EPL Supercoach Final Word | Gameweek 5 trades, fixtures, captains


<p>118 points. Up to around 3k overall. Haaland&#8217;s captain goal shouldn&#8217;t have been allowed, and a Raya penalty save bailed me out, but I&#8217;ll take it.</p>



<p>The bigger worry isn&#8217;t the score; it&#8217;s the bank balance. I picked Dedic for cash, and he&#8217;s barely moved, while the rest of the top 1% cashed in on Yalcouye (+£3.6m), Jacquet (+£2.7m), King (+£3.2m) and the Hull defenders. </p>



<p>Falling behind on team value is its own kind of pressure, and it&#8217;s shaping my thinking this week.</p>



<p><a href="https://scplaybook.com.au/subscribe"><strong><em>Become a member of the SC Playbook community by subscribing for less than $2 per week! Gain access to additional premium articles on site every week, our Discord community, prize money and plenty more. Check it out here.</em></strong></a></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="http://blog.scplaybook.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Email-Gareth.w@cecal.org_.au-Phone-9559-4013-1-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-2404006" srcset="https://blog.scplaybook.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Email-Gareth.w@cecal.org_.au-Phone-9559-4013-1-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://blog.scplaybook.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Email-Gareth.w@cecal.org_.au-Phone-9559-4013-1-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://blog.scplaybook.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Email-Gareth.w@cecal.org_.au-Phone-9559-4013-1-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://blog.scplaybook.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Email-Gareth.w@cecal.org_.au-Phone-9559-4013-1-1-640x360.jpg 640w, https://blog.scplaybook.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Email-Gareth.w@cecal.org_.au-Phone-9559-4013-1-1-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://blog.scplaybook.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Email-Gareth.w@cecal.org_.au-Phone-9559-4013-1-1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://blog.scplaybook.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Email-Gareth.w@cecal.org_.au-Phone-9559-4013-1-1.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 98vw, (max-width: 1199px) 64vw, 770px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>The Fixtures</strong></h2>



<p>One quick plug before we get into it: Base Points have landed on the Supercoach site, and they&#8217;re an amazing resource. </p>



<p>If you&#8217;re not checking Base Points before locking in a trade this week, you&#8217;re working with half the picture.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Kickoff</td><td>Home</td><td>xG</td><td>CS%</td><td></td><td>Away</td><td>xG</td><td>CS%</td></tr><tr><td>Sat 19.09, 9:30pm</td><td>Brentford</td><td>1.62</td><td>18%</td><td>vs</td><td>Chelsea</td><td>1.74</td><td>20%</td></tr><tr><td>Sat 19.09, 9:30pm</td><td>Tottenham</td><td>1.62</td><td>31%</td><td>vs</td><td>Aston Villa</td><td>1.17</td><td>20%</td></tr><tr><td>Sun 20.09, 12:00am</td><td>Brighton</td><td>1.04</td><td>16%</td><td>vs</td><td>Arsenal</td><td>1.86</td><td>35%</td></tr><tr><td>Sun 20.09, 11:00pm</td><td>Leeds</td><td>1.79</td><td>34%</td><td>vs</td><td>Crystal Palace</td><td>1.08</td><td>17%</td></tr><tr><td>Sun 20.09, 11:00pm</td><td>Man City</td><td>2.39</td><td>48%</td><td>vs</td><td>Sunderland</td><td>0.72</td><td>9%</td></tr><tr><td>Sun 20.09, 11:00pm</td><td>Bournemouth</td><td>1.50</td><td>16%</td><td>vs</td><td>Liverpool</td><td>1.82</td><td>22%</td></tr><tr><td>Sun 20.09, 12:00am</td><td>Everton</td><td>1.80</td><td>34%</td><td>vs</td><td>Ipswich</td><td>1.08</td><td>17%</td></tr><tr><td>Sun 20.09, 12:00am</td><td>Newcastle</td><td>2.03</td><td>36%</td><td>vs</td><td>Hull</td><td>1.02</td><td>13%</td></tr><tr><td>Sun 20.09, 2:30am</td><td>Nott&#8217;m Forest</td><td>1.88</td><td>39%</td><td>vs</td><td>Coventry</td><td>0.94</td><td>15%</td></tr><tr><td>Mon 21.09, 1:30am</td><td>Fulham</td><td>1.37</td><td>17%</td><td>vs</td><td>Man Utd</td><td>1.77</td><td>25%</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p>Man City at home to Sunderland look great on paper. 48% clean sheet odds are the standout number on the board this week, backed up by 2.39 expected goals, the highest of the entire round. </p>



