FPL Gameweek 1 – head-to-head comparisons: Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella vs Man City’s Josko Gvardiol

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We compare two FPL defenders from ‘big six’ Premier League clubs and judge whether Chelsea full-back Marc Cucurella (£6.0m) or Man City’s versatile Croatian Josko Gvardiol (£6.0m) stands out as the most attractive Gameweek 1 option ahead of the 2025-26 Premier League campaign.

Whilst Josko Gvardiol outperformed Marc Cucurella across a number of metrics last season, it was the Spanish international left-back who finished with more attacking returns in the Premier League, registering five goals and two assists in 2,988 minutes of action.

But Gvardiol, who was often deployed in a left-sided full-back position himself by Pep Guardiola, should’ve recorded more attacking returns than the five he did manage with an xGI of 7.52. That bodes well for the upcoming campaign, as does his 13 clean sheets and 15 bonus points accumulated.

Also a promising factor for Gvardiol heading into the 2025-26 FPL season is the addition of the defensive contribution points system, which will see players rewarded for a combined total of 10 clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles across a single fixture, earning 2 FPL points. That bodes well for the Man City star, who was already the highest scoring FPL defender last season with 153 points.

Gameweek 1 sees both Chelsea and Man City take on clubs who have historically been mid-table across the last few Premier League years. Enzo Maresca’s Club World Cup winners host Crystal Palace, whilst Man City travel to Wolves.

The underlying data suggests that Gvardiol will pose more of an offensive threat than Cucurella, making him a better asset to own for FPL bosses come Gameweek 1.

Verdict: Marc Cucurella (£6.0m)