Welcome back to the Hive FPL and gameweek 30 of the 2024/25 season.

Perhaps its that I'm Spurs fan and there's not much left to play for this year but I'm struggling to feel that excited about the return of Premier League football.

Since we paused for the international break the weather has turned warmer, the clocks have gone forward and it generally doesn't feel like football season anymore.

The only thing that could it around might be a bit of late drama at either end of the league. Liverpool's 12 point still looks very secure but they have had the last 10 days to mull over their defeat in the League Cup Final and their exit from the Champions League. Any hopes of a famous treble were left in tatters and the League title is all they have to play for.

That of course could be a major advantage with 2nd place Arsenal still fighting in Europe with a lesser squad and a fixture schedule that will be disrupted by Palace's FA Cup semi-final.

At the bottom, the 9 point gap between Leicester/Ipswich and Wolves seems even more insurmountable. The 2 newly promoted teams form guide shows a sea of red so the chances of them suddenly turning this around and winning 5 or 6 games out their last 9 is highly unlikely.

Onto the matches then

A chance for the Gunners to at least temporarily cut the gap at the top and apply a bit of pressure onto Liverpool as they head into the Merseyside Derby.

The big news for Arsenal and FPL players is the return of Saka (MID). The England man had already managed 16 goal involvements before hobbling off in GW17. At £10.2 mil his price has decreased a fraction but the real issue will be fitting him into your squad. If Cole Palmer's poor form continues then he might just be a straight swap for another premium midfielder.

Fulham have been a bit of bogey team for Arsenal of late with 1 win and a draw from their last 3 league meetings against Arteta's side. The Cottagers were beaten in the FA Cup this weekend which will be a bitter disappointment for them. They are still very much in the hunt for European qualification so don't expect their heads to drop too much.

With Cunha (FWD) still suspended, Strand-Larson (FWD) took an opportune moment to score his first league goals since December against Southampton.

Bowen (MID) has returned from injury to notch 4 goal involvements in his last 6 matches but West Ham look a much better side when he's in it.

Whether he or anyone in this fixture is really worth a spot in your FPL team for the remainder of the season is very questionable. Both these teams have a decent run-in but are they or their players consistent enough to risk bringing in?

There have signs of improvement for United as the year has gone on. Unbeaten in their last 7 in all competitions, a strong finish to the season is necessary to set them up for a good start to next year, even if it's likely to be a much changed side.

The man largely responsible for that is Fernandes (MID) who has 7 goal involvements in his last 4 Premier League matches. However, you get the feeling that against a very well organised Forest team then a few more of these United players will need to show up if they are to get a result.

For Forest, the big talking point is the fitness of Wood (FWD) who is carrying a knock. The New Zealand international spent last week on the other side of the world helping his national team in their bid for a spot at the next World Cup. He didn't play any part in Forest's penalty shootout victory at the weekend and it will be interesting to see how the fitness of those who did holds up in this match.

Just when it looked like Bournemouth were primed for a charge at the Champions League they've suffered a major loss of form. No win in their last 4 has seen them drop all the way down to 10th although the table is still so congested that a couple of wins could easily propel them back into contention.

Still a home game against Ipswich should be enough to keep FPL managers interested in Cherries attackers. Kluivert (MID) is ranked 5th on the ICT over the last 5 GWs while the return of Evanilson (FWD) to fitness is something to ponder especially as Bournemouth don't have a blank game week for the remainder of the season.

It would be a big upset if Ipswich got anything from this game. The Tractor boys have conceded 3 or more goals in 4 of their last Premier League matches and look like a side consigned to the idea of Championship football next season.

The Seagulls are the form side in the Premier League at the moment with 4 wins and a draw from their last 5 matches. They are however, coming off the pain of a loss on penalties at the weekend in a game that went the full 120mins.

João Pedro (FWD) didn't start that game but he has started in the last 4 in the league and notched 4 goal involvements in the process.

Villa too were involved in the Cup and of course they have progressed thanks to a Rashford (MID) brace, his first goals for his new club. The fact that he's started just once in the league since joining Villa means he's probably not worth taking a chance on just yet.