<p>Sunderland&#8217;s away form has been shaky, and that&#8217;s exactly why the numbers look this good. My only hesitation isn&#8217;t the fixture; it&#8217;s whether players like Cherki even start. </p>



<p>Home banker for the defence, some minutes risk for the attackers.</p>



<a id='x-TKdoW8QHZ_CdQ89V7Idg' class='gie-single' href='https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2295290427' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;' rel="noopener">Embed from Getty Images</a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'x-TKdoW8QHZ_CdQ89V7Idg',sig:'z4Pm1Sm9_gyaV7Z0nWv14x3eGhKia9zwfahbD9fXy-k=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2295290427',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});</script><script src='//embed-cdn.gettyimages.com/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async></script>



<p>Newcastle is why I loaded up on Dedic, Barnes and Wissa in the first place. They were poor last week, but I&#8217;m banking on a bounce back against Hull. Fair warning, Hull keep defying expectations, so this isn&#8217;t a lock.</p>



<p>Everton have Ipswich this week and Hull next, back-to-back soft fixtures. If you&#8217;re going to load up on Everton assets, now is the time, not after they&#8217;ve already banked the points.</p>



<p>Nottingham Forest get Coventry and Palace over the next two rounds. Everyone&#8217;s looking at their midfield options like Gibbs-White, but a 39% clean sheet number is calling my name too. Load up.</p>



<a id='1gqns2atSKhen09Rr9nzjw' class='gie-single' href='https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2295558624' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;' rel="noopener">Embed from Getty Images</a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'1gqns2atSKhen09Rr9nzjw',sig:'9QkUqAF7dm9CU4BfGwwT10W8WyTPulmQ4pAXV9pEECk=',w:'594px',h:'366px',items:'2295558624',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});</script><script src='//embed-cdn.gettyimages.com/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async></script>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Trade Ins</strong></h3>



<p><strong>Konsa (£5.59m)</strong> is an amazing price for a defender sitting in the best defence in the league. </p>



<p>He hasn&#8217;t been a huge base-stat player, which is exactly why he&#8217;s this cheap, but he&#8217;s picking them up at a higher rate now that he&#8217;s at Arsenal. He&#8217;d have had 13 last week if not for a penalty giveaway. </p>



<p>Anywhere near this price, he&#8217;s the best option on the park, and if you&#8217;re light on Arsenal, he&#8217;s a huge target. I&#8217;m still torn myself; I&#8217;ve already got Raya and Calafiori and want Gabriel next.</p>



<p><strong>Tarkowski (£11.76m)</strong> and <strong>Branthwaite (£8.01m)</strong> are both base stat monsters,  averaging 6.5 base stats a game. </p>



<p>Tarkowski needs to be in every squad at some point, but his price is inflated off the back of a goal in week two. </p>



<p>That&#8217;s pushed me toward Branthwaite instead, a lowest score of 7 with regular scores close to 15 when Everton keep it clean. Who says no to that floor?</p>



<a id='BAKPCzRBRXRvrKqfirLbJA' class='gie-single' href='https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2294577360' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;' rel="noopener">Embed from Getty Images</a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'BAKPCzRBRXRvrKqfirLbJA',sig:'9nkAzXL2q0XEIwsThEVfrtr7cD4VGUtt7naydzyMEPY=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2294577360',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});</script><script src='//embed-cdn.gettyimages.com/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async></script>



<p><strong>Muñoz (£8.69m) </strong>hasn&#8217;t had enough attention this week. We all saw what he did last season when fit, and again at the World Cup. He&#8217;s dropped £1.3m purely because of limited minutes in weeks one and three while he was mid-transfer. </p>



<p>He picked up right where he left off with an 11 last week, and that&#8217;s with zero attacking points or clean sheet involved. A breakeven of 13 against Coventry is easily achievable. Don&#8217;t wait until after he hauls to jump on.</p>



<p><strong>Gibbs-White (£11.4m)</strong> is a smash pick. 1.59 expected goals and 1.02 assists across the first four games, he picks up base stats consistently, and you know what the fixtures look like from here. </p>



<p>Penalty takers who deliver like this are exactly the type I want in my midfield, and he&#8217;s the best option going if you&#8217;re trading out of Bruno.</p>



<a id='NvfM6UIdRKxxc1FaAITiVQ' class='gie-single' href='https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2294809071' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;' rel="noopener">Embed from Getty Images</a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'NvfM6UIdRKxxc1FaAITiVQ',sig:'iHiXVfmXzZLlchZi7GEulvp2VQAu48Oe2D0mutqafBs=',w:'594px',h:'397px',items:'2294809071',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});</script><script src='//embed-cdn.gettyimages.com/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async></script>



