EPL EPL SC 2025/26

[Maybe Tomorrow]

I almost wrote about this earlier. Re: trades.

There are always blank game weeks (when some teams miss) and then Double game weeks when those 'missed' weeks are made up.
If everything else is equal (*) then the FA Cup is the thing. Semi finals are usually scheduled on the weekend of normal EPL games, so (again, usually) 4 teams will miss (which can affect 8 teams...)
These will be from week 30 onwards...
Usually 33 is a blank, 34 and 37 are doubles to make up the games, but nothing is ever really clear until a week or two before that.

The only thing that is clear is that you'll need a few trades up your sleeve if you want to aim for the very pointy end.

Even then, for seasoned FPL players, this comp tends to have different cut off's re: double game weeks.
FPL tends to start a game week on Friday regardless, whereas this comp is relatively (and frustratingly!) fluid with which games are included in which weeks. (And we often don't know until the week before! )

Tldr: Don't go all AFL trade happy!

(*) There are semi-regular weather affected games that will be cancelled and be rescheduled for 'double game weeks' where the game will be caught up midweek.

Right, so just for those of us at the back of the class, we do get double points if a player plays twice?

I guess this can be a bit of a trap, because players might well be rested in these cases, so it's not a given you get double points.

Thanks for the long answer btw.

Another question, do prices change immediately or is it after the third game played like AFL SC?

 

[MrChristo]

The prices work exactly like our own SC. Change after game 3, and a 3 week rolling average.

And yep, if teams play twice in a Game week then a players total points are counted.
Newcastle and Palace played each other as an 'extra' and so both "doubled" in week 32 last year.
If you look at most of their scores for thst week...

(Surprisingly, rotation is somewhat, at least minimal. Most starters will play twice in a week).

 

[MrChristo]

I always take pre-season with a grain of salt. Playing against reserves and even thirds, it gives beer goggles.
Pedro got 5 PKG last season. Even if he gets 5 extra goals from open play, he's at value.
Then there's the Delap threat. Then there's the fact that CHE strikers become useless once they move to CHE.
I'll punt on Pedro in FPL, but in this game, the misc pts make others better value picks.

I have a lot of respect for Fullkrug. Was a decent scorer before the injury. Hammers with a poor run after SUN, but at that price, a worthy punt. Can benefit from Bowen, and vice versa.

Yeah, fair Pedro call, but he did play 8 games with 70 minutes or less. It always comes down to xMinutes I guess.
Having said all that, I've somehow only just noticed that Watkins is cheaper!

I am a bit surprised by the lack of Bowen talk. Slightly contrary to my first post, but I do think that he'll be one of the top Mid scorers, and WH do have a good run early, so I think I'll plug him in from the get go. (Which obviously a cheaper forward allows).

The worst thing here is that I have one exact metric sh1t load of work to do in the next 3 days, and this is going to distract me the whole time!

 

[vsberlina]

Yeah, fair Pedro call, but he did play 8 games with 70 minutes or less. It always comes down to xMinutes I guess.
Having said all that, I've somehow only just noticed that Watkins is cheaper!

I am a bit surprised by the lack of Bowen talk. Slightly contrary to my first post, but I do think that he'll be one of the top Mid scorers, and WH do have a good run early, so I think I'll plug him in from the get go. (Which obviously a cheaper forward allows).

The worst thing here is that I have one exact metric sh1t load of work to do in the next 3 days, and this is going to distract me the whole time!

Watkins a fair option. Good price, good fixtures. Not much more than Wirtz, and proven in the EPL.

Bowen is definitely top 5 MID, but has a low ceiling, so not the best captaincy option. Not an early target.
After SUN, he's also got two tough defences in NFO and CHE. Spurs and Palace at home might be OK, but then EVE & ARS away also tough. Will be tough to get a nice 3 game cycle to spike his price, so again, not an urgent acquisition.

