After a brief pause for the FA Cup, Hive FPL and the Premier League itself return for GW25.
Since we last blogged, the transfer window has closed leaving managers to ponder whether any of the new arrivals in the game are worth investing in? Big names from the continent including the likes of Asensio (MID) at Villa, Marmoush (FWD) at City and Tel (MID) at Spurs will all attract interest across the game.
Meanwhile, players who have switched between Premier League clubs such as Rashford (MID) and Dasai (DEF) both at Villa or Ferguson (FWD) who has been reunited with his former manager at West Ham will also be worth keeping an eye on.
Two equally important things to bear in mind for GW25 are that
We've got a Friday night fixture - don't let that one sneak up on you!
It's a second consecutive double game week involving Liverpool (again) and Villa
On to the matches themselves and the players to look out for...
Brighton v Chelsea or as the Blue Side of London see it, spring try outs! A number of Chelsea's side return to the place where they made their name in the Premier League and it would be fair to say that both these sides are in need of a win.
Brighton's 7-0 humiliation against Forest last time in the league was quickly forgotten by victory in the 4th round of the Cup at the weekend against .... Chelsea!
For this expensively assembled Chelsea squad it means that their only realistic prospect of silverware this season is the Europa Conference League while their immediate aim in the EPL is Champions League qualification. While they are currently hanging onto 4th spot, it feels like the teams immediately below them all have better momentum at this point in time.
Palmer (MID) hasn't scored in his last 3 appearances in the league, his longest barren spell this season. However, remember that he did score all 4 of Chelsea's goals the last time these 2 met in the league.
Sanchez (GK) has made more errors leading to a goal this season (5) than any other keeper in the league, although Brighton's Verbruggen (GK) isn't far behind with 4. The former Seagulls man was dropped for the win against West Ham with Jorgensen (GK) making just his 3rd appearance of the campaign (although Sanchez did return for the cup). At 4.2mil, Jorgensen might become an appealing back-up keeper if he's given a run in the side.
While the injury problems continue to mount for Arsenal you would expect this to be a routine win against a struggling Foxes side. Leicester may feel aggrieved by the manner of their exit in the FA Cup but the fact remains that they haven't scored at home in any of their last 4 EPL matches and they continue to leak like a sieve at the back.
With their first choice front 3 of Havertz (MID), Saka (MID) and Martinelli (MID) all likely to miss this match, then FPL managers should turn their attention to some of the Arsenal youth players who are getting additional minutes.
Nwaneri (MID) has 3 Premier League goals in just 281 minutes this season and you'd back him to increase his playing time significantly over the coming weeks. Similarly Lewis-Skelly (DEF) has started Arsenal's last 4 and is quickly establishing himself in the Gunners side. Both players are available for just £4.5mil which makes them very low risk options for the remainder of the season.
With Villa still competing on 3 fronts, reinforcements during the January transfer window were a must and the Midlands side were as active as anyone in that regard.
Watkins (FWD) is a doubt for this one and with Dhurran shipped out to Saudi might we see Rashford (MID) start through the middle? Injury problems at the back might also mean that Disasi (DEF) is fast tracked into the starting XI. Both players values have depreciated considerably since the start of the season and so they could prove affordable additions to an FPL squad if they get game time.
Ipswich's defeat against Southampton last time out suggests that it'll take a miracle for them to be playing in the Premier League next season. Their single ray of light continues to be Delap (FWD) who scored his 9th goal of the season in GW24. He is now surely playing for a big money move in the summer.
This match sees 2 very well drilled sides go head to head. I think what will be interesting as we enter the final 3rd of the season is to see the mentality of both squads.
Forest have a genuine shot at the Champions League next year which would be an incredible achievement but will they crack under the pressure of the big clubs circling below?
Fulham meanwhile are safe (a minimum requirement for them) but themselves could still challenge for a spot in Europe. For the Cottagers it probably comes down to whether the team feel that the job is done and they can take it easy for the next couple of months or whether there is an appetite to try and push on.
This game could well be decided by 2 in-form forwards in Raul (FWD) vs Wood (FWD). The former has 9 goals this season and is looking for double figures in the league for the first time the 19/20 season. 7 of those goals have come at Craven Cottage. Meanwhile, Wood (FWD) took his season tally to 17 with a hattrick against Brighton. He's now scored 7 in his last 6 EPL appearances.
