Welcome to the first head to head post of the 24/25 season!

Gameweek 1 saw some of the usual suspects in Salah and Haaland deliver big points but unlike previous years not everyone has them in their team. In fact, as you'll see later on in the post the pricing of those players and many of the high value midfielders in general means that the number of differentials across squads is very high at the moment!

GW2 sees champions Man City host newly promoted Ipswich. The Tractor Boys gave a good account of themselves against Liverpool last weekend but it was noticeable that once the Reds slipped into 3/4 gear that they had too much for a team that was playing League 1 football a couple of years ago.

As for Liverpool, they host Brentford in Arne Slot's first competitive home match in charge. Perhaps the most telling aspect of their win in GW1 was how quick the new manager was in changing things up when they weren't working. That will of course be something FPL managers will want to keep an eye in these early weeks as they look to establish who is going to be a part of the new era at Anfield.

Spurs dropped points from a winning position again on Monday night in a game that they really could have won by 3 or 4. They host an Everton sides who were shambolic on the opening weekend. We've come to expect Sean Dyche teams to at the very least be tough to play against and so it's difficult to imagine that they'll be cut through with quite so much ease again. However, Everton find themselves in the midst of an injury crisis just 1 game into the season, with a reportedly only 14 first team players available. If you're in the North London area on Saturday and possess a pair of football boots, get yourself down to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium!

Other sides who will be looking to enjoy home advantage include Fulham who take on Leicester and Palace who play against a West Ham side that struggled against Villa. Fulham will need to adopt different tactics than they deployed against United. Expect Leicester to be happy for them to dominate possession meaning that a few of their midfield and forward options may be worth a look.

As for Villa, they host Arsenal in a match that will have plenty of representation across FPL teams. It's more than likely that it'll be a fairly cagey affair this early in the season with points as likely to come from defenders as anywhere.

Division 1

GW1 Results

GW2 Fixtures

@skanderh v @herbae

The cruelty of head to head leagues was on show for Skander last week as they lost their opening fixture despite outscoring today's opponents Herbae.

At the back, Quansah (DEF) being subbed in Liverpool's opening game might provide Skander with a headache, particularly if Porro (DEF) doesn't recover from the knock he sustained on Monday night. Herbae's defensive unit will be reliant on Liverpool performing at home to Brentford and the result of the Villa v Arsenal match.

Further forward and Herbae have banked on Chelsea to finally find a successful combination in midfield. Palmer's (MID) price tag already looks inflated if he's going to shunted out into a less natural wide-position while competition for that number 10 role might ultimately see Enzo (MID) shifted to a more deep lying position.

Skander's squad is looking good to take advantage of some of the easier ranked fixtures for teams playing at home this week. Haaland (FWD), Eze (MID), Jota (MID) and Smith-Rowe (MID) could all do some damage.

@aaalviarez v @mckane

FC McKane got off to a great start with a 75 point GW1. Espressos will need to up their performance in order to close the 21 point game between these 2 sides from the opening week.

At the back, Espressos have depth in the choices they can make from the 5 defenders although I'm not sure doubling up on Spurs players is the greatest option. Unlike their opponents, FC McKane have gone in heavy on full-backs who could well offer them some points from attacking returns.

Further forward and Espressos' hopes in this fixture might well lie with the points return of De Bruyne (MID). Generally speaking, you'd fancy FC McKane's midfield and forward line to deliver more value in this coming game week than that of their opponents. I'm predicting them to start the season with back to back wins.

@pappyelblanco v @b0s

Here's an interesting fixture which demonstrates the different paths managers take when selecting their initial squad.

For their part, Creekside FC have avoided all the high priced forwards and midfielders, freeing funds for them to select well known players in all 15 positions. It means that the squad looks great on paper but of course the golden rule with FPL is only 11 of your players can score points (except for when you bench boost) so ultimately while Creekside FC have a lot of flexibility in their selection, it's questionable whether they have the heavy hitters to win them matches. On the evidence of GW1, this squad might struggle.

Of course what will be interesting over the next couple of weeks is where the likes of Trippier (DEF) and Sterling (MID) end up playing this season. Neither featured in GW1 and it looks unlikely that either has a future at their current club.

As for Legion FC, they've gone the complete opposite, finding budget for Haaland (FWD), Salah (MID), Saka (MID) and Watkins (FWD) at a combined total of £46.5 mil leaving them filling the rest of the squad with budget options. 72 points in GW1 was a decent return and the former 2 both have attractive matches in GW2. By contrast, this is a team where the starting XI pretty much picks itself, the only big call is who to captain!

@yagman01 v @nonsowrites

Yagman FC enjoyed a very strong start to last season and it looks like they are keen on replicating that early season form in 24/25.

As is the case with every team and player at this stage of the season, it's very much wait and see as far as their form and place in the side is concerned. However, in defence managers across the league are already facing challenges.

For example, will Zinchenko (DEF) and Dalot (DEF) be first choice options at their respective clubs once everyone is fit and firing? Does the substitution of Quansah (DEF) in Liverpool's opening match signify an immediate shift in the pecking order at Anfield. Will Barco (DEF) still be playing in the Premier League come the weekend? The headaches are growing by the day...

