This week’s FPL Challenge begins a new series of challenges called the "Race for Europe". This week, players from the west London derby between Fulham and Chelsea will score DOUBLE points, with managers selecting a 5-a-side team using an unlimited budget.
Here, FPL expert Sam Bonfield reveals how she’s tackling Gameweek 33.
It's another week of difficult decisions in the latest FPL Challenge. There are four teams who have two fixtures in Double Gameweek 33 (DGW33). This means that players from Arsenal, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Manchester City will all have two fixtures in which to score points.
Therefore managers will need to decide between investing in these players, investing in those teams like Liverpool who have an excellent single-Gameweek fixture and won't score double points or opting for Chelsea and Fulham assets who will have their points doubled.
Between the sticks
Both Chelsea and Fulham have had fruitful campaigns in front of goal this season. Chelsea have scored 56 goals this season, with only five teams managing more. Meanwhile, the Cottagers have scored 47 goals of their own. With this in mind, neither side look likely to keep a clean sheet on Sunday.
So I have ruled out selecting either Bernd Leno (£5.0m) or Robert Sanchez (£4.5m). Instead I have opted for David Raya (£5.5m). Only Nottingham Forest and Liverpool have kept more clean sheets than Arsenal this season and with two opportunities to record a shutout, Raya is a great pick for his Double Gameweek against Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace.
He also has some potential upside. The goalkeeper was made 75 saves across his 32 starts this season, registering 14 save points. He has also picked up nine bonus points, which only two goalkeepers can better.
The case for the defence
Just choosing one defender for the Gameweek 33 fixtures was difficult. Liverpool's Conor Bradley (£4.7m) or Virgil van Dijk (£6.6m) both look like excellent picks for a clean sheet when Liverpool travel to Leicester City. Meanwhile, as Van Dijk proved in Gameweek 32 when he scored the winner against West Ham, he provides a strong threat from set-pieces, while Bradley offers creativity in the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.2m).
Meanwhile, there is also good clean-sheet potential for the likes of William Saliba (£6.5m) and Jurrien Timber (£5.7m) for Arsenal's Double.
However, Fulham's Antonee Robinson (£4.9m) could be a really nice option. He will benefit from double points and is joint-top for attacking returns among defenders this season, with 10. The Fulham full-back has combined four goals and six assists with five clean sheets, averaging 3.2 points per match.
While Chelsea are likely to score, Robinson's attacking potential against a Chelsea defence that has been vulnerable this season is too good to turn down.
Midfield headaches
With just two midfield spots, I am concerned about leaving out some players who I expect to score big in DGW33. Not having the likes of Bukayo Saka (£10.5m) feels very wrong. I would also have loved to have had players such as Jarrod Bowen (£7.5m) and Morgan Rogers (£5.7m). But compromises have to be made.
Mohamed Salah (£13.8m) might not be averaging the same level of returns as he was earlier on in the season, but the Liverpool star encouragingly registered nine points in the reverse fixture against Sunday's opponents Leicester.
He has produced an impressive 16 attacking returns on the road, so that, combined with Leicester's poor form, means that despite no Double Gameweek or double points, he is still worth picking.
The idea of getting double points for Cole Palmer (£10.6m) this week was tempting, but Kevin De Bruyne (£9.3m) lit up the Premier League again last weekend and therefore going without him would feel wrong.
De Bruyne registered 12 points, courtesy of a goal, an assist and two bonus points. Despite these being his first attacking returns since Gameweek 22, a Double Gameweek against Everton and Aston Villa is too tempting too ignore. The Belgian will also be my captain.
Lone forward
By selecting two midfielders, there's only room for one forward in my team. Ideally, I would have loved to have found room for both Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.8m) and Omar Marmoush (£7.6m), with both benefiting from Double Gameweeks.
In the end, I've gone with Mateta. The Palace forward was removed for tactical reasons in the first match of Palace's Double Gameweek 32. But head coach Oliver Glasner's comments suggested that the change was ineffective, so I expect Mateta to start both fixtures in DGW33. Mateta has 13 goals and two assists in 28 starts this season, averaging 4.7 points per start.
I seriously considered Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson (£7.7m). As a result of injuries, Jackson has only registered 24 starts for Chelsea in the Premier League, racking up nine goals and six assists. With double points up for grabs, Jackson has the potential to score well while other managers focus on the DGW33 teams.
Sam's 5-a-side line-up: Raya; Robinson; Salah, De Bruyne (c); Mateta