Gibbs-White (MID) is another Forest player worthy of consideration. After a slow start to the season which saw him register just 1 goal involvement in the first 14 GWs, he has since recorded 10 goal involvements (4 goals and 6 assists) in the next 10, only blanking in 3 of those GWs. With ownership currently at 4.8% he could prove a very worthwhile differential.
A massive game in the battle for the top 4 with these 2 sides both having 41 points and both with a GD of +14.
A couple of weeks ago it felt as though City were beginning to click through the gears but damaging defeats at the hands of Arsenal and Real Madrid exposed familiar defensive issues and they only just squeaked past Leyton Orient in the Cup!
Newcastle are set-up perfectly to add to those City defensive woes although Gordon (MID) is a doubt for this one. Isak (FWD) meanwhile has scored in his last 5 away matches in the Premier League and in fact has only blanked on the road in 1 match since returning from injury in GW9 (away at Palace).
Of course at the other end of the pitch is Haaland (FWD) who himself has scored 6 goals in his last 6 Premier League matches. Foden (MID) back in a more central role and a regular starter also looks a decent option. The England midfielder is still 0.2 mil cheaper than his season starting price and appears in just 8% of EPL teams.
Southampton ended their long wait for a 2nd win of the season against fellow strugglers Ipswich last time out. Realistically, they are playing for pride and to potentially disrupt other team's hopes. In that regard, a win against South Coast rivals Bournemouth would give them a significant amount of satisfaction!
With the 2 teams immediately above them playing each other, this match represents a great opportunity for the Cherries to continue their upward trajectory.
You can take your pick of Bournemouth midfielders from Kluivert (MID), Semenyo (MID) and Dango (MID) all of whom are recording good points tallies underpinned but excellent underlying stats. In fact, all 3 are in the top 10 players for threat on the ICT over the last 5 GWs which suggestions that the Saints goal will be under considerable pressure throughout the 90mins.
On current form and with what's to come, you really should have at least 2 Bournemouth players in your squad. The Cherries don't play a side currently higher than 10th in the league until 3rd May suggesting that the good times are set to last.
It'd be fair to say that West Ham haven't enjoyed the kind of bounce so far that teams hope to get with the appointment of a new manager. Meanwhile Brentford have the same issue alluded to above in the sense that baring a total collapse, they are safe but do they have the squad depth and mentality to try and push on as high as possible in the league?
You'd have gotten pretty long odds on Spurs shutting out Brentford at the Gtech last time out and Thomas Franks freely admitted that his side lacked quality in that match which will be a concern for those FPL teams who have Mbeumo (MID) and Wissa (FWD). The former has 1 goal involvement in his last 4 while Wissa has blanked in his last 3 EPL games.
Bowen (MID) returned from injury with a goal against Chelsea last time out. That's 12 goal involvements from 20 games this season for the West Ham captain who remains the only realistic FPL pick from the Hammers squad.
FPL managers will be keen to see if Ferguson (FWD) hits the ground running following his loan move to East London. The young Irishman burst onto the scence with 6 goals in his first 10 Premier League starts under Graham Potter but he was a peripheral figure at Brighton this season, starting just 2 matches and playing a total of 217 league minutes. In fact, his last Premier League appearance of the season was against West Ham in the corresponding fixture nearly 2 months ago when he came off the bench for the last 5 minutes suggesting he might need more time to get match sharp.
Here we have 2 teams whose players are suddenly and unexpectedly looking more attractive to FPL sides given their recent runs of form.
Who for example would have anticipated a few months ago that Beto (FWD) could suddenly become a viable option for your forward line?
The Portugese striker has had a fairly torrid time since arriving for £25mil from Udinese in 2023 scoring just 4 goals in first 44 Premier League appearances. However, he's now notched 3 in his last 2 matches and with Calvert-Lewin (FWD) injured (again) and the team around him buoyant following the return of David Moyes then he might be a good buy if you're looking for a striker under £5mil.
Of course if you've got a bit more cash to spend then Mateta (FWD) is in even better form. He started the season in about 7-8% of teams before that stat plummeted toward the 2% mark in December. However, since the turn of the year managers have been flocking back to a player who finished strongly last season too.
Away from home, Palace are a genuine force having won 5 of their last 6 Premier League matches on the road while conceding just once in that time! However at home, their form is far more patchy and they haven't managed a clean sheet at Selhurst Park since October!
