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In this blog, Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Gameweek 33's numbers are analysed to determine the best players and teams to target going forward.

xFPL review

Andreas tops the Custom Stats xFPL table for Gameweek 33 so far with a score of 14.9. The 28-year-old took four shots in the box (SiB), three of which were 'big chances' (BC) and he also created a couple of BC for his teammates. No player took more shots (six) or SiB (six) than Isak over the weekend, the Swedish international was also afforded three BC and notched an xFPL score of 11.2. His teammate Gordon was the most creative player with eight attempted assists, he also converted both his attempts in the box and registered an xFPL score of 12.7. Salah's numbers were disappointing, the 31-year-old took just two SiB, was afforded just one BC and none of his five attempted assists were classified as BC created by Opta which meant a low xFPL score of 7.3.

What is xFPL?

xFPL is calculated primarily using expected goals (xG), assists (xA), which combine as Fantasy Premier League (FPL) involvements (xG + xA = xI), as well as expected clean sheets (xCS). These numbers are a result of underlying statistics (i.e. shot type and location will give a probability of scoring = xG). xFPL is the combination of these statistics and factors in appearance and bonus points to give an overall expected FPL point score.

Early Transfer Activity Analysed

As the above image from our Transfer Analytics feature shows, Gordon tops the transfers in ahead of Gameweek 34 with over 100,000 FPL managers bringing him in despite the lack of a Double. Isak is close behind in second with Saka, Diaz and Cunha rounding off the top five. Son, Bowen, Foden, Porro and Toney registered a combined score of one point amongst themselves with three of them missing out entirely over the weekend and comprise the top five transfers out. Up top, the Double Gameweek duo of Cunha and Solanke are quite popular with Muniz and even Haaland making way. In midfield, six of the top 10 transfer combinations involve selling Son for a Double Gameweek midfielder like Eze, Saka and Havertz. In defence, Virgil is the most popular buy with Bradley, Udogie and Gusto being sold.

Muñoz vs Mitchell

Palace were impressive at Anfield and now have two home fixtures in Double Gameweek 34, as the above image from our Opta Player Heatmaps feature shows their wingbacks Muñoz and Mitchell have played similar minutes over their last six matches with the latter scoring five more FPL points with his assist and maximum bonus at Anfield.

As the above image shows, both Muñoz and Mitchell have had plenty of touches in advanced areas with the latter seeing more of the ball. However, it appears that Muñoz is drifting central more than the left-back who is holding the width on the left hand side.

A look at the total statistics indicate that the numbers are not outstanding for either player with neither fullback managing over 0.50 'Expected Goals' (xG) in total over six matches. Muñoz has taken two shots to Mitchell's one but in terms of creativity, Mitchell is significantly ahead with six attempted assists.

Muñoz does come with some goalscoring pedigree though, in the 22/23 season the Colombian international found the back of the net seven times in the Belgian league and also scored five in 17 appearances prior to joining Palace in the 23/24 season. Both fullbacks look like good picks for Palace's Double Gameweek fixtures.