Brighton FPL Gameweek 20: Pick Pedro after best ever points haul
It has been an unforgettable 2023 for supporters of Brighton and their calendar year was rounded off in style with a 4-2 win over Spurs – including two goals, an assist and a best-ever FPL points haul for Joao Pedro.
The Albion’s performance against Tottenham was up their most impressive of the past 12 months – high praise indeed given Brighton secured a sixth place finish, Europa League football for the first time and then topped Group B following famous wins over Marseille and Dutch giants Ajax (twice).
The challenge for Roberto De Zerbi is to make 2024 equally memorable. Brighton start the new year with a trip to West Ham, where Seagulls assets such as Pedro are sure to be of interest to FPL managers given they have had a generous five-day gap between festive matches in which to rest and refresh.
Joao Pedro (£5.4 million)
Pedro really is the man of the moment for Brighton. The Brazilian forward has stepped up at a time when injuries, suspensions and line up rotations have stretched the Albion’s squad to the limit.
This is particularly true in wide forward areas, where the medium-term absence of Kaoru Mitoma (£6.5 million) and Simon Adingra (£5.0 million) could have left Brighton looking short of goals.
Instead, they put four past Spurs. Pedro netted two penalties and set up Jack Hinshelwood (£4.5 million) for the teenager’s second goal in five games.
Pedro’s score of 16 FPL points was his highest yet and he has now converted eight spot kicks out of eight across all competitions.
In fact, Pedro could have exceeded 20 points against Tottenham had he not been denied by Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario when clean through.
Of all FPL forwards, Pedro ranks third for penalty area touches (107) and seventh for shots inside the box (36).
Having the depth of eight good attackers could prove very handy for FPL managers over the coming weeks. Pedro offers a cheap, penalty-taking forward with seven goals to his name and promising upcoming fixtures on the horizon.
Pedro was a popular transfer in during the early Gameweeks after beginning his Albion career with a debut penalty against Luton Town. He will no doubt be on many more managers’ radars now.
Captaincy
Those still with Julian Alvarez (£6.8 million) may be tempted to captain the Manchester City forward as he takes on lowly Sheffield United at the Etihad Stadium, knowing that teammate Erling Haaland (£13.9 million) is unlikely to return from his foot injury.
Fellow striker Ollie Watkins (£8.8 million) is also at home to a promoted side with Aston Villa hosting Burnley. It should be noted though that Watkins blanked at Villa Park against both the Blades and Luton.
Furthermore, there is premium pair Mohamed Salah (£13.3 million) and Son Heung-min (£9.9 million), both playing for the final time before departing for AFCON and Asian Cup duties respectively.
Salah is against an out-of-form Newcastle United whilst Son faces one of his favourite opponents. From 11 career meetings with Bournemouth, he has bagged six goals and two assists.
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