Welcome back to Hive FPL. Just 3 game weeks left in the 25/26 season and the finish in our fantasy leagues is arguably even tighter than the real thing!
In the Premier League itself, it's been a good week for Arsenal. City dropped points at Everton and they progressed to the Champions League final. As things stand, if they can have 3 more 'good weeks' then it'll be a season to remember for the Gunners.
At the other end, Arsenal's North London rivals Spurs got a priceless win at Aston Villa while West Ham equalled a Premier League record by hitting the woodwork 4 times in a game that they ultimately lost 3-0 to Brentford.
Ironically, Spurs fans are now left hoping for an Arsenal win against the Hammers this weekend while they entertain a Leeds side whose recent form has all but guaranteed another season in the Premier League.
Let's check out how things are looking in the Hive leagues...
Classic League
No change in the standings of the top 5 who all delivered slightly above average scores in GW35.
However, it's Blue Mooners who are slowly pulling away from the chasing pack and with only 3 rounds left then the opportunities to catch-up them are fast running out.
You can throw a handkerchief over places 6-10, with just 10 points separating 5 teams.
It's not beyond the realms of possibility that big scores could see 14th place downwards break into the top 10 but at the moment it looks like 8 teams fighting for the final 5 prize fund spots.
Hive Cup
| Team | Hive Account | Team | Hive Account | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murima |  | v | Cunha Do Sum' 4 Mee |  |
| Newton Heath RFC |  | v | Blue Mooners |  |
| Fire Power |  | v | Garuda XI |  |
| Racibo |  | v | Suffragette City |  |
We are down to the quarter final stage of the competition and we've still got a lot of big hitters in there.
In fact, 6 of the teams through to the QFs make up the top 11 of the Classic League. The outliers in that regard are Murima in 25th place and Newton Heath RFC just below them in 26th.
It suggests some really tight matches this weekend perhaps requiring a tie break as we saw in the round of 16 when Murima knocked out Sergio Spero on goals scored in the round!
H2H Division 1
Apparently no one wants to win this title!
The top 3 going into GW35 all lost their respective ties. The likes of Red Cards of Rohan and Steve Herbae took advantage to keep their theoretical hopes of a title alive.
As we'll look at in a minute, the really big factor over the next couple of weeks is going to be the games these teams play against each other. The very definition of 6 pointers with the winner perhaps taking it all!
At the bottom, we've still not mathematically lost anyone from the top flight but the chances of the bottom 3 staying up are fast diminishing.
There was a huge win for Formidable Milano in their game against Hungry Lions last week that keeps them hanging onto the shirt tails of the 3 teams immediately above the.
FC Mckane and Nonzy FC still need to get that last win to avoid any catastrophes but in reality it looks like a shoot out between 4 sides for the final 2 relegation spots.
This is going to be a monumental week in Division 1
You've got fixtures between
- Likodra FC (1st) vs Red Cards of Rohan (3rd)
- Cunha Do Sum 4 Mee (4th) v BlockchainFPL (2nd)
- Nonzy FC (12th) v Hungry Lions (16th)
- Formidable Milano (17th) v Legion FC (19th)
- Skander (14th) v Spero FC (15th)
All fantastically important fixtures for the outcome of this Division at both ends of the table.
GW35 Results
H2H Division 2
Meanwhile in Division 2 we do have a side now guaranteed promotion. Congratulations to Blue Mooners who will have a place in Division 1 next season.
It's perhaps not the biggest surprise in the world given that they lead the Classic League and therefore the top flight of H2H would appear like the natural place for them.
Who is going to join them is still anyone's guess! Sutter Kane, 4 points clear of 6th are in a strong position to claim promotion but it continues to be an absolute scrap for the final 3 places with just 7 points separating 11 teams.
Konttyratt FC got sucker punched by a team that hasn't been updated in ages - it can happen! Tengo Rangers and Fire Power both lost to sides who simply had a better week while Jeremie Ping Pong's collapse continues with another loss this time against Hasaaland who move up to 3rd and can secure promotion with 3 more wins.
None of the current top 13 are due to play each this week so the name of the game in GW36 is getting the job done against lower opposition. As we saw from last week, that's easier said than done and there will undoubtedly be a few chips flying around too which could contribute to 1 or 2 upsets.
The factor for these sides to consider is that it might well come down to total score to decide final positions so every point matters in these last 3 weeks!
GW36 Tips
Double game week! Worth the risk?
The major factor in GW36 is going to be the double game week for City and Palace.
On one hand you've got a side that simply has to win both those fixtures to keep up the pressure at the top of the league. On the other, you've got a team that are probably safe and have other priorities to consider in Europe.
Every manager will be going with a minimum of 3 City players this week. I say minimum because a few of you might still be in position where you've got 4 or 5 sky blue kits in your squad following the January transfers of Guehi and Semenyo.
Many managers also have their final chip in the form of the Triple Captain still to play and it's very likely that they are going to use it this week on some Norwegian forward by the name of Haaland.
Outside of Haaland, the popular City picks are likely to come from the 2 players mentioned above plus O'Riley and probably Rayan Cherki or Doku who have both started City's last 4 matches and both delivered 4 goal involvements in that time.
Of course there is the chance that Pep looks to change things up a bit following the 3-3 draw at Everton that has his side on the back foot and/or he simply rotates his impressive squad for the midweek match.
Palace of course are highly likely to rest players for one or both their games with a Conference League Final in less than 3 weeks. Glasner doesn't have the resources that Pep does so you'd assume that most of his stars will have to play at least 1 game.
Defeats in their last 2 have also seen them drop to 15th, 7 points above West Ham in the final relegation spot. Their 43 points should already be enough to stay up but with the sides below them all picking up points another win would assure them of their top flight status.
With the City game and then a match against Arsenal to come plus away at Brentford, their fixture versus Everton is probably their best chance to get the job done in front of their home crowd.
Ultimately, how much you can achieve from focusing on these 2 sides remains to be seen but I don't think I'd be putting all my eggs in the double game week basket.
Where else to pick up points in GW36
Jack Hinshelwood
We mentioned his name a few weeks ago as a player that was suddenly emerging as an attacking threat and he's kept that form up ever since.
He is 3rd on the list for expected goal involvements over the past 7 weeks with those above him benefitting from their penalty taking duties to massage those figures.
Brighton face bottom of the league Wolves this weekend in a must win match as they chase a return to Europe next season. Hinshelwood at £5.1mil and owned by just 0.6% of teams could be a key differential.
Villa's 2nd XI
Targeting fixtures that involve the bottom 2 clubs has been a good tactic all season. Burnley are, I'm sad to say, going down with a bit of a whimper. The only thing left to play for is pride and the wooden spoon.
Villa are highly likely to make a number of changes for this match, just as they did for the Spurs game last weekend. That didn't work out too well for them but I'd still suggest there could be a couple of decent differentials to consider.
Tyron Mings could well come in at the back. Burnley have scored just 3 goals in their last 7 games so a clean sheet for any of the backline is a decent shout. Mings is just £4.3mil
In further advanced positions, this match could see starts for Tammy Abraham, Leon Bailey and Jadon Sancho, all players owned by under 0.2% of sides.
With the Europa League final in just 11 days time, I'd imagine that it won't just be the Burnley game that'll see additional minutes for these players. Next Friday's fixture at home to Liverpool is also likely to see 2nd string players pick up extra point scoring opportunities.