Post your team and we'll do the work for you. As long as there's no 'school boy errors', it's good to go.
Always unknown factors at this stage of the season, so don't over think it.

 

[Maybe Tomorrow]

Going cheap in defence, fading Salah due to price. 5.7mil itb might still upgrade someone.

 

[MrChristo]

Watkins a fair option. Good price, good fixtures. Not much more than Wirtz, and proven in the EPL.

Bowen is definitely top 5 MID, but has a low ceiling, so not the best captaincy option. Not an early target.
After SUN, he's also got two tough defences in NFO and CHE. Spurs and Palace at home might be OK, but then EVE & ARS away also tough. Will be tough to get a nice 3 game cycle to spike his price, so again, not an urgent acquisition.

Post your team and we'll do the work for you. As long as there's no 'school boy errors', it's good to go.
Always unknown factors at this stage of the season, so don't over think it.

Chelsea have kept 2 away Prem clean sheets since last Christmas.
Consider me unconcerned.

(Also (small toot!) I came 3rd overall last season, so I reckon I'm navigating the school yard safely enough )

I'm pretty set with my team now, it's just fun having a chat with people who are just as in to the game...

...although Grealish to Everton is interesting. Wonder where he'll fit in.

Sarr could be a sneaky good early pick if Spurs don't bring anyone else in.

 

[MrChristo]

That's definitely not to say that I'm anti-advice! More than happy to both give and receive.
I just prefer the discussion side of things rather than posting teams. If I make a mistake early, then that's on me.

(It'll be interesting to see how many more people play this year. It will definitely be more competitive).

 

[SELFCONFESDAFLNERD]

Latest team. Fullkrug is a short-mid term gamble. Definitely value at that price and im hoping for a goal or 2 in round 1 against SUN. Ideally id have the cash to do Truffert > De Cuyper but i like Truffert for now given he is a cheap enabler. I really have no desire to spend any more on my midfield.

Jumping on Sarr as a little risk early. Minutes not guaranteed but should be fairly attacking and hopefully starts for at least the first few rounds

 

[SELFCONFESDAFLNERD]

Going cheap in defence, fading Salah due to price. 5.7mil itb might still upgrade someone.

View attachment 2393985

Hoever may need to be replaced. Just monitor talk in the next few days and team lists if you are still up prior to their first game. Im a bit unsure whether he makes that starting team. Otherwise, i like it. Sarr, Grealish & MLS are decent shouts although the first 2 are not absolute certainties to start. It wouldve been nice if MLS was a defender but he is okay as a mid i guess. Just means fewer points for clean sheets and goal involvements.

Nice forwards. I prefer Salah but you have 3 reliable options there. Bruno is the one premium mid that im pretty confident in. Bowen is probably the 2nd best option but im happy to fade them for a better defence & Salah. Each to their own though! Good luck

 

[SELFCONFESDAFLNERD]

Latest team. Fullkrug is a short-mid term gamble. Definitely value at that price and im hoping for a goal or 2 in round 1 against SUN. Ideally id have the cash to do Truffert > De Cuyper but i like Truffert for now given he is a cheap enabler. I really have no desire to spend any more on my midfield.

Jumping on Sarr as a little risk early. Minutes not guaranteed but should be fairly attacking and hopefully starts for at least the first few rounds

View attachment 2394050

May choose safety and drop Cucurella down to De Cuyper & upgrade Fullkrug or a mid. 'Safety' in that i dont double up on Chelsea defence

 

[vsberlina]

Chelsea have kept 2 away Prem clean sheets since last Christmas.
Consider me unconcerned.

(Also (small toot!) I came 3rd overall last season, so I reckon I'm navigating the school yard safely enough )

I'm pretty set with my team now, it's just fun having a chat with people who are just as in to the game...

...although Grealish to Everton is interesting. Wonder where he'll fit in.

Sarr could be a sneaky good early pick if Spurs don't bring anyone else in.

