Welcome back to another edition of the Hive H2H FPL.
Looking down the score lines of both divisions you can see that GW27 delivered some really tight head to head matches, many of which were decided off the back of Arsenal's thrashing of a lowly Sheffield United team.
This week the Blades travel away to Bournemouth who themselves are one of two sides with a double gameweek, the other being Luton. FPL managers will no doubt be looking at ways in which to get additional players from both sides into their squads.
However, the other big consideration is what is on the horizon for GW29 when only 8 teams. It means that both Manchester sides, Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle not to mention Bournemouth will all be out of action.
Most managers across both divisions sill have their free hit in place and so it's quite possible that we'll see sides cobble together a make shift squad out of those 8 sides before reverting back to their regular team for the run in. Others may opt to keep their free hit up their sleeve for similar opportunities later in the season. As always, it's part calculation, part gamble.
In general GW28 looks a tricky one to navigate not least of all because many of the EPL teams that contain popular FPL picks go head to head themselves this weekend.
The biggest clash is of course Liverpool v City. With their injury problems, it's been difficult to really pin down Liverpool assets over the last couple of months but most teams have at least 2 City players in their squad although the immediate prospects of them getting big points don't look great with this match then a blank game week then Arsenal.
Elsewhere, Villa take on Spurs in the battle for 4th. Again, lots of FPL assets will be coming up against one another but while the match at Anfield seems likely to be a more cagey affair, this game could well see a few goals and therefore points flying about.
Finally, Chelsea play Newcastle on Sunday. While neither have had stellar seasons, there are still plenty of players across both teams who continue to appear in FPL squads. Chelsea look good in the cups but their league form is patchy at best while Newcastle historically don't like travelling down to the capital.
In attempting to avoid those high profile fixtures managers might well be tempted by Arsenal assets. The Gunners are the form team at the moment and while Brentford are unlikely to be the push overs that Sheffield United were, the Bees have kept just a single clean sheet since the end of October.
Equally United and Brighton both play at home against relegation threatened teams although knowing what kind of performance you'll get from either club continues to be tricky. Alternatively, managers might fancy a resurgent West Ham to continue their recent good form against lowly Burnley.
GW27 Results
Prizes for winners of last week's head to head matches will be sent soon.
Division 1
Division 2
v 
Important wins for both these 2 sides in GW27. Whyte FC moved up to 3rd and closed the gap on 2nd place while Legion FC broke their long losing streak to at the very least stop their slide further into the relegation spots.
This should be a good fixture to watch with plenty of differentials across the squads. Whyte FC may feel that they have the advantage of Dominic Solanke and the double game week although the big man has scored just twice in his last 8 Premier League starts for the Cherries.
Elsewhere, Whyte FC have more of their players benefiting from home advantage although Pau Torres' place in the starting line-up for Villa is not guaranteed. Legion FC are still stuck with 2 Everton defenders. Can they frustrate United at Old Trafford? While perhaps their best differential comes in the form of Jarrod Bowen at home to Burnley.
v 
Creekside's defeat in GW27 is another step towards Shamzy FC winning the league while FC McKane missed the opportunity to jump a few positions up the table.
There is not a huge amount to choose between these sides who also both have City defenders in their side. At the back then, it seems likely to come down to a battle of full-backs in Udogie v Gusto and CBs in Branthwaite v Anderson.
Further forward and Douglas Luiz has at least 1 goal involvement in 4 of his last 5 EPL matches. He goes head to head with Kulusevki who has just 1 goal in the last 9 GWs. Gordon's form away from home is nowhere near as good up as up in the North and while Jarrod Bowen has historically had the opposite problem, he is coming off a hat trick the last time West Ham played at the London Stadium.
v 
This is 5th vs 6th and the chance to take a big step towards finishing in the top quarter of the league. Nonz FC's good run of form was ended in GW27 while Hungry Lions managed to arrest a series of defeats themselves.
This looks likely to be quite a close affair given the similarities between the 2 sides. Equally, Saliba and Gabriel could well cancel out each others points hauls as could Dunk and Estupinan. We wait to see how each side will use their transfer this week and who they'll pick as captain which could well be defining factors in the outcome of this one.
Hungry Lions have Phil Foden who is arguably the form player of the league at the moment but he faces a tough assignment against Liverpool on Sunday while all of Nonz FC's midfield differentials benefit from home advantage.
v 
Lazz dropped back to 4th and are struggling to put substantial points on the board at the moment. Meanwhile Hiveheadz have benefitted from 2 wins on the bounce to move them back into the comfort of mid-table. They've also outscored their opponents today in each of the last 3 GWs.
As for differentials, it is once again a case of things appearing even closer than the above graphic shows. Both teams have Arsenal, Everton and Man City defenders in their sides while Foden v KDB could also be a key battle.
