Top Fantasy Premier League tips for GW13: Newcastle, Liverpool and Man City are among the teams with the TOUGHEST fixture runs between now and 2024… but which players should you trust over the busy festive period?

• Man City and Newcastle have extremely punishing fixture runs before new year 
• Arsenal, Man United and Liverpool must also manage a challenging schedule 
• City-Liverpool is tough to referee… but our campaign is up and running – IAKO 

With the final international break of 2023 in the history books, Premier League clubs are preparing for wall-to-wall fixtures between now and the end of the year.

Those still in Europe will no doubt have to manage the most intensive runs over the congested festive period, with Manchester City, Newcastle and Liverpool set for extremely demanding turnarounds in particular.

December marks a crucial point in the season for Premier League managers, as it determines the type of campaign they’ll be having. Escape the busy schedule unscathed and the new year will likely be a prosperous one. Fail to manage the fixtures correctly, and the wheels can come off very quickly.

In many ways, this is the same for FPL managers, who will need to consider their squads carefully before each gameweek, with the risk of rotation as high as ever. 

With that in mind, Mail Sport takes a look at the teams with the most punishing schedules over the festive period, while analysing the most reliable players from each club in terms of minutes.

Premier League managers like Jurgen Klopp (above) will be weighing up how best to approach the congested festive period, with Liverpool taking on Manchester City up first on Saturday

Under pressure Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag could be set for his toughest spell in charge at Old Trafford, with back-to-back games to navigate between now and the new year

Highest xG in 2023-24 so far 

1. Erling Haaland, MCI – 12.67

2. Mohamed Salah, LIV – 9.07

3. Nicolas Jackson, CHE – 7.79

4. Bryan Mbeumo, BRE – 7.20

5. Ollie Watkins, AVL – 7.09

6. Callum Wilson, NEW – 6.03 

7. Dominic Solanke, BOU – 5.42 

8. Alexander Isak, NEW – 5.41

9. Darwin Nunez, LIV – 5.03

10. Cole Palmer, CHE – 4.90 

*xG = Expected goals 

Chelsea star Cole Palmer has jumped into the top 10 in terms of expected goals so far 

 

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Man City 

Man City fixtures

November 25: Liverpool (PL)

Nov 28: RB Leipzig (CL)

December 3: Tottenham (PL)

Dec 6: Aston Villa (PL)

Dec 10: Luton (PL)

Dec 13: Red Star Belgrade (CL)

Dec 16: Crystal Palace (PL)

Dec 19: Club World Cup semi-final

Dec 22*: Club World Cup final 

Dec 27: Everton (PL)

Dec 30: Sheffield United (PL) 

*Based on semi-final result 

10 or 11 fixtures, 36 days

It’s no surprise to see that Manchester City are grappling with a congested run between now and new year. The Treble-winners have the Champions League and Club World Cup to contend with over the next month and a half, which could prove problematic for players in terms of Premier League and FPL minutes.

The silver lining is that City have already qualified for the knockout stage of the Champions League and thus can rest key players against RB Leipzig on November 28 and Red Star Belgrade on December 13. Emphasis on ‘can’…

Pep Guardiola has been known to throw a few curveballs for FPL managers in recent years, and there’s no guarantee the likes of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez will pick up rests in the Champions League, especially with the Spaniard keen to top the group.

It’s never wise to bank on players starting every week under Guardiola, but there are a few key players who rarely miss out. Haaland and Alvarez both fall into that category, having each started every Premier League match so far.

Meanwhile, stalwart defender Ruben Dias tends to play approximately five in every six matches under Guardiola and is probably the next best pick in terms of reliable minutes.

While Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku offer explosive potential on the City flanks, their game time is likely to deplete over the congested fixture run, with Guardiola keen to manage their workload.

