FPL: Top 5 Players To Watch For Gameweek 25

FPL has been abuzz with the news of the massive double gameweek in 29 which has seen FPL managers channel their inner Mourinho in overtime. Meanwhile, in gameweek 25 we have plenty of blanks along really enticing doubles for heavy hitters Arsenal and Liverpool.

So clearly there is a lot to uncover. Let’s kick things off right away by taking a look at 5 players who can help you navigate the upcoming gameweek.

5. Oleksandr Zinchenko (£5.1m)

Almost everyone who takes FPL seriously owns 2 or 3 of Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli and Nketiah now. Among those 4, Martinelli has seen his minutes drop significantly. And with Jesus back on the training pitch, Nketiah’s minutes could soon take a hit as well. Meanwhile, popular FPL asset Ben White has had a slight dip in form as well seeing him benched against City.

So with a 3rd Arsenal spot now opening up, this could pave the way for FPL managers to get Zinchenko into the mix along with Saka and Odegaard. With Arsenal having yet another double, and not blanking until GW 32 at least, having 3 Arsenal players should be the go-to strategy. Zinchenko has assist potential, having gotten 1 against Villa in the previous game. With a sea of green fixtures, he could also keep a few cleansheets in Arsenal’s title charge.

4. James Tarkowski (£4.3m)

Incredibly, Tarkowski has now scored 24 points in his last 3 games, ever since Sean Dyche took charge of the club. As mentioned a couple of weeks ago, Everton have found a way to keep clean sheets again. Another characteristic of Dyche’s teams is the ability of defenders to rack up goals, as evident by Tarkowski and Coleman both being the only players to score in the new manager’s reign so far.

After securing a CS and 2 BPS from Everton’s 1-0 win against Leeds, Tarkowski has a double this GW. With Forest and Brentford games sandwiched between GW 25 and GW 28, Everton is one of the few teams who are unlikely to blank until GW 32 at least. This run could see a Tarkowski grab a couple of more CS as well.

3. Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.3m)

Oh how long it has been since TAA has been an option worth considering again. The most expensive FPL defender in the league has found some form again along with his team that have managed to keep 2 CS in 2 games. After comfortably brushing past Everton and 4th placed Newcastle, Liverpool have found form at just the right time for FPL managers to capitalize on their players.

There isn’t too much to say about Trent that we already don’t know. With 1 A against Newcastle, and being extremely unlucky to have not been given the assist for Gakpo’s goal against Everton, Trent is explosive again, right in time for the double GW. From an FPL based defensive perspective, it doesn’t get better than having to face Palace and Wolves in a double.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s game by numbers vs. Newcastle:

103 touches
83% pass accuracy
4 key passes
3 clearances
2 big chances created
1 assist

Magician. 🪄 pic.twitter.com/26n73IWqYm

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) February 18, 2023

2. Darwin Nunez (£8.7m)

The mercurial Uruguayan makes the list once again. Having gotten 2 G and 1 A in his last 3 games in all competitions, he seems to be one of the in form Liverpool attackers at the moment. With Jota only just returning from injury and Diaz still out, Nunez’s place will be secure for the next few gameweeks.

But the biggest plus comes from Liverpool’s extremely kind double gameweek against Palace and Wolves. In the last 2 games, Nunez has had 7 shots accumulating yet another impressive xG of 0.82 and an xA of 0.98. With the Merseyside club seemingly finding their feet in front of goal against an underwhelming Palace and Wolves, Nunez will hope to finally realize his xG stats through what remains of the season.

1. Mohamed Salah (£12.7m)

We’ve been waiting a long time this season for Egyptian king Mo Salah to find some form and become a mainstay in our teams again. That time might finally be here. In his last 11 matches against Palace and Wolves, he has an impressive record, having scored 7 G and 6 A against the Eagles while accumulating 4 G and 3 A against Wolves.

52 – Darwin Núñez and Mo Salah are creating a goalscoring chance for one another every 52 minutes they are on the pitch together on average in the Premier League this season, the best rate of any duo to play 1,000+ mins together in the 2022-23 competition. Dynamic. pic.twitter.com/u4l7PWPDTw

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 14, 2023

Salah also has an eye catching xG of 0.97 with an xA of 0.64 in his last 2 PL games, having taken 8 shots in total during that time. Having formed a strong partnership with Nunez, Salah will look to build on his tally of 2 G and 1 A in his last 3 games in all competitions. Moreover, he is the most nailed-on Liverpool attacker in terms of minutes which makes him the stand out captaincy choice in this DGW for the Reds.

Also read: FPL: TFTWC FPL Analytics Report (Part III) – GW 14 to GW 23