In fact, squad rotation has been a limiting factor for so many of these Villa players this season and with the club still fighting on 3 fronts that seems unlikely to change for the foreseeable future.

You would have thought this should be a blood bath. However, City will be without Haaland (FWD) who limped off against Bournemouth at the weekend.

The man who scored the winner in that match O'Reilly (MID) is available for just £4.9mil although it should be noted that he's never started a Premier League match.

It seems much more likely that Marmoush (FWD) will play in that central role. He's blown very hot and cold in his first 7 games for City, notching a hattrick against Newcastle and getting a goal and an assist last time out against Brighton. In between times he's done very little...

None of City's next 6 matches are against teams in the top half of the league so it is tempting to bring in some of their assets especially now that their European campaign has ended. You would have thought that Guardiola will use the remainder of the season to really bed in a first choice XI for the start of the next campaign but what do I know?

Is this going to be a case of 'after the Lord Mayor's show' for a Newcastle side, club and City still bouncing from their League Cup victory last month?

It'd be fair to say that in the run up to the final, the Magpies form was a little up and down. They are still very much in with a shot at the Champions League next year if they've sobered up enough for the remainder of the season.

On current form, Brentford's forward line looks very tempting. Mbeumo (MID) has been excellent all season and has 4 goal involvements in his last 4 games. Meanwhile, Wissa (FWD) has scored in 3 of his last 4 games and is currently ranked 2nd for threat on the ICT (last 5 matches). Schade (MID) too is developing into a plausible fantasy option having started in Brentford's last 7 matches, he just needs to add points to his performances.

However, before rushing in on any of those players, it's worth noting the Bees upcoming fixtures which include this tough game plus matches against Arsenal and Chelsea this month.

And here come Crystal Palace!

If Premier League seasons started in February then Palace would be well set! No doubt they'll be buzzing after reaching the FA Cup Semi-Finals and a few of their key players have also hit form at just the right time.

Mateta (FWD) has returned following the head injury he sustained and Palace and FPL fans alike will hope that the big man can pick-up where he left off. Sarr (MID) is flying at the moment with 3 goals in his last 2 league appearances while Munoz (DEF) too is the form defender in FPL at the moment.

There are even signs that Eze (MID) is beginning to find the kind of form that he showed last Spring and which fast-tracked him into England's Euro 2024 squad.

This is a game in which Palace players should fill their boots and they'll need to as well because their remaining fixtures plus the cup mean that they don't look as attractive there after.

I think it's fair to say that Everton would like nothing more than to derail Liverpool's title bid in front of the Kop.

The Toffees are incredibly dangerous opponents at present and are unbeaten in the league since mid-January! Beto (FWD) is currently ranked highest for threat on the ICT over the last 5 GWs. He hasn't scored in his last 3 but it's not for lack of chances.

It'd be fair to say that the month of March was one to forget for Liverpool. They exited the Champions League and lost the League Cup Final while their only league match was a very uncomfortable affair at home to Southampton.

Generally speaking, the Liverpool faithful will get behind their side come what may but that first half against the Saints even the Kop were becalmed. That will be Everton's first objective and on current form they're not a bad bet to pull it off.

Postecoglou has hung onto his job despite a couple of poor performances going into the international break - never a good thing to do for a manager already on the brink.

If there was one opponent he'd probably not want to face in order to save his job then it would be Chelsea! Spurs have a terrible record against the Blues throughout the entirety of the Premier League era.

Chelsea themselves have been in patchy form since the turn of the year and aren't helped coming into this one by injury doubts hanging over their 3 top FPL points scorers this season in Palmer (MID), Madueke (MID) and Jackson (FWD). Still, squad depth isn't exactly an issue for the West London club with the likes of Enzo (MID) and Neto (MID) enjoying more game time and being provided opportunities in advanced positions thanks to those injuries.

For their part, Spurs should be able to welcome back almost all of their first choice XI with the exception of Kulusevki (MID) who remains a doubt. Big Ange has been bemoaning his side's injury record for a long time, those excuses look to be evaporating...

Division 1

GW29 Results

GW30 Fixtures

Division 2

GW29 Results

GW30 Fixtures