What Are Derby Days in the Premier League and FPL?

Derby days are the two Premier League meetings between local rivals each season, and in Fantasy Premier League they score exactly like any other Gameweek. The league's 20 clubs play 38 matches each, one home and one away, which guarantees rival pairs face each other twice. Experienced managers know the experience of a Derby Day is psychological, not mechanical: the same points, the same rules, the same scoring table apply.

The mechanism

The Premier League season is a double round-robin. Twenty clubs each play every other club twice, once at home and once away, for 38 matches per club and 380 matches per season. That structure produces two derby fixtures per rival pair, one at each ground. The twice-per-season format applies to every pairing, including the Manchester derby between Manchester United and Manchester City, the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton, and the North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham. Each club plays all 19 others home and away, so no derby appears more than twice in the league calendar.

In Fantasy Premier League, derby days use the identical scoring mechanism as every other fixture. Managers assemble a 15-player squad with 11 starters and a £100.0m budget, taking a maximum of three players per club. When the derby Gameweek arrives, the scoring table does not change:

• Goals: 6 for a goalkeeper or defender, 5 for a midfielder, 4 for a forward.
• Assists: 3.
• Clean sheets: 4 for a goalkeeper or defender, 1 for a midfielder.
• Appearances: 1 for under 60 minutes, 2 for 60 or more.
• Bonus: 3/2/1 to the top three BPS scorers in each match.
• Yellow card -1, red card -3, own goal -2, penalty miss -2.
• Goalkeepers: +1 per 3 saves, and 5 for a penalty save.
• Every two goals conceded costs a goalkeeper or defender -1.

There is no derby multiplier. A Manchester derby goal from a defender is still six points. A Merseyside derby clean sheet is still four for the goalkeeper. The only universal FPL twist is the captain rule: a captain scores double, and a transfer beyond the free allowance costs -4.

Experienced managers treat derbies as normal scoring weeks. The emotional intensity of the occasion does not feed into the calculation. What matters is the same data that matters on any Gameweek: expected minutes, clean sheet probability, and whether the captain is likely to play 60 or more minutes. The mechanism is the message.

History and evolution

The Premier League was founded on 20 February 1992, when First Division clubs broke away to negotiate their own broadcast deals. The first season, 1992/93, contained 22 clubs, so each club played 42 league games. In that format, rival pairs still met twice, but the four extra matches per club came against a wider set of opponents, which diluted the prominence of each derby.

The league reduced to 20 clubs for the 1995/96 season. That change set the modern count of 38 matches per club and 380 per season. It also made the fixture list more rhythmic: every one of the 19 opponents is played home and away, and each derby appears exactly twice. For broadcasters, the breakaway created a separate commercial entity, which is why derby fixtures became premium broadcast slots. For FPL managers, the structural shift meant planning around the same 38-game season every year.

The scoring system in the league has been constant throughout: three points for a win, one for a draw. That is the backbone of the FPL game. Every FPL scoring rule descends from the simple idea that real league points are the foundation. A derby win is worth three league points, no more and no less, and every FPL season is built on that arithmetic.

Edge cases

Experienced FPL managers prepare for the ways derby days break from normal routines.

Relegation derbies: the bottom three are relegated to the Championship each season. When two bottom-half rivals meet late in the campaign, the result can decide who drops. For FPL, that creates two opposite risks: a cagey match with few goals, or a desperate open game. The scoring rules stay the same, but the distribution of points shifts. Defenders and goalkeepers become safer picks in a must-not-lose derby.

Squad and homegrown rules: each club submits a 25-player squad list for players over 21, with at least eight homegrown players trained in England or Wales for three years before turning 21. Under-21 players do not count against the 25. Depth affects rotation in congested weeks around derbies. A club with a shallow squad may struggle to field a strong XI twice in four days, which matters for FPL appearances.

Substitutions: five substitutes per match, made in a maximum of three windows plus half-time, change the late shape of derbies. A player brought on in the 65th minute earns two appearance points. A substitute who arrives at 75 earns one. In tight derby games, managers often use all five windows, which means bench players can outscore some starters. FPL managers watch team news, not just the starting XI.

European qualification: the top four go to the Champions League league phase. Fifth place and the FA Cup winner enter the Europa League. The League Cup winner gets the Conference League play-off. Cup winners already qualified via league position pass their place down. A derby result in the spring has knock-on effects beyond the three points. A club chasing fifth needs results against rivals more than a midtable side with nothing to play for. Motivation changes expected performance, which changes FPL captaincy choices.

Key takeaways

• The Premier League's 20 clubs each play 38 matches, producing exactly two league derbies per rival pair each season.
• FPL scoring does not change for derbies: a goal is still 6 for a defender, 5 for a midfielder and 4 for a forward.
• The league moved from 22 clubs in 1992/93 to 20 clubs in 1995/96, settling the modern 38-game format.
• Five substitutions in three windows plus half-time can make late substitutes valuable, with 2 points for 60+ minutes.
• Captaincy doubles a score in every match, including derbies, making it the biggest point swing on any Gameweek.

FAQ

How many derby days are there in a Premier League season? Each rival pair meets twice, once at home and once away, because the 20-club format has every team playing all 19 others home and away across 38 matches.

Do derby days give extra FPL points? No. The scoring table is identical to any other Gameweek: goals, assists, clean sheets and bonus points all pay the same rates.

Why did the Premier League reduce from 22 to 20 clubs? The first season, 1992/93, had 22 clubs. The league reduced to 20 for 1995/96, which set the schedule at 38 matches per club and 380 per season.

How do substitutions affect FPL points in a derby? Each club can make five substitutions in a maximum of three windows plus half-time. A substitute who plays 60 or more minutes earns two appearance points, while one who plays less than 60 earns one.