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The FPL Manual presents a comprehensive overview of Gameweek 1, highlighting top captain picks and outstanding picks for the weekly FPL Challenge game.
The summer break is slowly ending, and the English Premier League is back in full swing this weekend. FPL managers are gearing up for another thrilling season. Several new signings and returning players have been shining in the preseason, emerging as potential FPL assets that could be game-changers for your team. Who are these rising stars? Stay tuned to find out more.
The FPL Challenge section of the game is now active for the whole season, and we'll be providing weekly breakdowns on whichever task is presented to us. We'll start with the '5-a-side' challenge, where managers can select five essential assets from separate teams and compete against other rivals.
The first deadline of the 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League season is Friday, August 16 at 1:30 p.m. EDT, when Manchester United welcomes Fulham to open the campaign. Also, check out the rest of our excellent soccer coverage as the squad gets you all set for every English Premier League slate and UEFA Champions League game with our EPL DFS lineup picks and betting picks.
Pick your #FPL squad before Friday's 18:30 BST deadline! ⬇️
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) August 15, 2024
Gameweek 1 Tips
Invest in Liverpool, Newcastle and Arsenal Attack
According to statistics, Liverpool, Newcastle, and Arsenal are anticipated to generate 2.55 xG, 2.60 xG, and 2.65 xG against their opponents in Gameweek 1. It is also worth noting that these clubs are projected to earn a clean sheet in their upcoming encounters, with a likelihood of 38% for Liverpool, 36% for Newcastle, and 52% for Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham are expected to produce at least 2.00 xG (expected goals) against their opponents in Gameweek 1. Recommended players for FPL returns this week include Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, and Trent Alexander-Arnold; Newcastle's Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, and Lewis Hall; and Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, and William Saliba.
💹 PL GW1 matchups
First look at projected goals and clean sheet odds for the opening round of Premier League games, via spread betting markets pic.twitter.com/GAOyiTRVD6
— Rob T (@robtFPL) August 13, 2024
Preseason Summary: Breakout Stars to Look Out for
It’s advised not to overlook the rising form of enticing fantasy assets making waves for their respective clubs in the recently concluded preseason. Brighton's new signing, Yankuba Minteh, and Aston Villa's budget enabler, Morgan Rogers, have posted similar numbers, each with three goals and two assists.
Liverpool's new boss, Arne Slot, has the Reds playing well in preseason, with Diogo Jota contributing heavily to the attack during recent friendlies. A few more highlights from the preseason include Manchester City's Erling Haaland scoring a hat-trick against Chelsea, Newcastle's Jacob Murphy tallying four goals and three assists, and Chelsea's Christopher Nkunku with three goal contributions, among others.
🥳🔥Pre-Season Friendlies Summary of all 20 Premier League Teams:
Don't forget to Bookmark post for future references✅
Murphy ⚽⚽⚽⚽🅰️🅰️🅰️ (£5.5 MID)
Kulusevski ⚽⚽⚽🅰️🅰️🅰️
Bobb ⚽⚽🅰️🅰️🅰️🅰️ (£5.0 MID)
Haaland ⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽
Rogers ⚽⚽⚽🅰️🅰️ (£5.0 MID)
Minteh ⚽⚽⚽🅰️🅰️(£5.5… pic.twitter.com/c5Nx9a1dXu— ALLABOUTFPL (@allaboutfpl) August 12, 2024
Pay Attention To The Fixture Difficulty Ratings
The secret to having a solid start for the new season is not just to fit in your favorite players from your preferred club but also to pay attention to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR). According to Opta statistics, Liverpool, Newcastle, and Fulham are among the teams with much easier fixtures for the first five games. Meanwhile, Brentford, West Ham, Ipswich Town, and Arsenal have a tougher start this season than others. Navigating the fixture swings further down the line will be important for your fantasy team.
𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬: Who Has the Easiest Start? 📈
The 2024-25 Premier League campaign is about to begin, so we’ve looked at the schedule to analyse which teams have the easiest and toughest starts to the new season.
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) August 12, 2024
Gameweek 1 Top Captain Picks
The weekend fixtures present a plethora of fascinating options for your captaincy choice. Players like Bukayo Saka facing Wolves, Son Heung-min taking on Leicester City, and Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes against Fulham all present strong cases. However, my top three picks would be:
Erling Haaland (£15.0M) - Manchester City
The two-time Premier League top scorer will be eager to start the season right by getting on the scoresheet against Chelsea. The 24-year-old Norwegian international has been fantastic in preseason for Manchester City and is projected to have a 48% chance of scoring at Stamford Bridge this weekend.
We'll see @ChelseaFC and @ManCity meet in the opening weekend of the 2024/25 season!
