FPL GW8: Teams With the Best Upcoming Fixtures
The international break offers the perfect window to plan ahead in Fantasy Premier League. Using RotoWire's fixture difficulty tool, I've ranked the best teams to target over the next five Gameweeks based on opponent position in the table.
Using the difficulty tool, you can rate each team's upcoming fixtures based on opponent form, opponent scoring and opponent's goals conceded.
How Fixture Difficulty Is Calculated
In the tool, a team's next five fixtures are scored from 1-5 based on the the selected stat. For this article, I used opponent's place in the table as a ranking device, which resulted in Leeds United having the best rating of any team in the league. Each of their upcoming fixtures was given a point value to result in 18 points.
Check out RotoWire's updated FPL rankings, FPL tips and cheat sheets to fine-tune your squad.
5. Newcastle United - 14 Points
@Brighton, Fulham, @West Ham, @Brentford, Manchester City
Newcastle turned around some difficult early-season matches with three clean sheets in their last four games in all competitions. They also put up strong performances against Arsenal and Barcelona, but fell to 2-1 defeats in both.
Nick Woltemade has scored in three straight games in all competitions, having scored in his Premier League debut against Wolves. His four goals in six games for Newcastle have come from his only four shots on target with the club.
Dan Burn has been Newcastle's top scorer in FPL this season with 43 points. He had 11 points against Nottingham Forest in the last game and has been deployed as a left-back recently due to injuries to Newcastle full-backs. He has also picked up defensive contribution points on three occasions this season.
While Woltemade has scored three, only Bruno Guimaraes and Will Osula have scored goals for Newcastle this season in the Premier League.
4. Chelsea - 14 points
@Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, @Spurs, Wolves, @Burnley
Chelsea were bouncing into the international break after a huge win over Liverpool, thanks to a 97th-minute Estevao winner. The Blues face two of the newly promoted sides in their next five fixtures, and also winless Wolves.
Nottingham Forest find themselves with only one win in the league, which came on the opening day, meaning that Chelsea will play three of the bottom four sides in this spell.
Their fixtures outside of the Premier League in this period are also preferential for resting key players in midweek, as they have Ajax and Qarabag in the Champions League, and Wolves in the Carabao Cup.
3. West Ham United - 15 points
Brentford, @Leeds, Newcastle, Burnley, @Bournemouth
West Ham have a crucial run as they try to get out of a relegation battle early in the season. New manager Nuno Espirito Santo will look to make an impact over the international break after barely getting training time with his team since joining the club.
Burnley, Brentford and Leeds occupy three of the four spots in the league just above them, with only six points separating West Ham on four points and Manchester United in 10th on 10 points. Newcastle will be a tricky match, but they are still sitting in the bottom half.
The most difficult game will be a trip to Bournemouth, who are sitting fourth in the league, having picked up 10 points from four home matches.
Jarrod Bowen will be a crucial figure for West Ham in this run, having scored three of West Ham's six goals in the league this season, while El Hadji Malick Diouf has picked up three assists.
2. Liverpool - 15 points
Manchester United, @Brentford, Aston Villa, @Manchester City, Nottingham Forest
Liverpool return after the international break with a fixture they tend to enjoy against Manchester United. This is particularly true for Mohamed Salah, who has scored 16 goals and provided six assists in 17 games against the Red Devils. That includes six goals and three assists in eight games at Anfield.
Liverpool are sitting on 15 points and have received a lot of criticism despite being on more points than they were at the same point last year (14), and they went on to win the league. The big game in this spell will be the trip to the Etihad to take on Manchester City.
In this fixture run, Liverpool will also have two Champions League games, including Real Madrid, and a Cup match against Crystal Palace, whom they were defeated by a few weeks ago.
1. Leeds United - 18 points
@Burnley, West Ham, @Brigthon, @Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa
Leeds are rated to have the best run of fixtures in the next five matches. All of the teams they face in this run are in the bottom half of the table and all have two wins or fewer in league play.
Burnley, West Ham and Nottingham Forest all sit below the Championship winners from last season in the table, and this is the kind of run that could be season-defining if Leeds want to retain their Premier League status at the end of the season.
Noah Okafor has scored two goals in the last three matches for Leeds, although these goals have come from his only shots on target. Anton Stach has also impressed, though Sean Longstaff has recently taken over set-piece duties for Leeds.
Don't forget to use RotoWire's Predicted Lineups page which is updated throughout the week before confirmed team news 75 minutes ahead of kickoff.
FAQs
Which teams have the best FPL fixtures for Gameweek 8?
Leeds, Liverpool, West Ham, Chelsea and Newcastle rank highest for the next five gameweeks.
Which teams have the easiest run of fixtures?
Leeds face four bottom-half teams, giving them the best short-term schedule.
Which players to target from these teams?
Haaland, Salah, Saka, Bowen, and Woltemade are top names based on fixture strength.