BUY/HOLD: Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez

SELL/AVOID: Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku 

Pep Guardiola has a habit of rotating his side and that is set to continue over the busy schedule

Popular FPL captain Erling Haaland, who has 13 goals to his name so far, hardly misses a match for Manchester City and will continue to play a key role when fit throughout the congested run

Summer signing Jeremy Doku has enjoyed an excellent start to life at Manchester City – but his minutes could deplete significantly over the next few weeks as the schedule becomes busier

Arsenal

Arsenal fixtures

November 25: Brentford (PL)

Nov 29: Lens (CL)

December 2: Wolves (PL)

Dec 5: Luton (PL)

Dec 9: Aston Villa (PL)

Dec 12: PSV (CL)

Dec 17: Brighton (PL)

Dec 23: Liverpool (PL)

Dec 28: West Ham (PL)

Dec 31: Fulham (PL)

10 fixtures, 37 days

Although the Gunners don’t have the Club World Cup to worry about, the schedule could be just as challenging for Mikel Arteta’s men between now and 2024.

Arsenal, like City, are sitting pretty at the top of their Champions League group thanks to the 2-0 win over Sevilla earlier this month, but they’ll need at least one more positive result to ensure they top the table.

The next two and a half weeks are particularly brutal for the north London outfit, who must prepare for six matches within that timeframe. It means they have only a two or three-day rest period between fixtures between now and facing PSV in the Champions League on December 12.

Once Arteta has navigated through that tempest of fixtures, he gains some respite in the form of four fixtures across the next 18 days, although Arsenal must still take on Brighton, Liverpool and West Ham in that run.

It’s no secret that Bukayo Saka plays every possible minute he can under Arteta, rarely missing out unless through injury or the rare suspension. That being said, expect the Gunners star to come off early over the next few challenging weeks.

Elsewhere, William Saliba‘s minutes are likely to remain secure through the difficult period, although Arteta may feel the need to rest him once or twice over the next 10 games in all competitions.

Meanwhile, Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard and even Gabriel Martinelli could be rested and rotated over the next few weeks, although the latter will probably sit on the bench during the Champions League outings.

BUY/HOLD: Bukayo Saka, William Saliba

SELL/AVOID: Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Jesus 

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta tends not to rest Bukayo Saka (above) unless he absolutely has to

In-form centre-half William Saliba has played every Premier League minute for Arsenal so far

Man United 

Man United fixtures

November 26: Everton (PL)

Nov 29: Galatasaray (CL)

December 2: Newcastle (PL)

Dec 6: Chelsea (PL)

Dec 9: Bournemouth (PL)

Dec 12: Bayern Munich (CL)

Dec 17: Liverpool (PL)

Dec 23: West Ham (PL)

Dec 26: Aston Villa (PL)

Dec 30: Nottingham Forest (PL) 

10 fixtures, 34 days

Although, on paper, Manchester United have a similar fixture schedule to Manchester City and Liverpool, their situation is far more precarious. 

Unlike their Premier League rivals, the Red Devils sit bottom of their Champions League group and need to go all-out in their European fixtures to salvage any hope of remaining in the competition.

Just like with Arsenal, United’s run is particularly challenging on the front nine and eases ever so slightly in the final two weeks of 2024. On five occasions before the end of the year, Erik ten Hag will be granted only a two-day rest period between matches, including their games against Galatasaray and Bayern Munich.

The Dutch manager will do everything in his power to make sure Bruno Fernandes is fit and available for every game, due to how important he is to the Red Devils. And even then, he’s more likely to play flat-out in Champions League matches than he is in the Premier League against Bournemouth on December 9, for example.

Every other player is likely to rotate frequently throughout the congested run. Given how inconsistent Manchester United players have been in FPL this season, it doesn’t seem worth the risk on any of their assets.

Sure, Fernandes will pick up the odd penalty en route to Christmas, but it doesn’t justify taking that gamble ahead of United’s tricky period. 

BUY/HOLD: –

SELL/AVOID: Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford 

Key midfielder Bruno Fernandes is the least likely to suffer from rotation at Manchester United

Luke Shaw (above) being back in training is a huge boost for Manchester United and Ten Hag

Newcastle

Newcastle fixtures

November 25: Chelsea (PL)

Nov 28: PSG (CL)

December 2: Man United (PL)

Dec 7: Everton (PL)

Dec 10: Tottenham (PL)

Dec 13: Milan (CL)

Dec 16: Fulham (PL)

Dec 19: Chelsea (EFL Cup)

Dec 23: Luton (PL)

Dec 26: Nottingham Forest (PL) 

January 1: Liverpool (PL) 

11 fixtures, 38 days

Injury-plagued Newcastle may have been handed a huge boost after the plot to ban ‘related-party loans’ was scrapped by the Premier League this week, but getting to the January transfer window is an extremely challenging prospect in itself.

