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Before the pre-season games had started, I tried to make sense of how Xabi Alonso could lineup at Chelsea, after understanding all the important ideas that Alonso tries to instill in his team and the kind of profiles he has at Chelsea. After reading it back 6 pre-season games later , the conclusions I drew are being reflected in the way Chelsea are playing till now. Xabi Alonso had started the season with a 4-2-3-1 starting positions, although it turned into a 3-4-3 in possession. In the last 3 games however, Xabi has started with a 3-4-3 formation on paper as well, with 3 starting Center Backs (CBs) with Neto (6.5) and Palestra (5.5) as wing backs. In midfield, Caicedo has been a consistent starter and has looked sharp. Although James has started the last friendly game in the Center Midfield with Caicedo (5.5), I still expect Enzo (7.0) to come right into the team, if he decides to stay at Chelsea this season. This would mean James (5.5) going back into the defence, and I expect him to start on the right side of the 3-man defence. In attack, Joao Pedro (7.5) is the most in-form man in the league at the moment, with 7 goals during the pre-season games, and there seems no doubt that he is the preferred striker at Chelsea. Cole Palmer (9.5) has seen a lot of minutes in pre-season himself, but none of them being noteworthy displays. He has not looked as threatening as his old self and is a wait-and-watch for me for now, especially at that price point. Chelsea Predicted Lineup in GW1 vs Fulham (A) It is looking increasingly likely that the structure of 3 at-the-back is what we will see Cheslea deploying. In terms of player picks in the structure, I am not sure about the Enzo selection yet as he is heavily linked with Manchester City, and I am not entirely sure he stays. Xabi Alonso might want him to clear his head before putting him into the starting lineup unless he feels Enzo is ready. In case Enzo does not start, we could also see Lavia in the starting lineup. Of course, there is every chance that Xabi picks the same starting 11 as he did against Real Soceidad, with Fofana in the lineup and James in the double pivot. FPL Opinion The defence needs to be monitored, Chelsea have given up a fair few chances to teams during pre-season and Lacroix has just started his first pre-season game for Chelsea. We are yet to conculsively evaluate how the defence will look in the league in terms of clean sheets. However, Marco Palestra is an interesting option and one that is being overlooked. Classified as a defender in the game, he has always been seen taking advanced positions in the games he has played and has been spotted in the box quite frequently. For me, he is the second-best Chelsea pick in the game right now. Joao Pedro is the ultimate pick in attack here and is a sure lock in my team for the beginning. In form, sharp and in the goals, Joao Pedro has shown everything an FPL manager would want to see in his assets during the course of pre-season. I am sure we all are aware that pre-season form does not ultimately mean it will be replicated in the league as well, but it’s a good base to have. As for Cole Palmer, I am monitoring his situation. His performances have been concerning for a while now and the pre-season was not much better. Avoid for now and re-assess the situation in GW4 when the fixture-list looks clean. Chelsea Pre-Season Summary & Round up Joao Pedro ⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽🅰️🅰️ Gittens ⚽🅰️🅰️🅰️ Delap ⚽⚽🅰️ Caicedo ⚽🅰️ Rogers ⚽ Estevao ⚽ Esugo ⚽ Palmer 🅰️ James 🅰️ Neto 🅰️ Lavia 🅰️ Gusto 🅰️ - Joao Pedro in clinical form & should be a lock for the £7.5 FWD slot - Palestra(5.5 DEF) & Neto likely to start the season as wingbacks(3-4-3) as seen in last friendly. Palestra looked very attacking in Friendlies & can be a good punt - Pedro, Palmer and Rogers will be the likely front 3 to start the season Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW1 of the 2026/27 FPL Season If you’re new to FPL, here is a link to all our FPL Beginners Guide including FPL Beginner’s Guide- How to play?, Bench boost, Team value, Triple captain, Effective ownership, Price Changes, Free Hit, Bonus Points, and more. Link to all our 2026/27 Pre-Season articles including all position-wise analysis, team previews, fixture analysis, position-wise analysis, and more. Completely free to access as well! Thanks for reading the ‘Chelsea FPL Analysis’ blog. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for regular blogs and updates. Also, follow our 230,000+ community on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to stay updated on regular Posts and FPL updates throughout the pre-season. What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 1 of the 2026/27 FPL Season? 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