What to expect from the Gameweek 31 fixtures
At the midway point of the March international break now is the time to focus in on Gameweek 31. With Burnley and Everton playing twice we take a look at what to expect from the Gameweek 31 fixtures.
Everton and Burnley both play twice in Gameweek 31. Burnley also playing twice again in Gameweek 31 giving them added FPL appeal. FPL managers will all be heading into Double Gameweek 31 with different chip strategies and plans. Regardless of FPL managers chip strategies targeting the right players is going to be key.
Gameweek 31 fixtures: Livepool v Watford
There have been 15 previous meetings in the Premier League between Liverpool and Watford. Liverpool have won 11 of these, Watford just three and there has been one draw.
Liverpool have won all of their last five Premier League matches. Watford have lost three, drawn one and won just once.
Across these two teams Mo Salah is the top goal scorer with twenty. Diogo Jota is second with 13 and Sadio Mane third with 12. Trent Alexander-Arnold has the most assists so far this season with 11. Andy Robertson and Salah are second with 10 each.
On average this season Liverpool create 2.79 chances per match, significantly more than the 1.31 Watford create on average.
Defensively Liverpool have kept 17 clean sheets this season, in comparison to just three for Watford.
Gameweek 31 fixtures: Brighton v Norwich
There have been three previous meetings in the Premier League between Brighton and Norwich. Brighton have won two of these and there has been one draw.
Both sides go in to this fixture having lost all of their last five Premier League matches.
Across these two teams Neal Maupay and Teemu Pukki are the top goal scorers with eight. Alexis Mac Allister is third with four. Pascal Gross, Jakub Moder and Enock Mwepu have each register three assists so far this season.
On average this season Brighton create 1.28 chances per match, significantly more than the 0.55 Norwich create on average.
Defensively Brighton have kept 7 clean sheets this season, in comparison to just four for Norwich.
Gameweek 31 fixtures: Burnley v Man City
There have been 15 previous meetings in the Premier League between Burnley and Man City. Man City have won 11 of these, Burnley just one and there has been three draws.
Man City have won three of their last five Premier League matches, dropping points in a drew with Palace and losing to Spurs. Burnley have lost their last three Premier League games.
Across these two teams Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling are the top goal scorers with ten. Kevin De Bruyne is third with nine. Gabriel Jesus is top for assists this season with 7, Joao Cancelo is second with five. Ilkay Gundogan comes in third with four.
On average this season Man City create 2.24 chances per match, significantly more than the 1.07 Burnley create on average.
Defensively Man City have kept 17 clean sheets this season, in comparison to seven for Burnley.
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Gameweek 31 fixtures: Chelsea v Brentford
There has only been 1 previous meeting in the Premier League between Chelsea and Brentford. The reverse of this fixture earlier on in the season resulted in a win for Chelsea.
Chelsea have won all of their last five Premier League matches. Brentford have lost three and won two in the same period.
Across these two teams Ivan Toney has scored the most goals with 11. Mason Mount is second with eight and Jorginho third with six. Mount is also top for assists this season with 7, Reece James is second with six. Mateo Kovacic comes in third with five assists so far this season.
On average this season Chelsea create 1.96 chances per match, significantly more than the 1.1 Brentford create on average.
Defensively Chelsea have kept 13 clean sheets this season, in comparison to six for Brentford.
View from the community – FPL Reactions (Louis)
Chelsea face Brentford in Gameweek 31, just four days before their Champions League match against Real Madrid. This might cause FPL managers some headaches as Tuchel will want his best team match fit for the European night.
Brentford have won only two matches in the last 10. In that same period they have conceded 17 goals, averaging 1.7 goals conceded per match, showing that they’re a team to target.
On the other hand Chelsea form they’ve not lost a match in the last 10 fixtures. In fact they’ve only lost one single match in their last 20 and that was against Man City. Thus showing elite form in all competitions.
Defensively Chelsea have also improved since their mid season blip. In the last six matches Chelsea have been better Man City and Liverpool in several underlying defensive stats. Chelsea are the best for attempts conceded in the box, second best for goal attempts conceded outside the box, the best for shots conceded, joint best for big chances conceded.
The underlying stats for Brentford are interesting. They remain top 10 worst and in some cases top five worst for some of the key defensive stats. More importantly in this case they are the second worst for crosses conceded from both the left and the right flank which leads me into the first asset we should be looking at.
