West Ham United continue their 2024/25 Premier League campaign when they make the short trip to Arsenal for their third successive London derby on Saturday, and Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers will be casting an eye over the Hammers as they seek to bounce back to winning ways by overcoming Mikel Arteta's title-challenging Gunners.
Graham Potter’s side will be hoping to produce a strong response to last weekend’s home disappointment against Brentford, and will be looking to build on an encouraging second-half display to boost their 16th-place standing in the top-flight ranks with 13 games of 2024/25 to go.
On paper, a fixture at second-placed Arsenal presents a difficult challenge as the Irons aim to chalk up their eighth league victory of the campaign, against a side that hasn’t lost at home once all season in the Premier League.
However, we ended a run of eight straight defeats in N5 - seven in the Premier League and one in the EFL Cup - when Tomáš Souček and Dinos Mavropanos scored in a 2-0 win in this away fixture last time out, in December 2023.
There are still hundreds of FPL points up for grabs for managers who make the correct line-up decisions between now and the final Gameweek 38 deadline on Saturday 24 May. The Gameweek 26 transfer deadline is set for 6.30pm on Friday 21 February, ahead of a mouth-watering feast of weekend action that begins at the King Power Stadium for Leicester v Brentford on Friday.
While we will be giving you FPL tips and tricks throughout the remainder of the 2024/25 season on whufc.com, see below for some of our picks for the upcoming round.
Before we name names, don't forget to join the Official West Ham United FPL League by entering the code tezfax...
Bowen to reach a half-century of Premier League goals in Claret and Blue?
Jarrod Bowen’s (£7.3m) next West Ham United goal will see him become just the second Hammer to reach a half-century of goals in the Premier League, following Michail Antonio.
The England international's points-per-match average of 5.0 ranks him an impressive joint-seventh among FPL midfielders this season, and the Hammers’ captain has recorded 12 attacking returns in just 21 starts.
Bowen has scored four goals and supplied two assists in his eleven appearances against the Gunners in all competitions and played his part in both goals in the aforementioned 2-0 win at Emirates Stadium in December 2023, keeping the ball in to cross for Souček to convert on 13 minutes before being involved in a counter that led to the James Ward-Prowse corner which Dinos Mavropanos headed in accurately ten minutes after half-time.
Evan Ferguson (£5.5m), meanwhile, made his West Ham debut and got 45 minutes under his belt against Brentford, delivering an encouraging display from the substitutes’ bench.
The Republic of Ireland international showed glimpses of his quality, holding the ball up well, drawing fouls and providing a threat in attack, which saw him denied several times by the Bees’ stubborn rearguard, but showed a clear taste of things to come in Claret and Blue.
With his first game for the Club under his belt, he could break his goal duck at the second attempt in north London, to kickstart a positive end to the campaign.
Elsewhere, Souček (£4.9m), who is renowned as a big game player, can step up and be counted in north London.
Despite the Czech giant not claiming attacking returns in his last four top-flight fixtures, Souček remains very much an overlooked player in Fantasy Premier League and can be found in fewer than two per cent of squads.
Indeed, the 29-year-old scored in this away fixture last season, and you'd be a brave man to bet against him repeating that feat this weekend.
Opposition Watch: Arsenal
Leandro Trossard (£6.9m) delivered a 12-point haul at London Stadium in Gameweek 13, which is his joint-highest FPL score of the season, while he has scored in two of his last three starts against the Hammers.
The Belgium international has started the Gunners' last six Premier League contests, and during that period, none of his teammates can better his total of 13 attempts on goal.
Gabriel Magalhães (£6.3m) has gone eleven league games without a goal, last scoring against West Ham in the teams’ reverse meeting in November.
The defender, who has eclipsed 100 points in FPL throughout 2024/25, has had a total of eight big chances in that timeframe, which is only bettered by Joško Gvardiol among defenders.
Elsewhere, 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri (£4.6m) is an exciting talent who is keeping injury-hit Arsenal’s title hopes well and truly alive.
Filling in for the injured Bukayo Saka on the right wing, Nwaneri hit the woodwork twice and produced a sublime assist against Leicester City in Gameweek 25, while he also became the youngest player on record since 2003/04 to complete five or more dribbles and assist a goal in a Premier League match.
Given these statistics and his proven potential, Nwaneri remains a strong asset, and the Irons will have to be at the very top of their game to stop the gifted teenager in this weekend's London derby.
