Starting XI
Donnarumma; Guéhi, O’Reilly, Matheus N.; Semenyo, Cherki, Foden, Doku; Haaland, Mateta, Gyökeres.
This Free Hit is built around the standout fixture, Manchester City at home to Crystal Palace, and the numbers are strong enough to justify a heavy stack. Haaland is the obvious centrepiece with a huge 15.01 xP, comfortably the best projection in the squad, and he is backed by multiple City attackers and defenders to maximise the upside of the same game.
At the back, Guéhi leads all defenders here with 9.36 xP, followed closely by O’Reilly on 9.04 and Matheus N. on 8.79. That makes the triple City defence a clear play if you want to chase the highest projected ceiling. O’Reilly also brings excellent recent output with 7.0 form, while Guéhi combines projection with reliability and a hefty 32.7% selection.
In midfield, Semenyo is the best non-Haaland pick in the squad on 9.24 xP, despite a modest 2.2 form. The projection says trust the role and fixture. Cherki at 7.55 xP looks underpriced for the upside, and Foden at 7.15 xP is the kind of Free Hit punt that can pay off immediately. Doku’s 7.8 form is the best among the midfielders listed, and his 6.84 xP is enough to put him in the XI over the safer but lower-upside alternatives.
Up front, Mateta is included because even in a difficult away trip he still projects at 6.12 xP, better than most non-City options in this pool. Gyökeres rounds things out with 5.32 xP away to West Ham, giving the team a useful second fixture outside the City-Palace game.
Bench order
- Henderson
- Lacroix
- Mitchell
- Bernardo
Henderson is unlucky to miss out with 7.96 xP, but pairing him with multiple City attackers creates too much internal conflict. Lacroix at 7.40 xP is first outfield sub and a perfectly viable starter if you want to spread risk. Bernardo is last on the bench because his 6.47 xP is decent, but the role and explosiveness look weaker than the players starting ahead of him.
Captain
Haaland is the captain, no debate. A home match against Palace and a massive 15.01 xP make him the standout armband play for GW36. If you want a differential vice-captain, Semenyo is next best on projection at 9.24 xP.
Key fixtures
- Manchester City vs Crystal Palace, the entire squad is built to attack this game, with nine picks from the two teams and the highest projections concentrated here.
- West Ham vs Arsenal, Gyökeres offers a useful hedge against putting every point expectation into one fixture.