Any team that kept PSG scoreless, can keep a CS against WHU.
Granted though, Bowen scores best when he's got space, which is usually on the counter, and against better sides.

I wish you'd told me earlier that you were 'Darwin' Chris.
I just offered the last spot for the Super League 20 to 58th, (Tom, you were next with your 73rd) literally a few hours ago.
But at least I now know how to contact you should you qualify for our league with another decent finish.

But as impressive as 3rd is, you really had no chance of winning last season.
You probably gave up at GW11, hence why you didn't recognise the name on the team I posted. (or did you?)

But yes, it's fun to discuss tactics with knowledgeable people. I know I can be swayed, and I appreciate everyone's input, regardless if they're right or wrong. Sometimes we need to look at a player from a different perspective.

Grealish might stick to the left, like he did at City. Ndiaye can go right, or may even leave for European football.
Alcaraz then misses out. I doubt Grealish starts GW1, so hopefully we get at least an extra week to assess.

PMS has played DM and CM, but never AM. It's asking too much of him in the EPL. Again, take pre-season games with a pinch of salt. It's a punty pick, that could be profitable, but are there better options, like Stach?

 

[vsberlina]

Going cheap in defence, fading Salah due to price. 5.7mil itb might still upgrade someone.

View attachment 2393985

You need to consider price points and options. Most best cash cows are in MID, so Bruno takes away a decent cash cow option. If Salah goes big GW1, what do you then do?
Same if a DEF goes big. How do you get them in? That's why I balanced my side with price points.
If suddenly a big gun is a must have, I can easily get to them, rather than moving 4-5 players to get them or miss out. Keep all options open at all times.

 

[vsberlina]

That's definitely not to say that I'm anti-advice! More than happy to both give and receive.
I just prefer the discussion side of things rather than posting teams. If I make a mistake early, then that's on me.

(It'll be interesting to see how many more people play this year. It will definitely be more competitive).

We all appreciate you entering the discussion. It's been stagnant here (as you saw).

Posting teams is essential IMO, as it gives context. Before giving advice, people can see if it will fit the structure.
I'm not big on just player X vs player Y. I usually group a few players together, and look at overall balance.
But if you don't want to post your team, that's fine. Many don't.

There's already over 35,000 registered. 12 times more than last season.
Many don't have an idea how to play, so the experienced will have another decent year.
But in 3 years time, it will get extremely difficult to win this, once the good players learn the tricks.

 

[vsberlina]

Latest team. Fullkrug is a short-mid term gamble. Definitely value at that price and im hoping for a goal or 2 in round 1 against SUN. Ideally id have the cash to do Truffert > De Cuyper but i like Truffert for now given he is a cheap enabler. I really have no desire to spend any more on my midfield.

Jumping on Sarr as a little risk early. Minutes not guaranteed but should be fairly attacking and hopefully starts for at least the first few rounds

View attachment 2394050

So basically Wirtz & De Cuyper (common picks) vs Fullkrug and Cucurella (your PODs).

 

[SELFCONFESDAFLNERD]

So basically Wirtz & De Cuyper (common picks) vs Fullkrug and Cucurella (your PODs).

Essentially, yes.

Changed my team since then. Dropped Cucurella to De Cuyper (to avoid double Chelsea defence) & upgraded Sarr from Spurs. About 11 players are locked in, just have a couple cheapies that i am swinging around and trying different combos. Will probably stick to my guns on Fullkrug but will be willing to downgrade a mid and/or defender and grab a Watkins/Wirtz if they start on fire.

 

[MrChristo]

May choose safety and drop Cucurella down to De Cuyper & upgrade Fullkrug or a mid. 'Safety' in that i dont double up on Chelsea defence

I love a good double up.

If you think a team has a good run, then I'm all for it. It just makes the good weeks even better!

I do my own team ratings using the underlying data (bit old skool, not particularly scientific, but it's treated me well over the years).
I have WH as the 6th best attacking team over the first 10 weeks.
As vsberlina rightly says, trips to Forest, Everton and Arsenal are far from ideal, but chances are they'll still score in at least one of those games.