<p><strong>Stach (£10.25m)</strong> is the boring pick, but boring is what you want when trading down from Bruno. The last thing you need is another midfielder who bleeds cash. Stach won&#8217;t do that. </p>



<p>He&#8217;s averaging 5.8 base stats a game with genuine attacking upside on 0.92 expected goals for the season. He&#8217;s going to score 8 plus most weeks. A safe option, plain and simple.</p>



<p><strong>Szoboszlai (£10.78m)</strong> is cut from the same cloth as Stach, solid as a rock at 6.8 base stats a game, but he&#8217;s on penalties too. He loves a screamer, as we saw midweek. </p>



<p>If you&#8217;re already spending two trades getting Bruno out and back in eventually, why not just grab a player you&#8217;ll never need to trade?</p>



<p><strong>Dewsbury-Hall (£8.85m)</strong> has now leapfrogged Garner as my preferred Everton midfield option, sitting on higher base stats with more attacking upside. </p>



<p>I can see him picking up a goal or assist across these next two fixtures, and you don&#8217;t need much money to upgrade off Wirtz to get him.</p>



<a id='Qm5Ft6yzTX5KnRU2CM81wg' class='gie-single' href='https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2294904199' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;' rel="noopener">Embed from Getty Images</a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'Qm5Ft6yzTX5KnRU2CM81wg',sig:'nU9pSDHoLL_SHfP3k0iV1I9BJH7coYYfDPY1sT1irHI=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2294904199',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});</script><script src='//embed-cdn.gettyimages.com/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async></script>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Trade Outs</strong></h2>



<p>Hull defenders made their money. Take the cash and run, as flagged last week.</p>



<p><strong>Dedic (£6.39m) </strong>is a shame to lose; I wanted him for the Hull and Coventry run. But with Livramento back and Dedic already copping early subs and benchings, plus a breakeven of 17, this is a reluctant sell. </p>



<p>In hindsight, a poor buy on my part given I knew Livramento was a threat to his minutes.</p>



<p><strong>Lewis-Skelly (£4.62m)</strong> was always going to be a short-term hold once Arsenal got their midfield back to full strength. </p>



<p>I don&#8217;t expect his minutes to hold up from here, and Brighton is a tricky fixture to trust him in. Time to jump off.</p>



<a id='H_yhfmP0TZ9_Z9xuDWIOfA' class='gie-single' href='https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2295205596' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;' rel="noopener">Embed from Getty Images</a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'H_yhfmP0TZ9_Z9xuDWIOfA',sig:'oLVT1ZvYag8zFlLfM95WFySbwfOMkue75Vkv853IbNk=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2295205596',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});</script><script src='//embed-cdn.gettyimages.com/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async></script>



<p><strong>O&#8217;Reilly (£7.27m) </strong>was a mistake on my part to recommend holding. His minutes are nowhere near locked in, and he&#8217;s bleeding cash with an 18 breakeven.</p>



<p><strong>Bruno Fernandes (£16.22m)</strong> is the big one, and the most crucial call in this entire article. We picked him as a season keeper; he dropped 47 in week two, and now Fulham await this week. </p>



<p>So why is anyone considering moving him on?</p>



<p>Reasons to sell:</p>



<ul>
<li>Outside that 47, his scores read 7, 3, 6. That floor is the worry; you&#8217;re not getting the week-in-week-out reliability of a Szoboszlai type.</li>



<li>His breakeven sits at 39, and he&#8217;s set to drop somewhere between £2m and £2.5m this week.</li>



<li>Remember the Hull defenders everyone rushed to buy in week one? This is the same principle in reverse; you&#8217;re avoiding a guaranteed price drop instead of chasing a rise. For teams like mine struggling for cash, that&#8217;s still a serious play.</li>
</ul>



<p>Reasons to hold:</p>



<ul>
<li>He can drop 20 in any given week. That ceiling doesn&#8217;t exist for most cash generation options.</li>



<li>Selling costs you two trades, maybe three depending on how you spend the cash, to get him out and eventually back in.</li>



<li>25.2% of the top 1% are trading him out this week, more than I expected. That&#8217;s turning him into more of a POD for whoever holds</li>
</ul>



<a id='uxYvkNLWRbBWkb2oOSJVQQ' class='gie-single' href='https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2295093758' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;' rel="noopener">Embed from Getty Images</a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'uxYvkNLWRbBWkb2oOSJVQQ',sig:'10Mu1H3XBsSCxYOnhDLKdHiHC58b5C3DRhf9Q1-BZJY=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2295093758',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});</script><script src='//embed-cdn.gettyimages.com/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async></script>



<p>Do you have the nerve to go without him? I&#8217;m not a fan of trading him down and parking the cash elsewhere, yes it means an easier path back to him, but sitting cash doesn&#8217;t score you points on the field. </p>



