Brighton FPL Gameweek 38: Trossard back in form for Gunners finale
What a way to welcome fans back to the Amex. Brighton rounded off their home season with a 3-2 victory against champions Manchester City in FPL gameweek 37 with Leandro Trossard looking like the best player on the pitch despite the millions of petrodollars Sheikh Mansour has lavished on the Citizens.
Dan Burn’s (£4.2 million) total of three shots was top for the game. Trossard (£5.5 million), Pascal Gross (£5.8 million) and Alexis Mac Allister (£5.3 million) were the leading chance creators with three apiece and Gross and Jakub Moder (£5.0 million) were the highest performers for touches in the final third, with 41 and 35 respectively.
As a team, Brighton managed 19 shots, made 540 successful passes, registered 782 touches in the opposition half and put in 14 crosses.
These stats are impressive on their own but made even more remarkable when you consider that this was against the team running away with the Premier League title. The Citizens under Guardiola had never recorded a percentage share of possession as low as they did in Brighton 3-2 Man City.
Brighton have a trip to north London in the final gameweek of the season for a match against an Arsenal side who have only managed one win in their last four home matches and that was against an already relegated West Bromwich Albion side.
With Burn finally scoring his first Premier League goal on Tuesday evening to give the commentators something else to talk about other than Dan Burn being 6’7 tall, he could be an excellent differential pick for the final gameweek.
At just 0.7% owned, Burn’s chances of a clean sheet in gameweek 38 will be strengthened by the return of captain Lewis Dunk (£4.8 million) from suspension.
Over the season, Brighton are second only to Chelsea for attempts from corners. This enhances the appeal for players such as Dunk and Burn as a result of their aerial threat from dead-ball situations. Brighton have taken 216 corners during the 2020-21 season and have the fourth best conversion rate in the league (27.3%).
Neal Maupay’s (£5.9 million) extended suspension, alongside a hamstring injury to Danny Welbeck (£5.5 million), means that Fantasy Premier League managers are probably wisest to invest in the midfield if they want to bring in a Brighton attacking asset for this final round.
Gross is the Brighton midfielder in the best form with returns in three of his last four Premier League matches thanks to a goal, two assists, a clean sheet point and two bonus points.
However, FPL managers should also look at Trossard who came on for the injured Welbeck against City and registered an impressive nine points with a goal and two bonus points as Brighton shocked the champions.
Trossard tends to hit form in patches; four or five quiet games are then followed by a month of excellent performances. Having been inconsistent since being nominated for Premier League Player of the Month in March, Trossard was unplayable for the hour he was on the pitch against City which makes a strong case for a repeat performance at Arsenal.
Captain Fantastic
Choosing a captain on the final day of the season is always a big decision. It is the final opportunity to gain a decisive advantage in mini-leagues and climb up the overall rankings.
Most FPL managers will look to players who have something left to fight for, so Harry Kane (£11.9 million) and Mohamed Salah (£12.9 million) both look like good captaincy options for gameweek 38 as they push for the Golden Boot as well as trying to ensure European football for their clubs next season.
As Brighton can attest after their gameweek 37 performance, fans in stands can make a huge difference to the home players. Patrick Bamford (£6.5 million) has rediscovered his form in the last three gameweeks and a home match against West Brom with a sizable Leeds crowd at Elland Road looks the perfect opportunity for a differential captaincy choice.
You can pick up expert advice throughout the 2020-21 Fantasy Premier League season with Fantasy Football Scout
