FPL 2023-24: Best Fantasy Team for Gameweek 33 | FPL Tips
After a riveting round of European fixtures midweek, football fans and FPL managers will turn their attention to GW 33 after a fairly high-scoring GW 32, where Kevin de Bruyne and Ollie Watkins called the shots. After losing most of his owners, the Belgian rewarded those loyal to him, scoring twice and providing an assist in the 4-1 away win against Newcastle.
Ollie Watkins, meanwhile, punished the FPL managers who sold him (including me) as he bagged a brace in a high-scoring 3-3 draw against Brentford.
My poor FPL run continued as I slipped to another red arrow after making the risky move of selling Bukayo Saka for Anthony Gordon. However, a timely goal from Carlton Morris and a surprise clean sheet from Martin Dubravka helped arrest the slide somewhat.
With only six GWs remaining in the season and three of them DGWs, the remaining active FPL managers are using every bit of their focus to try and maximize them.
With DGW 34 coming up next, most managers are building their transfer plans around that, with Liverpool's Luis Diaz and Arsenal's Kai Havertz among those being transferred in by droves.
Whatever your transfers are, ensure your team is locked in by Saturday morning BST.
Gameweek 33 Deadline: Saturday, April 13, at 11:00 AM (BST)/ 03:30 PM (IST).
FPL Gameweek 33 Fixtures
GW 33 begins with Newcastle hosting Spurs on Saturday afternoon in the early kick-off, with Manchester City taking on Luton at the Etihad Stadium in one of four 03:00 pm BST kick-offs.
On Sunday afternoon, Liverpool and Crystal Palace face off at Anfield, with Arsenal and Aston Villa clashing at Villa Park later in the day. The GW concludes with Chelsea's Stamford Bridge meeting with Everton on Monday night.
FPL Team Suggested for Previous GW
Here's the suggested team for the previous GW:
Goalkeepers: Neto (BOU) (£4.6 m) and Martin Dubravka (NEW) (£4.2 m).
Defenders: Joskvo Gvardiol (MCI) (£4.8 m), Rayan Ait-Nouri (WOL) (£4.6 m), Jan Paul van Hecke (BHA) (£4.0 m), Alfie Doughty (LUT) (£4.6 m), and Conor Bradley (LIV) (£4.2 m).
Midfielders: Mohamed Salah (LIV) (£13.2 m), Anthony Gordon (NEW) (£6.0 m), Cole Palmer (CHE) (£5.9 m), Son Heung-Min (TOT) (£10.0 m), and Alejandro Garnacho (MUN) (£4.9 m).
Forwards: Erling Haaland (MCI) (£14.3 m), Carlton Morris (LUT) (£5.0 m), and Ivan Toney (BRE) (£8.1 m).
GW 32 Transfers Made: 2
Points scored (-hits): 58 (-4): 54
Overall Points: 1851
Overall Rank: 6,93,457
Free Transfers Available: 2
Money Remaining: £3.3 m.
Transfers
1) Carlton Morris (FWD) (LUT) (£5.0 m) - OUT | Alexander Isak (FWD) (NEW) (£7.9 m) - IN
Transferring Carlton Morris out was the priority for this GW, with the Luton striker stuck in my team since their DGW way back in GW 28. With funds in the bank, I could upgrade him to pretty much any FPL forward, and I've gone with the in-form Newcastle frontman Alexander Isak.
The Magpies have a stellar run of fixtures that also includes a Double GW in GW 37, and with myself opting to play my Free Hit chip next week, attacking DGW 37 is now my focus. Newcastle have been free-scoring in their recent outings, with Isak netting five goals in his last five appearances.
He's a great FPL option for the remainder of the season.
Best Fantasy Team for Gameweek 33
Gameweek 33 Bench: Martin Dubravka (NEW) vs TOT (H), Alejandro Garnacho (MUN) vs BOU (A), Jan Paul van Hecke (BHA) vs BUR (A), and Alfie Doughty (LUT) vs MCI (A).
My FPL rank has dropped from around 410 K to nearly 700 K over the last few GWs, and while it has involved some bad luck, it has mostly been some questionable decisions that have led me to this rank.
In fact, had I not taken Saka out last week and made the safer transfer to get Ben White or Gabriel instead of Gvardiol, I would've been up 20 points at this stage. However, with two chips still in hand and not much to lose, I'm going to double down with this strategy and take more risks from now till the end of the season.
Once again, as with most of the recent GWs, I expect this team to give me a green arrow, especially as I'm not taking a hit in this one.
Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, and Son Heung-Min will all be in action in the first game of the GW. As a result, like the 4-3 in the reverse fixture will be ideal from an FPL perspective, with both defenses conceding plenty of goals this season.
The highly owned Salah, Palmer, and Haaland all have promising home fixtures this GW, with Haaland's arguably the best, with City taking on Luton at home. It'd be a surprise to see any of them blank.
Ivan Toney also faces Sheffield United at home, and if he's fit to start, a big FPL haul is likely, and given his ownership, that would have a huge differential impact on my team.
Coming to the defence, Gvardiol must be full of confidence after netting against Real Madrid in the Champions League. While it'd be great if he could deliver on his goal threat in the PL, I'd settle for a clean sheet from him.
Conor Bradley could also deliver against Crystal Palace, but Liverpool's 3-0 midweek defeat does raise a few concerns. I'm also opting to go with Neto in goal over Dubravka, with Spurs' attack more deadlier than Manchester United's.
Lastly, I'm taking a punt by starting Rayan Ait-Nouri, with the Wolves defender currently having a yellow flag next to his name. If he does start, he has plenty of potential for an attacking return and has a much higher points ceiling than any other defender on my team.
Jan Paul van Hecke is well-placed on my subs bench to come on if he's unfit.
Gameweek 33 - FPL Captaincy
FPL captaincy hasn't gone great for my team in recent weeks, with Son just about managing an assist last GW. However, I'm counting on the popular choice Erling Haaland to turn those fortunes around, with the Norwegian having a great home fixture against the leaky Luton defense.
There should be chances galore for Haaland, who despite not being in the best of form, should comfortably put a few of those away. I've not even considered the other options, but on the off-chance of him potentially getting benched, Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-Min are favorites to take over, with Cole Palmer also getting a shout.
Best FPL XI for Gameweek 33 - Summary
Starting XI
Goalkeepers: Neto (BOU) vs MUN (H)
Defenders: Joskvo Gvardiol (MCI) vs LUT (H), Conor Bradley (LIV) vs CRY (H), and Rayan Ait-Nouri (WOL) vs NFO (A).
Midfielders: Mohamed Salah (LIV) vs CRY (H), Anthony Gordon (NEW) vs TOT (H), Cole Palmer (CHE) vs EVE (H), and Son Heung-Min (TOT) vs NEW (A).
Forwards: Erling Haaland (MCI) vs LUT (H), Alexander Isak (NEW) vs TOT (H), and Ivan Toney (BRE) vs SHU (H).
Bench: GK - Martin Dubravka (NEW) vs TOT (H), 1st Sub: Alejandro Garnacho (MUN) vs BOU (A), 2nd Sub: Jan Paul van Hecke vs BUR (A), 3rd Sub: Alfie Doughty vs MCI (A).
Chips Activated: None.
Point Hits Taken: Nil.
Captain: Erling Haaland. | Vice-Captain: Mohamed Salah.