Our team-by-team guide to the new Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season continues with this preview of Brighton and Hove Albion.
The 2020/21 campaign was a curious one for the Albion, whose 16th-place finish belied some impressive underlying stats – as we’ll discuss below.
Graham Potter’s side could be ones to watch in FPL with the right additions in the transfer market and they’ll certainly be high on the radar from the off, as they sit top of our Season Ticker from Gameweeks 1-8.
Don’t forget that you can find official Opta team and player information on the Seagulls in our Premium Members Area.
EVEN MORE TO COME DEFENSIVELY?
Brighton’s brief flirtation with the drop zone had little to do with their backline.
Potter’s troops conceded only two more goals than Premier League runners-up Manchester United and had a better defensive record than high-flying Leicester City and West Ham United.
This was no fluke, as their underlying numbers show:
| Total | Rank v other Premier League sides | |
| Goals conceded | 46 | =7th |
| Clean sheets | 12 | =5th |
| Shots conceded | 358 | 4th |
| Shots in the box conceded | 222 | 3rd |
| Shots on target conceded | 125 | 3rd |
| Big chances conceded | 51 | 3rd |
| Expected goals conceded (xGC) | 35.86 | 3rd |
While 12 clean sheets was a respectable total, it could have been even better for the Seagulls.
Their xGC delta (the difference between Opta’s ‘expected goals conceded’ and actual goals shipped) was +10.14, making them the second biggest underachievers in the division from a defensive perspective.
