Raya Problem: How to Fix Keeper Situation Before GW31 blank


<p>If you&#8217;ve got <strong>David Raya (£5.97m)</strong> in goal and a non-playing keeper warming your bench, you&#8217;re in good company. A huge chunk of the competition is sitting on the exact same headache right now.</p>



<p>Here&#8217;s the problem. Arsenal blank GW31. Zero points from your starting keeper. Zero from your bench cover. That&#8217;s a double blank that&#8217;ll cost you ranking positions if you haven&#8217;t planned for it. And that&#8217;s before we even get to GW34.</p>



<p>Here&#8217;s how to fix it.</p>



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>First, Understand the Blank Landscape</strong></h3>



<p>GW31 isn&#8217;t the only danger. The FA Cup quarter-finals fall between GW31 and GW32, which creates potential GW34 blanks depending on results. Here&#8217;s the full picture for every team:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Team</strong></td><td><strong>GW31</strong></td><td><strong>GW34</strong></td></tr><tr><td>Arsenal</td><td>❌ Blank</td><td>⚠️ Possible blank — Arsenal vs Newcastle — if Arsenal beat Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals</td></tr><tr><td>Aston Villa</td><td>✅ Plays</td><td>✅ Confirmed</td></tr><tr><td>Bournemouth</td><td>✅ Plays</td><td>⚠️ Possible blank — Bournemouth vs Leeds — if Leeds beat West Ham in the FA Cup quarter-finals</td></tr><tr><td>Brentford</td><td>✅ Plays</td><td>✅ Confirmed</td></tr><tr><td>Brighton</td><td>✅ Plays</td><td>⚠️ Possible blank — Brighton vs Chelsea — if Chelsea beat Port Vale in the FA Cup quarter-finals</td></tr><tr><td>Burnley</td><td>✅ Plays</td><td>⚠️ Possible blank — Burnley vs Man City — if Man City beat Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals</td></tr><tr><td>Chelsea</td><td>✅ Plays</td><td>⚠️ Possible blank — Brighton vs Chelsea — if Chelsea beat Port Vale in the FA Cup quarter-finals</td></tr><tr><td>Crystal Palace</td><td>❌ Blank</td><td>⚠️ Possible blank — Liverpool vs Crystal Palace — if Liverpool beat Man City in the FA Cup quarter-finals</td></tr><tr><td>Everton</td><td>✅ Plays</td><td>⚠️ Possible blank — West Ham vs Everton — if West Ham beat Leeds in the FA Cup quarter-finals</td></tr><tr><td>Fulham</td><td>✅ Plays</td><td>✅ Confirmed</td></tr><tr><td>Leeds</td><td>✅ Plays</td><td>⚠️ Possible blank — Bournemouth vs Leeds — if Leeds beat West Ham in the FA Cup quarter-finals</td></tr><tr><td>Liverpool</td><td>✅ Plays</td><td>⚠️ Possible blank — Liverpool vs Crystal Palace — if Liverpool beat Man City in the FA Cup quarter-finals</td></tr><tr><td>Man City</td><td>❌ Blank</td><td>⚠️ Possible blank — Burnley vs Man City — if Man City beat Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals</td></tr><tr><td>Man Utd</td><td>✅ Plays</td><td>✅ Confirmed</td></tr><tr><td>Newcastle</td><td>✅ Plays</td><td>⚠️ Possible blank — Arsenal vs Newcastle — if Arsenal beat Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals</td></tr><tr><td>Nottm Forest</td><td>✅ Plays</td><td>✅ Confirmed</td></tr><tr><td>Spurs</td><td>✅ Plays</td><td>✅ Confirmed</td></tr><tr><td>Sunderland</td><td>✅ Plays</td><td>✅ Confirmed</td></tr><tr><td>West Ham</td><td>✅ Plays</td><td>⚠️ Possible blank — West Ham vs Everton — if West Ham beat Leeds in the FA Cup quarter-finals</td></tr><tr><td>Wolves</td><td>❌ Blank</td><td>✅ Confirmed</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p>The only teams with zero blank risk in both GW31 and GW34 are Aston Villa, Brentford, Fulham, Man Utd, Nottm Forest, Spurs, and Sunderland. That matters because keeper isn&#8217;t a position worth spending two trades on. Sort it once, sort it right, and don&#8217;t look at it again for the rest of the season.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Which Keepers Are Actually Worth Owning?</strong></h3>