Interestingly, Everton are my #1...
Can Dewy Hall and Grealish co-exist? (Although, I agree that Grealish is unlikely to start straight up).

 

[MrChristo]

Any team that kept PSG scoreless, can keep a CS against WHU.
Granted though, Bowen scores best when he's got space, which is usually on the counter, and against better sides.

I wish you'd told me earlier that you were 'Darwin' Chris.
I just offered the last spot for the Super League 20 to 58th, (Tom, you were next with your 73rd) literally a few hours ago.
But at least I now know how to contact you should you qualify for our league with another decent finish.

But as impressive as 3rd is, you really had no chance of winning last season.
You probably gave up at GW11, hence why you didn't recognise the name on the team I posted. (or did you?)

But yes, it's fun to discuss tactics with knowledgeable people. I know I can be swayed, and I appreciate everyone's input, regardless if they're right or wrong. Sometimes we need to look at a player from a different perspective.

Grealish might stick to the left, like he did at City. Ndiaye can go right, or may even leave for European football.
Alcaraz then misses out. I doubt Grealish starts GW1, so hopefully we get at least an extra week to assess.

PMS has played DM and CM, but never AM. It's asking too much of him in the EPL. Again, take pre-season games with a pinch of salt. It's a punty pick, that could be profitable, but are there better options, like Stach?

My memory for things like team names is non-existent, so forgive me for the lack of recognition! Did you win?
You made a big move with a heap of NC lads in the early double, where I went a little more conservative.
I kept some trades up my sleeve for later DGWs that never came.
(Hence my gripe about game weeks seemingly being made up the week before! )
[I had 2 (3 even?) boosts left at the end...did use all my trades tho eventually]

I have no idea what the Super League is, and so definitely won't miss it.

Somewhat strangely, my best season in this version of the game coincided with my worst FPL finish for years. I'd built an impressive (to me... ) run of top 1% finishes over the last dozen or so years, but I was consistently one step behind last season. Never got any momentum.
(Although with the amount of "content" available these days Geelong people when to play chips and how to play D/BGWs, it's definitely getting harder to finish at the pointy end.

I do like to get creative with my team names, but last year was a real favourite, so I might go back to back.
(I've been messing around with something like Darwin's Bombed, but it's not really in the best taste...)

 

[Maybe Tomorrow]

You need to consider price points and options. Most best cash cows are in MID, so Bruno takes away a decent cash cow option. If Salah goes big GW1, what do you then do?
Same if a DEF goes big. How do you get them in? That's why I balanced my side with price points.
If suddenly a big gun is a must have, I can easily get to them, rather than moving 4-5 players to get them or miss out. Keep all options open at all times.

If Salah goes big I'll cop it I guess. Going to back him to drop in price and ideally get him after AFCON. I'm not paying top dollar for a guy already missing 5-6 games. He's also coming off a career best season.

Having given it some thought 44 trades through 38 rounds is not many, so I'll try to play it a bit like old school AFL SC. Start as many "keepers" as possible and maximise cash gen early and look to pick off the big guns as they drop in price.

I'm predicting there will be a lot of folk (like me) coming over from AFL SC where the trading pace is faster, so many will be out of trades long before the end.

Going to back Fernandes to hold his price better than Salah.

 

[Maybe Tomorrow]

You need to consider price points and options. Most best cash cows are in MID, so Bruno takes away a decent cash cow option. If Salah goes big GW1, what do you then do?
Same if a DEF goes big. How do you get them in? That's why I balanced my side with price points.
If suddenly a big gun is a must have, I can easily get to them, rather than moving 4-5 players to get them or miss out. Keep all options open at all times.

Who do you see as the best cash cows btw?

The scoring in this game looks so volatile I'm struggling to pick cheap players.

