Scouting the Doubles – Chelsea

Having clinched a place in next month’s Europa League final following last night’s win over FC Basel, Chelsea can turn their attentions to domestic matters again. While a double Gameweek would typically have Fantasy managers scrambling for a piece of the action, a trip to Old Trafford and home clash with Tottenham somewhat lessen Chelsea’s appeal. Factor in Rafa Benitez’s rotation policy and it’s understandable that many are a little wary of the Blues’ main Fantasy assets ahead of tomorrow’s deadline:

The Prospects

Having already tasted defeat at the hands of Benitez’s side in the recent FA Cup quarter-final, Sir Alex Ferguson will be out for vengeance. United have won all but two of their home games this term and have scored in every match in front of their own fans –considering Chelsea have won just one of their last six road trips, with two draws and three losses also thrown in, and it’s fair to say that defensive returns look hard to come by in the first match of their double. United have four clean sheets in their last five at Old Trafford, with City the only side to score against them over that spell, though Chelsea will fancy their chances of finding a way past David De Gea – Benitez’s side have scored in all but one of their away matches since he arrived back in November.

The home game against Spurs could well prove an open affair. If Andre Villas-Boas’ side win against Southampton and Chelsea lose at United, they will square up on Wednesday level on points in the race for a third place finish. With Arsenal also firmly in the reckoning, though, neither can afford to draw in midweek – Chelsea will be optimistic of goals, given they have scored two or more in six of their last seven at home and Spurs have conceded in each of the last nine Gameweeks. The Blues impressive record of a single goal conceded in their last four at the Bridge will be tested to the full, with the visitors scoring at least twice in eight of their last nine.

The Likely Lads

With rotation set to play a significant part amongst Benitez’s backline, Petr Cech offers a security of starts that seems comparatively hassle-free. The downside, of course, is that Chelsea will more than likely concede in both matches – Cech will need to rely on save points to bolster his appeal; Fantasy managers looking for a premium priced keeper are likely to prefer City’s Joe Hart, given his kinder schedule.

A recent move to central midfield and share of set-piece duties makes David Luiz the most likely Chelsea defender to return our faith over the pair of fixtures. The Portuguese player’s attacking potential was highlighted only last night in the Europa League win over FC Basel and he seems to be almost immune to his manager’s rotational whims, having played eight of the last nine league fixtures. With clean sheets looking highly questionable, his eye for a long range effort will be crucial to his appeal.

Afforded no more than a 15 minute run out as a second-half sub last night, Juan Mata’s owners will be confident of back-to-back starts for the Spaniard heading into the double. Having failed to find the net since Gameweek 25, there’s no doubt his attacking threat has dropped in recent weeks but Mata has ticked over with five assists in his last five – his creativity will be key to unlocking his opponents’ backlines.

Replaced by Mata towards the end of the win over FC Basel, Eden Hazard’s owners will breathe a sigh of relief after Benitez revealed his withdrawal was purely precautionary. The Belgian has scored three times since Mata’s above-mentioned drought and is also on spot-kicks when Frank Lampard isn’t on the pitch – given the importance of both matches, it seems unlikely that Benitez would be willing to rotate such a key player at this point.

After a disappointing domestic campaign, Oscar is finally starting to deliver. The Brazilian has now notched in each of his last two league appearances, though with four starts in the previous six he is slightly more prone to rotation that Mata or Hazard. With a far kinder price tag of 7.8 and ownership less than 2% in FPL, he looks a real differential option heading into tomorrow’s deadline.

Cheeky Punt

In times gone by, Frank Lampard would have been one of the first names in the section above but as the season has progressed, he’s been used a little more sparingly by Benitez. Granted, his impact was obvious in last week’s win over Swansea but his appearance on the pitch came as a result of an injury to Ramires – Lampard has started just one of Chelsea’s last four league games and, having featured in the first XI against Basel, it’s more than likely he’ll warm the bench at Old Trafford on Sunday. With spot-kicks in his locker, he still has the potential to have a prosperous double but lacks the security of game time afforded by other midfield options.

With 13 starts in the last 14 Gameweeks, Ramires has been one of the key figures in the Benitez era. The Brazilian has picked up bonus in three of his last four home appearances and, while four goals and four assists fare poorly when compared with Mata and Hazard, he’s offered a consistency of game time that has been hard to better.

Having scored in each of his last two starts, Victor Moses is a man in form. Unfortunately for the Nigerian, both those appearances have come courtesy of the Europa League but, having been handed game time in two of the last three in the league, he is likely to be called upon at some stage during the Blues’ fixtures. At 6.2, he’s a budget-friendly option but his acquisition looks the boldest of punts.

Ineligible for last night’s win over Basel, Demba Ba looks a likely starter at Old Trafford on Sunday. The former Newcastle man grabbed the winner against United in their recent FA Cup clash and will be desperate to stake a claim for inclusion against Spurs on Wednesday – ultimately, though, there’d be no surprise if Fernando Torres starts against Spurs but Ba looks to be in the driving seat for the weekend game, at least. A good performance and his manager may find it impossible to leave him out on Wednesday.