The Scout explains why Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers have a Double Gameweek 26 (DGW26) in Fantasy Premier League, who the in-form picks are and why Arsenal's fellow EFL Cup finalists Manchester City are unlikely to have a DGW26.
Which clubs have a DGW26 and why?
Arsenal and Wolves will take part in the first Double Gameweek of 2025/26 following the former’s 4-2 aggregate victory over Chelsea in the EFL Cup semi-finals.
As a reminder, a “Double Gameweek" is when a club play TWO Premier League fixtures in a round of matches, and their players get two chances to score points.
The Gunners will now face Man City in the EFL Cup final, which takes place on the same weekend as Gameweek 31 in Fantasy.
Arsenal’s Gameweek 31 visit to Wolves has therefore been rescheduled and moved into Gameweek 26, giving both clubs a Double Gameweek 26 and a Blank Gameweek 31 (BGW31).
A "Blank Gameweek" is when some clubs don't play a Premier League fixture in a round of matches, and their players score zero points in Fantasy.
Mikel Arteta’s side are on their travels in both their DGW26 matches, visiting Brentford and Wolves, who travel to Nottingham Forest in their first fixture.
Double Gameweek 26
Brentford v Arsenal
Nott’m Forest v Wolves
Wolves v Arsenal
Who are the in-form players from Arsenal and Wolves?
An assessment of each player's form over the previous calendar month shows why Arsenal's Gabriel (£7.0m) will be a popular captain pick for his two matches.
Both Arsenal and Wolves played five matches in January and, as the table below highlights, the Gunners centre-back totalled 32 points, averaging 6.4 points per match (ppm).
Gabriel combined a goal and three clean sheets with four defensive contribution points and two bonus points in that spell, showing why he is the most-owned defender in Fantasy, found in 39 per cent of squads.
Wolves' forward Mateus Mane (£4.6m), meanwhile, owned by under two per cent of managers, could prove a very handy differential and help managers climb up their mini-leagues.
His average of 5.4ppm across January was bettered only by Gabriel among the Arsenal and Wolves contingents over the last five Gameweeks, equalling that of Gunners midfielder Declan Rice (£7.5m), who is selected by 32 per cent.
Elsewhere, Arsenal's three clean sheets across that period brings William Saliba (£6.0m), David Raya (£5.9m) and Jurrien Timber (£6.3m) into the form table.
Once again, Wolves have a cut-price, low-owned pick to consider here. Hugo Bueno (£4.3m) produced an assist, two clean sheets and two bonus points to total 22 points, with an average of 4.4ppm, just ahead of Raya and Timber.
Arsenal and Wolves' in-form picks over January
| Player | Club | Owned | Pts per match |
| Gabriel | Arsenal | 39.3% | 6.4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice | Arsenal | 32.1% | 5.4 |
| Mane | Wolves | 1.9% | 5.4 |
| Saliba | Arsenal | 12.5% | 4.6 |
| Zubimendi | Arsenal | 2.3% | 4.4 |
| H.Bueno | Wolves | 0.2% | 4.4 |
| Raya | Arsenal | 33.3% | 4.0 |
| Timber | Arsenal | 28.2% | 4.0 |
Scroll across on mobile to see the full table
Why it's unlikely that Man City will have a DGW26
After their 5-1 aggregate victory over Newcastle United in the EFL Cup semi-finals, Man City will have a BGW31, along with their current Gameweek 31 opponents, Crystal Palace
It seems very unlikely that either club will have a DGW26 or Double Gameweek 27 (DGW27) due to European action.
Palace are involved in the UEFA Conference League playoffs, which also take place in the midweeks of Gameweek 26 and Gameweek 27.
This would suggest that the Premier League will have to reschedule them into another Gameweek later in the season.