Brighton FPL Gameweek 2: Dunk always thrives against Newcastle
The 2022-23 season is officially underway, meaning Fantasy Premier League managers have 90 minutes more knowledge about teams and players. There is a rather bigger bank of information available when it comes to Brighton against Newcastle United, and it all suggests Lewis Dunk is the player to have in FPL for Gameweek 2.
Plenty of Albion assets aside from Dunk will have caught the eye in the Seagulls’ brilliant 2-1 win at Manchester United.
Pascal Gross (£5.5 million) scored both the goals. He now has six in total against United, three of which have been winning goals.
Across the whole of FPL, only three players returned more than Gross in Gameweek 1. Der Kaiser was also the fourth-highest player in the Bonus Point System, ensuring he finished with all three additional points.
Gross has a pretty decent record against Newcastle, too. He has returned six points in both of his last outings against the Toon. His cheap price point and ownership of just 0.8 percent mean he can be a fantastic differential for FPL managers.
Invest in the defence
Whilst Brighton did not manage a clean sheet in Gameweek 1, their defensive assets did impress at Old Trafford and were unlucky to have conceded.
Erik ten Hag’s side had 17 attempts on goal, yet the Seagulls restricted them to just five shots on target. That suggests the Albion back line are in good form.
Furthermore, Dunk (£4.5 million) and Adam Webster (£4.5 million) each had a shot inside the box. Both offer potential for points at either end of the pitch.
And what about that Lewis Dunk FPL record for Brighton against Newcastle? Dunk has made 10 top flight appearances against the Toon.
In that time, he has averaged 5.8 points per match and has only blanked twice. The defender has amassed one goal, seven clean sheets and seven bonus points. Those are numbers that cannot be ignored.
Top Gameweek 2 Target
Unsure on Dunk? Then how about Leandro Trossard (£6.5 million) as a Gameweek 2 target? Trossard is a forward listed as a midfielder and is owned by just 2.3 percent of FPL managers.
Like Dunk, the Vampire of Genk does well against Newcastle with an average of seven points per match. He has returned in four of his last five meetings against the Toon, including two double digit hauls.
Captain Fantastic
Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah (£13.0 million) continued his record of returning in every opening weekend Premier League fixture.
In Gameweek 2, he faces Crystal Palace in the Monday night fixture. Salah has returned in each of his last seven league outings against Palace with an average of 10.85 points per match.
During those seven, he has totalled seven goals, six assists, four double-digit hauls and seven bonus points. He loves facing the Eagles, who looked especially ordinary without Conor Gallagher in their Friday defeat to Arsenal.
Managers should also consider Manchester City’s new striker Erling Haaland (£11.6 million). A brace and all three bonuses were picked up on his Premier League debut, whilst also being joint-top for goal attempts amongst forwards.
Do you know who equalled Haaland’s five? Danny Welbeck. Because Welbz is Dat Guy.
You can pick up expert advice throughout the 2022-23 Fantasy Premier League season with Fantasy Football Scout
