We’re ‘Scouting the Doubles’ for the teams playing twice in Gameweek 33, including Chelsea.
Liam Rosenior’s side play Manchester United at home, then Brighton and Hove Albion away.
The Blues have lost three Premier League games in a row and haven’t even scored in that time, but they could still qualify for the UEFA Champions League, so Fantasy interest remains high.
With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at Chelsea.
- READ MORE: Best Free Hit team for FPL Double Gameweek 33
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DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 33 OPPONENTS
| xG rank (last six) | xG rank (season) | xGC rank (last six) | xGC rank (season) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Man Utd | 10th | 4th | 13th | 5th |
| Brighton | 11th | 9th | 2nd | 6th |
The next two matches aren’t easy for Chelsea. Man Utd and Brighton have both been decent from a defensive perspective this season, ranking fifth and sixth respectively for expected goals conceded (xGC).
However, United rarely keep clean sheets: only Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers have fewer in 2025/26:
Above: Teams sorted by fewest clean sheets (CS) in 2025/26
Their defence was also pretty shambolic on Monday, as Leeds United managed to create four ‘big chances’ and generate 2.57 expected goals (xG).
Harry Maguire (£4.4m), serving a one-match ban, may not even be back in Gameweek 33, having been charged by the FA for improper conduct. If Kobbie Mainoo (£4.7m) is also out, you’d fancy Chelsea to get some joy.
As for Albion, it’s just three goals conceded in six matches now. They’ve kept three clean sheets and they’re second for xGC in that time, too.
But they definitely rode their luck with their shut-out at Turf Moor on Saturday. Burnley found the net twice, but both goals were ruled out due to narrow offside decisions. In addition to those close calls, Bart Verbruggen (£4.5m) had to make four smart saves.
You wouldn’t be surprised if Chelsea find the net in both of their Double Gameweek 33 matches, then.
Further forward, Man Utd and Brighton have more than enough firepower to trouble them, especially when you consider that Chelsea’s most recent clean sheet in the Premier League dates back to January, in Rosenior’s first match in charge.
CHELSEA UNDER ROSENIOR
Chelsea have suffered some really poor results recently, with consecutive defeats to nil against Manchester City, Everton and Newcastle United.
However, the underlying attacking numbers since Rosenior’s appointment are, in fact, pretty positive, as they are third for xG per 90 minutes.
They don’t create much from set-pieces, ranking 19th for set-piece shots and xG, but everything else looks fine.
Defensively, they are ninth for xGC under Rosenior, but after falling apart in Enzo Maresca’s final few matches in charge, that will clearly take some time to fix, particularly with so many absentees.
Above: Chelsea’s rolling six-match xG/xGC chart in 2025/26
ROTATION RISKS
Using our new Minutes Tracker, which you can find in the Members Area, we can view the game time of every Chelsea player under Rosenior, both in domestic competitions and in Europe.
Why is this useful? In brief, anticipating rotation!
Joao Pedro (£7.7m), for example, has only been benched once in the Premier League by Rosenior so far, against West Ham United back in Gameweek 24. Even then, he still played for 45 minutes.
Pedro Neto (£7.0m), meanwhile, was suspended in Gameweeks 29 and 30, but has started every match since in all competitions, coming off before the 70-minute mark twice.
It’s also important to mention that Chelsea have the shortest turnaround time of any ‘doubler’ in Gameweek 33, and an FA Cup semi-final against Leeds beyond it:
BEST CHELSEA PLAYERS FOR DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 33
THE ATTACK
Cole Palmer (£10.5m) and Joao Pedro are the two main options to consider from the Chelsea attack.
Palmer has worked his way back to fitness and, under Rosenior, has racked up six goals and one assist in 10 matches.
Even removing penalties from the equation (four of his six strikes have arrived from the spot), he is still the fourth-ranked midfielder for non-penalty expected goal involvement (NPxGI) from Gameweek 22 onwards, with only a couple attempting more shots.
Palmer also picked up defensive contribution (DefCon) points for only the second time this season on Sunday.
As for Pedro, he’s failed to score or assist in each of the last three Gameweeks, but prior to that, had plundered eight open-play goals and six assists (some admittedly fortunate) since Rosenior took over.
Here’s his shot map in that time, which shows that he’s getting into some really good positions in/around the six-yard box:
Enzo Fernandez (£6.5m) has recently been out of the Chelsea squad for disciplinary reasons, but Rosenior has confirmed that he will return in Double Gameweek 33.
He’ll be facing a Brighton side who he scored against back in September’s fixture, and could be a very decent differential, particularly if he’s pushed into a more advanced No 10 role.
Enzo’s 3.32 xG & xG assisted total notably ranks third among all Chelsea players under Rosenior:
Elsewhere, Moises Caicedo (£5.7m) has registered only 12 combined shots and key passes in 11 matches, but did bank DefCon points in the reverse fixtures against Man Utd and Brighton earlier this season.
Neto, meanwhile, has just one assist from Gameweek 22 onwards, with his lack of game-time guarantees also against him. He’s a name to think over, but it’s very hard to put him ahead of Palmer, Pedro and Enzo in the pecking order.
It’s a similar story for Alejandro Garnacho (£6.4m), who has recently found himself on the bench. When he is given the opportunity to start, his capacity to exploit space in behind poses a real threat.
THE DEFENCE
Chelsea have struggled to keep clean sheets under Rosenior, and their two best defenders from a Fantasy perspective – Trevoh Chalobah (£5.4m) and Reece James (£5.6m) – are both injured.
But if you’re after a Chelsea defender, which one?
Marc Cucurella (£6.0m) is perhaps the best choice right now. He’s had three shots in his last two matches, and since Rosenior’s appointment, ranks joint-sixth among defenders for minutes per chance created (54).
A DefCon success rate of 11.1% isn’t great, mind:
Above: Chelsea players sorted by DefCon success rate (%) since the appointment of Liam Rosenior
If James is ruled out for Double Gameweek 33, Malo Gusto (£4.9m) is a differential shout, although given their lack of clean sheets, as well as a couple of tricky fixtures, there’s an argument for leaving Chelsea defenders well alone.
