FPL DGW36: Man City + Crystal Palace Double Gameweek Strategy
From the 2025/26 season archive. Chip windows, fixtures, and players in this post reflect last season, not current advice. Plan this season's chips for live recommendations.
This guide covered the 2025/26 double gameweeks. For this season, see the chip strategy guide.
GW36 of 2025/26 was a Double Gameweek for Manchester City and Crystal Palace only. The FA Cup semifinals pushed a Premier League fixture out of GW33 and rescheduled it into GW36, so those were the only two clubs that played twice. Every other team played once.
This post captures how the optimizer played the final DGW of 2025/26: the doubling clubs, the chip choice, and the stack maths.
Clubs doubling
City + Palace only
2
Max doublers
3-per-club limit
6
GWs left
GW36, 37, 38
3
Chip Decisions for GW36
- Triple Captain. The highest single-week ceiling left. TC a doubling premium for +14 to +22 marginal points. TC36 strategy →
- Bench Boost. Volume play, +12 to +18 if you can stack 5+ City + Palace doublers. WC35 + BB36 is the deliberate-build version. BB36 strategy →
- Wildcard. If both WC and BB or TC are still live, Wildcard in GW35 to set up the GW36 stack. WC35 strategy →
- Free Hit. Almost always wrong on a DGW. Save it for blanks.
BB36 and TC36 cannot share GW36 (one chip per GW). Pick one. The optimizer ranks every valid combo for your specific squad.
FAQ
Which teams double in GW36?
Only Manchester City and Crystal Palace play twice in GW36. Their FA Cup semifinal pushed a Premier League fixture out of GW33 and rescheduled it into GW36. Every other Premier League club plays once. FPL’s 3-per-club limit caps you at 6 maximum doublers (3 City + 3 Palace).
Why is GW36 a Double Gameweek?
Manchester City and Crystal Palace had their GW33 league fixture moved because they were both in the FA Cup semifinals. The FA rescheduled the postponed fixture into GW36, giving both clubs two Premier League games that gameweek. No other clubs are affected.
Who should I Triple Captain in GW36?
Erling Haaland is the highest-EV TC36 pick. He plays twice (City’s DGW), is nailed for both fixtures barring rest, has set-piece duties on penalties, and typically faces favourable matchups. Average DGW Haaland return is 14-22 pts; TC multiplier adds another +14-22 over standard captain. 52.6% of 7,124 optimised squads have TC36 as optimal, with Haaland the dominant pick.
What is the best FPL team for GW36?
Stack the maximum 3 City + 3 Palace players for 6 doublers. Ideal: Haaland + De Bruyne/Foden + Gvardiol from City; Eze + Mateta + Sarr from Palace. Fill remaining 9 slots with non-doubler premiums on easy single GW36 fixtures (e.g. Salah at home). Captain Haaland and Triple Captain him if available.
Should I Bench Boost in GW36?
Only if you can field 5+ doublers in your 15-man squad (3 City + 2-3 Palace). With fewer than 5 doublers, BB36 underperforms because you Bench Boost 9+ single-fixture players. 14.4% of optimised squads have BB36 optimal; the rest play BB33 or BB35 instead.
Should I Free Hit in GW36?
Almost never. Only 0.8% of 7,124 optimised squads had FH36 as optimal. Free Hit is designed for blank gameweeks, not DGWs. The only edge case is if you have zero City + Palace players AND cannot transfer in 5+ doublers without 3+ hits AND still have FH unused. Even then, BB36 with a couple transfers is usually better.
Should I Wildcard in GW36?
Only 3.1% of squads have WC36 as their optimal Wildcard. WC35 (7.2%) is 2-3x more common because it gives you a full week to load up on City + Palace before BB36 or TC36. WC36 only makes sense if you missed WC35 and need budget to upgrade INTO Haaland for TC36, or your squad is structurally broken.
Best captain pick for GW36?
Haaland is the consensus #1 (highest xPts, set-piece duties, two fixtures). Backup options: De Bruyne, Foden, or Mateta if you do not own Haaland. Eze is the differential captain pick from Palace. Sort the FPL Copilot xPts table by the GW36 column for the definitive ranking.