Fantasy Football Files - 2025/26 - Gameweek 35 - 'Late Registration'

My gameweek 35 opponent was my close friend Rian (Milito). I usually check well in advance who I am playing, but for the first time I did not check and mistakenly I had already insinuated what I was looking to do when we had a talk before the gameweek began. Once we realised we were up against each other the talking abruptly stopped.

I had two free transfers, so now I was able to get two Manchester City players back in my side. I had only planned to use Mo Salah for a week but even if I had a change of heart, he was injured so needed to be replaced regardless. Instead of bringing back Antoine Semenyo, as he has been frustrating recently, I looked to Rayan Cherki instead. This freed up my budget so I could get Erling Haaland back in at the expense of Igor Thiago. I knew that meant Thiago would score now, however as I preferred Aston Villa’s remaining matches (bar Liverpool of course) to Brentford’s (who also play Liverpool soon) I kept Watkins. I gave my captaincy to Haaland after contemplating Cherki or Dominik Szoboszlai. After all that, Rian missed the deadline as he was too busy. This meant Ollie Watkins was his captain.

Leeds and Burnley kicked things off last Friday. Leeds raced into the lead thanks to an Anton Stach shot from long range. Noah Okafor, who is in fine form, was questionable to start but played and he made it 2. Then it was 3-0 before the hour as Dominic Calvert-Lewin got his customary goal. As I was up against James Justin, I needed a Burnley goal, and they got it in the 71^st minute which left Justin with just 2 points. With Leeds basically safe it is hard to know whether it makes sense to heavily invest in them as they may rotate, as Tottenham are up next in gameweek 36, they will surely not be rotating there though.

There was no early Saturday kick-off, so we go straight to the 3pm’s. Brentford entertained West Ham and I was conflicted. I had Caoimhin Kelleher in goal and I had Jarrod Bowen. Rian had Igor Thiago and he as I thought he scored from the penalty spot. Thiago only likes to score when I do not have him, I swear. Regular readers will know this man cost be a head-to-head match with a missed penalty earlier in the campaign, I believe it was against Brighton. The Bees went on to win 3-0 and Kelleher accumulated 8 points outscoring Thiago’s 6. Bowen has been excellent recently; so I took the blank as obviously my keeper benefitted from it. Wolves and Sunderland ended in a 1-1 draw. Things started well as Nordi Mukiele’s emphatic header opened the scoring as he got me 11 points. Rian was fuming as Mukiele was on his bench. Any thoughts of a clean sheet to accompany the goal went when Dan Ballard was sent off just seven minutes after the goal. Ballard pulled Tolu Arokodare’s hair, ‘Dan mate, if you wanted extensions then I am sure a hairdresser could have helped you out’. Rob Edwards’ men got a 54^th minute equaliser as Hugo Bueno’s cross was headed in by Santiago Bueno…Kinder will be proud.

At 5.30pm, I was in hope that Harry Wilson could prevent Arsenal from getting closer to the title, only for Fulham to put up less fight than a wet paper bag. The Gunners took the lead through Viktor Gyokeres, as Bukayo Saka looked more like his old self leaving Raul Jimenez eating grass before laying it on a plate for the Swedish striker. Gyokeres to my detriment went on to collect 16 points as he assisted the second for Saka and then scored the third as it finished 3-0. As well as Gyokeres, Rian got 6 points from both of David Raya and Gabriel Magalhaes as he was looking very competitive although he had forgotten his team. Saturday concluded with me trailing 36-23.

On Sunday, Manchester United and Liverpool clashed at Old Trafford. This meant I had Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk against Bruno Fernandes. The Red Devils took the lead through Matheus Cunha and then made it 2-0 with a controversial goal that appeared to hit Benjamin Sesko’s hand. To my annoyance Fernandes headed the ball before Freddie Woodman’s touch made the ball go in off Sesko so that qualified for a ‘fantasy’ assist. Arne Slot for once seemed to inspire his team at half-time as they came out and immediately turned things around. First, Szoboszlai capitalised on a poor pass by Amad Diallo and scored a great individual goal. Then, Liverpool seized on a poor pass by Senne Lammens and Szoboszlai laid on an easy goal for Cody Gakpo. I was happy at the team I support not being behind anymore and the points I had gained, only for Kobbie Mainoo to win the game for United. I was gutted and Szoboszlai’s 13 point-haul still did not do anything for my mood. The Hungarian was on my opponent’s bench too, so the points were worth their weight in gold just like Mukiele’s.

The final match on Sunday was where Rian had the chance to pull away from me. It was not to start well for him however, as Watkins was benched ahead of Villa’s Europa League semi-final. I left both my Spurs players on the bench in Antonin Kinsky and Pedro Porro and Roberto De Zerbi’s men won 2-1. Watkins’ solitary point off the bench failed Rian’s captaincy and with Morgan Rogers only getting a point too meant that Sunday finished 45-38 in Rian’s favour.

On Monday, just like Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest rested players ahead of the semi-final. Rian and I had Morgan Gibbs-White and he began the game on the bench. This did not stop Vitor Pereira’s men who raced into a 2-goal lead. At half-time Gibbs-White came on, he assisted a third goal that was Taiwo Awoniyi’s second as Chelsea headed to their sixth league game in a row. Gibbs-White then came off with a nasty head injury and the game was to finish 3-1. What a cameo it was.

The gameweek was rounded off with Manchester City’s trip to Everton. City took the lead through a Jeremy Doku goal assisted by Cherki which brought us both points. Then things went crazy. Marc Guehi gave the ball away and Thierno Barry levelled. Then another man on my opponent’s bench Jake O’Brien made it 2-1. Pep Guardiola’s men were caught again at the back and Barry’s second made it 3-1. The title was slipping away from the away side, but they gave themselves a smidge of hope as straight from the kick-off after the Barry goal, my captain Haaland made it 3-2. I had been confused as Rian had already told me well done before the goal had even gone in on TV so he must have checked on a betting site as I was still in shock at the Toffees’ third. Doku scored again to make it 3-3 but that may be the nail in the coffin of their title hopes.

Nonetheless, that Haaland goal won it for me 62-54, as Rian’s depleted team put more than a great fight up. I got some real fortune this week which has not been the case much this season. There is now thankfully no chance of me finishing in the bottom three.

@DubulDee