The Premier League continues into the weekend as we tick into 2026, and alongside it comes Gameweek 20 of [Fantasy Premier League](https://fantasy.premierleague.com/).
This Saturday brings our first meeting of the season with Bournemouth, as we travel to the south coast to take on Andoni Iraola’s men at the Vitality Stadium.
BIG GABI’S HUGE RETURN
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We rounded off the outgoing calendar year in style, ending Aston Villa’s 11-match winning run with a sumptuous 4-1 victory, and rewarded millions of FPL managers with a strong Arsenal presence in their teams as no fewer than seven players in red and white secured points returns.
Chief among them was Gabriel (£6.4m), who made his first start since November and opened the scoring after half-time, helping him to amass 15 points. Big Gabi also secured clean sheet points despite Villa’s late consolation, as he had been substituted with the scoreline at 3-0.
While thousands of Fantasy bosses flock to get our Brazilian back into their squads, Leandro Trossard (£6.9m) also grabbed another double-figure haul with 13. Still a superb differential pick with an ownership of just 1.4%, Leo weighed in with a stunning goal, an assist and three bonus points.
Jurrien Timber (£6.4m) secured nine points which took him to a total of 95 at the halfway point of the campaign, just two short of Gabriel and seven short of our leading FPL marksman Declan Rice (£7.2m) on 102. Our premium pick, Bukayo Saka (£10.3m), stands on 91 points and is owned by just over 21% of bosses ahead of our January fixtures.
As we prepare to take on Bournemouth, various Cherries assets have impressed. Antoine Semenyo (£7.7m) has undoubtedly been the talisman, hauling 113 points in 19 Gameweeks to reward his ever-increasing ownership, now standing at 46.4%. Semenyo began the season priced at £7.0m, but his form has included four double-figure weeks.
Defensively, many have looked towards Marcos Senesi (£4.9m), especially since the summer introduction of DefCon bonuses, while a smart differential from the Vitality Stadium is midfielder Marcus Tavernier (£5.6m). His low fee, ownership of just 2.8% and tendency to play further forward have seen him emerge as an astute option, netting 79 points so far.
DIFFERENTIALS SAVE THE DAY
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Gameweek 19 was a particularly frustrating one for many managers, with some of FPL’s most popular players blanking.
With Manchester City held to a goalless draw by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, Erling Haaland (£15.1m) and Phil Foden (£9.0m) only grabbed five points between them, while popular defensive pick Nico O’Reilly (£5.3m) was substituted before the hour mark, denying his managers the clean sheet bonus. Liverpool were also frustrated by a stalemate, as Leeds United earned a point at Anfield, meaning Hugo Ekitike (£9.1m) and Florian Wirtz (£8.2m) also scored lowly.
It was the defenders who stepped forward for FPL hauls, and Gabriel was the only player from the six who scored 11 or more points in GW19 to be owned by more than 7% of FPL competitors.
That means it was certainly a Gameweek for the differentials. Everton’s James Garner led the way with 16 points, courtesy of a goal and an assist against Nottingham Forest. Garner is a set-piece specialist with guaranteed minutes, costing just £5.0m, and is owned by only 1.3% of managers.
Lucas Paqueta (£5.9m) secured an 11-point tally in West Ham United’s draw with Brighton, while the leading beneficiaries from Sunderland and Man City’s stalemate were defenders Nordi Mukiele (£4.2m) and Matheus Nunes (£5.4m) on the same total.
Of the players to register a 10-point total in GW19, four are owned by no more than 0.2% of the Fantasy community - Bournemouth’s David Brooks (£5.0m), who we are likely to face this weekend, Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri (£4.5m), Brighton’s Joel Veltman (£4.3m) and Burnley’s Josh Laurent (£4.8m).
CHIPS RESET
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GW20 brings the second half of the campaign and the restoration of all four chips, and if you fancy an early move with injuries and Africa Cup of Nations absentees to juggle, it could be a very welcome time to play your second Wildcard chip of the season.
Likewise, a Free Hit could be your ideal alternative for a fresh squad in GW20, though GW21 comes rapidly afterwards with more league action in midweek, before the Premier League takes a backseat to the FA Cup.
If you’re eyeing up a Wildcard squad to benefit from fixtures over the coming weeks, or even planning to splurge on transfers using your points (a cost of -4 for every transfer beyond your free quota), the [fixture difficulty rating](https://fantasy.premierleague.com/fixtures/fdr) (FDR) algorithm has you covered.
As mentioned ahead of the last Gameweek, Newcastle United, Everton, and West Ham all have a more favourable run than many of their rivals, with the likes of Garner and Paqueta potentially well-priced enablers. Everton have two home matches next, against Brentford and Wolves. James Tarkowski (£5.6m) is always a reliable defensive pick, though a cheaper alternative is 0.6%-owned Jake O’Brien (£4.9m), whose long throw and aerial ability each are notable threats.
While West Ham have struggled of late, dynamic captain Jarrod Bowen (£7.6m) will always guarantee minutes and can fill a forward slot, while Mateus Fernandes (£5.5m) serves as a potential budget midfield pick in encouraging personal form.
Newcastle were 3-1 winners away at Burnley, and have three home fixtures within their next four. Bruno Guimaraes (£7.0m) has shown great value for his price tag, with his 10-point total at Turf Moor bringing him to 96 points at the halfway mark. Averaging 5.6 points across his last five Gameweeks, Anthony Gordon (£7.4m) tends to be the Magpies' penalty taker, while Yoane Wissa (£7.3m) scored a first league goal for his new club in midweek and is owned by just 0.6% of squads.
The transfer and team selection deadline for Gameweek 20 hits this Saturday at 11am UK time. Be sure not to miss the cut with the games coming thick and fast!
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