In our latest ‘Scouting the Doubles’ piece, focused on the teams playing twice in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Gameweek 33, we assess title challengers Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s group will first host league leaders Arsenal at the Etihad on Sunday afternoon, before visiting Burnley the following Wednesday night.
Given the heightened interest, let’s take a closer look at their upcoming double and their most appealing FPL assets.
- READ MORE: Best Brighton players for FPL Double Gameweek 33
- READ MORE: Best Leeds players for FPL Double Gameweek 33
- READ MORE: Best Chelsea players for FPL Double Gameweek 33
DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 33 OPPONENTS
We’ve already mentioned the pair of fixtures that comprise City’s Double Gameweek 33, so here’s a quick look at their other remaining games for the post-Blank Gameweek 34 run-in before we dive into the double:
It’s also worth remembering that City will have another Double Gameweek before the season ends, against Crystal Palace, quite possibly in Gameweek 36.
When it comes to City’s opponents in the double, here’s how they rank for expected goals (xG) and expected goals conceded (xGC) across the season as a whole, as well as during the last six matches:
| xG rank (last six) | xG rank (season) | xGC rank (last six) | xGC rank (season) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 4th | 3rd | 1st | 1st |
| Burnley | 18th | 20th | 20th | 20th |
Arsenal’s 55.0 xG this season is the third best in the Premier League, behind Chelsea and City, and they trail only City when it comes to actual goals scored (62, of which 37 have been from open play).
Over the past six matches, the Gunners’ 10.25 xG ranks them fourth, during which time they’ve scored 12 times, with eight of those goals from open play.
Defensively, Arsenal’s season-long league-leading xGC of 23.31 – more or less equal to the 24 goals they’ve actually conceded – is superb.
As for Burnley, it will surprise few people that the Clarets rank dead last across the season for both xG – 28.0, with 33 actual goals scored – and xGC – 64.03, 63 actual goals conceded – as well as for xGC in their last six matches, during which time they’ve conceded 12 times from an xGC of 13.18.
Scott Parker’s struggling crew have, at least, avoided the clean sweep by ranking 18th for xG (6.13) in the last six matches, scoring five times in total.
ROTATION RISK
As our Pro Pundit Lateriser recently pointed out, Guardiola actually named a fairly settled XI in City’s cup wins against Arsenal and Liverpool; he then did the same thing in the Gameweek 32 victory at Chelsea.
Using the handy new Minutes Tracker tool in our Members Area, you can check out the minutes played by each of City’s players across all competitions in a certain time period; for example, their last three fixtures, as below:
On that evidence, there may not actually be too high a rotation risk when it comes to the most popular City players.
An FA Cup final does await after Double Gameweek 33 but City have got a relatively favourable draw in the shape of Championship side Southampton, so there equally could be minute management dished out at Wembley, especially if the Premier League title race is still alive.
- Sun 19 April: Double Gameweek 33 – Arsenal (h), 4:30pm BST
- Wed 22 April: Double Gameweek 33 – Burnley (a), 8pm BST
- Sat 25 April: FA Cup semi-final – Southampton (n), 5.15pm BST
Really, the extent of the rotation may hinge on the result against Arsenal. Lose and, in Guardiola’s words, the title race is “over”, and the City boss may be more willing to shake things up as attention turns to the cup. Win, and the Cityzens can go top of the table with a victory at Turf Moor.
BEST MAN CITY PLAYERS FOR FPL DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 33
THE DEFENCE
Defensively, City have kept three clean sheets in their last six matches, with some very decent underlying numbers to back it up.
Indeed, an xGC of 6.18 in that same period is the division’s third-best:
Nico O’Reilly (£5.0m) was passed fit by Pep Guardiola on Friday.
The ‘defender’ has been in fine form recently, with his brace of goals in the EFL Cup final victory over Arsenal further evidence of his increased attacking threat, even when he starts at left-back. He then registered two assists in the FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool and a goal against Chelsea in Gameweek 32.
With three double-digit hauls in his last five Premier League matches, O’Reilly is the go-to City defender.
Marc Guehi (£5.1m) and Matheus Nunes (£5.3m), as well as Gianluigi Donnarumma (£5.6m) in goal, are viable alternatives at the back.
Guehi has produced a return, be it a goal, clean sheet or defensive contribution (DefCon) points, in six of his nine matches since making his City debut.
As for Nunes, he’s racked up seven assists in 2025/26, the most of any FPL defender. He subsequently carries differential appeal.
THE ATTACK
Erling Haaland (£14.5m) is an obvious pick up top, having plundered a hat-trick in City’s recent FA Cup win over Liverpool.
Although he has now blanked in three successive Premier League games, he’s still racked up 10 shots in the box in that time, and will almost certainly be the most-selected captain in Double Gameweek 33, making it a real gamble to go without.
It’s also important to mention that Haaland produced a combined 25 points in the reverse fixtures against Arsenal and Burnley earlier this season.
Elsewhere, Antoine Semenyo (£8.2m) has served up 56 points since his City debut, thanks to five goals and one assist in 10 matches. He’s arguably the safest route into City’s midfield, too, having been a starter in all 10 of those games, averaging 88.0 minutes per appearance:
Like Nunes at the back, Rayan Cherki (£6.3m) and Jeremy Doku (£6.4m) offer differential potential, particularly the former.
Owned by just 9.8% of FPL squads, Cherki has provided three assists in as many matches – including a second-half masterclass last time out – and is averaging a superb 6.1 points per start across the campaign:
Above: FPL midfielders sorted by points per start (Pts/Strt) in 2025/26 (minimum 1,000 minutes played)
Haaland, O’Reilly and Semenyo are the go-to triple-up but with City’s line-up looking fairly settled right now, the Frenchman could be a tasty alternative pick, especially for those managers on a Free Hit.
