Two more of Sunday’s matches to recap now: Brentford 2-2 Crystal Palace and Leeds United 1-0 Brighton and Hove Albion.
- READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 37: Sunday’s goals, assists, bonus + DefCon
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Brilliant Bruno, Casemiro farewell + Anderson impresses
PALACE INJURIES
Palace defenders Chris Richards (£4.4m), Chadi Riad (£4.0m) and Maxence Lacroix (£5.2m) all picked up issues at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Richards’ situation, however, is the only real concern.
“Chadi Riad felt some cramp, Maxence Lacroix I think somebody pokes his eye and it was a little bit blurry. Then Chris Richards twisted his ankle, it’s quite swollen to be honest, so him I have a little bit of concern for the next couple of days.
“But Chadi Riad and Maxence will be fine but we have to do further assessment with Chris Richards. It’s crazy that your three centre-backs have been injured in one game, but that’s how it is.” – Oliver Glasner
GLASNER: “WE WILL PLAY THE STRONGEST TEAM AGAINST ARSENAL”
Speaking to the BBC in the aftermath of Sunday’s 2-2 draw, Oliver Glasner discussed his line-up plans for Gameweek 38.
Remember, Palace host Arsenal on the final day, before the Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano three days later.
“This is what I said at the press conference before Brentford and everybody saw today. We had a mid-week game against Manchester City, we had the mid-week game last week. Players are fit, players are fresh. We have now one week’s time. Players have two days off to really to relax, to recharge, then we will meet on Wednesday to prepare for the final eight or nine days and so we will play the strongest team against Arsenal.
“We do it for us, we don’t do it for City or for Arsenal, we do it for us, for Crystal Palace and we do it for our fans. It’s the last game at Selhurst, they deserve to see a top performance. This is what we want to show against Arsenal. Of course, we will manage the minutes a little bit because we have to. But that doesn’t change anything.” – Oliver Glasner
On Sunday, the minute management before the Conference League final continued, as Glasner looks to keep his squad fresh.
Adam Wharton (£5.0m), Daichi Kamada (£5.0m), Ismaila Sarr (£6.4m) and Jorgen Strand Larsen (£5.9m) all dropped to the bench in midweek but were recalled here.
Brennan Johnson (£6.5m) came on for Yeremy Pino (£5.8m) at half-time, too.
Somewhat surprisingly, Brentford couldn’t match the early intensity and determination of Palace, certainly in the first half, with the visitors a constant threat every time they went forward.
Sarr buried his penalty and crashed another effort off the bar, before Strand Larsen’s effort struck the post.
However, Palace eventually found the net again, when Wharton’s low drive from Daniel Munoz’s (£5.9m) pass sneaked in.
It was, in fact, Wharton’s first goal for Palace.
“In the last games he hit the post twice and it was just a question of when he would score his first goal. We need this from midfield. They are progressing [in that area].” – Oliver Glasner on Adam Wharton
DANGO HAUL
Back on home turf, Keith Andrews reverted to a more attacking 4-2-3-1, with Dango Ouattara (£5.6m) on the right.
With Mikkel Damsgaard (£5.6m) preferred on the opposite flank, Kevin Schade (£6.8m) subsequently dropped to the bench for the first time since Gameweek 27.
Above: Brentford’s front four v Palace, via BBC Sport
Brentford were gifted an equaliser in the first half when Jaydee Canvot (£4.5m) got his head to a cross, but the ball smacked Dango in the face and ricocheted into the net.
But his second strike was well-deserved, as he nodded in after Sepp van den Berg (£4.4m) had flicked on a long throw into the box.
Later, Igor Thiago (£7.3m) blazed over the crossbar from close range.
Brentford have won only one of their last nine matches, but they remain firmly in contention for Europe and currently occupy the Premier League’s Conference League place.
They are set to visit Liverpool on the final day.
CALVERT-LEWIN AGAIN
At Elland Road, Brighton ended the match on top of all of the key statistics, having produced 3.06 expected goals (xG) compared to Leeds’ 0.39.
However, Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.8m) pounced in injury time to score a late winner, as he took advantage of a poor pass by Jan Paul van Hecke (£4.7m) before slotting home.
The budget forward has now plundered 14 goals this season, the fourth-most of any FPL forward.
Calvert-Lewin’s strike was actually Leeds’ first attempt on target on Sunday, making the loss of Brighton’s clean sheet even more frustrating for owners.
At the other end, a Pascal Gross (£5.6m) effort forced Karl Darlow (£4.0m) to make one of his seven total saves, while Danny Welbeck (£6.4m) was only denied by some superb Ethan Ampadu (£4.9m) defending.
A quick word on Ferdi Kadioglu (£4.5m), too.
He started ‘out of position’ on the right wing and created two big chances for his teammates.
Despite defeat, Brighton are still in the mix for Europe, but they will need to beat Manchester United in Gameweek 38 to guarantee qualification.
STACH INJURY
The only blemish on a decent afternoon for Leeds was an injury to Anton Stach (£4.8m).
The German midfielder had to be carried off on a stretcher, with further assessment now required.
“We have to assess him. Someone fell on his knee or ankle. He couldn’t carry on.” – Daniel Farke on Anton Stach
Brenden Aaronson (£5.4m) also picked up an injury, although his issue doesn’t sound serious.
“Brenden was a dead leg. Should be alright.” – Daniel Farke on Brenden Aaronson
Pascal Struijk (£4.2m), meanwhile, missed out due to injury and was replaced by Sebastiaan Bornauw (£3.8m) at the back.