Was planning on just taking the high ownership guys and correcting based on BE's

 

[wce06]

Question - I normally do FPL and have done so for years, but was sniffing around BigFooty and found this thread. I never even thought of SuperCoach as an option for EPL, does a structured team in FPL equate across to EPL SC, or is it totally different.

I might go through some of the earlier pages, as I am sure you have covered this already.

 

[MrChristo]

Who do you see as the best cash cows btw?

The scoring in this game looks so volatile I'm struggling to pick cheap players.

Was planning on just taking the high ownership guys and correcting based on BE's

As I kinda touched on earlier (and you, yourself alluded to), I'd suggest that good runs of games for players outweighs a high BE.
(Not sure I'm going to be able to explain this too well...)

If a completely random 4.0 mil defender (purely for example) scores a goal, does some good thing and pulls a 25 completely out a the blue, then sure, jumping on for 2 games then selling will gain you 3-4 million. (The ooooollllldddd spike game)...
...but, you're right, with relatively limited trades that can set you down a dangerous path.

It's almost like you want someone who will avoid a bad game, rather than have one good one.
Like I said, if you use a score of 8 as a rough indicator that it will lead to an 8 mil price tag, you'll get a feel for what price a player will top out at. (Even if there is some value lost along the way).

(This may well only be my way of playing too! There are probably better ways to go about it...)

I dunno, let's take Adingra as an example. Obviously won't score or assist every week. But he'll get points elsewhere, so he scores 5 v. WH, goals at Burnley (14...which will stay in his rolling average for 3 weeks of course), 6 v. Brentford and there's already a decent rise.
1 @ CP and his BE will now be pretty high, but he still has Villa, WW and EV at home over the next 6 weeks, before Sunderland's fixtures really fall away... (in my semi-hypothetical pre-season world he's definitely a sell prior to Arsenal in week 11).

When's the best time to sell? Well, the answer is really; When there's someone cheaper worth buying! Which there quite often will be because another team has just had a really sh1t run of games and so a semi-decent player has just lost a heap of cash.

Just don't expect to be able to sell at a players highest price too often I guess. And that's just how it is.

(Gaaahhh. I've just re-read that and it's almost like I'm trying to sabotage the game! I hope it makes some sense!)

EDIT: The other thing that might be worth mentioning to seasoned FPL veterans, there's no limit as to how many players from each team you can have in this game. So there's less of a balancing act, and more; Just get the best team you can cobble together.

 

[Maybe Tomorrow]

As I kinda touched on earlier (and you, yourself alluded to), I'd suggest that good runs of games for players outweighs a high BE.
(Not sure I'm going to be able to explain this too well...)

If a completely random 4.0 mil defender (purely for example) scores a goal, does some good thing and pulls a 25 completely out a the blue, then sure, jumping on for 2 games then selling will gain you 3-4 million. (The ooooollllldddd spike game)...
...but, you're right, with relatively limited trades that can set you down a dangerous path.

It's almost like you want someone who will avoid a bad game, rather than have one good one.
Like I said, if you use a score of 8 as a rough indicator that it will lead to an 8 mil price tag, you'll get a feel for what price a player will top out at. (Even if there is some value lost along the way).

(This may well only be my way of playing too! There are probably better ways to go about it...)

I dunno, let's take Adingra as an example. Obviously won't score or assist every week. But he'll get points elsewhere, so he scores 5 v. WH, goals at Burnley (14...which will stay in his rolling average for 3 weeks of course), 6 v. Brentford and there's already a decent rise.
1 @ CP and his BE will now be pretty high, but he still has Villa, WW and EV at home over the next 6 weeks, before Sunderland's fixtures really fall away... (in my semi-hypothetical pre-season world he's definitely a sell prior to Arsenal in week 11).

When's the best time to sell? Well, the answer is really; When there's someone cheaper worth buying! Which there quite often will be because another team has just had a really sh1t run of games and so a semi-decent player has just lost a heap of cash.