<p>Not all seven are created equal. Here&#8217;s how the fixtures and defensive quality stack up from GW31 to the end of the season:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Team</strong></td><td><strong>GW31</strong></td><td><strong>GW32</strong></td><td><strong>GW33</strong></td><td><strong>GW34</strong></td><td><strong>GW35</strong></td><td><strong>GW36</strong></td><td><strong>GW37</strong></td><td><strong>GW38</strong></td><td><strong>xG Conceded (Last 6 Weeks)</strong></td></tr><tr><td>TOT</td><td>NFO</td><td>sun</td><td>BHA</td><td>wol</td><td>avl</td><td>LEE</td><td>🔴 che</td><td>EVE</td><td>🔴 12.47</td></tr><tr><td>AVL</td><td>WHU</td><td>nfo</td><td>SUN</td><td>ful</td><td>TOT</td><td>bur</td><td>🔴 LIV</td><td>🔴 mci</td><td>🟠 8.75</td></tr><tr><td>NFO</td><td>tot</td><td>AVL</td><td>BUR</td><td>sun</td><td>🔴 che</td><td>NEW</td><td>🔴 mun</td><td>BOU</td><td>🔴 10.00</td></tr><tr><td>FUL</td><td>BUR</td><td>🔴 liv</td><td>bre</td><td>AVL</td><td>🔴 ars</td><td>BOU</td><td>wol</td><td>NEW</td><td>🟠 8.86</td></tr><tr><td>SUN</td><td>new</td><td>TOT</td><td>avl</td><td>NFO</td><td>wol</td><td>🔴 MUN</td><td>eve</td><td>🔴 CHE</td><td>🟠 8.82</td></tr><tr><td>BRE</td><td>lee</td><td>EVE</td><td>FUL</td><td>🔴 mun</td><td>WHU</td><td>🔴 mci</td><td>CRY</td><td>🔴 liv</td><td>🟠 9.24</td></tr><tr><td>MUN</td><td>bou</td><td>LEE</td><td>🔴 che</td><td>BRE</td><td>🔴 LIV</td><td>sun</td><td>NFO</td><td>bha</td><td>🟠 7.04</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p>Spurs and Forest are not worth picking despite their fixtures. Both are leaking goals at an alarming rate and Spurs have defensive injuries and rotation uncertainty in goal on top of that. Cross them both off. That leaves Villa, Sunderland, Fulham, Man Utd, and Brentford as your realistic targets.</p>



<p>The two that stand out are <strong>Emiliano Martínez (£5.69m)</strong> and <strong>Robin Roefs (£4.05m)</strong>. Martínez gives you a defence with genuine clean sheet quality and European ambition keeping them organised right to the end. Roefs is the value pick, cheapest of the bunch with strong season totals, but he&#8217;s missed the last two matches. He&#8217;s only worth considering if he&#8217;s back on the park in GW30.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Breaking Down Your Options</strong></h2>



<p>There are three ways to approach this. Each has a different cost, risk profile, and upside.</p>



<p><strong>Option 1 — Trade Raya for Martínez, keep the loophole</strong></p>



<p>The loophole lets you use your starting keeper&#8217;s score as a captain score if your actual captain doesn&#8217;t play. Trading Raya away means you keep that option intact, one less headache each week.</p>



<p>This is the clean, simple fix. One trade gets you a quality keeper who plays every week Raya doesn&#8217;t. Villa are fighting for European places, which keeps the squad motivated and the defence organised right through to GW38.</p>



<p>The downside? Martínez draws Liverpool and City in GW37 and GW38. A great mid-season run but potentially copping it right at the death.</p>



<p><strong>Option 2 — Trade Raya for Roefs, keep the loophole</strong></p>



<p>The value play. Roefs is the cheapest option by a distance at £4.05m, freeing up budget for your outfield where it actually makes a difference.</p>



<p>Two concerns though. He&#8217;s missed the last two matches. If he&#8217;s not back for GW30, this option is dead in the water. Never back an injured keeper heading into a critical blank. On top of that, Sunderland could have nothing to play for by the business end of the season and teams on the beach leak goals. Their xG conceded could get ugly fast.</p>



<p><strong>Option 3 — Keep Raya, trade your bench keeper for Martínez</strong></p>



<p>The premium option. Raya covers Arsenal&#8217;s good weeks, Martínez covers GW31, GW33, and GW34. You&#8217;re running two quality keepers and deploying whoever has the better matchup each week.</p>



<p>The catch is cost. This ties up serious budget in a low-impact position, money that could be doing heavy lifting in your midfield or attack. If your squad has the headroom, it&#8217;s the best football decision. If it doesn&#8217;t, Options 1 or 2 are the smarter play.</p>



<p><strong>The Three Options Head to Head</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>GW</strong></td><td><strong>Option 1: Martínez + Loophole</strong></td><td><strong>Option 2: Roefs + Loophole</strong></td><td><strong>Option 3: Raya + Martínez</strong></td></tr><tr><td>GW31</td><td>Martínez v WHU</td><td>Roefs v new</td><td>Martínez v WHU</td></tr><tr><td>GW32</td><td>Martínez v nfo</td><td>Roefs v TOT</td><td>Raya v BOU</td></tr><tr><td>GW33</td><td>Martínez v SUN</td><td>Roefs v avl</td><td>Martínez v SUN</td></tr><tr><td>GW34</td><td>Martínez v ful</td><td>Roefs v NFO</td><td>Martínez v ful</td></tr><tr><td>GW35</td><td>Martínez v TOT</td><td>Roefs v wol</td><td>Raya v FUL</td></tr><tr><td>GW36</td><td>Martínez v bur</td><td>Roefs v MUN</td><td>Raya v whu</td></tr><tr><td>GW37</td><td>Martínez v LIV</td><td>Roefs v eve</td><td>Raya v BUR</td></tr><tr><td>GW38</td><td>Martínez v mci</td><td>Roefs v CHE</td><td>Raya v cry</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>My Plan</strong></h2>



<p>Raya plays in GW30. No point burning a trade early when he&#8217;s available and the blank isn&#8217;t here yet.</p>



<p>Before making any move, wait for two things: GW30 results and the Champions League round of 16 outcome. Planning your transfer now rather than scrambling next week means you keep the budget available for the moves that actually matter. Spend it all in GW30 and you might find yourself short when the real decisions arrive.</p>



<p>The information is coming to you. Sit on your hands for one more week.</p>


Raya Problem: How to Fix Keeper Situation Before GW31 blank

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