Averaging a match every three and a half days for their next 11 games, Newcastle could really do with a beefy squad to tackle the workload. Unfortunately, Eddie Howe still has a host of senior players including Sven Botman, Dan Burn, Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson on the sidelines.

Newcastle kick off the schedule with a trip to revigorated Chelsea this weekend before facing Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League in midweek. Despite sitting bottom of their close European group, there is still all to play for and it seems unlikely Howe will write off Newcastle’s Champions League dream by resting his first-choice players.

To make matters worse, Lewis Hall, who alongside Tino Livramento has deputised at full-back in the absence of Burn, is not eligible to play against his parent club Chelsea at the weekend. 

Livramento is emerging a popular FPL pick in the absence of Burn, and if he continues to operate as an attacking full-back or winger on occasion, I can see why.

But the former Southampton man has only just returned from a serious injury and will likely be managed by Howe over the next couple of months. Expecting him to play regularly for Newcastle, even during an injury-laden spell, is wishful thinking.

Due to the significant number of injuries, durable regulars Kieran Trippier and Anthony Gordon will likely be put to the test with a string of matches over the next few weeks, until some of their team-mates recover, so the pair remain solid picks in the short term.

That being said, the Magpies are bound to experience a drop-off both in attack and defence during the challenging period, so avoiding Newcastle altogether in FPL is also a favourable strategy.

BUY/HOLD: Kieran Trippier, Anthony Gordon 

SELL/AVOID: Tino Livramento, Fabian Schar

Kieran Trippier will play as many games as his body will let him during Newcastle’s injury crisis

With both strikers recovering from injuries, Anthony Gordon’s role is even more important

Liverpool

Liverpool fixtures

November 25: Man City (PL)

Nov 30: LASK (EL)

December 3: Fulham (PL)

Dec 6: Sheffield United (PL)

Dec 9: Crystal Palace (PL)

Dec 14: Union Saint-Gilloise (EL)

Dec 17: Man United (PL)

Dec 20: West Ham (EFL Cup)

Dec 23: Arsenal (PL)

Dec 26: Burnley (PL) 

January 1: Newcastle (PL) 

11 fixtures, 38 days 

Despite Jurgen Klopp’s frustration at having to deal with another early kick-off this weekend against Manchester City, the timing at least means Liverpool have a four-day rest before facing LASK in the Europa League.

That’s as good as it gets for the Reds before Boxing Day, however. In the eight recovery periods between facing LASK and Burnley on December 26, Liverpool have to deal with seven two-day rests.

No other team in the Premier League has a more intense run of matches during this period, which sees the Reds face LASK, Fulham, Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, Union Saint-Gilloise, Manchester United, West Ham, Arsenal and Burnley in just 27 days.

Expecting Klopp to manage this run without the use of his bench would be extremely naïve, but the German has a handful of players he relies on at every possible opportunity.

FPL legend Mohamed Salah is a regular 90-minute man under Klopp and should start most matches, perhaps missing out during the Reds’ Europa League matches. Klopp will likely withdraw the Egyptian midway through the second half in most games to keep him fresh and firing. 

Mohamed Salah is Liverpool’s most crucial player and won’t miss out too often in the league

Darwin Nunez is a headache for FPL managers, as he’s likely to be rotated over the busy period

Virgil van Dijk is another who will likely start the majority of the matches during this spell, but given his hefty FPL price tag and the inconsistencies Liverpool have shown in defence this season, he remains an easy avoid.

What to do with Darwin Nunez is trickier. On the one hand, he’s carved out a regular spot in Klopp’s side over the last few weeks and should continue to start in Liverpool’s most important matches. With that in mind, there’s every chance he sits on the bench against Fulham or Sheffield United, which are no doubt the fixtures you want him for.

With certainty of game time a huge commodity in FPL ahead of congested fixtures runs, I would recommend steering clear of the Uruguayan forward. The same goes for Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo, due to the unreliability with minutes.

BUY/HOLD: Mohamed Salah

SELL/AVOID: Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz

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