GW18
Fulham inflicted Chelsea with their third defeat of the season, while Ipswich were thoroughly outclassed by Arsenal. Both teams are coming off the back of damaging defeats.
Maresca’s game management for Chelsea was called into question following the loss to Fulham. Chelsea made only one substitution throughout the game and completely lost the plot as they were outrun and outmanoeuvred by Fulham.
However, Chelsea have the best away record in the league and should bounce back in this encounter. Manager Enzo Maresca may make changes to the starting XI for this game week, as he demonstrated in the previous encounter against Southampton—another promoted side—where rotation played a key role.
Ipswich have struggled offensively, failing to score in three of their last five games. They have managed just three goals while conceding nine in this period.
Ipswich are currently sitting in 18th, three points from safety, and have scored 16 goals this season—the third-worst in the league. At home, they have scored six goals while conceding 16.
Player to Buy
Cole Palmer
Of all the Saka replacements for GW18, Palmer came out on top with 10 points. Some of Saka’s replacements even scored the same or fewer points than Saka despite him not playing. What an FPL Boxing Day magic!
Palmer’s popularity is growing week by week. He is leading the way in key performance metrics. He is the second player to be named Player of the Week twice, with only Salah earning more, with four Player of the Week awards.
Palmer is currently sitting on 141 points with over 68.0% ownership (as of writing). Palmer is behind only Salah (186 points, 68.1% ownership) as the most popular player in the league. Palmer has contributed 12 goals and 7 assists in 18 league games, underscoring his importance to Chelsea’s attack despite the array of talented players at Maresca’s disposal.
Palmer ranks third in goals scored (12), third in expected goals (xG) with 10.18, and third in shots taken (64). With an expected goal involvement (xGI) of 14.79, Palmer is only behind Salah and Haaland, making him a truly must-have asset in FPL for the coming weeks.