FPL Fixture Difficulty GW31-36: Best and Worst Runs

The run-in is here. With 8 gameweeks left, fixture difficulty drives transfer decisions more than form. Here’s who has the easiest and hardest paths from GW31-36.

Six-gameweek fixture grid for the run-in. Blank cells indicate a GW with no scheduled fixture for that side.

Best Fixture Runs

1. Wolves (Total difficulty: 13)

WHU(A)2, LEE(A)3, TOT(H)3, SUN(H)2, BHA(A)3

The standout run in the league. Only one fixture above difficulty 3 across six gameweeks, with two home games against promoted sides. Wolves assets are underpriced for this stretch.

Target: Wolves defenders for clean sheet potential. Budget attackers if available.

2. Aston Villa (Total difficulty: 15)

WHU(H)2, NFO(A)3, SUN(H)2, FUL(A)3, TOT(H)3, BUR(A)2

Six fixtures across the six gameweeks, three of them difficulty 2. Villa have one of the cleanest runs in the league for both clean sheets and attacking returns.

Target: Villa midfielders and defenders. The fixture quality makes their assets particularly appealing for Bench Boost planning if a DGW lines up in your chip window.

3. Arsenal (Total difficulty: 15)

BOU(H)3, MCI(A)5, NEW(H)3, FUL(H)2, WHU(A)2

One tough away trip to City, but four of five fixtures are at home or against weaker opposition. The backend of GW34-36 (FUL, WHU) is very kind.

Target: Premium Arsenal attackers. The MCI away fixture in GW32 is the one to navigate around.

4. Crystal Palace (Total difficulty: 15)

NEW(H)3, WHU(H)2, LIV(A)4, BOU(A)3, EVE(H)3

Two strong home fixtures in GW31-32 make Palace assets worth considering short-term. The Liverpool away trip in GW33 is the clear avoid.

Worst Fixture Runs

20. Bournemouth (Total difficulty: 20)

MUN(H)3, ARS(A)5, NEW(A)4, LEE(H)2, CRY(H)3, FUL(A)3

Arsenal away and Newcastle away back-to-back in GW32-33 is brutal. Bournemouth assets should be sold before that stretch unless you’re riding a specific player’s form.

19. West Ham (Total difficulty: 20)

AVL(A)4, WOL(H)2, CRY(A)3, EVE(H)3, BRE(A)4, ARS(H)4

Three difficulty-4 fixtures. West Ham’s run doesn’t ease up until the final weeks of the season.

18. Fulham (Total difficulty: 20)

BUR(H)1, LIV(A)4, BRE(A)4, AVL(H)3, ARS(A)5, BOU(H)3

GW31 at home to Burnley is excellent, but then it falls off a cliff. Liverpool, Brentford, and Arsenal in four of the next five is grim. Sell Fulham assets after GW31.

Key Fixture Swings

Sell before GW32: Bournemouth, Fulham, West Ham assets. Their runs deteriorate sharply.

Buy for GW31-33: Wolves, Villa, Crystal Palace. Front-loaded easy fixtures.

Buy for GW34-36: Arsenal, Leeds. Their runs get progressively easier as the season closes out.

Hold through the run: Liverpool (total 18, but evenly spread with no back-to-back nightmare fixtures). Steady rather than spectacular.

If your squad needs more than two transfers to ride this swing, playing your wildcard against the GW32-34 fixture cliff is the highest-EV use of the chip you’ll see this season. For Bench Boost timing, the City and Crystal Palace double in GW36 is the cleanest target in this window.

Planning Transfers Around Fixtures

The key insight: don’t just look at one gameweek’s fixture. A player with a difficulty-4 fixture this week but three difficulty-2 fixtures after is a better hold than someone with a difficulty-2 fixture followed by three 4s. The same logic applies to the armband. See the GW31 captain picks for how Fernandes’ fixture run reframes a tough single-week matchup.

Use this table to plan 2-3 weeks ahead:

Team	GW31-32	GW33-34	GW35-36	Trend
WOL	5	6	5	Steady easy
AVL	5	5	5	Steady easy
ARS	8	5	4	Gets easier
FUL	5	7	8	Gets harder
BOU	8	6	6	Front-loaded hard
WHU	6	6	8	Gets harder

See fixture difficulty mapped to your actual squad →

Fixture data from FPL API as of 2026-03-12.