Top Fantasy Premier League tips for GW13: Newcastle, Liverpool and Man City are among the teams with the TOUGHEST fixture runs between now and 2024... but which players should you trust over the busy festive period?

With the final international break of 2023 in the history books, Premier League clubs are preparing for wall-to-wall fixtures between now and the end of the year.

Those still in Europe will no doubt have to manage the most intensive runs over the congested festive period, with Manchester City, Newcastle and Liverpool set for extremely demanding turnarounds in particular.

December marks a crucial point in the season for Premier League managers, as it determines the type of campaign they'll be having. Escape the busy schedule unscathed and the new year will likely be a prosperous one. Fail to manage the fixtures correctly, and the wheels can come off very quickly.

In many ways, this is the same for FPL managers, who will need to consider their squads carefully before each gameweek, with the risk of rotation as high as ever. 

With that in mind, Mail Sport takes a look at the teams with the most punishing schedules over the festive period, while analysing the most reliable players from each club in terms of minutes.

Man City 

10 or 11 fixtures, 36 days

It's no surprise to see that Manchester City are grappling with a congested run between now and new year. The Treble-winners have the Champions League and Club World Cup to contend with over the next month and a half, which could prove problematic for players in terms of Premier League and FPL minutes.

The silver lining is that City have already qualified for the knockout stage of the Champions League and thus can rest key players against RB Leipzig on November 28 and Red Star Belgrade on December 13. Emphasis on 'can'...

Pep Guardiola has been known to throw a few curveballs for FPL managers in recent years, and there's no guarantee the likes of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez will pick up rests in the Champions League, especially with the Spaniard keen to top the group.

It's never wise to bank on players starting every week under Guardiola, but there are a few key players who rarely miss out. Haaland and Alvarez both fall into that category, having each started every Premier League match so far.

Meanwhile, stalwart defender Ruben Dias tends to play approximately five in every six matches under Guardiola and is probably the next best pick in terms of reliable minutes.

While Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku offer explosive potential on the City flanks, their game time is likely to deplete over the congested fixture run, with Guardiola keen to manage their workload.

BUY/HOLD: Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez

SELL/AVOID: Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku 

Arsenal

10 fixtures, 37 days

Although the Gunners don't have the Club World Cup to worry about, the schedule could be just as challenging for Mikel Arteta's men between now and 2024.

Arsenal, like City, are sitting pretty at the top of their Champions League group thanks to the 2-0 win over Sevilla earlier this month, but they'll need at least one more positive result to ensure they top the table.

The next two and a half weeks are particularly brutal for the north London outfit, who must prepare for six matches within that timeframe. It means they have only a two or three-day rest period between fixtures between now and facing PSV in the Champions League on December 12.

Once Arteta has navigated through that tempest of fixtures, he gains some respite in the form of four fixtures across the next 18 days, although Arsenal must still take on Brighton, Liverpool and West Ham in that run.

It's no secret that Bukayo Saka plays every possible minute he can under Arteta, rarely missing out unless through injury or the rare suspension. That being said, expect the Gunners star to come off early over the next few challenging weeks.

Elsewhere, William Saliba's minutes are likely to remain secure through the difficult period, although Arteta may feel the need to rest him once or twice over the next 10 games in all competitions.

Meanwhile, Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard and even Gabriel Martinelli could be rested and rotated over the next few weeks, although the latter will probably sit on the bench during the Champions League outings.

BUY/HOLD: Bukayo Saka, William Saliba

SELL/AVOID: Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Jesus 

Man United 

10 fixtures, 34 days

Although, on paper, Manchester United have a similar fixture schedule to Manchester City and Liverpool, their situation is far more precarious. 

Unlike their Premier League rivals, the Red Devils sit bottom of their Champions League group and need to go all-out in their European fixtures to salvage any hope of remaining in the competition.

Just like with Arsenal, United's run is particularly challenging on the front nine and eases ever so slightly in the final two weeks of 2024. On five occasions before the end of the year, Erik ten Hag will be granted only a two-day rest period between matches, including their games against Galatasaray and Bayern Munich.

