FPL Gameweek 18 (2025/26): Team, Captain and Transfers
For FPL 2025/26 Gameweek 18 (reconstructed cutoff 26 Dec 2025, 18:30 UTC), the optimiser picked Haaland as captain and Foden as vice, a 3-5-2, and one free transfer (Woltemade out, Thiago in). Projected squad total was 71.4. It scored 33 net points after hits. This is a reconstructive replay: the cutoff is first kickoff minus 90 minutes, not a live two-hour freeze.
Cutoff 26 Dec 2025, 18:30 UTCReconstructed cutoff (kickoff − 90 min)sha256:aa407d93…7da4Download snapshotSettledReconstructive replay
Key facts
- Captain
- Haaland (7.9 xP)
- Vice-captain
- Foden
- Formation
- 3-5-2
- Transfers
- Woltemade → Thiago
- Bank
- £0.9m
- Hits
- None
- Chip
- None
- Projected
- 71.4 xP
- Points
- 33
- Status
- Settled
Squad
| Pos | Player | Club | Fixture | FDR | £m | xP | Pts | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GKP | Sánchez | CHE | AVL (H) | 3 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 3 | — |
| DEF | J.Timber | ARS | BHA (H) | 3 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 0 | — |
| DEF | Guéhi | CRY | TOT (H) | 3 | 5.1 | 4.9 | 2 | — |
| DEF | Chalobah | CHE | AVL (H) | 3 | 5.4 | 4.8 | 0 | — |
| MID | Foden | MCI | NFO (A) | 3 | 8.0 | 5.5 | 2 | Vice-captain |
| MID | Rice | ARS | BHA (H) | 3 | 7.2 | 5.4 | 5 | — |
| MID | Semenyo | BOU | BRE (A) | 3 | 8.0 | 5.0 | 9 | — |
| MID | Szoboszlai | LIV | WOL (H) | 1 | 7.1 | 4.6 | 0 | — |
| MID | Mbeumo | MUN | NEW (H) | 3 | 8.3 | 4.4 | 0 | — |
| FWD | Haaland | MCI | NFO (A) | 3 | 14.7 | 7.9 | 4 | Captain |
| FWD | Thiago | BRE | BOU (H) | 3 | 7.2 | 4.9 | 5 | — |
| Bench | ||||||||
| GKP | Dúbravka | BUR | EVE (H) | 3 | 4.0 | 2.9 | 11 | Sub #1 |
| DEF | Senesi | BOU | BRE (A) | 3 | 5.2 | 3.1 | 2 | Sub #2 |
| DEF | Rodon | LEE | SUN (A) | 3 | 3.9 | 2.6 | 1 | Sub #3 |
| FWD | Marc Guiu | CHE | AVL (H) | 3 | 4.0 | 0.9 | 0 | Sub #4 |
Why this plan
Reconstructive replay for 2025/26 Gameweek 18. The optimiser captained Haaland (vice Foden), formation 3-5-2, and made one transfer (Woltemade out, Thiago in). It scored 33 net points after hits. Pre-cutoff objective was 71.4 expected points.
Transfers
Woltemade out (£7.3m) → Thiago in (£7.2m). Selected by this approach at the reconstructed cutoff.
- Transfers: Woltemade to Thiago.
- Evidence-informed finished +0 points versus the optimiser this week.
- Fixtures come from the final season export, so mid-season revisions are not in this snapshot.
- The cutoff is reconstructed as first kickoff minus 90 minutes, not the live FPL deadline clock.
- No private manager state (exact bank, selling prices, chip timing) was archived at the time.
This is a reconstructive historical replay, not a live two-hour freeze. Inputs were rebuilt after the season; see Methods and the limitations on this page.
Limitations of this snapshot
- Fixtures come from the final season export, so mid-season revisions are not in this snapshot.
- The cutoff is reconstructed as first kickoff minus 90 minutes, not the live FPL deadline clock.
- No private manager state (exact bank, selling prices, chip timing) was archived at the time.
- Press and injury notes were not locked before the deadline.
- Prices are not exact pre-deadline quotes.
- Raw community xP tables were not used as the pre-deadline forecast.
Three approaches compared
Template (roll transfers), optimiser (selected plan), and same-state evidence. In this ingest, evidence matched the optimiser every week.
| Approach | Formation | Captain | Transfers | Projected | vs Template | Points | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Template No transfers | 3-5-2 | B.Fernandes (Tarkowski) | 0 | 52.5 | — | 64 | 64 pts net |
Optimiser (selected) Woltemade → Thiago | 3-5-2 | Haaland (Foden) | 1 | 71.4 | -31.0 | 33 | 33 pts net |
Evidence Woltemade → Thiago | 3-5-2 | Haaland (Foden) | 1 | 71.4 | -31.0 | 33 | 33 pts net |
Chip check
No chip was played. The 2025/26 reconstructive path left Wildcard, Free Hit, Triple Captain and Bench Boost unused, including in Gameweek 34 when both the optimiser and the template took an 8-point hit in a blank.
How to verify
This Gameweek 18 plan is a reconstructive snapshot hashed with SHA-256 (sha256:aa407d935f9666b33f18defa8e870721ccf79e6e8624b8f17fd8d25316e77da4), with cutoff 26 Dec 2025, 18:30 UTC (first kickoff minus 90 minutes). Download the JSON to inspect the rebuilt inputs. This is not a live two-hour freeze.
Who should I captain in Gameweek 18?
The selected plan captains Haaland (7.9 projected points) against NFO (A). Vice-captain is Foden. Same-state evidence matched this captain.
Should I use a chip in Gameweek 18?
No chip was played. The 2025/26 reconstructive path left Wildcard, Free Hit, Triple Captain and Bench Boost unused, including in Gameweek 34 when both the optimiser and the template took an 8-point hit in a blank.
Is Gameweek 18 a live freeze or a replay?
A reconstructive replay. Inputs were rebuilt after the season. The cutoff is first kickoff minus 90 minutes.