Just don't expect to be able to sell at a players highest price too often I guess. And that's just how it is.

(Gaaahhh. I've just re-read that and it's almost like I'm trying to sabotage the game! I hope it makes some sense!)

EDIT: The other thing that might be worth mentioning to seasoned FPL veterans, there's no limit as to how many players from each team you can have in this game. So there's less of a balancing act, and more; Just get the best team you can cobble together.

Great post. Appreciate the effort

So in theory we're looking to ride the BE AND a good run. Expanding your example, start Adingara, hold for 2 months and hope for an increase to 7+ million, then sideways (or downgrade for cash) to a midpricers with a good run, ride them to 10mil then sideways again to a premo that's had a drop in price.

From my starting team I have 3 definite keepers (Bruno, Haaland, Palmer) and a couple of maybes (Sanchez/Watkins/Ekitike). If I get lucky I need 5 upgrades, which feels much more doable with 44 trades.

 

[SELFCONFESDAFLNERD]

Great post. Appreciate the effort

So in theory we're looking to ride the BE AND a good run. Expanding your example, start Adingara, hold for 2 months and hope for an incrase to 7+ million, then sideways (or downgrade for cash) to a midpricers with a good run, ride them to 10mil then sideways again to a premo that's had a drop in price.

From my starting team I have 3 definite keepers (Bruno, Haaland, Palmer) and a couple of maybes (Sanchez/Watkins/Ekitike). If I get lucky I need 5 upgrades, which feels much more doable with 44 trades.

i think that you dont even need the 'definite keepers' for the whole season neccessarily either. Looking at fixture swings can be very advantageous and sometimes its worth sideways trading a gun for a while. I guess that is even more relevant to FPL but it holds true for SC too. As you said, if you can ride the BE and a good run, thats ideal.

Scoring, particularly for defenders, is volatile which means you can definitely jump on the wrong player/s...but like you said, you dont need many upgrades. In this sense, i feel like 44 trades is fairly appropriate. I would add though, you can rip through them quickly and with all the mid-week games in other competitions it pays to be diligent in keeping a fair few for the last 10-15 rounds.

 

[Maybe Tomorrow]

i think that you dont even need the 'definite keepers' for the whole season neccessarily either. Looking at fixture swings can be very advantageous and sometimes its worth sideways trading a gun for a while. I guess that is even more relevant to FPL but it holds true for SC too. As you said, if you can ride the BE and a good run, thats ideal.

Scoring, particularly for defenders, is volatile which means you can definitely jump on the wrong player/s...but like you said, you dont need many upgrades. In this sense, i feel like 44 trades is fairly appropriate. I would add though, you can rip through them quickly and with all the mid-week games in other competitions it pays to be diligent in keeping a fair few for the last 10-15 rounds.

Yeah I guess holding trades allows you to chase fixtures late in the year. Also don't want to get stuck with players in teams with nothing to play for in the last couple of months.

 

[MrChristo]

Yep. 100% what SELFCONFESDAFLNERD said.

There are no definite go-to's, especially in the Forwards where there are a dozen players who can get on a roll.

Mids, maybe? I think we'll all end up with Palmer, Bruno and Bowen [and it's almost inevitable that a random cheapy will stake a claim as a keeper!]

But forwards are consistently fluid.
I made up bulk ground last year by ditching Haaland [for Isak] when most didn't. Because "he was a keeper"...

Defenders are a bit the same (but different) in that you can have 2 "keepers" if there are standouts (TAA or prime Trippier), but generally the schedule will dictate. (Especially when it comes to Double and/or blank game weeks later on).
In recent years any defender from the best defensive teams (Arsenal, City, LP) are good most weeks. But given you only have to play 2, I find that it's relatively easy to organise 5 defenders to rotate in a meaningful way.

While having nothing to play for is definitely a thing, it isn't really...
The best players in lower teams are always 'on show', so whilst 38 weeks sounds like a lot, the integrity is pretty good imho, right to the end.