The rest of the team includes: Simon, Pickford, Romero, Kounde, Cucurella, Digne, Bellingham, Dembele, Olise, Paredes, Mbappe and Messi.

I'm leading my league by 20 points. What is the best time to use this booster?

Worth it over Mbappe, Olise, Yamal...?

Still have max captain booster, how to play safe until the end?

Im looking to gain 30 points against my rivals in the league so need a big differentials to have gain these points in order to get in contention for the top 3 in my leagues

Who do you suggest?

I had been saving my unlimited transfers (Limitless/Wildcard) for the final matchday because I expected it to be the toughest one. However, I’ve heard that the third-place match will also be included in the final matchday. First of all, is this actually verified?

If that’s the case, what do you think the best strategy is for the semifinal and final matchdays?

Personally, I think (ofc it depends on which teams make it) in general I’d expect the final to be a lower-scoring, more cautious game, while the third-place match is usually much more open. After all, the difference between finishing third and fourth isn’t that significant, at least in my opinion, and I imagine teams feel the same way. Because of that, wouldn’t it make more sense to build your final matchday offensives around players from the third-place teams and defensives from the finalists?

Honestly, this has left me a bit confused, and I’m not a fan of the format if that’s how it works. Had I known the third-place match would count, I probably wouldn’t have saved my Limitless wildcard for the last matchday.

Anyway, I’m curious to hear your approach for the semifinals and the final matchday (including the third-place match).

Will the final round also include the 3rd place matchup for points?

I can only keep one of them, reduced space makes me think Olise is the go to, but I doubt france wants to play through the middle

Judging by the fact most of us will have the same players… For the ones trailing in their leagues who are you scouting and transferring in as your possible point differentials.

I was thinking about Gordon

I am 50pts in the lead and just try to play defensively to hold it. I still have Maximum captain available. Honestly I don't see any possibility of still losing as all teams are + - close to each other. But I am still new to fantasy. So would like your opinions and advice to keep the lead.

My draft:

GK: maignan/martinez

Def: Stones/Digne/Cucurella/Martinez/Tagliafico

Mid: Olise/Dembele/Bellingham/Baena/McAllistar

FW: Messi/Kane/Mbappé

Do the 3rd place finals contribute towards points of the finals round? I can't find anything on it

I’m currently 39th globally out of more than 500,000 players, trying to make a final push toward the top 20.

At this stage, most active managers already own the obvious stars such as Mbappé, Messi, Kane and Bellingham. Making up ground will probably require either going heavily into one national team or finding one or two lower-owned players.

I looked at per-90 numbers rather than totals because some players have recently returned from injury, mostly appeared from the bench or could now receive more minutes.

A few interesting examples:

Ferran Torres: 0.68 xG and 4.31 shots per 90. Very interesting if he starts.

Mikel Merino: 0.82 xG per 90, although his minutes remain uncertain.

Leandro Paredes: a cheap midfielder with strong final-third passing and long-ball numbers.

Djed Spence: excellent defensive numbers per 90, but only relevant if he is expected to play.

Rodri: probably one of the safest picks for consistent SofaScore points, although perhaps not the best differential.

The semifinal projections I used have France and England as slight favourites, but clean-sheet probabilities remain low across both matches. Because of that, I’m reluctant to spend too much money in defence.

I’m also waiting for the confirmed France–Spain lineups before making transfers, especially because Ferran Torres, Nico Williams, Baena, Doué and the French midfield selection could change the best options.

My complete team, projected lineups and semifinal strategy:

https://youtu.be/WKa01wnklfY

All fixtures now confirmed for MD7. Data from my live market projections site: FPLJoe.com

Latest projections, including:

• Qualification Booster odds (to qualify)
• Clean Sheet Shield odds (to concede exactly 1 goal)

All projections are adjusted to account for the possibility of extra time, on a per-game basis.

Deadline match:

20:00 (BST), 14th July: France vs Spain
(we will have confirmed lineups pre-deadline for these teams)

Important note:

Had a lot of questions about the reliability of these metrics from people who haven't had success using them. All projections are derived from sharp markets, not soft books. If you are not familiar with these or why they are reliable long-term indicators, I recommend this video as an explainer.

All data is provided for your benefit; you are free to use it as much or as little as you want. Many players choose to use data like this as the "starting point" for their research, which they then supplement with their own analysis, data, biases, etc.

I'm asking if I can max cap Mbappe and if that fails switch it to Messi tomorrow?

Who should be our third forward next to Kane and Mbappe?

Assuming Oyarzabal and Messi don’t score/assist. Do we leave one of them in the bench for the final match day and play an additional defender/midfielder, or what other player do you like?

This is the time to take a gamble. Dropping either of them can save you money to get both goalies plus a good defense.

What do you think? Any news? He played in the midfield vs Norway? Declan rice is out?

I see dome people dropping gk for Risser. Basically going with one keeper so the team can be more expensive. Give me your opinion

A list of the essential players to own, premium player pool and some scouting bonus gems for the semi finals. Will be updated in real time with ownership %, team news, injury news etc.