FPL tips: How to use the wildcard for Gameweek 20… if you still have it

By Holly Shand

The congested Fantasy Premier Leagueschedule is coming to an end, but there is still one big hurdle for some managers to navigate.

The first FPL Wildcard must be played by the Gameweek 20 deadline for those who still have it available, or it will be lost.

So, if you are one of the managers with the first Wildcard still at your disposal, how should you look to be setting up and what can those of us without the chip learn from this?

The Haaland conundrum

The Gameweek 20 Wildcard looked to be a huge advantage as it would provide an easy way to bring back Manchester Cityforward Erling Haaland(£13.9m)for his team’s fixture against Sheffield Unitedat home following the Norwegian’s injury.

However, that strategy is now in disarray with the news Haaland is a big doubt for that game and is more likely to return in January.

That leaves those managers holding the Wildcard with the conundrum of whether to select Haaland and have cover on the bench, or wait and go without him.

I think a good compromise would be to select his Manchester City team-mate — forward Julian Alvarez(£6.8m) — for Gameweek 20, but leave £7.1m (or slightly more to deal with price rises) in the bank so you can make the switch when Haaland returns.

This will still leave you with an advantage over those managers without a Wildcard, as they may not use transfers to bring Alvarez in for the short term.

Fixture rearrangements

When building a Wildcard squad, it is important to remember the sides who are set to have an upcoming double gameweek as a result of postponed games this season. These teams are Brentford, Bournemouth, Luton Townand Manchester City.

At the time of writing, we have no idea when these games will be rescheduled, so remaining flexible with your planning is very important.

Players from those clubs who are in form right now and could be great options a little further down the line include Bournemouth forward Dominic Solanke(£7.0m) and Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden(£7.6m).

Solanke is now the third-highest-scoring forward in the game, with five goals in his last three matches, and Foden stole the show in Gameweek 19 with his goal against Everton, following on from his assist against Crystal Palacein the fixture before.

We must also keep half an eye on Gameweek 26, which will have postponements due to the Carabao Cup final.

Chelsea, Fulhamand Liverpoolare the three Premier Leagueteams left in the competition and they are due to play Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester Unitedand Luton respectively that weekend.

International tournaments and captaincy

Another major factor in any Wildcard planning for Gameweek 20 is that in Gameweek 21, several players are due to depart for up to four gameweeks for the Asian Cup and Africa Cup of Nations.

The key absentees will include Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah(£13.3m) and Tottenham’s Son Heung-min(£9.9m), who are both listed as midfielders on FPL.

Selecting either of them on a Wildcard is far from optimal and it would be advisable to avoid them for as long as their respective countries are still in each tournament.

However, it should be mentioned that in Haaland’s likely absence, both players are good captaincy options for Gameweek 20, with Salah facing Newcastle Unitedat home and Son up against Bournemouth at home.

Overall, though, I think the best move is to go without them if wildcarding this gameweek and select another captain. Handing the armband to an asset from either Manchester City (home to Sheffield United) or Aston Villa(home to Burnley) is perfectly sensible.

Wildcard essentials

While certain decisions for Wildcard squads are tricky, there are some players that managers using the chip should be picking.

Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins(£8.8m) is one of them. He has favourable fixtures ahead, including Burnley at home this week and then Everton away in Gameweek 21.

Looking at midfield, Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka(£9.0m) and West Ham United’s Jarrod Bowen(£7.9m) are among the top-performing assets not away on international duty in January.

Chelsea’s Cole Palmer(£5.6m) is another easy selection in midfield, with two goals and one assist in his last four matches.

One other midfielder worth considering is Tottenham’s Richarlison(£6.8m). The Brazilian has been playing as a centre-forward since returning from injury and had scored four goals in his last three starts heading into the game against Brighton & Hove Albion on Thursday.

The departure of Son may hurt Tottenham’s attack, but it will also give Richarlison the chance to flourish in his absence.

Defensive decisions

Picking defensive players on a Wildcard right now feels problematic, partly due to the lack of consistency at the back from many of the sides we look to for our FPL players.

It is worth pointing out that Everton have kept the most clean sheets in December so far, with four.

However, it is best to pick defenders based on their attacking potential and right now, Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold(£8.4m) is the standout option.

The injury to Alexis Mac Allisterhas allowed Alexander-Arnold to return to his role as an inverted wing-back, a position from which he produced so many returns towards the end of last season.

This December alone he has registered four attacking returns in six games (one goal and three assists) and he has picked up the maximum three bonus points in four of those matches.

The other defender who is a huge attacking threat is Tottenham’s Pedro Porro(£5.6m), with the Spaniard taking the vast majority of his side’s set pieces since the injury to James Maddison.

That is set to continue in the short term and Porro also carries a goal threat from open play due to his high positioning.

An Arsenal defender could also be a wise investment for the weeks ahead, with Gabriel (£5.0m)a key target man in the air from set pieces.

Chelsea’s Malo Gusto(£4.1m) is a good budget pick when it comes to defenders and Newcastle United’s Martin Dubravka(£4.2m) is the same among goalkeepers.

https://theathletic.com/5165760/2023/12/29/fantasy-premier-league-gameweek-20-wildcard/