Brighton FPL Gameweek 3: Popular Pascal to deliver Gross points
Pascal Gross was the seventh most bought player in FPL ahead of Gameweek 2 thanks to his brace against Manchester United on the opening day of the Premier League season.
The Seagulls 0-0 draw with Newcastle might have been a frustrating result given the chances the Albion had. And Gross may not have delivered the same sort of points haul he managed at Old Trafford.
It did though continue Brighton’s strong, unbeaten start to the campaign. As for Gross, he is worth sticking with as Gameweek 3 opponents West Ham United happen to be one of his favourite teams to play against.
The case for the Brighton defence
Before we delve into Gross’ numbers, let us have a look at the Albion defence. Robert Sanchez (£4.5 million) is currently the most owned Brighton player in FPL, found in 11.7 percent of teams.
Sanchez was unlucky to concede at United. He still managed to return four points thanks to one save point and a bonus.
Saturday brought in six points thanks to the clean sheet against Newcastle, making Sanchez the fourth highest scoring goalkeeper in FPL so far.
His ownership figure shows that Sanchez is no FPL secret. Good Brighton defensive assets stretch beyond their goalkeeper with the back line also giving reasons for inclusion.
Joel Veltman (£5.5 million) and Lewis Dunk (£4.5 million) both topped up their clean sheet points with bonuses last wqeekend.
Veltman scored eight points. Dunk’s seven meanwhile can be partially credited to the Brighton captain ranking third for clearances, blocks and interceptions (CBI) amongst all FPL defenders.
Brighton have a promising fixture run from now until Gameweek 12, apart from the meetings with Liverpool in Gameweek 9 and Spurs in Gameweek 10.
It therefore seems wise to invest in at least one of the Albion’s back line, given its defensive solidity.
Pascal and his Gross FPL returns
So, what of Gross? He was unlucky not to score against Newcastle, ranking as one of the weekend’s biggest expected goal (xG) underachievers.
In terms of chances created, the four scoring opportunities Gross made were bettered by only Kevin De Bruyne (£12 milliom) and Aaron Cresswell (£5.0 million). Gross registered one goal attempt, as well as creating four chances for teammates.
Brighton’s next opponents are West Ham. Three months ago, Gross returned a 13 point haul against the Hammers when Brighton ran out 3-1 victors to secure ninth spot in the table.
He bagged a goal, assist and all three bonus points in Brighton’s 3-1 victory on the final day of last season., helping him to win the WAB Brighton Player of the Month award for May.
Captain Fantastic
Mohamed Salah (£13.0 million) will likely be a popular pick for the Gameweek 3 captain’s armband. On paper, Salah has a tricky trip to Man United.
However, in the two meetings of last season, Salah registered 43 points against the Red Devils. His 19 and 24 point hauls came from five goals, two assists, two clean sheet points and six bonuses.
Tottenham trio Harry Kane (£11.4 million), Son Heung-Min (£12.0 million) and Dejan Kulusevski (£8.1 million) will all be part of the captaincy conversation, as they host Wolves.
Kane has returned 18 points from his last three home games against the Old Gold. Kulusevski meanwhile has assisted nine goals since making his debut, more than any other Premier League player.
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