There are just two rounds left of the 2020-21 Premier League campaign and while both the champions (Manchester City) and the relegated sides (Sheffield United, West Brom, Fulham) are confirmed by now, there is still plenty left to be decided when it comes to the European spots for next season. Gameweek 37 will likely bring about a lot of conclusions in that area. Considering how shambolic the final gameweek of an FPL season can be, due to lack of incentives and increased rotation and the like, it might not be the worst move to roll a transfer in GW37, assuming your squad can handle it.
After a spectacular double-triple gameweek 35 and a blank gameweek 36, GW37 is bringing us back to normal in more than one way. Not only does the round feature a standard ten fixtures, but it also sees (limited) crowds return to the English stadiums after more than a year away. What effect is that going to have on the season’s final two rounds? It could give this round’s already favourable home encounters for Manchester United (vs Fulham), Everton (vs Wolves) and Newcastle (vs Sheffield United) an extra edge, for example. The same might happen for some of the underdogs playing at home next, like West Brom (hosting West Ham), Burnley (hosting Liverpool) and even Brighton (hosting Man City).
In any case, don’t forget, the deadline for gameweek 37 is set at 16h30 (UK time) tomorrow Tuesday, May 18th.
Also do check out the Predicted Line-Ups for the Premier League clubs as well as the latest injury news (click on ‘Team’ to sort per club rather than the default ‘date’) before finalising your transfer(s).
Most transferred in/transferred out players (as per May 17th, 2021)
| TRANSFERS OUT | TRANSFERS IN | POSSIBLE REASONS | |
| GK | Martinez (AST), Pope (BUR), Ederson (CIT) | Meslier (LEE), Alisson (LIV), Mendy (CHE) | Final 2 fixtures, Pope possible injury |
| DEF | Dias (CIT), Dunk (BRI), Maguire (UTD) | Alexander-Arnold (LIV), Dallas (LEE), Wan-Bissaka (UTD) | Final 2 fixtures, Dallas OoP, TAA attacking returns, Maguire injury |
| MID | Jota (LIV), Lingard (WHU), Son (TOT) | Greenwood (UTD), Torres (CIT), Harrison (LEE) | Final 2 fixtures, Greenwood & Torres form, Jota injury |
| FOR | Watkins (AST), Iheanacho (LEI), Calvert-Lewin (EVE) | Antonio (WHU), Bamford (LEE), Cavani (UTD) | Final 2 fixtures, Leicester fixtures difficult |
Premium pick
It was, of course, goalkeeper Alisson Becker who grabbed all of the headlines when he scored his crucial winning header in the 5th minute of extra time against West Brom, but for FPL managers, what happened about an hour earlier was of more interest to the majority. In the 33rd minute, Mo Salah (£12.8m) put Liverpool ahead with his 22nd goal of the season and his 5th over the last seven PL outings. Considering the form he is currently in, the fact that he is co-leading the Golden Boot race, Liverpool’s ongoing battle for a top-4 finish and the Reds’ favourable remaining two fixtures, the Egyptian forward is a premium asset you want to own for the final bit. Next up is a visit to Turf Moor.
Non-premium picks
From a fantasy point of view, gameweek 37’s outstanding fixture is Manchester United versus Fulham at Old Trafford. Where the visitors have already been relegated, the Red Devils need a victory to definitely secure second place. Doing so will mean that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can fully focus on the upcoming Europa League final, just three days after their final league game at Molineux. Expect there to be plenty of rotation at United for the last two games of the season, but we think Mason Greenwood (£7.2m) is a hard-to-ignore transfer target. The youngster is in blistering form with 6 goals and 1 assist from his last 7 league games, and he was largely rested during United’s last game. We expect this to be a one-sided affair that the Mancunians will want to wrap as quickly as they can and Greenwood should be there to help make it happen.
It’s very possible if you are one of the FPL managers who had the foresight at the start of this season to select Patrick Bamford (£6.5m), that the Leeds striker will end up being in your squad from start to end. He started the season at a very friendly price of £5.5m and has made a mockery of that tag since, scoring 15 goals and providing 10 assists for a total of 176 FPL points. Bamfy is less productive than during the first half of the season, but the return of Raphinha should have a very positive impact on Leeds’ attacking play and the chances their striker will get. He was unfortunate to come off in the 57th minute against Burnley in the weekend, but manager Marcelo Bielso does not tend to tinker much with his starting lineups. Despite Rodrigo’s excellent two goals in GW36. Bamford should head the Leeds attack for the remaining two fixtures, Southampton away followed by West Brom at home, and with him on penalties as well, a finish in style of an excellent season could be on the cards for the Forward.
The budget enabler
We’re sticking with the Whites for our budget enabler this week, as Raphinha (£5.5m) combines the previously mentioned favourable fixtures with a ridiculously low price tag and a key creative role in an attacking Leeds side. The Brazilian winger returned to fitness as a substitute in GW35 against Leeds and immediately provided an assist. Last weekend, he was back into the starting eleven and once again gave an assist, his 9th of the season on top of his 6 goals. Up next are Southampton at Saint Mary’s, which should be a pretty open game, followed by West Brom at Elland Road to finish a more than decent return season to the Premier League. An attacking return or two for Raphinha over those two fixtures looks to be on the cards.
A differential pick or two
Joe Willock (£4.7m) is our first differential fantasy pick for gameweek 37. Despite scoring an incredible 5 goals in just 213 minutes of playing time over the last seven Premier League games for Newcastle, the Arsenal academy graduate is currently still owned by just 0.9% of FPL managers. Steve Bruce’s men recently secured another year of Premier League action, so it will remain to be seen how the Magpies will turn up for their last two games, but with Sheffield United (home) and Fulham (away) they have a very appealing final stretch on the agenda. Willock is currently the man in form for Newcastle, which makes it hard to imagine him not starting against both of the already relegated sides. He could be a very shrewd option as budget-friendly differential fifth midfielder for any squad.
Our second differential pick is a major one, both in terms of name and differential value. Much unlike what we had gotten used to from him over the past years, Sadio Mané (£11.7m) has had a relatively quiet 2020-21 campaign. Still, for a player of his quality, that means that he currently has 9 goals and 10 assists to his name. Acceptable tallies, but we know that he can do much better. In any case, with Diogo Jota out for the rest of the season, Mané will get the chance to work on his stats against Burnley and Crystal Palace, and help Liverpool to a Champions League spot in the process. His current ownership of just 5.9% makes him a differential with a enormously high ceiling over the coming games.
The captaincy
Based on goal-scoring form, fixtures, and the fact that Liverpool are still fighting for a Champions League spot while Salah is tied with Harry Kane atop the top scorer’s chart, we’re putting the captain’s armband on the Egyptian superstar’s upper arm. Upcoming opponents Burnley shipped a surprising 4 goals at their own ground against Leeds over the weekend, which does not bode well for the Clarets defence when Liverpool drop by on Wednesday.
Salah’s main rival for the armband this round will be Bruno Fernandes, whose Manchester United side are hosting Fulham on Tuesday. Mason Greenwood and Edinson Cavani are interesting differential picks for the captaincy. The same goes for Michail Antonio away against West Brom, Dominic Calvert-Lewin at home versus Wolves, and mega differential captaincy pick Joe Willock.
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