FPL
No Haaland Base, Free Hit GW3: FPL GW1 Squad And Chip Plan
20 August 2026
No Haaland Base, Free Hit GW3 is built for managers who want a balanced permanent squad but temporary haaland access for manchester city's coventry fixture. This is one of ten legal GBP100.0m scenario solves, not a claim that one preseason draft is certain to win.
StrategyNo Haaland Base, Free Hit GW3
The 15-Player Squad
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| GK | Lammens, Sanchez |
| DEF | Van Dijk, O'Reilly, Lacroix, Gvardiol, Araujo |
| MID | Palmer, Saka, Mbeumo, Sarr, O.Dango |
| FWD | Thiago, Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison |
GW1 Team, Captain And Bench
Starting XI: Lammens; Van Dijk, O'Reilly, Lacroix; Palmer, Saka, Mbeumo, Sarr, O.Dango; Thiago, Calvert-Lewin.
Bench order: Sanchez; Richarlison, Gvardiol, Araujo. Captain: Saka. Vice-captain: Palmer.
GW1-GW5 Transfer And Chip Path
| Gameweek | Action | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| GW1 | Roll | Saka captains Coventry. |
| GW2 | Roll | Palmer captains Brighton. |
| GW3 | Free Hit | Temporary squad includes Haaland captain plus Isak and Liverpool/City defenders. |
| GW4 | One transfer | Original squad returns; O.Dango to Barnes. |
| GW5 | Two transfers | Palmer and Van Dijk toward Gibbs-White and Thiaw if projections hold. |
Why This Route Can Work
- The permanent squad can omit Haaland while still covering his clearest promoted-side fixture.
- Free Hit does not disturb the permanent purchase-price chain.
- The restored squad has Palmer for Hull in GW4.
Chip Strategy
Free Hit GW3 to captain Haaland against Coventry, then restore the original squad automatically for GW4.
Main Risk
Official guidance usually reserves Free Hit for Blank Gameweeks, where its structural value may be much larger.
Demon Verdict
A valid but expensive use of flexibility; treat it as the contrarian ceiling play, not the default recommendation.
Model basis: FPL Demon GW1-GW5 xPts and expected minutes generated 18 August 2026, current official prices and positions, a GBP100.0m budget, 2 GK/5 DEF/5 MID/3 FWD, no more than three players per club, and legal starting formations. Recheck late injuries, price changes and confirmed lineups before the deadline.
