Brighton FPL Gameweek 20: Sanchez at one end, Maupay the other
It has been a good week to be a Seagulls fan. Progression in the FA Cup via a fourth round win over Blackpool was preceded by Brighton picking up three points at the Leeds United in FPL gameweek 19 thanks to a Neal Maupay goal and a Robert Sanchez clean sheet.
This new-found form has come at a good time ahead of a huge six pointer against relegation rivals Fulham in gameweek 20, a side who have proven hard to break down in recent weeks on their way to recording five draws from their past seven matches.
Brighton will need to be as creative as they were against Blackpool at the weekend to see off the Cottagers and move eight points clear of the drop zone. The Seagulls mustered 24 attempts on goal which, even against League One opponents, is impressive.
If they can improve their finishing prowess – easier said than done, of course – then they could provide some excellent differential Fantasy Premier League options in the coming weeks.
Time for Maupay
With two goals in his past three Premier League matches, Maupay (£6.1 million) is making a strong case to fill the boots of the injured Jamie Vardy for the 25.7% of managers who currently own the Leicester City striker and are wondering how to replace him.
Maupay’s expected goals rating (xG) over the last three gameweeks is 1.58, and he has an expected goal involvement (xGI) of 1.69. This is nearly three times the xG of Patrick Bamford, the most owned FPL forward asset in the same price bracket as Maupay, and more than double Bamford’s xGI.
Maupay also rates more highly than Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins (£6.1 million), Southampton’s Che Adams (£6.0 million) and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Fabio Silva (£5.2 million).
WeAreBrighton.com December Player of the Month Yves Bissouma (£4.5 million) is back from his suspension to shore up the Brighton midfield, which may allow the talents of Pascal Gross and Davy Propper to be deployed a little further forward. With two proven creators helping to feed Maupay, now might be the perfect time to invest in the Frenchman.
Safe pair of hands
Maupay is not the only Brighton player to have made a strong case for FPL involvement in recent weeks – Robert Sanchez too is starting to prove his worth.
Maty Ryan (£4.2 million) completing his loan move to Arsenal means that FPL managers can now select Sanchez safe in the knowledge that he will be playing week in, week out as the Albion’s established number one.
It was against Fulham in December that Sanchez took over from Ryan. That game ended in a 0-0 draw and Sanchez returned nine points including a clean sheet, two bonus points and a save point.
Priced at just £4.4 million, Sanchez could be the perfect option for FPL managers. While Brighton have a mixed bag of fixtures defensively over the next few weeks, Sanchez will likely provide additional save points and bonus points.
He also rotates nicely with the likes of Crystal Palace’s Vincente Guaita (£4.8 million) or Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez (£5.1 million).
Captain Fantastic
With Pep Guardiola ruling Kevin De Bruyne (£11.9 million) out of gameweek 20 and indeed the next four to six weeks with a hamstring injury, the obvious choice for the captain’s armband this week is Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes (£11.3 million).
Fernandes might have only returned once in the last three gameweeks, but he faces Sheffield United who are the fourth worst team in the league for goals conceded, as well as being bottom of the pile for clean sheets with only one so far this season.
More maverick FPL managers may want to go for a differential captain pick. The likes of Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan (£5.5 million) with returns in four of the last five gameweeks and West Ham United’s Michail Antonio (£6.3 million) who scored in each of his two gameweek 19 matches both look like attractive options.
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