<p>This one is team dependent. Be careful; once you see what that money spreads into across your squad, you&#8217;ll want to pull the trigger.</p>



<p><strong>Cherki (£11.14m)</strong> has a 24 breakeven and terrible minutes. Surely a sell? Foden&#8217;s red card opens the door to more game time, but I&#8217;m not convinced. </p>



<p>The good news is City play early on Sunday, 11pm, so you can see the team sheet before pulling the trigger to Gibbs-White or Szoboszlai. If he starts, I&#8217;d hold; Sunderland is a great fixture to have him for.</p>



<p><strong>Wirtz (£7.25m) </strong>has been held too long. He&#8217;s barely made a cent, and I&#8217;d have been far better off in an Ødegaard type who&#8217;s both in form and making money. That said, he&#8217;s still involved; 0.77 expected goals says as much.</p>



<p>I&#8217;d happily trade him now, and you&#8217;ll want him gone before City next week regardless, though holding him one more round won&#8217;t cost you anything either.</p>



<a id='K2qBeMYSRhVhSEuT2AGq3w' class='gie-single' href='https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2295543790' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;' rel="noopener">Embed from Getty Images</a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'K2qBeMYSRhVhSEuT2AGq3w',sig:'UYQKo9_mWIMt6fxv5ZFjt7RcDoV3DW6W0hUhq3rNGqc=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2295543790',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});</script><script src='//embed-cdn.gettyimages.com/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async></script>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Where I&#8217;m Landing</strong></h2>



<p>I&#8217;ve got two options on the table this week, and I&#8217;m genuinely torn.</p>



<p>The Bold move:</p>



<ul>
<li>Bruno Fernandes out, Szoboszlai in</li>



<li>Dedic out, Muñoz in</li>



<li>Colwill (£3.77m) out, Branthwaite in</li>
</ul>



<p>I don&#8217;t trust the Chelsea defence, and Colwill was never going to make me money. </p>



<p>This move leaves me with five defenders who are all playable every single week with brilliant base stats, and it leaves me with just £10k in the bank. It almost feels like fate that I should pull the trigger. </p>



<p>The downside is real though: no path back to Bruno, which is a horrifying thought when I know what he can score. It does put me a week ahead on other transfers I&#8217;d have needed to make anyway.</p>



<a id='pb0Xfd3AQehBstosRrxAjQ' class='gie-single' href='https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2293521814' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;' rel="noopener">Embed from Getty Images</a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'pb0Xfd3AQehBstosRrxAjQ',sig:'4Wz1rf5BwLMBs3U_ucO1Cs_OB9EpAint_DW4jM5A_gQ=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2293521814',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});</script><script src='//embed-cdn.gettyimages.com/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async></script>



<p>The Boring move:</p>



<ul>
<li>Dedic out, Konsa in</li>



<li>Wirtz out, Dewsbury-Hall in&nbsp;</li>
</ul>



<p>I wouldn&#8217;t even play Konsa this week, and honestly I rate the £10m midfielders above Dewsbury-Hall. But that&#8217;s me talking after seeing what the Bold move opens up. </p>



<p>Earlier in the week, before I mapped out the alternative, I was completely content with this one.</p>



<p>I&#8217;m sitting at 70:30 in favour of the Bold move right now. I&#8217;ll see what the Discord thinks before I lock it in.</p>



<a id='RPVB9nPMTWxUx5sgKdK8hQ' class='gie-single' href='https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2295601450' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;' rel="noopener">Embed from Getty Images</a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'RPVB9nPMTWxUx5sgKdK8hQ',sig:'PQNXSL25jfE3wq7Gnxv0VsqfbWt3-G4e4UZLAo29dQ8=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2295601450',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});</script><script src='//embed-cdn.gettyimages.com/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async></script>



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



<p>Brighton play in the third game of the round, which leaves next to no vice-captain options before them, basically just Chelsea. That locks Palmer in as my VC.</p>



<p>For the captaincy itself, it&#8217;s a straight shootout between Haaland, Bruno (if you&#8217;re still holding him) and Gibbs-White. </p>



<p>I&#8217;m going with Haaland. Home fixture, highest expected goals of anyone in the round. Simple as that.</p>


EPL Supercoach Final Word | Gameweek 5 trades, fixtures, captains

Discussion (0)

EPL Supercoach Final Word | Gameweek 4 trades, fixtures, captains

EPL Supercoach Final Word | Gameweek 3 trades, fixtures, captains

EPL Supercoach Final Word | Gameweek 2 trades, fixtures, captains

EPL Supercoach | Budget GK Guide: Who to Start, Who to Loop