6.5m) and Ruben Dias (£5.5m), both Manchester City – Bournemouth (h)

FPL managers might be worried about Pep roulette as City play the FA Cup final three days before this game at Etihad Stadium, but the Spanish manager can’t really afford to rest players with Champions League qualification in the balance.

Gvardiol and Dias are near-guaranteed starters and have five clean sheets in their past seven, with regular bonus points in that spell.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, have dropped off attacking wise.

They are top four for expected goals (xG) in the season with 64.4 from 36 games, but over the past seven matches they have dropped to 12th with just 9.39 xG.

Vitalii Mykolenko, Everton, £4.4m – Southampton (h)

Bukayo Saka, Arsenal, £10.3m – Newcastle (h)

Saka has not delivered a return since week 30 but since then, in five games, he has an expected goal involvement (xGI) of 3.1.

In comparison, team-mate Leandro Trossard has an xGI of 2.9 but has managed five goal involvements in the same period.

So Saka is playing well and has been unlucky. Back him to produce in this key game with Arsenal’s second-place spot at risk if they lose.

Cole Palmer (captain), Chelsea, £10.5m – Manchester United (h)

This is the game in which Palmer scored a hat-trick last season and he’s again in prime position to produce in a key match for Chelsea’s Champions League qualification hopes.

United have been awful this season and also have most of their attention on Wednesday’s Europa League final.

Like Saka, Palmer is another player underperforming his xGI with just four returns from an xGI of 8.2 since week 22.

Bryan Mbeumo, Brentford, £8.3m – Fulham (h)

Mbeumo’s ownership, post-week 36, was 46.4%. FPL managers have invested heavily in the Cameroon forward for the run-in and he hasn’t fully lived up to expectations, with just an assist in each of his past two games.

But that could change a Fulham side who need to win in their bid to finish eighth and secure a possible European spot.

It could be an open game and that will suit Brentford and Mbeumo.

Jarrod Bowen, West Ham, £7.7m – Nottingham Forest (h)

With four goals and two assists in his past six games, Bowen is finishing the season with a bang – unlike Forest, who don’t have a clean sheet in six matches.

Jamie Vardy, Leicester, £5.3m – Ipswich (h)

There’s a big focus on fixtures and narrative as the end of the season approaches, and Vardy is one player with everything in place for a successful week.

He has two returns in his past two games, a nine-pointer the last time he faced a relegated team at home (two matches ago), and will be facing a rubbish defence in his last appearance as a Leicester City player at King Power Stadium.

Would you put it past him to sign off with a goal?

Ollie Watkins (vice captain), Aston Villa, £9m – Tottenham (h)

With his 16th goal of the season last week, Watkins is now the third-highest-scoring FPL striker.

Like Palmer facing Manchester United, this game is set up for success for Watkins as a poor Spurs team focused on Europe travel to Villa Park.

Only Mohamed Salah has had more big chances than Watkins’ 39 this season. He’ll get a couple at least against Spurs and hopefully, for the sake of FPL points, converts them.

Beto, Everton, £4.8m – Southampton (h)

Off the back of two productive games – two goals, eight shots, seven in the box – Beto makes the team of the week.

Jakub Stolarczyk, Leicester City, keeper, £4m – Ipswich (h)

Enzo Fernandez, Chelsea, midfielder, £4.7m – Manchester United (h)

Rico Lewis, Manchester City, defender, £4.3m – Bournemouth (h)

Nathan Collins, Brentford, defender, £4.6m – Fulham (h)

Team total cost: £95m

Despite a nine-year stint as England captain coming to an end, the challenges keep coming for Heather Knight.

But the latest – slipping back into the batting ranks with the opportunity to “be one of the girls again” – might be a little more enjoyable after a winter in which England’s women faced scrutiny and criticism like never before.

Knight was absent with injury when England crashed out of the T20 World Cup at the group stage, which led to questions surrounding their fitness and ability to handle pressure, but was removed as skipper as a result of the 16-0 Ashes humiliation which followed.

Since the appointments of new captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and coach Charlotte Edwards, almost every media opportunity has delivered a reference to a “clean slate” or a “new era”, and it is no different for Knight.

