Gameweek 33 brings both headaches and opportunities for FPL managers as several teams play twice. The double fixtures make prioritising players from the right squads crucial, with Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion, Burnley, Chelsea, Leeds United and Manchester City all on double duty.

Goalkeepers
Karl Darlow (£3.9m) stands out because of his low price and fixtures against Wolverhampton Wanderers (H) and Bournemouth (A). He has scored 16 points across his last three fixtures and looks nailed on for the remainder of the season. Gianluigi Donnarumma (£5.6m) also offers two fixtures, Arsenal (H) and Burnley (A), but his inclusion uses one of three Man City slots managers may prefer to spend on midfield and forward assets. Đorđe Petrović (£4.6m) is a Bournemouth alternative after three clean sheets in his last six outings versus Newcastle United (A) and Leeds (H).

Defenders
Bournemouth defenders Marcos Senesi (£5.2m) and James Hill (£4.2m) present clean sheet potential and solid defensive contribution totals, while Adrien Truffert (£4.7m) provides more attacking upside via assists. Leeds options Pascal Struijk (£4.3m), Jayden Bogle (£4.4m) and Gabriel Gudmundsson (£3.8m) offer differing mixes of defensive reliability and attacking threat. Marc Cucurella (£6.0m) is the main Chelsea defender to consider despite matches with Manchester United (H) and Brighton (A) being tough for clean sheets. Nico O’Reilly (£5.0m) would be an obvious pick after a 14-point weekend and 52 points in six gameweeks, but he is an injury concern; Marc Guéhi (£5.1m) is a viable alternative if O’Reilly is ruled out.

Midfield and attack
Antoine Semenyo (£8.2m) remains an attractive midfield option despite high ownership. Rayan Cherki (£6.3m) offers a differential and Jérémy Doku (£6.4m) provides explosive potential. Cole Palmer (£10.5m) will start both Chelsea games and is on spot kicks. Bournemouth’s Marcus Tavernier (£5.4m) is notable for set-piece and penalty responsibility versus Rayan (£5.5m) and Alex Scott (£5.0m). Pascal Groß (£5.5m) and Yankuba Minteh (£5.5m) could be short-term Brighton values.

Forwards
Erling Haaland (£14.4m) is the obvious captaincy candidate across two fixtures, with particular promise in the Burnley match. João Pedro (£7.7m) is a reliable pick given Chelsea’s double and his 82 points since Liam Rosenior took charge; he faces little competition for his starting role.

Brighton & Hove Albion manager Fabian Hürzeler confirmed that centre back Jan Paul van Hecke will hold talks over his future at the club. Hürzeler made clear his appreciation for the defender and signalled a willingness to find a solution that suits both player and club.

“I love Jan Paul,” Hürzeler said in a press conference. “I love his attitude, how he works for the team, I love his mentality of winning. He has a big impact on his teammates; therefore I would love to continue working with him, because we have a really good relationship.”

The timing of any decision may be affected by van Hecke’s likely involvement with the Netherlands this summer in North America for the 2026 World Cup. Hürzeler said he wants to include the player’s perspective when planning ahead.

“I also like some perspective from the players regarding their future,” Hürzeler added. “We will sit together, try to make a decision that is best for the club, that is best for the player. Jan Paul knows what he has with Brighton. He’s always had the opportunity to play, to grow, to make the next step.

“We hope to make the next step together, to be successful with him. This will be our main challenge and then we see how it’s going.”

In the eyes of Chelsea, van Hecke’s greatest strength will be his clean bill of health. Chelsea’s defence has been hampered this season by injuries to key players, with Reece James sidelined by a hamstring problem, Trevoh Chalobah recovering from an ankle issue and Levi Colwill out with a knee injury. Chelsea’s reinforcements, namely Wesley Fofana and Mamadou Sarr, have not proven themselves, contributing to defensive disorganization.

Van Hecke has been a consistent presence for Brighton, starting 29 matches for the Seagulls this season and contributing three goals and two assists. Hürzeler stressed the player’s leadership and consistency in training and matches.

“He is good at keeping a structure in defensive shape and on top of that he is a great leader,” Hürzeler said. “He is leading by performance. He is a role model for that, every training session 100 percent, every game 100 percent. Therefore, he has all the characteristics to be a future leader for this club.”

Liverpool travelled to the Amex Stadium seeking vital Premier League points and the presence of Mohamed Salah had been in doubt after his midweek exertions in the Champions League. Salah played in the victory over Galatasaray, an evening in which he spurned a huge chance and missed a penalty in the first half before supplying an assist and scoring after the restart.

With about 15 minutes to spare under the Anfield floodlights, Salah signalled to the bench that he needed to be substituted. That request led to his omission from the starting XI against Brighton and prompted concern given the forward’s usual durability and dislike of early withdrawal.

Slot confirmed in Friday’s pre-match press conference that Salah’s request to be removed came after he picked up an injury, although the Dutchman did not elaborate on the specifics. “Indeed, [it’s] unusual. As a result of that I think you can expect the outcome. So, [he’s] not available for tomorrow,” the Liverpool boss told media.

Slot added that the player will miss the upcoming international break with Egypt. “The good thing for Liverpool and for us is that we go to an international break [after Brighton]. The bad thing for Egypt is that he can’t go there,” said the Dutchman.

“We are hoping also with what Mo has shown in the past that he can recover faster than other players might in similar situations because he takes such good care of his body. History has shown that he can be earlier back than some others.

“But it’s only two weeks when we go again so let’s hope in that period of time he can be back.”

Liverpool will return from that break with a FA Cup quarterfinal visit to Manchester City, followed by the first leg of their Champions League last-eight tie with Paris Saint-Germain in France. The squad also had an unusual match-day note: kickoff had been scheduled for 12:30 p.m. GMT but Brighton revealed shortly before midday that the start of the match was delayed.