It was only fitting that after I spent a few hundred words talking about how Marcos Alonso was getting a bad rap from fantasy Premier League players that he was dropped for Wednesday's away match against Bournemouth, a situation I didn't love for Chelsea from a defensive standpoint (I ranked Alonso 11th for the gameweek and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga seventh). I won't deny that Alonso hasn't looked great in every single minute of every single match this season, but he still provides plenty of upside for a side that will have its fair share of clean sheets.
Then again, there was certainly no Gameweek 24 clean sheet for Chelsea after they got rocked 4-0 by Bournemouth, who surprisingly did their damage without Ryan Fraser, who I ranked 15th, getting on the scoresheet. Instead, Joshua King (ranked 20th) had two goals and one assist while David Brooks (unranked) had one goal and one assist. Bournemouth had a tough run that saw them concede 14 goals and score four over a four-match span, but they've bounced back very well, scoring six goals in back-to-back clean sheet wins over West Ham and Chelsea, respectively. They now head out for an away match against Cardiff City, who have scored two goals in their last six Premier League games, conceding eight goals in that span. Even if leading scorer Callum Wilson doesn't return from his knee injury, the Cherries could be flying again this weekend.
MATCHES (EST)
SATURDAY
7:30 am: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Newcastle United
10:00 am: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Watford
10:00 am: Burnley vs. Southampton
10:00 am: Chelsea vs. Huddersfield Town
10:00 am: Crystal Palace vs. Fulham
10:00 am: Everton vs. Wolverhampton
12:30 pm: Cardiff City vs. AFC Bournemouth
SUNDAY
9:05 am: Leicester City vs. Manchester United
11:30 am: Manchester City vs. Arsenal
MONDAY
3:00 pm: West Ham United vs. Liverpool
WEDNESDAY
2:45 p.m: Everton v. Manchester City
Click here for the full Gameweek 25 Cheat Sheet, which includes detailed bookmaker odds showing team win and clean sheet chances, and anytime goal scorer odds, as well as detailed and sortable player and teams stats.
Yellow indicates questionable to play.