Further forward and both teams will be looking for a couple of their players to offer a bit more in GW2. Kulusevki (MID) had a great pre-season for Spurs but was left on the bench for their opener. Perhaps he'll benefit from a couple of changes that are likely following the draw at Leicester. Another player who made a pre-season impact was Smith-Rowe (MID). The former Gunner struggled to get into the match at Old Trafford but you'd expect Fulham to have far more of the ball in their match against the Foxes.

@thoth442 v @shamzy

Shamzy FC fairly limped over the line to claim the H2H title last season and perhaps that poor form will spill into the new campaign too? Meanwhile HallAnd Oats FC are 2 time winners of the Hive Cup and will be looking to add a league title to their already impressive trophy cabinet.

At the back, you'd fancy that HallAnd Oats FC's options are far more likely to get attacking returns. There is some concern about the fitness of Porro (DEF) but the Spain defender was seen at training earlier in the week.

Shamzy FC have a more budget defence which has allowed them to invest in midfield. However, they'll be hoping for more in GW2 from Fernandes (MID), Palmer (MID) and Eze (MID) who all blanked in GW1. By contrast, Jota (MID) who is cheaper than all of them and playing as a centre-forward, got off to a flying start.

All 4 forward differentials enjoy home advantage this weekend but as far as fixture difficulty is concerned, HallAnd Oats FC would appear to hold an advantage.

@akomoajong v @talesfrmthecrypt

With only Pedro Porro (DEF) a common pick across both sides, this looks likely to be another interesting battle.

Simcard FC have doubled up on Arsenal defenders and Forest midfielders. I can see the logic in the former given the Gunners excellent defensive record of late, I'm not quite sure about the later, although Forest do have an appealing run of opening fixtures.

Simcard FC are left with the issue that all 5 of their midfield options play away in GW2. Comparatively, Suffragette City will be hoping that Salah (MID) and Eze (MID) can continue to be their sides' primary attacking threat in matches in front of their home fans.

Upfront, Joao Pedro (FWD) played his part in an excellent Brighton performance against Everton but it was noticeable that the Brazilian often dropped into a deeper role and as such only returned an expected goals of 0.03 and expected assists of 0.02 despite his side's dominance.

@martinlazizi v @teofilex11

Likodra FC got off to a flying start with their 81 points in GW1 being the highest non-chip score of the round in Division 1.

There's not much to choose between these 2 sides at the back and you'd imagine that it'll be a case of each manager selecting 1 defender out of the 3 differentials available to make up their back line. Both could go for Arsenal players which would further eliminate the potential for any points swing.

Further forward and injuries at Spurs could mean that Son (MID) reverts to a more central position for the match against Everton. Form wise, Saka (MID) hit the ground running and Arsenal will be looking for a big match from him against Villa.

I'd be very surprised if Lazz don't captain Haaland (FWD) for the home game against Ipswich. Likodra FC are another side who have opted against selecting the most expensive players in their squad so we'll wait and see who gets the armband in GW2.

@vickoly v @reservedsingle

Newly promoted Solat FC had a great start to their Division 1 campaign with an 80 point haul in GW1. The same can't be said of Vickoly FC however, who delivered a below average 51 points.

The issue for Vickoly FC this week will be that none of their outfield players on the bench played in GW1 so they are unlikely to be able to make sweeping changes unless they dip into the transfer market and even then the most likely candidate for a free trade is Trippier (DEF) which would mean them playing a 5th defender if they wanted to move out any of their forward options.

At the back there are plenty of player differentials but commonality across clubs with both sides having Arsenal, Spurs and Everton assets available. The key differential then looks to be Alexander-Arnold (DEF) who put on a very classy display in GW1.

Further forward and Adringa (MID) might well become a popular pick as the season progresses. The midfielder scored 6 goals last season from 25 starts and looks likely to be a first team regular in a Brighton side not hampered by European competition this season.

@deniskj v @blockchainfpl

These 2 sides were relegated from Division 1 last year but got the opportunity for a reprieve thanks to the inaction of other managers. INEOS REVIVAL (presumably named after an energy drink) lost their opening fixture of the season while @BlockchainFPL H2H were the only Division 1 side to use a chip in GW1.

The big question is will they use another 1 in GW2? They have the squad depth to cover for the unavailable Solanke (FWD) and Barco (DEF) who has left the EPL on loan for the season but might fancy a more general shake up of their options.

Otherwise, INEOS REVIVAL's big 2 differentials will be TAA (DEF) and Haaland (FWD) both of whom have attractive home fixtures that should see them deliver a good points haul.

@ipalibo v @gvkanten

Reigning classic league champions Hungry Lions got their H2H campaign off to a winning start in GW1 while Whyte FC can feel rightly disappointed that their impressive points haul didn't lead to victory.

This match sees the fewest differentials of any game within the Division 1 H2H!

We know almost certainly that Henderson (GK) will play in goal for both sides while you'd have thought that WhyteFC's back 3 pretty much picks itself. Hungry Lions will need to decide whether Burn (DEF) offers a better option this week but I suspect they'll stick with the same defence again.

Further forward and there's a nice battle between premium options Saka (MID) and Salah (MID) although the later certainly has the kinder GW2 fixture. Gordon (MID) will hope to play in a side that keeps 11 men on the pitch this week and managers will also hope that he can start to deliver consistently away from home this year. The likes of Nkunku (MID) and Garnacho (MID) are not guaranteed starters for their respective clubs.

Division 2

GW1 Results

GW2 Fixtures

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Good luck to everyone in their GW2 fixtures!