Fantasy Premier League

FPL long view: Be wary of Brighton fixtures from Gameweek 4

By The Scout 22 Aug 2023

The Scout on why managers should be careful of over-investing ahead of Seagulls’ tough schedule

Owners of Brighton & Hove Albion’s form players in Fantasy Premier League should be alert to a tough upcoming run of opponents from Gameweek 4.

The Seagulls have started the season in superb form, claiming back-to-back 4-1 wins over Luton Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers in their first two matches.

Pervis Estupinan (£5.2m) and Kaoru Mitoma (£6.6m) have justified their huge popularity in Fantasy and rank among the five top-scoring players in 2023/24.

Meanwhile, Solly March (£6.6m) has soared to the top of the player standings with three goals and 24 points.

That trio are also among the five most-bought players in Gameweek 3 ahead of their home meeting with West Ham United.

Part 3: FPL experts: Lessons learned from first two Gameweeks

There’s no doubt that investment could pay off immediately, as the Seagulls won the corresponding fixture 4-0 last season.

But following their encounter with the Hammers, Brighton’s schedule takes a significant turn for the worse for a number of matches.

From Gameweek 4, five of their subsequent six opponents are sides who finished in the top seven in 2022/23.

Roberto De Zerbi’s men will face Newcastle United, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester City in a run that is likely to curtail their output in Fantasy.

Brighton’s schedule GW4-GW9

GW	Opponent	FDR	GW	Opponent	FDR
4	NEW (H)	4	7	AVL (A)	3
5	MUN (A)	4	8	LIV (H)	4
6	BOU (H)	2	9	MCI (A)	5

Estupinan’s multiple routes to returns means the vast majority of his 61 per cent ownership will be happy to keep him.

The left-back is the top-scoring defender in Fantasy despite failing to keep a clean sheet in his first two outings. He has combined a goal with two assists for a total of 18 points.

Estupinan's goal v Wolves

.@PervisEstupinan doubled our lead! 🇪🇨🙌 pic.twitter.com/TkvR21hf96
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) August 19, 2023

His eight chances created place joint-second for the Seagulls, underlining his huge influence on their attack.

See: Scout Selection: Best FPL team for Gameweek 3

Mitoma’s 43 per cent backers face a tougher decision, with a host of in-form midfielders challenging the Japanese star for a place in FPL managers’ starting XIs.

Certainly, the benching of Joao Pedro (£5.6m) against Wolves last weekend has made the decision an easy one for the Brazilian's owners.

Joao Pedro is the most-sold forward in the Gameweek by some margin, moved on by 340,000+ managers ahead of Friday’s 18:30 BST deadline.

See: Best replacements for benched Joao Pedro in Fantasy

Time up for Arsenal stars?

Meanwhile, managers who have started the season with two Arsenal attackers are also likely to be reassessing their tactics due to the upcoming schedule.

Although the Gunners have a very kind home meeting with Fulham this weekend, they will face Man Utd, Spurs, Man City, Chelsea and Newcastle in five of their subsequent eight matches from Gameweek 4.

Arsenal's schedule GW4-11

GW	Opp.	FDR	GW	Opp.	FDR
4	MUN (H)	3	8	MCI (H)	5
5	EVE (A)	2	9	CHE (A)	3
6	TOT (H)	3	10	SHU (H)	2
7	BOU (A)	2	11	NEW (A)	4

Fortunately for managers in Fantasy, Brighton and Arsenal’s downturns in schedule coincide with an improved run of opponents for Chelsea, Spurs and Man City.

All three clubs have favourable fixtures in Gameweek 3, giving managers the perfect opportunity to scout potential replacements before making a transfer for Gameweek 4.