“There’s been a lot of change. I really enjoyed it [captaincy], but I’m really excited for the next chapter as well,” said Knight, speaking at the opening of new cricket facilities from IG and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in Kingston.

“I’ve had a bit of time to let the news digest, but I’m quite excited for what’s to come, having a little bit more time on my hands and to be one of the girls again. I’m feeling pretty positive and looking forward to moving on.”

England’s Edwards-Sciver-Brunt era begins with a T20 series against West Indies, starting at Canterbury on 21 May, followed by another white-ball series against India, who are then hosting the 50-over World Cup in the autumn.

Knight took a break after the Ashes but says she did not reflect too deeply on the series and has since been focusing on Somerset in the revamped women’s domestic set-up, so far scoring 244 runs in six innings with two half-centuries.

“That’s probably one of my strengths, I try to take what I can from situations and look forward with what I can do to get better,” Knight said.

“It was a tough series, no beating around the bush, but they’re the series you learn the most about yourself and give you that hunger to be better and turn things around.

Edwards said she is unlikely to appoint a permanent vice-captain in the immediacy of Sciver-Brunt’s reign, instead opting for a leadership group to give the opportunity to more players with an eye on the future.

Knight echoed the sentiment, saying she would always support Sciver-Brunt if needed but that she sees her role as simply scoring runs.

Comparisons have been drawn with Joe Root, who has enjoyed a sparkling run of form since relinquishing the men’s Test captaincy in 2022.

“He was pretty good as captain as well, to be fair,” said Knight, when asked about the similarities.

“I personally loved captaining, I think it brought the best out of me as a person and as a player, so I guess now the new challenge for me is how to get the best out of myself when I’m not.

Cardiff City are under no financial pressure to sell players following their relegation, but will reduce the size of their squad in League One, says chairman Mehmet Dalman.

As they prepare to play in the third tier for the first time since 2003, the Bluebirds are looking for a ninth manager in four years after a turbulent campaign in which they finished bottom of the Championship.

Dalman is confident Cardiff will keep the “core” of their team together but anticipates that several players out of contract this summer will leave.

Forward Yakou Meite and centre-back Dimitrios Goutas are among those with deals expiring who will be expected to depart, while Wales captain Aaron Ramsey has yet to decide on his future having been caretaker manager for the final three games of the season.

“We have 33 players on our books and that’s quite a lot. I think that needs to be cut back to more like 25 or 26,” said Dalman.

“Out of the eight who are out of contract, we would probably lose six, maybe five. There may be a couple that we still want to have conversations with. That will bring us to a sensible number.

Club captain Joe Ralls, Anwar El Ghazi, Andy Rinomhota and Jamilu Collins are the other senior players out of contract.

Left-back Collins is certain to leave, while former Aston Villa winger El Ghazi is unlikely to stay in League One.

Cardiff will hold talks with midfielder Ralls, their longest serving player, and they will be keen to keep Rinomhota after he impressed in defence and midfield during the last campaign.

Top scorer Callum Robinson signed a new deal in January but, as a Republic of Ireland international with Premier League experience, the 30-year-old is bound to attract offers from other clubs.

Cardiff are also bracing themselves for interest in striker Yousef Salech, who scored nine goals in all competitions following his January move from Swedish side Sirius.

However, when he was asked if the financial impact of relegation meant the Bluebirds would have to sell their leading players, Dalman said: “That’s not in our plans. We will sell players if somebody comes up with an attractive offer.

“We would consider it, but that’s true of every season at any given time. That is nothing to do with our circumstances.

“We are very determined to keep the core of the team together, and the feedback we are getting from the core of the team is to stay together. I’m sure there’ll be a few who will not fancy staying in League One. We will respect that, although we will expect them to respect their contracts as well.”

Dalman revealed this week that Cardiff would be trialling a new process to find their next manager, by assembling a sub-committee – featuring former Swansea City sporting director Mark Allen and a member of the Wasserman agency – to compile a shortlist.

Some have tipped Ramsey to take the role on a full-time basis after his temporary spell in charge but, with the 34-year-old midfielder keen to keep playing, his future remains uncertain.

“Aaron is a wonderful chap. I got to know him quite well over the last couple of years and we will sit down with Aaron and have a chat,” said Dalman.