Europa League semi-final defeat means Arsene Wenger’s 22-year Arsenal reign is now just three matches from its conclusion.
Those fixtures (BUR/lei hud) offer Fantasy managers the potential for both points and frustration in almost equal measure.
The Gunners’ European exit – losing 1-0 at Atletico Madrid (and 2-1 on aggregate) – was dignified enough, but could raise questions as to the players’ motivation across the final two Gameweeks of the season.
Wenger’s last home match in charge, Sunday’s clash with Burnley, is sure to be an emotional one and a sell-out. But coming just three days after an intense encounter with Atletico, the team’s mental and physical resilience may be an issue.
Matters won’t be helped by a serious injury to captain Laurent Koscielny, who tore an Achilles in Spain and is now almost certain to miss France’s World Cup campaign.
That will only weaken a backline that’s kept just two clean sheets since Gameweek 18.
Investment in Arsenal defenders has been muted as a result, with Hector Bellerin (9.9%) and Nacho Monreal (8.4%) the only two regular starters with significant ownership.
Both played the full match against Atletico, enduring a disappointing night of good attacking positions wasted by their poor delivery.
Calum Chambers (4.7) replaced Koscielny and, on paper at least, is a cut-price way into the Gunners’ defence for those trips to a beach-eyeing Leicester City and a Huddersfield outfit that’s scored just twice in the last seven Gameweeks.
But Arsenal’s away form is spectacularly awful – they haven’t won on the road in 15 league matches and last kept a clean sheet on their travels in Gameweek 17.
Any interest in their assets, as ever, is likely to involve players further up the pitch.
Should Wenger cast aside his recent rotation policy in a bid to see out his tenure strongly, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was ineligible in Europe, looks set to come back into contention.
With 11.5% ownership, the winter signing is the team’s most popular player in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) and it would be a major surprise if he isn’t given a consistent run-out over the final three fixtures.
Aubameyang has five goals and three assists in the Gunners’ last seven league outings, blanking on just one of those occasions.
But a 10.7 price tag is a deterrent when there are other premium-priced strikers such as Gabriel Jesus (10.4) and Golden Boot contender Harry Kane (13.0) also playing twice.
Furthermore, Wenger could move the Gabon international out wide on the left, with Alexandre Lacazette – who has four goals in as many league outings since returning from injury – leading the line instead.
Midfield could be the best route for would-be investors, then, with the likes of Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who was fit enough for an appearance from the bench last night, pushing for starting berths against the Clarets.
The latter’s strike at Man United on Sunday means he now has two goals and an assist (and 21 FPL points) in his last two league starts. At a cost of 7.7, he’s averaged 6.7 points per start since arriving at the Emirates and could now be our go-to Gunners’ option.
Elsewhere, four goals, an assist and 37 FPL points in his last four matches underline the potential of Aaron Ramsey as a mid-price differential – priced at just 6.8, the Welshman resides in only 4% of squads.
Yet with just four appearances in the last ten Gameweeks, Ramsey’s injury history means he’s suffered more than most when Wenger has shuffled his pack post-Europe.
