Plan ahead for Chelsea and Brighton friendlies

The scout helps leaders in Fantasy Premier League plan by highlighting clubs with good matches around the corner from Gameweek 12 onwards. Remember, you can now save up to FIVE free transfers.

Chelsea

Chelsea are among a host of teams whose schedule changes for the better from Gameweek 12, and many managers have planned to take advantage of that by using their Wildcard over the international break for some time now.

In fact, the Blues’ upcoming run of opponents goes all the way to the start of February, suggesting that Cole Palmer (£11.0m) and his teammates can reward investment well into the next calendar year.

According to Installation difficulty (FDR), as many as nine of Chelsea’s 11 games from Gameweek 12 onwards have scored just two.

That spell includes visits to all three promoted clubs, while home meetings with Brentford, Fulham, AFC Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers give Palmer the chance to establish himself as the best captain in Fantasy.

Chelsea’s matches from GW12

GW	Up.	FDR	GW	Up.	FDR
12	Leicester (A)	2	18	Fulham (H)	2
13	Aston Villa (H)	3	19	Ipswich (A)	2
14	Southampton (A)	2	20	Crystal Palace (A)	2
15	Spurs (A)	4	21	Bournemouth (H)	2
16	Brentford (H)	2	22	Wolves (H)	2
17	Everton (A)	2

*1 = lightest possible fixture, 5 = hardest possible fixture

Nicholas Jackson (£7.9m) has increased his consistency under Enzo Maresca, with just four clean sheets in 10 outings. The Senegalese has combined six goals with three assists and, with just 17 per cent ownership, looks the best option to double the Chelsea attack.

Admittedly, Jackson’s reliability is emphasized in relation to Noni Madueke (£6.4m). Although the latter has tallied 48 points to Jackson’s 58, he has been shutout in seven of the first 10 Gameweeks and has proven to be a more frustrating player to own.

At the back, Chelsea’s total of two clean sheets has done little to merit consideration.

Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez (£4.7m) has 42 points, at least 19 more than any defender, but the Spaniard has had to rely on spare points recently. After starting the season with 30 points over the first five game weeks, he has mustered just 12 points in the following five.

Reece James(£4.9m) latest return from a recurring hamstring injury is certainly worth monitoring. The right-back has had his fair share of set pieces – James has taken six of Chelsea’s 15 corners over the last two matchweeks, playing 90 minutes each time.

Brighton & Hove Albion

The Seagulls boast strong budget options across all outfield positions ahead of their own friendly schedule.

Five of their seven games from Gameweek 12 score just two in FDR, which looks good for the prospects of Danny Welbeck (£5.9m).

Brighton’s fixtures from GW12

GW	Up.	FDR*
12	BOU (A)	3
13	SOU (H)	2
14	FULL (A)	3
15	LEI (A)	2
16	CRY (H)	2
17	WHU (A)	2
18	BRE (H)	2

*1 = lightest possible fixture, 5 = hardest possible fixture

The forward has proved a sure-fire fixture in the early stages of 2024/25, producing a goal or assist against the likes of Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Liverpool in the last six matchweeks alone.

If you need to free up funds for Palmer in midfield, bring in Welbeck Erling Haaland (£15.3m) goes a long way and saves a whopping £9.4m. GBP of your budget.

Haaland, crucially, endures a tough round of opponents from Gameweek 12, with Manchester City facing successive clashes against Spurs, Liverpool and Nott’m Forest.

That move would allow you to field Palmer as one of three first-class midfielders in the side Mohamed Salah (£12.8m) and Bukayo Saka (£10.1m).

Elsewhere for the Seagulls, two goals, three assists and just one clean sheet in the previous five shows the appeal Georginio Rutter (£5.6 million) as a greater source of value than Kaoru Mitoma (£6.5m).

Rutter’s ownership of just one per cent – compared to Welbeck’s 20 per cent – also marks him out as a huge difference to the leaders’ midfield.

When it comes to attacking potential from the back, it is versatile Ferdi Kadioglu (£4.5m) may soon be a name on many managers’ lips.

The Turkey international played on the right wing against Liverpool last weekend, scoring and earning his third consecutive Fantasy six-pointer. While there is no guarantee that Kadioglu will retain his more advanced role, his Anfield attack clearly underlines his eye for goal.

Joel Veltman (£4.5m) is the most likely of Brighton’s defenders to pick up bonus points when keeping a clean sheet.

All five of his bonus points have come in the three games in which the Seagulls shut out their opponents – compare that to last season, when he didn’t earn a single bonus point, and it’s clear that Veltman is another whose prospects have improved under Fabian Hurzeler in 2024/25.