Brighton FPL Gameweek 13: Albion assets for Manchester City?
Brighton face a difficult fixture going into Gameweek 13 away at current champions Manchester City which will leave a lot of FPL managers wondering if there are any Albion assets worth sticking with?
Yes is the answer. Seagulls supporters might not be confident ahead of their trip to the Etihad Stadium, but there are reasons as to why it might not be the sort of straightforward City win that a lot of people appear to be expecting.
Brighton are enjoying a really good season defensively. Only two sides have kept more clean sheets than the Albion’s four. No prizes for guessing that one of those are City.
The 11 goals that the Seagulls have conceded so far is also one of the best totals in the Premier League. FPL managers who are invested in the Brighton defence should therefore not panic and sell just because the Albion are facing Manchester City.
And what of those holding Seagulls attacking assets? Well, Brighton have scored in two of their past three Premier League meetings against City with a return of four goals.
Alexis McAllister (£5.7 million), Leandro Trossard (£6.9 million) and Adam Webster (£4.5 million) are among these scorers, with Pascal Gross (£5.8 million) registering an assist.
Some FPL managers (and a lot of Brighton fans) might be spooked by the Seagulls not scoring in any of their three most recent matches, registering 54 shots without a single one going in.
Mad as this might sound, but Brighton probably stand a better chance netting at the Etihad than they did against Nottingham Forest or Brentford.
The Albion’s inability to find a way through opponents who sit deep and defend is nothing new. Forest and the Bees carried out such tactics to perfection.
City will instead play on the front foot which will suit Brighton, leaving space to exploit and no low block to try and break through.
Still not convinced? Remember those three goals plundered in Roberto De Zerbi’s first game in charge when the Albion stunned Anfield?
Furthermore, City’s defence has not been as solid this season as in recent years. They have conceded four times during their last three league outings, suggesting this is a good time to play them.
Of Brighton forward options in FPL, it is Trossard who holds the most appeal. He sits on five goals – the most across the Brighton team – where his seven attacking returns are also a team-leading total.
Trossard has had 25 attempts on goal this campaign, 21 of those coming from inside the box. This is more than Kevin De Bruyne (£12.3 million), Phil Foden (£8.3 million) and Raheem Sterling (£9.9 million), with 23, 20 and 17 respectively.
The Belgian midfielder is currently owned by 20.7 percent of FPL managers. That figure may drop over the next two weeks with some to sell him in anticipation of facing both the champions and Chelsea.
However, underlying stats suggest that Trossard is still a strong pick between now and the World Cup. Especially if he enjoys an afternoon like the one he had at Anfield when becoming only the third ever Brighton player to score a top flight hat-trick.
Captain Fantastic
Mohamed Salah (£12.8 million) has started to show some of the form that made him last season’s highest-scoring FPL player. The midfielder faces newly promoted Forest in Gameweek 13.
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka (£7.9 million) is up against Southampton, having returned in six of his last seven league matches. With 63 points, he is Arsenal’s top-scoring FPL asset.
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