The Dutch manager will do everything in his power to make sure Bruno Fernandes is fit and available for every game, due to how important he is to the Red Devils. And even then, he's more likely to play flat-out in Champions League matches than he is in the Premier League against Bournemouth on December 9, for example.

Every other player is likely to rotate frequently throughout the congested run. Given how inconsistent Manchester United players have been in FPL this season, it doesn't seem worth the risk on any of their assets.

Sure, Fernandes will pick up the odd penalty en route to Christmas, but it doesn't justify taking that gamble ahead of United's tricky period. 

BUY/HOLD: -

SELL/AVOID: Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford 

Newcastle

11 fixtures, 38 days

Injury-plagued Newcastle may have been handed a huge boost after the plot to ban 'related-party loans' was scrapped by the Premier League this week, but getting to the January transfer window is an extremely challenging prospect in itself.

Averaging a match every three and a half days for their next 11 games, Newcastle could really do with a beefy squad to tackle the workload. Unfortunately, Eddie Howe still has a host of senior players including Sven Botman, Dan Burn, Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson on the sidelines.

Newcastle kick off the schedule with a trip to revigorated Chelsea this weekend before facing Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League in midweek. Despite sitting bottom of their close European group, there is still all to play for and it seems unlikely Howe will write off Newcastle's Champions League dream by resting his first-choice players.

To make matters worse, Lewis Hall, who alongside Tino Livramento has deputised at full-back in the absence of Burn, is not eligible to play against his parent club Chelsea at the weekend. 

Livramento is emerging a popular FPL pick in the absence of Burn, and if he continues to operate as an attacking full-back or winger on occasion, I can see why.

But the former Southampton man has only just returned from a serious injury and will likely be managed by Howe over the next couple of months. Expecting him to play regularly for Newcastle, even during an injury-laden spell, is wishful thinking.

Due to the significant number of injuries, durable regulars Kieran Trippier and Anthony Gordon will likely be put to the test with a string of matches over the next few weeks, until some of their team-mates recover, so the pair remain solid picks in the short term.

That being said, the Magpies are bound to experience a drop-off both in attack and defence during the challenging period, so avoiding Newcastle altogether in FPL is also a favourable strategy.

BUY/HOLD: Kieran Trippier, Anthony Gordon 

SELL/AVOID: Tino Livramento, Fabian Schar

Liverpool

11 fixtures, 38 days 

Despite Jurgen Klopp's frustration at having to deal with another early kick-off this weekend against Manchester City, the timing at least means Liverpool have a four-day rest before facing LASK in the Europa League.

That's as good as it gets for the Reds before Boxing Day, however. In the eight recovery periods between facing LASK and Burnley on December 26, Liverpool have to deal with seven two-day rests.

No other team in the Premier League has a more intense run of matches during this period, which sees the Reds face LASK, Fulham, Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, Union Saint-Gilloise, Manchester United, West Ham, Arsenal and Burnley in just 27 days.

Expecting Klopp to manage this run without the use of his bench would be extremely naïve, but the German has a handful of players he relies on at every possible opportunity.

FPL legend Mohamed Salah is a regular 90-minute man under Klopp and should start most matches, perhaps missing out during the Reds' Europa League matches. Klopp will likely withdraw the Egyptian midway through the second half in most games to keep him fresh and firing. 

Virgil van Dijk is another who will likely start the majority of the matches during this spell, but given his hefty FPL price tag and the inconsistencies Liverpool have shown in defence this season, he remains an easy avoid.

What to do with Darwin Nunez is trickier. On the one hand, he's carved out a regular spot in Klopp's side over the last few weeks and should continue to start in Liverpool's most important matches. With that in mind, there's every chance he sits on the bench against Fulham or Sheffield United, which are no doubt the fixtures you want him for.

With certainty of game time a huge commodity in FPL ahead of congested fixtures runs, I would recommend steering clear of the Uruguayan forward. The same goes for Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo, due to the unreliability with minutes.

BUY/HOLD: Mohamed Salah

SELL/AVOID: Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz