The Premier League 2024/25 has entered the new year celebration. The first full gameweek of 2025, the 20th gameweek of the PL 2024/25 season, will experience some exciting fixtures, including the much-awaited Liverpool vs Manchester United on Sunday (January 5) night.
FPL GW20 Top Picks
Goalkeepers
Nottingham Forest goalie Matz Sels is leading the goalkeepers' chart with 85 points as their last three games ended with successful clean sheets. His £4.8m should be affordable for most, while the fixture against Wolves can support him being chosen as the main goalkeeper.
While Everton’s Jordan Pickford (£5.0, 83 points) and Arsenal’s David Raya (£5.6, 75 points) are the next two big names among the goalkeepers, Fulham’s Bernd Leno (£5.0, 60 points) has a comfortable fixture against the visitors Ipswich Town.
Defenders
While Liverpool are ready to host Manchester United, defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold and/or Virgil van Dijk should be chosen in the defense positions. The £7.2 valuation Trent has 83 points, and the £6.5 valuation Virgil has 74 points.
Nottingham Forest recorded clean sheets in their last three PL matches. So, the defenders Ola Aina (£5.2), Nikola Milenković (£4.7), and Murilo (£4.6) can be cheaper options but important additions. While Aina is leading the overall defenders points table with 89 points, including two goals, Milenković and Murilo have earned 77 and 68 points, respectively.
Arsenal defenders have recently been disappointed with the inconsistent results. However, the Gunners defenders can’t be ignored, as Gabriel Magalhães (£6.4) and William Saliba (£6.3) are the favourite names with 81 and 72 points, respectively. Their challenge is now against the tough hosts Brighton & Hove Albion.
Midfielders
Unsurprisingly, Liverpool midfielder Mohamed Salah comfortably became the first player this FPL season to reach 200 points (202), while the second-highest scorer is Chelsea’s Cole Palmer with 143 points. The £13.6 valuation player Salah has scored 17 goals and 13 assists, as he has missed being involved in direct goals (goals + assists) only in two out of 19 matches. On the other hand, £11.4 valuation player Palmer has scored 12 goals and seven assists.
While Arsenal star Bukayo Saka (£10.3) is unavailable for at least early March, Brentford midfielder Bryan Mbeumo can be easily achievable, as the £7.7 valuation player has scored the third highest FPL points this season (117 points) with the help of 11 goals and two assists.
Spurs' James Maddison played only 26 minutes in the last two fixtures without contributing any goals (goals + assists). Before those matches, where he didn’t start for the Spurs, Maddison scored 3 goals and one assist in three games, including one assist by serving only 11 minutes. The £7.7 valuation player has already earned 98 points and is targeting to reach the three-figure mark.
Another Liverpool star Luis Díaz (£7.6) has scored 95 points with eight goals and three assists. While he played two complete games out of their last three fixtures and missed the middle one, Díaz scored three goals.
Budget toppers
Talking about the budget valuations at £5.6 or lower, players can target Bournemouth duo Justin Kluivert (£5.5, 75 points) and Antoine Semenyo (£5.6, 71 points). While Kluivert isn’t consistent enough at present, Semenyo recorded one goal and one assist in the last three PL fixtures.
Manchester United’s Amad Diallo couldn’t return with a goal involvement in the last three games, and their next schedule is against the hosts Liverpool, the points table topper. The £5.4 valuation has 71 points with two goals and seven assists.
Budget in-forms
With the £5.1 valuation, Newcastle United’s Jacob Murphy is currently in great form. Although he wasn’t directly involved in his team’s goal in the last game, he returned with direct involvement in the previous four straight games, recording three goals and four assists.
Also, Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga (£5.2) was directly involved in his team’s goals in the last four consecutive fixtures, adding three goals and one assist.
Forwards
Toppers
Finally, Manchester City’s star Erling Haaland brought back some smiles to his desperate fans with a goal in the last game, but his present valuation of £14.8 is higher than his present success. Rather than the forward leader in this FPL season points table, Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak (112 points) is the stronger choice with the rising value of £9.1. While he has recorded 12 goals and four assists this PL season, he made direct goal involvements in all last six matches, including scoring a hat-trick.
Important names
As the in-form Wolves star Matheus Cunha is suspended from the upcoming match against the hosts Nottingham Forest, his £7.0 valuation can buy players like Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood (£6.7, 106 points) and Brentford’s Yoane Wissa (£6.2, 80 points). However, these solutions are not consistent performers at present. Players can go with Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson (£8.2) and Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins (£8.8) with little more adjusted values, as both can be better consistent performers with 94 and 92 points, respectively.
Arsenal’s £7.9 million-valued Kai Havertz has recently impressed with his decent form. He has scored 74 points with the help of seven goals and two assists. However, he didn’t play the last game against the hosts Brentford, and he has a 75% chance of playing in the forthcoming match against Brighton and Hove Albion.
Special bet
Talking about any special bet in the present scenario, Fulham’s Raúl Jiménez can be a good option, who has a valuation of £5.5 and 74 points after 14 starts with a score of six goals and two assists. Fulham’s next games are against the easier opponents Ipswich Town, West Ham United, Leicester City, and Manchester United.