Liverpool missed the opportunity to put themselves 9 points clear at the top of the league after a brilliant derby match in midweek. You do wonder if the fixture list congestion might begin to hit home. By the end of February, they will have played 16 games in 2025.
Still, the likes of Salah (MID) don't seem to show any signs of slowing down which is a plus for 71.6% of sides that have picked him. With another double game week for the Reds you can also put very good money on almost all of those teams captaining Liverpool's main man once again.
Wolves meanwhile have had a much more leisurely February to date, this is just their 3rd match with the 2 previous games ending in 2-0 wins. That will be a massive relief given their form the month prior and the victory over Villa keeps them just out of the relegation zone.
With this match and then an away day at Bournemouth, it's unlikely that many managers are going to be rushing out to buy in Wolves players. Instead, Wolves season will be defined by the run of games they have in March/April when they play all 3 sides currently below them as well as the 4 sides immediately above them in the league (at the time of writing). Canny FPL managers will certainly keep an eye out for opportunities to bring in some of their attacking options for that sequence of games.
The battle for 13th is really hotting up!
Neither of these sides has been able to sustain any kind of form and consistency across the season so as far as your FPL picks are concerned, all acquisitions come with a big 'buyer beware' label attached to them.
Spurs did win in the league at Brentford last time out and quite miraculously given their defensive record and the Bees excellent attacking returns at home, they kept a clean sheet. Since then of course they've been soundly beaten in 2 Cup competitions.
United meanwhile have generally been better away from home of late and remain unbeaten on their travels in 2025 across all competitions. They will however come up against a team that has scored 7 goals passed them already this season. In fact, Spurs have scored 2 or more goals in each of their last 4 Premier League meetings with United and have the opportunity to become the first team since Chelsea in 2012 to beat the Red Devils 3 times in a season.
Player wise, both teams may play a midfielder out of position in a centre-forward role. Spurs are likely to be forced into that move due to yet further injuries and Son (MID) does at least have experience of playing through the middle. Meanwhile, the experiment with Mainoo (MID) 'up-front' didn't survive into United's Cup game at the weekend and surely will be shelved for now at least.
Young Moore (MID) is yet another beneficiary of the number of first team players that are MIA for Spurs. He's appeared in the last 3 EPL matches during which time he's doubled his Premier League playing time in his fledgling career and added 2 assists. At £4.5mil, he might be worth keeping an eye on as a 5th midfielder if that game time continues.
Villa Park is a tough place to come but the problem that Unai Emery's side have had this season continues to be the number goals they are conceding. Until Brighton got humped 7-0 in the last round of fixtures, Villa had the worst defensive record in the top half of the league this season. They've managed just 3 clean sheets all season and those have come against shot shy Southampton, Everton and Man United. Salah et al will be significantly harder to keep out!
This is also a fixture that the Merseyside club have dominated in recent years. With the exception of that bizarre 7-2 Villa win way back in 2020 when the reigning champions at the time somehow capitulated, Liverpool's record against Villa since they returned to the Premier League is played 11, won 8.
Salah (MID) who must surely be an option for a triple captain, has 12 goal involvements in 12 appearances versus Villa (8 goals and 4 assists).