Any excuse to look back at their 4-4 thriller at Stamford Bridge last season 🍿 pic.twitter.com/pYZj6EShKc
— Premier League (@premierleague) June 18, 2024
Alexander Isak (£8.5M) - Newcastle
According to statistics, 14 of Alexander Isak's 21 Premier League goals last season were scored at home, with the remaining seven scored away. The Swedish international is a force to reckon with at home and is projected to have a 55% chance of scoring against Southampton. I can't recommend Isak enough, and he could score a brace in Newcastle's opening game at St. James' Park.
Sit back and enjoy 🍿
All 21 of Alexander Isak's goals so far this season! 🇸🇪 pic.twitter.com/copLgFFZqk
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) April 15, 2024
Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) - Liverpool
Crossing the 200 FPL point mark for a seventh consecutive season, Mohamed Salah scored 18 goals and provided 12 assists for Liverpool last season. The 32-year-old, who ranks third among Liverpool's all-time goal scorers, has netted 155 goals in the Premier League for the Reds. With a 51% chance of scoring against Ipswich on Saturday, Salah is certainly one to consider for the captain's armband.
Since the start of the 2017-18 season, the top scorers in Europe's big-five leagues are:
203 - Robert Lewandowski.
175 - Kylian Mbappé
171 - Harry Kane
155 - Mohamed Salah.Guarantees. #OptaJoe15 https://t.co/npUve0xbNV
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 4, 2024
FPL Challenge: 5-a-side
With the return of the FPL Challenge for the 2024-25 season, RotoBaller is here to provide valuable insights into which assets are worth considering for any given task. The first challenge focuses on selecting your top five players for Gameweek 1 with an unlimited budget. But first, let's look at the new rules for this season's FPL Challenge.
New Season - New Rules
Season-long Mini-leagues: In the previous edition of the FPL Challenge, your fantasy points would reset after each gameweek. This season, fantasy managers can dip in and out for individual Gameweeks or compete in a season-long competition, accumulating points across the entire campaign with the chance to win prizes.
No Substitutes or Vice-Captains: Another notable change for this season is the removal of the substitutes bench, meaning there will be no auto-subs, and the vice-captain option is also unavailable. Managers can only pick a maximum of 11 starting players. Therefore, it’s crucial to get your captain pick right.
Rank Badges: Rank badges will be earned based on your performance across Gameweeks. The better your performance, the higher your rank badge. Note: After playing five Gameweeks, you will receive a rank badge that reflects your achievements.
Each rank badge has five stars of progress, indicating how close you are to reaching the next rank.
📊 Season-long mini-leagues
🖐️ Five-aside events
🥇 Rank badges
❌ No subs or vice-captainRead all about the changes that are coming to Fantasy Challenge for 2024/25 👇#FPLChallengeAccepted
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) July 23, 2024
5-a-side FPL Challenge: What To Expect Across Gameweeks 1 - 4
The 5-a-side Event is a four-gameweek stretch where managers can only select five players in their team. Here’s a breakdown of each gameweek:
- Gameweek 1: Debut - Unlimited budget, and you can use any formation.
- Gameweek 2: All Out Attack - Goals are worth double points. The budget is £35.0m, and you must pick one goalkeeper and four forwards.
- Gameweek 3: Promoted Punt - Only players from promoted clubs are available. The budget is £24.0m, and you can choose any formation.
- Gameweek 4: Too Big at the Back - Clean sheets are worth double points. The budget is £30.0m, and you must pick two goalkeepers and three defenders.
5-a-side FPL Challenge: Debut - Players To Target
Based on the recommended players for our FPL teams, any of those assets could be a mainstay for the Debut challenge. Personally, I treat the FPL Challenge as a platform for exploring additional assets that may be deemed non-essential in the main FPL competition, as well as a space to experiment with a few punts.
If I were to recommend a team of an additional top five picks for the Debut Challenge, it would be Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson in goal, Arsenal's attacking fullback Ben White in defense, Chelsea's Christopher Nkunku and Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai in midfield, while Spurs new signing Dominic Solanke leads the line in a 1-2-1 formation.
Fantasy Challenge is LIVE for 2024/25 🚨
Build your squad for Gameweek 1 now 👇#FPLChallengeAccepted
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) July 24, 2024
Join the RotoBaller FPL League
Fancy pitting your wits against fellow RotoBallers? Then, join our free league to compete against the team and our dedicated FPL fans. Head to the official FPL site, click the Leagues and Cups tab and enter the RotoBaller league code: b278pa.
Go head-to-head against your friends and family in mini-leagues 🏆
Pick your squad and compete for #FPL glory now! ⬇️
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) July 18, 2024
Stick around for more 2024-2025 Fantasy Premier League content coming soon. Hit us up on X @RotoBaller. We would love to hear your feedback and ideas!