Darwin Nunez is picking up form at just the right time for Liverpool and it becomes a question of consistency and game time as to whether managers consider him a viable option for the remainder of the season. Lazz will look to benefit from the Solanke double game week.
v 
Espada Numero Uno needed a win in GW27 to avoid getting caught back up in the relegation battle and they got it. Meanwhile Likodra also tasted victory and stabilised their place in the top half.
Both sides have similar injury concerns over Saka, Trippier and Porro coming into this one so the list of differentials may well grow. For Likodra FC there are also question marks over whether Robertson and Salah will be fit to start in their title clash with City.
There are some nice differentials to watch up front which is a rarity in head to heads at the moment. Espada Numero Uno are going to be banking on Foden and Haaland to terrorise Liverpool's back line while Likodra have a bit more variety available to them.
v 
A massive game at the bottom of the table with Blockchain FPL looking to make it 3 wins on the trot and I Feel Qatari hoping to follow up on their crucial victory in GW27. 5 points separate the 2 teams at the moment and so this is the very definition of a relegation 6 pointer.
Blockchain FPL will be banking on Ivan Toney to get on the scoresheet. If he does it will have the duel effect of points for them while taking away the clean sheet bonus of both Arsenal centre backs that I Feel Qatari look likely to start with.
Where I Feel Qatari do have an advantage is in the fact that 2 of their differentials play twice in GW28 (Barkley and Solanke). Meanwhile, Blockchain FPL can point to the fact that Son will start as a centre forward for Spurs in at least the next couple of matches. He also has a very good record against Villa with 7 goal involvements (6 goals and an assist) in 8 previous 8 appearances against the Midlands club.
v 
Inzanagi FC are in free fall at the moment and given the matches that are taking place between sides around them in the league, they could really do with a win to avoid slipping further away from safety. Augment FC are all but safe themselves despite some patchy form and it becomes more a question of whether they can get themselves up into the top half of the table.
Augment will have to choose between which goalkeeper they think has the better chance of keeping a clean sheet in the Villa Spurs match. Spurs are conceding most weeks at the moment but at the same time they usually score.
Martin Odegaard has hit 10+ points in 3 of his last 4 matches and looks a great player to have considering his ownership is still relatively low. He certainly looks like a better option than Bruno Fernandes who hasn't scored in the league since GW11 when he got a late deflected winner against Fulham.
v 
The battle for the wooden spoon is on! A win for the Amirians would move them off the bottom of the league for the first time in a long time and if recent scores are anything to go by then they are favourites for this one.
In terms of differentials, both sides have a number of assets that will play in the Liverpool v City game. If results in these 'big matches' of late are anything to go by then you'd imagine it'll be a very tight affair without a huge number of points for attacking players but are either side's defences good enough to keep a clean sheet?
Outside of that fixture and The Amirians also have a vested interest in the Arsenal Brentford game. Ivan Toney and Dom Solanke could prove key differentials in this head to head while the availability of Saka who has at least a goal involvement in his last 6 matches could also prove crucial.
v 
Both teams come into this week's head to head off the back of defeats in GW27. The congestion in that middle portion of the table means that Yagman FC could go up to 7th with a win or alternatively if they lose they will find themselves just 3 points ahead of their opponents and hovering dangerously close to the bottom 5 themselves.
Suffragette City carry an advantage by having Solanke and Doughty who are both due to play twice this weekend. That being said, Solanke's fitness is a concern for all managers who were banking on him to be a big factor in GW28. Can a player who is not taking full part in training be expected to play twice in 4 days?
Elsewhere there are good battles across the pitch. Yagman FC have defensive assets across both Chelsea and Newcastle, although neither side are prone to a clean sheet. In midfield, KDB has not delivered big points of yet but there is no doubt he is a big match player so it might be worth teams sticking with him for this one. Otherwise, Yagman FC have Bowen and Son who are more likely to get on the score sheet than Gross and Gordon.
v 
Shamzy FC continue to stride towards the title. The gap between them and 2nd place is now 12 points and it's difficult to see any of the chasing pack being able to put together a consistent enough run of wins to really put them under pressure.
Both sides have availability concerns coming into this match. For Shamzy FC Hee Chan and Basham are definitely out while question marks remain over the involvement of Saka and Porro. Meanwhile, thoth442 FC are without Richarlison and Guehi through injury and Raya is unavailable to face his parent club Brentford. That creates a particular headache for them as Strakosha is very unlikely to get minutes this week.
Thoth442 FC do at least have a 2nd free transfer up their sleeve to overcome that problem although they also need to factor in Pau Torres being left out of the Villa team of late. Can they really trust Burnley's Charlie Taylor to be in the starting XI? A similar concern however may present itself to Shamzy FC who have 2 Brighton assets in their team with the Seagulls coming off the back of 4-0 thumping in Rome this week. Gross started in that game but was left on the bench last weekend while Estupinian has been in and out of the side over recent GWs.
Division 2
.
Good luck in your head to head matches this week!