Division 1
GW24 Results
| Team | Hive Account | Score | Score | Team | Hive Account |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solat FC | @reservedsingle | 113 | 111 | Skander | @skanderh |
| Likodra FC | @teofilex11 | 88 | 113 | @BlockchainFPL H2H | @blockchainfpl |
| Suffragette City | @talesfrmthecrypt | 93 | 110 | Hungry Lions | @gvkanten |
| Shamzy F.C | @shamzy | 107 | 114 | Whyte FC | @Ipalibo |
| NONZ FC | @nonsowrites | 147 | 125 | INEOS REVIVAL | @deniskj |
| Legion fc | @b0s | 108 | 85 | Vickoly FC | @vickoly |
| FC McKane | @mckane | 105 | 112 | Lazz | @martinlazizi |
| Herbae | @herbae | 100 | 97 | Simcard FC | @akomoajong |
| Espressos | @aaalviarez | 131 | 130 | HallAnd Oats FC | @thoth442 |
| Creekside FC | @pappyelblanco | 97 | 98 | YAGMAN FC | @yagman01 |
GW25 Fixtures
| Team | Hive Account | Team | Hive Account | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skander | @skanderh | v | Creekside FC | @pappyelblanco |
| YAGMAN FC | @yagman01 | v | Espressos | @aaalviarez |
| HallAnd Oats FC | @thoth442 | v | Herbae | @herbae |
| Simcard FC | @akomoajong | v | FC McKane | @mckane |
| Lazz | @martinlazizi | v | Legion fc | @b0s |
| Vickoly FC | @vickoly | v | NONZ FC | @nonsowrites |
| INEOS REVIVAL | @deniskj | v | Shamzy F.C | @shamzy |
| Whyte FC | @Ipalibo | v | Suffragette City | @talesfrmthecrypt |
| Hungry Lions | @gvkanten | v | Likodra FC | @teofilex11 |
| @BlockchainFPL H2H | @blockchainfpl | v | Solat FC | @reservedsingle |
Division 2
GW24 Results
| Team | Hive Account | Score | Score | Team | Hive Account |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARFANTASY FC | @arfa | 107 | 111 | Stevenson FC | @stevenson7 |
| OG Squad | @graat | 99 | 110 | Hungry Lions | @gvkanten |
| HIVE KILL STEEM | No Hive Account Linked | 47 | 110 | Akatsuki | @seki1 |
| The Dream Team | @spidersilk | 52 | 111 | ACX United | @pvmihalache |
| KELLYMAN FC | @justfavour | 114 | 29 | Emeka4 | @emeka4 |
| Cygnus FC | @donjaun | 72 | 100 | Barca | @muka-vybz |
| The Urge | @kenzzi | 105 | 80 | Smiley Team | @carita-feliz |
| SportsNerd | @saf-ul-wahab | 110 | 96 | Yahuzah | @yahuzah |
| ALH | No Hive Account Linked | 140 | 84 | Chris Football Club | @hiveworld |
| Change Name | No Hive Account Linked | 39 | 103 | The Cella’s | @blanchy |
| Tangram | @desro | 108 | 110 | Hadji | @hadji |
| Holozing.com | @acidyo | 40 | 71 | ArgyeeChitthuFC | @agct1226 |
| Happyboys FC | @happyboy1 | 118 | 110 | Change Name | No Hive Account Linked |
| Ballgasms | @preshpresh | 63 | 51 | foloxfc | @thelonegreywolf |
| Outside of Time | No Hive Account Linked | 26 | 110 | Coldone | @nasfyneboy92 |
| Headies | @Headies | 67 | 132 | Formidable Milano | @damolexy |
| Trinex fc | @og-gamershub | 58 | 111 | Hornstra XI | @elvis123 |
| GunnersLoverFC | @nwt93 | 66 | 48 | The Beast | @iamchuks |
| Tilia | No Hive Account Linked | 101 | 99 | RHYDA | @rhyda1 |
| Dapomola fc | @dapomolaaaa | 76 | 100 | rubilu | @rubilu |
| Hiveheadz | @borran | 110 | 101 | Wanderteam | @kelvinpeters |
| TGIF | @gentleshaid | 107 | 139 | samostically | @samostically |
| Mighty Fc | @twicejoy | 110 | 73 | Kane and Unable | @jmehta |
| Newton Heath FC | @samirich | 106 | 87 | racibo | @racibo |
| Diistroyers | @diikaan | 85 | 34 | Micheal Fc | @micheal87 |
| Holte Me Close | @stuartcturnbull | 97 | 113 | Kraken99 | @kraken99 |
| Mollina United | @femisapiens | 108 | 32 | Olawalium FC | @olawalium |
| 11 idiots | No Hive Account Linked | 102 | 108 | Jungle Boy | @george-dee |
| Tengo Rangers FC | @tengolotodo | 142 | 74 | Ifeyemi Fc | @valchiz |
| Tricky Trees 2024 | @doombot75 | 48 | 57 | Lame Ducks | No Hive Account Linked |
| Monitox | No Hive Account Linked | 29 | 113 | Ref's team | @sperosamuel15 |
GW25 Fixtures
| Team | Hive Account | Team | Hive Account | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headies | @Headies | v | ARFANTASY FC | @arfa |
| Trinex fc | @og-gamershub | v | Outside of Time | No Hive Account Linked |
| GunnersLoverFC | @nwt93 | v | Ballgasms | @preshpresh |
| Tilia | No Hive Account Linked | v | Happyboys FC | @happyboy1 |
| Dapomola fc | @dapomolaaaa | v | Holozing.com | @acidyo |
