The second fixture of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) double gameweek for Newcastle and Crystal Palace takes place tonight (Wednesday 16th April), and managers will be keeping a close eye as the pair face off at St. James’ Park.
Let’s unpack what we’ve seen so far and what’s likely to unfold in the final showdown of the gameweek.
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Newcastle United enjoyed an impressive 4-1 win over Manchester United at St. James’ Park in their first Double Gameweek fixture, as shown in the Match Centre feature, with some FPL favourites delivering.
Harvey Barnes, a huge differential with just 1.4% ownership among the top one million managers, was the standout performer, grabbing a brace, while Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak added assists.
In contrast, Crystal Palace fell to a heavy 5-2 defeat against Manchester City. They took a two-goal lead after just 21 minutes, and FPL managers owning their assets could be forgiven for thinking they were in for a bountiful afternoon.
From a Fantasy Premier League standpoint, however, there were minimal returns: Ismaïla Sarr assisted Eberechi Eze for one of the goals, but otherwise, it was slim pickings for those who backed Palace’s assets.
Even worse was Jean-Philippe Mateta, owned by 62.8% of the top one million managers, who was subbed off at half-time. Glasner said of the substitution:
"He can do better than he did in the first half. He lost too many duels and too many balls. The mistake I made was to change the system, not to take Mateta off."
At least it wasn't an injury!
Ownership data from the top 1 million managers, as shown in the graphic below from the Insight Live tool, reveals just how heavily invested FPL managers are in Newcastle assets.
Alexander Isak, for example, features in a staggering 95.8% of teams in this tier – a clear sign he was considered essential for this Double Gameweek.
Jacob Murphy recorded his 17th attacking return (goal or assist) against Man United — the most of any player priced under £6.0m. 🤑 pic.twitter.com/YYSSmnEXnq
— Fantasy Football Fix (@FantasyFootyFix) April 14, 2025
Jacob Murphy’s inclusion in over 44% of top squads could be seen as a little surprising, but it reflects a savvy move from managers targeting value and potential, as he enjoys his best FPL season so far.
Tino Livramento also sees solid representation, possibly due to his budget-friendly price and attacking threat from defence.
On the Palace side, despite their difficult fixtures, some managers still took a chance on the Double Gameweek. This was a logical move, with another Double Gameweek to come in Gameweek 33 against Bournemouth and Arsenal – both away from home.
Daniel Muñoz and Jean-Philippe Mateta are particularly popular picks, owned by 68.9% and 62.3% respectively among the top one million managers. Ismaïla Sarr's 49.2% ownership is also notable. However, with only one assist between the three of them in the first match, owners will be hoping they can make amends against Newcastle tonight.
The captaincy trends are exactly what you’d expect.
Among the top one million managers, 77.1% handed the armband to Alexander Isak, with 15.8% using their Triple Captain chip on him – a popular strategy during Double Gameweeks.
His projected points (11.2 before the Gameweek began) made him a standout option. And although he only returned an assist in the first match, there's still time tonight for him to reward that faith.
Interestingly, 32.1% of FPL managers are yet to use their Triple Captain chip, according to the FPL Statistics tool. This figure excludes the 47.0% of inactive managers who haven’t made a change to their team in five Gameweeks.
Looking at the last five matches using the Match Centre feature, it’s Newcastle’s attacking trio who have really stood out.
Harvey Barnes leads the way with 3 goals from 3.0 expected goals (xG), 5 shots on target, and 2 assists – delivering serious value for his mid-price.
Jacob Murphy has produced 2 goals and 2 assists, proving to be a great budget midfield pick. Alexander Isak has been surprisingly wasteful, recording just one goal from 2.5 xG – hopefully he'll deliver on his underlying data in tonight’s match.
For Crystal Palace, Ismaïla Sarr remains their most effective asset, scoring 3 goals from 2.7 xG and registering 9 attempted assists.
Eberechi Eze has also been creative, producing 3 assists from 7 attempted assists in his last five appearances.
Jean-Philippe Mateta has 2 goals from 1.5 xG, but the question remains: how many minutes will he get against Newcastle after his early substitution against Man City?
According to the Algorithm, the most likely outcome tonight is a 1-1 draw, which would be the fourth in the last six meetings between these sides.
Alexander Isak is tipped to score first, so those who captained or triple captained him in FPL will be hoping he takes advantage of Palace’s defence in the same way Man City did.
Newcastle are still chasing European football and have been strong at home, so this prediction might actually be generous to Palace – but let’s see.
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