After a month of World Cup action in Qatar, football fans across Europe are gearing up for the return of top-class club football.
The Premier League resumes on Boxing Day to kick-off a period where the games come thick and fast heading into the New Year.
This is not only a crucial period for the clubs, but also for anyone who has entered a team in fantasy football competitions this season.
With that in mind, read on as we offer you our fantasy football tips for the official Premier League competition to boost your chances of being successful.
Use the Unlimited Free Transfers Wisely
Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers have the opportunity to reset their teams for the resumption of play by making unlimited free transfers.
Player prices were frozen on November 13 and FPL managers can now tweak their team up to the deadline on Boxing Day.
This is a great opportunity to get rid of underperformers and replace them with players who are more likely to contribute to your points tally.
When making any changes, make sure to pay heed to the upcoming fixtures for your new FPL signings to ensure their short-term points potential is maximized.
Don’t Get Carried Away with the Double Game weeks
FPL gets back under way with the usual compliment of ten fixtures in Game weeks 17 and 18, but things get a little trickier after that.
Game weeks 19, 20 and 23 all feature teams who are scheduled to play twice, which may tempt some players into playing their Bench Boost chip.
However, the scheduled fixtures see every team involved facing at least one of the so-called ‘Big Six’ sides in their double gameweek.
On that basis, it may be more prudent to use the Triple Captain chip and hold the Bench Boost back for a more favourable double set of games later in the season.
Make Sure Your Defence is in Tip-Top Shape
Many FPL players make the mistake of focusing their attention to the attacking element of their team and neglect what defenders can bring to the table.
The option to make unlimited transfers gives you the chance to rethink your strategy and potentially boost your points output when the competition resumes.
For instance, if you have plumped for expensive options such as Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, now is a good time to consider the merit of keeping them.
Their current collective value is £20.5 million. By contrast, the top three points scorers – Kieran Trippier, William Saliba and Gabriel – cost just £16.4m.
Form is Temporary, Class is Permanent
Our next piece of advice may seem contradictory given we have just suggested ditching most of Liverpool’s defence, but it is undoubtedly an important point to consider.
Many FPL players make impulsive decisions when their top stars underperform by ditching them, only to find they quickly rediscover their form.
If you have sustained evidence that a player is failing to live up to expectations, transferring them out of your team is the correct decision to make.
However, if the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Harry Kane or Erling Braut Haaland have one bad game, keep the faith as they will most likely bounce back over the next few weeks.
Grab Your Second Chance with Both Hands
If you have bombed out at FPL during the early part of the season fear not, as all managers will be given a second chance at success when play resumes.
The Second Chance league begins in Gameweek 17with all FPL managers automatically added to the new and starting with zero points.
This new innovation gives players who are already flying high a further opportunity to hammer home their advantage and win more prizes.
It also offers people further down the scale or newcomers to the game to have a shot at proving they have what it takes to be a successful FPL manager.