| Hiveheadz | @borran | v | Tangram | @desro |
| TGIF | @gentleshaid | v | Change Name | No Hive Account Linked |
| Mighty Fc | @twicejoy | v | ALH | No Hive Account Linked |
| Newton Heath FC | @samirich | v | SportsNerd | @saf-ul-wahab |
| Diistroyers | @diikaan | v | The Urge | @kenzzi |
| Holte Me Close | @stuartcturnbull | v | Cygnus FC | @donjaun |
| Mollina United | @femisapiens | v | KELLYMAN FC | @justfavour |
| 11 idiots | No Hive Account Linked | v | The Dream Team | @spidersilk |
| Tengo Rangers FC | @tengolotodo | v | HIVE KILL STEEM | No Hive Account Linked |
| Tricky Trees 2024 | @doombot75 | v | OG Squad | @graat |
| Monitox | No Hive Account Linked | v | Stevenson FC | @stevenson7 |
| Ref's team | @sperosamuel15 | v | Hungry Lions | @gvkanten |
| Lame Ducks | No Hive Account Linked | v | Akatsuki | @seki1 |
| Ifeyemi Fc | @valchiz | v | ACX United | @pvmihalache |
| Jungle Boy | @george-dee | v | Emeka4 | @emeka4 |
| Olawalium FC | @olawalium | v | Barca | @muka-vybz |
| Kraken99 | @kraken99 | v | Smiley Team | @carita-feliz |
| Micheal Fc | @micheal87 | v | Yahuzah | @yahuzah |
| racibo | @racibo | v | Chris Football Club | @hiveworld |
| Kane and Unable | @jmehta | v | The Cella’s | @blanchy |
| samostically | @samostically | v | Hadji | @hadji |
| Wanderteam | @kelvinpeters | v | ArgyeeChitthuFC | @agct1226 |
| rubilu | @rubilu | v | Change Name | No Hive Account Linked |
| RHYDA | @rhyda1 | v | foloxfc | @thelonegreywolf |
| The Beast | @iamchuks | v | Coldone | @nasfyneboy92 |
| Hornstra XI | @elvis123 | v | Formidable Milano | @damolexy |
The question is whether to captain Salah because Liverpool may rotate due to the number of games they play.
It's definitely a concern but I reckon he'll play both.
He wasn’t even on the bench for cup game against Plymouth and without the FA Cup, Liverpool have a much better schedule in March.
I think they’ll see this as an opportunity to get 10 points ahead and therefore they’ll play their first XI where possible
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BEER.BEERHey @jmehta, here is a little bit of from @talesfrmthecrypt for you. Enjoy it!HIVE .We love your support by voting @detlev.witness on
Made a few changes for injuries, guaranteed to come back and bite me !BBH
Who have you brought in?
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Henderson, Aina, Konate and Kluivert see how it goes
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BEER.BEERHey @doombot75, here is a little bit of from @talesfrmthecrypt for you. Enjoy it!HIVE .We love your support by voting @detlev.witness on
Double gameweek for the pool and Aston Villa . No chance resting Salah for these league games. I think Spurs will have United for the 3rd time this season.
I was contemplating triple captaining Salah but didn't so expect a pair of hattricks from him!
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BEER.BEERHey @blanchy, here is a little bit of from @talesfrmthecrypt for you. Enjoy it!Learn how to earn FREE BEER each day by staking your
BEER.Excited for this week, last week got me 52 points just from Salah, expecting same performance this week. With the addition of Gabriel and Kluivert hoping to increase my league position.
Those are solid buys. You'd back Arsenal to get a clean sheet and Kluivert getting plenty of opportunities in and the box + penalties
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Yeah, i thought with the corner tactics Arsenal have, Gabriel might even score together with a clean sheet. Hoping Kluivert to score and assist plenty against last place Southampton. Let's hope everything works well 😁
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BEER.BEERHey @saif-ul-wahab, here is a little bit of from @talesfrmthecrypt for you. Enjoy it!Learn how to earn FREE BEER each day by staking your
BEER.What a poor way to start the gameweek, Palmer was feeling very hot yesterday, the whole ice got melted down 💀
Nothing was functioning at all
Forcing me to ask, is Chelsea's attacking prowess really dependent on Jackson or was this a one-off bad performance