The Scout is looking at clubs who can be paired together effectively to help Fantasy Premier League managers make a strong start in 2024/25.
Brighton and Chelsea
It’s fair to say Brighton & Hove Albion struggled in their final season under Roberto De Zerbi. The Seagulls kept only six clean sheets in 2023/24, with three of those coming in home matches and the other three picked up on the road.
Chelsea, meanwhile, were more reliable when they were playing at Stamford Bridge in their one and only campaign under Mauricio Pochettino, with six of their eight clean sheets being recorded in home contests.
But both clubs have appointed a new head coach over the summer, so FPL managers shouldn't be too quick to rule out their defenders and goalkeepers.
Chelsea’s favourable early run of opponents certainly looks promising for their new boss Enzo Maresca.
Indeed, according to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), six of their first seven matches score a mere two. The one exception is in Gameweek 1, when they entertain Manchester City on the opening weekend of the season.
Handily, Brighton's first match under Fabian Hurzeler provides an alternative, with their Gameweek 1 visit to Everton scoring only three in the FDR.
The Seagulls also provide an alternative to Chelsea in Gameweeks 4-5. They host Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest when Chelsea are away at AFC Bournemouth and West Ham United.
Essentially, by picking a player from both Chelsea and Brighton and then rotating between them, FPL managers would have a run of five home fixtures from Gameweeks 3-7 which each score only two in the FDR.
How to rotate from GW1-7
| GW | Team | Opp. | FDR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brighton | Everton (A) | 3 |
| 2 | Chelsea | Wolves (A) | 2 |
| 3 | Chelsea | Crystal Palace (H) | 2 |
| 4 | Brighton | Ipswich (H) | 2 |
| 5 | Brighton | Nott'm Forest (H) | 2 |
| 6 | Chelsea | Brighton (H) | 2 |
| 7 | Chelsea | Nott'm Forest (H) | 2 |
*1 = easiest possible fixture, 5 = hardest possible fixture
Brighton’s poor defensive showings last season suggest there would be no real surprise if Lewis Dunk and Pervis Estupinan suffered a slight drop in cost from £5.0m to £4.5m this time around.
Centre-back Dunk still boasted a decent attacking threat in 2023/24. He produced three goals and an assist, while his 27 shots in the box ranked joint-third among all defenders in Fantasy.
Although left-back Estupinan missed more than half of the last campaign due to injury, his three goals and 10 assists across 46 starts over the last two seasons attest to his all-round attacking output.
For Chelsea, full-backs Reece James and Ben Chilwell will surely remain too expensive to consider as rotation options.
But James is suspended for the first three Gameweeks, which should give Malo Gusto the chance to impress. The Frenchman supplied six assists in only 19 starts in his debut Fantasy campaign last season.
The Blues’ new centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo could also remain under £5.0m after managing only 66 points at Fulham in 2023/24.
He could now offer some value at Chelsea, given he scored twice over his 18 starts last season and was a big threat at set-pieces. Despite his limited pitch time, his 10 headed shots ranked third for the Cottagers.