By Caroly Kipkoech
As the curtains draw on yet another thrilling season of Premier League action, anticipation reaches its peak for the final gameweek, where dreams are realized, and destinies are sealed. In a climax fit for the grandest of stages, the title race culminates in nail-biting encounters separated by hundreds of miles but entangled in the same thread of destiny. Arsenal hosts Everton at the Emirates while Manchester City welcomes West Ham to the Etihad, with both matches holding the keys to championship glory.
As the Fantasy Premier League season draws to a close, managers face a pivotal moment in their quest for mini-league supremacy. With one last chance to make strategic decisions, the pressure is on to navigate the final gameweek’s potential pitfalls and opportunities.
FPL experts are providing managers with everything they need to know ahead of the GW 35 whose deadline is on Sunday, May 19 at 16:30 (EAT).
BEST FPL TEAM AHEAD OF GAME WEEK 38
FORMATION: 3:5:2
GOALKEEPER: Alisson Becker
The Brazilian shot-stopper starts in goal for Wolves’ visit to Anfield. Gary O’Neil’s side has the second-worst expected goals in the league (xG) since gameweek 32. Liverpool is set to give a five-star performance since it will be Jurgen Klopp’s last managerial appearance for the Merseyside outfit.
DEF: Josko Gvardiol (Man City)
The Croat has produced all his attacking returns this season – four goals and two assists – across his last six matches. Combined with four clean sheets, Gvardiol has amassed a league-high 66 points from gameweek 33 onwards.
DEF: Malo Gusto (Chelsea)
The French full-back supplied his sixth assist of the campaign to collect 12 points against Brighton in midweek. Chelsea, meanwhile, host the Cherries in improving home form, having claimed a clean sheet in each of their last three league matches at Stamford Bridge, a very promising statistic.
DEF: Gabriel (Arsenal)
The Brazilian offers the best route into Arsenal’s resilient rearguard at home to Everton due to his aerial threat at free-kicks and corners. Gabriel’s totals of 28 shots at set-pieces and 24 headed shots place third and second respectively among defenders in 2023/24 Fantasy.
MID: Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
Chelsea’s star boy might be beaten by Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot, but he looks set to end the season as the highest-scoring fantasy player in the game, despite starting the season listed at just £5.0 million. He has two goals and two assists in the last four gameweeks and hasn’t blanked at Stamford Bridge this calendar year.
MID: Kai Havertz (Arsenal)
With Arsenal talisman Bukayo Saka a fitness doubt for the final day, it’s out-of-position prospect Kai Havertz who ascends the points predictions and given his current form, this is well justified. He has three goals and three assists in the last four gameweeks and the last time he failed to produce an attacking return in a game at the Emirates was in January.
MID: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
It’s been a disappointing second half of the season for Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah, but we can expect a party atmosphere at Anfield on this final day to mark Jurgen Klopp’s farewell as manager. Salah delivered two assists in the reverse of this fixture and produced a 13-point haul in the 4-2 win against Tottenham Hotspur in his most recent game on home turf.
MID: Phil Foden (Man City)
Manchester City’s Phil Foden presents an interesting differential captain for managers intent on backing them for the final day, with six goals and one assist from six starts since the international break. The Man City star’s total of 118 points in home matches places joint-third with Salah this season and is superior to the 114 of Haaland. Foden has amassed 43 of those points across his last four outings at the Etihad Stadium.
MID: Son Heung-min (Spurs)
A visit to Bramall Lane not only gives the South Korean star the chance to atone for his pair of blanks in the previous gameweek, it also lifts Son’s prospects as a final-day captaincy contender. The Blades have kept just one clean sheet this season, conceding a league-high 101 goals.
FWD: Erling Haaland (Man City) – CAPTAIN
The Norwegian leads the captaincy race for gameweek 38 and will be the safe bet for those managers protecting their mini-league lead or overall rank. He has scored in each of the last six gameweeks, with ten goal involvements in total in this spell. He has scored in all three appearances against West Ham in the Premier League and will be looking forward to adding to his tally of 27 goals for the season.
FWD: Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea)
Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson has saved his best form of the season for the final five gameweeks, where he’s racked up five goals and three assists, to contribute to one third of his overall fantasy points tally for the season. Seven of those eight recent goal involvements have come at Stamford Bridge. Jackson sits top of all players for big chances on goal in this period with 11.
