The Scout is looking at clubs who can be paired together effectively to help Fantasy Premier League managers make a strong start in 2025/26.
Aston Villa and Bournemouth
Owning a defender from both Aston Villa and AFC Bournemouth can help you immediately profit from a great run of matches in the first seven Gameweeks.
By rotating them (starting one and benching the other) according to whoever has the easier fixture, you would face only TWO clubs who finished in the top 11 of the Premier League in 2024/25.
They would be in Gameweek 1, when Villa host Newcastle United, and in Gameweek 4, when Bournemouth entertain Brighton & Hove Albion.
See: How and why to rotate your defenders
The main appeal of this rotation pair is in Gameweeks 5-7, in particular, with a run of THREE successive matches against promoted clubs. Villa visit Sunderland in Gameweek 5, while Bournemouth travel to Leeds United before Villa are at home to Burnley in Gameweek 7.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR) - where the easiest possible matches are ranked as No 1 and the hardest are ranked as No 5 – as many as FOUR of the first seven matches of a Villa/Bournemouth pairing score only two.
Aston Villa and Bournemouth rotation, Gameweeks 1-7
| GW | Club | Fixture | FDR |
| 1 | Aston Villa | Newcastle (H) | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Bournemouth | Wolves (H) | 2 |
| 3 | Aston Villa | Crystal Palace (H) | 3 |
| 4 | Bournemouth | Brighton (H) | 3 |
| 5 | Aston Villa | Sunderland (A) | 2 |
| 6 | Bournemouth | Leeds (A) | 2 |
| 7 | Aston Villa | Burnley (H) | 2 |
*1 = easiest possible fixture, 5 = hardest possible fixture
Who will be the best budget picks?
Both Villa and Bournemouth managed just nine clean sheets apiece in the previous campaign, which strengthens the idea that their defenders will be priced under £5.0m.
For Villa, Ezri Konsa was the most-selected by Unai Emery, and was also his side’s top-scoring defender on 103 points. Right now, he looks the safest pick.
Nonetheless, the possible emergence of Ian Maatsen as a first-choice left-back would be better-suited for managers in Fantasy and highlights the need to monitor their line-ups in pre-season.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, are set for a rebuild at the back in 2025/26 Fantasy. Centre-back Dean Huijsen has joined Real Madrid, left-back Milos Kerkez has left for Liverpool, while goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has returned to his parent club Chelsea following the end of his loan spell.
Kerkez’s replacement Adrien Truffert delivered two goals and two assists for Rennes in Ligue 1 last season and could be the go-to pick if he settles quickly. Centre-back Illia Zabarnyi narrowly trailed Huijsen by 11 shots in the box to 13 and boasts a decent set-piece threat, despite failing to score last season.
Next: Nottingham Forest and Fulham
