Following the release of the 2026/27 fixtures, The Scout highlights the clubs and players to target for the opening Gameweeks in Fantasy Premier League.
Manchester City
After replacing Pep Guardiola as manager of Manchester City, Enzo Maresca has a kind start to his first season at the helm.
Man City face just one of last season’s top five clubs in the opening five Gameweeks, with that match coming when they visit local rivals Manchester United in Gameweek 4.
Home games against AFC Bournemouth, Coventry City and Sunderland, combined with a visit to Crystal Palace, offer plenty of encouragement for returns at both ends of the pitch for Fantasy managers.
Indeed, according to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), Man City's average score of 2.8 across Gameweeks 1-5 ranks second only to Liverpool.
Man City's first five matches
| GW | Opp. | FDR* |
| 1 | Bournemouth (H) | 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Crystal Palace (A) | 3 |
| 3 | Coventry (H) | 2 |
| 4 | Man Utd (A) | 4 |
| 5 | Sunderland (H) | 2 |
*1=easiest possible fixture, 5=hardest possible fixture
Erling Haaland's ability to deliver huge hauls will make him a must-have for managers' opening squads.
The Norwegian is at home to two promoted clubs in the opening seven Gameweeks, hosting Coventry and Ipswich Town in Gameweeks 3 and 7 respectively, offering you a great opportunity to play your first Triple Captain chip of the campaign.
Notably, Haaland is a fast starter in Fantasy - he has been the top-scoring player after the first six Gameweeks in all four of his seasons at Man City.
As you can see from the table below, the Norwegian has averaged nine goals over the first six Gameweeks across his Fantasy career.
It is worth noting, though, that this season will be the first time Haaland has been involved in an international tournament beforehand, due to Norway’s participation in the FIFA World Cup.
Haaland's first six Gameweeks per season
| Season | Points | Goals | Assists |
| 2022/23 | 67 | 10 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 51 | 8 | 1 |
| 2025/25 | 65 | 10 | 0 |
| 2025/26 | 62 | 8 | 1 |
Scroll across on mobile to see full table
Who's the best Man City midfielder?
Maresca's appointment may ultimately result in a complete revision of Man City's key assets for 2026/27.
For example, Antoine Semenyo enjoyed his best Fantasy campaign ever in 2025/26, earning 202 points to finish as the second top-scoring midfielder and fourth player overall.
The Ghana international was Man City's top-scoring player after joining from Bournemouth midway through last season, scoring seven goals and supplying an assist to collect 82 points.
However, Semenyo's average of 4.8 points per start (pps) for Man City was LOWER than his 6.0pps for Bournemouth across Gameweeks 1-21.
Whereas Semenyo started all 17 of his side's matches from Gameweek 22 onwards, his fellow attacking midfielders Rayan Cherki and Jeremy Doku were only handed nine and seven starts respectively.
But, when selected, both those players had a bigger impact than Semenyo, which suggests they could outscore him if they become regulars for Maresca.
Cherki played 400+ minutes fewer than Semenyo and was involved in only one goal fewer, scoring two and assisting five.
Doku's average of 6.6pps, meanwhile, was the best of the three players from Gameweek 22 onwards.
Attacking stats compared, GW22-38
| Player | Points | Pps | G/A | Goal involvement % |
| Semenyo | 82 | 4.8 | 8 | 28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherki | 59 | 5.3 | 7 | 35 |
| Doku | 51 | 6.6 | 5 | 42 |
Scroll across on mobile to see full table
Who's the best Man City defender?
In defence, similarly to Semenyo, Marc Guehi joined midway through last season and finished as the second top-scoring player in his position on 179 points.
Certainly, there was less disparity between his previous displays - the centre-back averaged 5.3pps for Crystal Palace and 4.9pps for Man City.
But it's hard to look past Nico O'Reilly as the go-to pick at the back after his fine breakout campaign in 2025/26.
Five goals, four assists and 14 clean sheets helped the England star earn 5.4pps, second only to Arsenal's Gabriel among defenders.
Although he featured as a midfielder on occasion for Guardiola, the change of manager for 2026/27 means it is unclear whether he will be given that role again, so it seems unlikely O'Reilly will be reclassified from a defender to a midfielder this time around.