Chelsea cruised past Port Vale in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday – in doing so setting up a Double Gameweek 33 for themselves and Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Blues and the Seagulls will also blank in Gameweek 34.
CHELSEA + BRIGHTON: DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 33 FIXTURES
Time was when fixtures against Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur were to be feared and ‘red’ on the ticker.
But these two teams aren’t exactly in great shape at the moment. In fact, they are the only two sides without a Premier League clean sheet in the last six Gameweeks.
Potentially good news for Brighton, then, who face both these clubs in Gameweek 33. Spurs will be hoping for a new manager bounce, of course, something that singularly failed to materialise when Igor Tudor came aboard.
And the focus is only on the league with the Seagulls; they’re not in Europe and out of the FA Cup. Fabian Hurzeler will be hoping the international break hasn’t disrupted the momentum that carried them to four wins in the last five Gameweeks.
Our deputy editor, Tom Freeman, already has his eye on Jan Paul van Hecke (£4.5m), Bart Verbruggen (£4.5m), Ferdi Kadioglu (£4.4m) and Jack Hinshelwood (£5.1m)…
As for Chelsea, the Brighton match in Gameweek 33 comes directly before the FA Cup semi-finals. A potential distraction, then, but Liam Rosenior can’t afford any slip-ups in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification. Failure to seal that surely costs him his job.
Joao Pedro (£7.8m) and Cole Palmer (£10.6m) are obvious early targets (albeit with question marks over Palmer’s value for money), while time will tell if Enzo Fernandez (£6.5m) is off the naughty step and back in the mix for Double Gameweek 33. Rosenior has already banished the Argentine for Gameweek 32.
Uncertainty rages at the back, with the goalkeeper situation a volatile one and injuries affecting the erstwhile nailed DefCon machine Trevoh Chalobah (£5.4m) and Reece James (£5.6m). Wesley Fofana (£4.4m) often struggles to start three games in a week, too.
A bit more clarification on Chalobah, James and Filip Jorgensen (£4.3m) would be helpful from Rosenior this week…
STILL TO BE RESOLVED THIS WEEKEND
| Double Gameweek 33 + Blank Gameweek 34 for… | |
|---|---|
| If Arsenal beat Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals | Arsenal (mci + NEW) Newcastle (BOU + ars) |
| If West Ham beat Leeds in the FA Cup quarter-finals | West Ham (cry + EVE) Everton (LIV + whu) |
| If Leeds beat West Ham in the FA Cup quarter-finals | Leeds (WOL + bou) Bournemouth (new + LEE) |
We’ll have more reaction to come to this and other confirmed doubles today and tomorrow.
