Which FPL defenders have kept the most clean sheets?
The ten defenders with the most clean sheets this season, among those who have played at least 180 minutes, read from the live game — with goals conceded, expected goals conceded and each player's next three fixtures. Ties go to the defender who has conceded fewer. The rings above are the Onside model's clean-sheet forecast for the opening five gameweeks, published before they were played; this table is the record.
| Player | Club | Price | CS | Pts | Conceded | xGC | Owned | Next 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bogle | LEE | £4.8m | 5 | 50 | 4 | 6.55 | 11.2% | BOU (A)TOT (H)CHE (A) |
| Gabriel | ARS | £7.9m | 5 | 52 | 5 | 6.18 | 22.9% | LIV (A)HUL (H)NEW (A) |
| De Cuyper | BHA | £5.3m | 5 | 60 | 7 | 11.12 | 42.5% | MCI (A)BRE (H)HUL (A) |
| Vuskovic | BHA | £5.2m | 5 | 52 | 7 | 11.14 | 6.6% | MCI (A)BRE (H)HUL (A) |
| Boscagli | BHA | £4.5m | 5 | 33 | 7 | 10.56 | 0.6% | MCI (A)BRE (H)HUL (A) |
| White | ARS | £5.4m | 4 | 42 | 2 | 2.84 | 4.6% | LIV (A)HUL (H)NEW (A) |
| Araujo | LIV | £5.4m | 4 | 33 | 3 | 5.34 | 3.6% | ARS (H)CRY (A)MUN (H) |
| Calafiori75% to play | ARS | £6.0m | 4 | 45 | 5 | 5.52 | 51.0% | LIV (A)HUL (H)NEW (A) |
| F.Kadıoğlu75% to play | BHA | £4.4m | 4 | 29 | 5 | 9.04 | 1.6% | MCI (A)BRE (H)HUL (A) |
| Castagne | FUL | £4.5m | 4 | 35 | 7 | 7.48 | 1.2% | AVL (A)NEW (H)MCI (A) |
xGC is expected goals conceded: a steadier read on a defence than clean sheets over a handful of games. Next 3 is coloured by FPL’s own fixture difficulty, green easiest to red hardest.
Reading the clean-sheet rings
Each ring in the chart above is a 5-segment donut. Each segment = one of GW1-5. Brighter segment = higher clean-sheet probability that week. Centre stat = cumulative 5-GW average.
The rings are the model's forecast for that opening window, published before it was played. Arsenal led at 53% average CS/GW because their opening 5 included 3 home games against bottom-half + the structural quality of the Gabriel + Raya spine behind them, with Saliba out until October at the earliest.
Clean sheet probability matters because every CS = 4 points for goalkeepers + 4 points for defenders + 1 point for midfielders. Across 38 GWs the difference between a 50% CS club defender and a 30% CS club defender = +30 points/season. Picking your defensive double-up around the top-CS clubs captures structural value before any individual stat enters the equation.
The 3 CS-tier-1 clubs (50%+ avg)
Arsenal (53% avg CS/GW). Gabriel + Raya benefit now; Timber joins them when his groin injury clears, and it has no return date. The 3-defender Arsenal exposure is the model's highest-confidence template — captures both the attacking BPS leadership AND the structural CS bonus.
Liverpool (46% avg). Van Dijk + Alisson are the only Tier-1 picks; supporting defenders (Konaté, Robertson) are squad fillers post-TAA exit. Single-Liverpool defensive exposure is the model recommendation.
Manchester City (50% avg). Gvardiol + Akanji + Ederson all qualify. City's structural xGA is lower than Arsenal's but the CS conversion rate is comparable. Single Man City defender + the Haaland exposure works.
The 3 CS-tier-2 clubs (40-50%)
Newcastle (46% avg). Pope at £5.0m is the standout goalkeeper differential — 46% CS probability at the cheapest top-7 club price point. Tonali + Burn are the supporting cast but don't qualify as Tier-1 picks individually.
Aston Villa (42% avg). Cash + Konsa pair behind Watkins. Emery's back-line is structurally sound but the home/away split is wide — Villa's away CS probability is just 32%. Pick Villa defenders for home fixtures only.
Chelsea (40% avg). James (when fit) + Jackson + Sánchez. Post-Cucurella, Chelsea's defensive depth thins; the CS probability is fragile. Single Chelsea defender at £5.5m is the model exposure.
The 2 CS-tier-3 clubs (35-40% — avoid)
Brighton (38% avg). Verbruggen + Van Hecke. Premium Brighton picks don't qualify as Tier-1 at the £4.5-5m price point.
Crystal Palace (35% avg). This line used to read "Mateta + Eze + Olise are the model's attacking Palace exposure" and all three are now gone from it — Eze plays for Arsenal, Olise is not in the 26/27 game at all, and Mateta is out with a hamstring until around 11 October. There is no Palace attacking exposure worth naming this season; the defence isn't structurally tight enough to justify CS-tier picks.
Below these two, the next-tier clubs (Forest, West Ham, Wolves, Brentford, Bournemouth) all sit at 30-35% CS probability — bench-only territory for FPL defensive picks.