In Double Gameweek 36, Brighton and Hove Albion and Newcastle United meet Arsenal and Leeds United respectively, before facing off against each other at St James’ Park next Thursday.
As the only two teams playing twice, there is lots of interest in their assets, but which of their Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players have the best chance of hauling?
Here, we take a look at two weaknesses Brighton and Newcastle will be hoping to exploit in Double Gameweek 36.
ARSENAL: LEFT FLANK
Oleksandr Zinchenko (£5.1m) is an excellent player who offers a lot offensively, but his hybrid role between midfield and left-back can sometimes see him get caught out of position.
You can see how he moves around the pitch in his touch heatmap below, from Gameweeks 32-35.
Above: Oleksandr Zinchenko’s touch heatmap Gameweeks 32-35
This weakness showed against Newcastle United last time out, when Zinchenko offered a lot on the ball but defensively, left Arsenal exposed, so it wasn’t necessarily surprising when he was taken off after an hour.
In that match, right winger Jacob Murphy (£4.2m) hit the post in the opening minutes and created some good chances, while in Gameweek 34, Zinchenko completely lost track of Noni Madueke (£5.4m) – another right-sided player – for Chelsea’s only goal.
He also got caught out of position for Southampton’s second goal in Gameweek 32, with William Gallas later saying “Defending is not his strength. One versus one is often a problem”.
Now, we’ve since found out Zinchenko will miss the remainder of the season, having picked up a calf problem last weekend. His replacement will, in all likelihood, be Kieran Tierney (£4.6m), who is more of a conventional left-back who tends to overlap his winger.
However, in his last league start against West Ham United in Gameweek 31, he was asked to try and replicate Zinchenko’s inverted role but didn’t look entirely comfortable. As you can see below, he often stepped inside, but in doing so, allowed Jarrod Bowen (£8.0m) – who netted the equaliser in the second half – to play with more freedom.
Above: Kieran Tierney’s touch heatmap v West Ham in Gameweek 31
If Tierney tucks into midfield against Brighton and the Seagulls transition quickly, the visitor’s right winger can take advantage. That would usually be Solly March (£5.3m), so it’s a shame he’s probably out, but in his absence, Facundo Buonanotte (£4.5m) and/or Julio Enciso (£4.6m) could step up.
The pair could even combine down Albion’s right if one is deployed as a no. 10, with Pascal Gross (£5.4m) in support from right-back if Joel Veltman (£4.6m) is ruled out.
Added to that, left-back Dan Burn (£4.5m) is generally regarded as the weakest link in Newcastle’s back four, who Brighton will be up against in the second part of their Gameweek 36 double-header.
It is, of course, difficult to predict how Roberto De Zerbi will line up, given that he often changes his system to exploit opposition weaknesses, but if he does hint at a start for Buonanotte/Enciso in Friday’s pre-match presser, as he has done before, they might just be worth a punt.
At this stage, we should probably remind ourselves that Arsenal and Newcastle are two of the best defences in the league. Even after a wobble, the Gunners have looked a lot more assured of late, with Jacob Kiwior (£4.0m) partnering Gabriel Magalhaes (£5.2m) at the back, so these will undoubtedly be very difficult games for Brighton.
LEEDS: MIDFIELD POSITIONING
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