Top Chelsea picks for FPL Gameweek 20: Who to sign or monitor

Welcome to the FPL insights for Gameweek 20! Which Chelsea stars should you trust for the last game of 2024? The Pride of London’s Fantasy Football expert, Alani, is back to deliver top-notch Premier League Fantasy tips and analysis for the upcoming Gameweek.

Review of GW19

Ipswich shocked Maresca’s Chelsea at Portman Road in the last game of 2024 for both sides. That victory marked the first win for Kieran McKenna at home this season and their first in the league since 2002.

Maresca made five changes to the side that lost to Fulham on Boxing Day, but despite the fresh legs, Ipswich proved to be the better side. Chelsea have now gone three league games without a win – the first time this season. Chelsea are now tied third with Arsenal in goals scored—38—behind Liverpool (45) and Spurs (41). The Blues have now slipped to fourth in the Premier League table as well.

Liverpool have now overtaken Chelsea as the only team with two players in the top 10 for total FPL points this season. Palmer, with 143 points, is the only Chelsea player in the top 10.

Chelsea's Opponent – Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace fought back from 1-nil down to beat Southampton at Selhurst Park in GW19, thanks to goals from Chalobah and Eze. Crystal Palace have now climbed to 15th in the table, five points above relegation.

Palace have scored 20 goals this season, with nine of them coming at home. However, they have also conceded 16 goals at Selhurst Park. In their last five home matches in the league, Crystal Palace have shipped 11 goals.

Head-to-Head

Crystal Palace and Chelsea have clashed 31 times in league history, with Chelsea emerging victorious 24 times, Palace winning four, and three matches ending in draws. In those encounters, Chelsea have scored 64 goals, while Palace have netted 23.

Both teams scored in the last two matches between the two London clubs’ last season.

GW20

Chelsea have an xG per 90 minutes of 2.06 this season, second only to Liverpool’s 2.33. Crystal Palace, on the other hand, are in the bottom half with an xG of 1.39 per 90 minutes.

Defensively, Chelsea’s xGC per 90 minutes stands at 1.47 (12th), while Palace’s xGC of 1.46 (11th) is marginally better. These stats highlight Chelsea’s attacking edge but also underline vulnerabilities at the back for both teams.

Projected Goals

Four of Palace’s last five games have seen over 2.5 goals, the only exception being the 0–0 draw with Bournemouth. Four of Chelsea’s last six games have gone over 2.5, with Chelsea conceding at least once in five of those encounters.

A high-scoring encounter is on the cards here at Selhurst Park. The projected goal tally for Chelsea in this game is 1.90, while Palace’s stands at 1.28.

Projected player’s points next five game weeks.

Players to Buy

Cole Palmer

There is no player with greater potential in FPL this season than Palmer, except Salah. You must be immune to punishment to not have Palmer in your team at this point in the FPL season. Palmer’s popularity is growing week by week. He is leading the way in key performance metrics. The only player more essential or popular in FPL is Salah.

Palmer is currently sitting on 143 points with over 68.8% ownership (as of writing). Palmer is behind only Salah (202 points, 69.7% ownership) as the most popular player in the league. Palmer has contributed 12 goals and 7 assists in 19 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 assists with seven, third in expected goals (xG) with 10.39, and fourth in shots taken (68). With an expected goal involvement (xGI) of 15.53, Palmer is only behind Salah and Haaland, making him a truly must-have asset in FPL for the coming weeks.

Nicolas Jackson

Nicolas Jackson has failed to score or assist in the last three games. However, I expect him to return to form. He avoided the fifth yellow card in GW19, and he is now safe for the time being until he accumulates ten yellow cards. The performance of Felix and Nkunku against Ipswich has shown that Jackson is the best option to lead the forward line for Chelsea in the next few games.

The next three fixtures for Chelsea have an average FDR of 2.67. Jackson has a 5.2 points per match average – the fifth-best for strikers – and an xGI per 90 minutes of 0.61. If you have him, keep him. If you don’t have him, buy him at least for the next three games.

Player to Monitor

Roberto Sánchez

Maresca’s decision to bench Sánchez for Filip Jørgensen against Ipswich backfired as Jørgensen conceded a penalty in that game.

With 66 points this season, Sánchez ranks fifth among goalkeepers, despite playing two games fewer than many of his peers. He is still a solid pick in the goalkeeping position with Chelsea’s fixture difficulty ranking low in FDR.

In the league this season, Sánchez has the best save percentage. Based on the last match against Ipswich, Sánchez is expected to return to the starting eleven.

Deadline

The transfer window deadline for GW20 is Saturday, 4tth January at 11:00 GMT.