Welcome back to the Hive FPL blog.

It's the penultimate gameweek of the 2023/24 season and for many teams it's a double gameweek.

Therefore, expect managers still sitting on a chip to use it now in a last effort to boost their chances of a late charge up the table or as far as the head to head league is concerned to secure safety/promotion where applicable.

The teams that play twice on GW37 include some that will be represented heavily across the game. Reigning champions Man City travel to London twice, firstly, to play Fulham and then to take on Spurs. The Citizens are 3 wins away from defending their crown and neither opponent this week is in particularly good form. Fulham have won 1 of their last 6 while Spurs have lost 4 in a row. Arsenal supporters getting excited by the idea that on the balance of probabilities both teams are 'due a win' might want to remember that this isn't the way things work in the real world.

Spurs themselves also have a double GW, starting with a home game against Burnley. Anything less than a win for the Clarets will see them relegated although Nottingham Forest have the opportunity to take matters into their own hands against Chelsea, another side who enjoy playing twice in GW37.

The Blues overcame the disappointment of their defeat in the SF of the FA Cup and have begun to turn in some more consistent performances. Away trips to Forest and Brighton represent a chance for European qualification that looked to be beyond them just a couple of months ago.

Brighton themselves play twice this week but FPL managers have largely abandoned Seagulls' players in the later part of the season. Joao Pedro, appearing in 6% of teams, is the most likely candidate to get points but an away trip to Newcastle looks a tough ask at present. The Magpies travel to Old Trafford in midweek for a game that will determine the league standings of both sides.

United themselves start their double gameweek with a match against title chasing Arsenal. Remember when this used to be the title decider? How things have changed! United were humiliated by Palace in midweek and if they turn in a similar performance at the weekend it could get even worse. GW37 surely represents Ten Hag's last 2 games in the Old Trafford dugout.

Division 1

Headlines: Shamzy FC crowned champions! I Feel Qatari relegated!

We've known for some time that Shamzy FC would eventually be the inaugural winners of the Hive head to head FPL but it perhaps took them a little longer to secure the title than initially expected. Their form through the first 30 gameweeks was nothing short of sensational and no other side could match their consistency at the top.

Their drop off over the last couple of months hasn't cost them in the head to head league but it has made the classic league far more exciting. There they remain just 39 points clear of Hungry Lions who are coming up fast. With some big points on offer in the last fortnight of matches they'll need to play well to secure the double.

At the other end, I Feel Qatari, the champions of last season's classic league, have been relegated following defeat against Izanagi FC who inturn boosted their own chances of survival. I Feel Qatari had been putting in some good performances of late but had left themselves just too much to do.

Wins for Yagman FC and Augment FC secure their status in the top flight and means that we are now left with 5 teams fighting to avoid the final 2 relegation spots.

GW36 Results

GW37 Fixtures

As if it were scripted, 4 of the 5 teams that are in the relegation scrap play each other in GW37!

The odd one out, BlockchainFPL, have a match against Nonz FC who were the lowest scorers in GW33, GW35 and second lowest in GW36. It feels like a winnable match and indeed they have to win and hope that other results in the other 2 fixtures go their way in order to maintain their chances of staying up.

@b0s v @belemo

The equation for Legion FC is pretty simple, win this match and they're safe! Defeat wouldn't automatically relegate Izanagi FC but they would be reliant on the result in our other featured match to stand any chance of maintaining their Division 1 status.

The big advantage for Legion FC is their availability of chips. They have more left than any other team in Division 1. In fact, they have so many left they won't be able to use them all between now and the end of the season! The big call for them is which one to go with? Wildcard, Bench Boost or Triple Captain. A wildcard could give them 11 players all due to place twice this week, a move that would surely win them the game.

However, lets assume that Legion FC don't do that (they missed the opportunity last week so you never know) and assess the current differentials.

In goal, Dubravka benefits from a double gameweek and would be a decent pick even if Newcastle aren't the most defensively sound team in the league. If United play like they did on Monday night then it seems unlikely that Raya is going to even touch the ball in Arsenal's weekend fixture.

Saliba and Gabriel are likely to cancel each other out leaving Branthwaite versus Zabarnyi. Everton host Sheffield United while Bournemouth face Brentford. There's not a huge amount riding on either game so we might be at that stage of the season where teams can cut lose and play some end to end football.

Into midfield and Fernandes missed United's game at Palace but should return for the all important fixture against Arsenal. Could this be his last home match as United's captain and if so, what's his legacy? Of course both he and Garnacho enjoy double gameweeks but neither of United's fixtures look like easy wins.

Foden too enjoys a double gameweek and looks like a significant advantage. The only concern, as always with Pep, is that he might rotate his squad. However, with City out of Europe and needing 3 wins from their remaining games to guarantee another title, you have to assume it will be strongest XI for the remainder of the season.

Upfront and Izanagi FC are left pinning their hopes of survival on Nicolas Jackson. Oh what a cruel world we live in!

@elmose v @talesfrmthecrypt

Perhaps Izanagi FC and everyone else involved in the relegation battle hoping for a Legion FC defeat, can take hope from Espada Numero Uno's failure to win last week despite playing their wildcard!

That disappointment aside, the wildcard has left them with a strong squad for GW37 and with a bench boost still in their pocket they might well be able to field 15 players who all have the opportunity to play twice this week. That, you would expect, will be too much of a mountain for any opponent to overcome and to be honest is the tactic that Legion FC themselves should have employed!

Suffragette City do have 7 players in their squad set to enjoy a double gameweek in GW37 but essentially they will be reliant on Son, Saliba or Gusto registering some truly epic numbers in both matches if they are to overcome the obvious shortfall.

They could take a punt on someone as captain but expect a more conservative approach focused on maintaining or improving their standing in the classic league (currently 4th) which is likely their priority. Of course, if other results don't go their way and they lose this match then they will have to win their final game against another high flying team in Hungry Lions to guarantee safety.

Division 2

It's tight at the top of Division 2 as well as we head into the final fixtures of the season. Uwabbs defeat of 3rd placed Formidable Milano means that the title is not decided yet, nor are any of the other promotion places after HappyBoys FC in 4th place also suffered defeat.

With the 7 teams immediately below Formidable Milano and HappyBoys FC all winning in GW36 it means that theoretically, the sides all the way down to 11th could still nab a top 5 finish but realistically it's a battle between 8 teams for the final 3 spots.

GW36 results

GW37 fixtures

Unfortunately, unlike Division 1, we won't have the drama of any of the sides in the top 11 playing against each other this week so instead we'll consider who might have the easier fixtures against lower ranked teams.

Simcard FPL look like a certainty to win against Satoshi99 who haven't made a change to their team since early December. In fact, as far as inactive sides go, it is the 3 teams currently occupying the promotion places who appear to hold an advantage.

However, you never know who might pop back up, especially during a double gameweek, and look to ruin the plans of the teams above them. While the teams outside the top 11 have no chance of promotion there is always the prize funds available each week to play for. Ensure you make your transfer, use your chips and keep adding Hive to your account!

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Good luck to all the teams and especially those still in the hunt for promotion or trying to escape relegation.