Reece James
Reece James (£6.2m) has withdrawn from international duty with England. With reports that he is hoping to be fit and available for Gameweek 31.
Hitting hauls of 18 points, 18 points again and a 21 pointer James has the potential to outscore any player in any given Gameweek which makes him someone managers have to be looking at, especially because he’s been in full training lately.
Reece James will look to take advantage of the fact that Brentford concede many chances down their flanks with the help of team mate Havertz to put them away, which leads me onto my next asset.
Kai Havertz
Havertz (£7.9m) is offering much more than people think, one of those things is something managers have been looking for in a Chelsea attacking asset for a long time and that’s reliability in terms of minutes. Starting the last eight out of 10 matches for Chelsea missing only the cup games suggests he’s nailed.
In the last three Premier League matches Havertz has returning a whopping 33 points. That’s an average of 11 points per match including four goals and an assist, suggesting hot form.
Another factor in this game specifically is that Havertz is joint top amongst midfielders for headed goals scored, combined with the fact that Brentford are conceding so many crosses from both wings suggests this could be a great game for Havertz.
Conclusion
Both assets show potential to hit high massive hauls and both assets can take advantage of Brentford’s defensive frailties on the flanks through creating and scoring. With good long term fixtures and the high possibility Chelsea double in Gameweek 36, Reece James and Kai Havertz should be on most FPL managers shopping list.
Gameweek 31 fixtures: Leeds v Southampton
There have been 27 previous meetings in the Premier League between Leeds and Southampton. Leeds have won 14 of the matches, Southampton have won six and there have been seven draws.
Leeds have shown some new manager bounce under Marsch winning their last two Premier League matches. Southampton however have lost all of their last three Premier League matches.
Across these two teams Raphinha has scored the most goals with nine. Che Adams is second with seven and Armando Broja third with six. Nathan Redmond has returned five assists this season and is top across these two sides. James Ward-Prowse is second with four, followed by Adams with three.
On average this season Southampton create 1.34 chances per match, slightly more than Leeds who create 1.17 chances on average.
Defensively Southampton have kept seven clean sheets this season, in comparison to three for Leeds.
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Gameweek 31 fixtures: Wolves v Aston Villa
There have been 13 previous meetings in the Premier League between Wolves and Aston Villa. Villa have won five of the matches, Wolves have won four and there have been four draws.
Both sides lost their last Premier League matches in Gameweek 30. Villa however are in better form having won three of their last five matches, compared to Wolves who have won two of their last five.
Across these two teams Ollie Watkins the top goal scorers with seven. Raul Jimenez and Jacob Ramsey are tied second having scored six goals each. Although Jimenez is banned for Gameweek 31 as a result of his red card against Leeds. Danny Ings is top for assists this season with five, Emi Buendia is second with four and Matty Cash is third with three.
On average this season Wolves create 1.1 chances per match, very significantly more than the 1.07 that Villa create on average.
Defensively Wolves have kept 11 clean sheets this season, in comparison to nine for Villa.
View from the community – FPL Reactions (Louis)
Aston Villa have looked a better team under Gerrard, however their form is still inconsistent. They have gone from winning 3 or 4-0 to then losing games 1-0. What is clear though is that they can score goals and so the potential is there.
Although sometimes inconsistent defensively they’ve actually improved massively according to some key underlying stats. They are joint second in the last six matches for clean sheets with three and fifth best for goal attempts conceded in the box. They are also joint third best for shots on target conceded just behind Man City and Chelsea and joint fifth for attempts from set plays conceded.
Offensively that improvement has also been seen in underlying stats for Villa. In the last six they were fifth and sixth in the league respectively for most successful crosses and total crosses. They were fourth for goals from set plays, third for attempts from set plays and in top 10 for most of the other key offensive stats. Noticeably a threat from set plays.
Wolves however as In a tough run of form. They have lost four of their last six matches. Defensively the underlying stats reflect that of their slump in form. Wolves were the second worst in the last six Gameweeks for goal attempts in the box conceded and second worst for goal attempts outside the box conceded. They are also third worst for shots on target conceded, attempts from set plays conceded and crosses conceded from their right flank. Wolves are also second worst for chances conceded down their right flank.
Key assets
The stats above paint a clear picture. Lucas Digne returns to full training not only for Aston Villa but for France. He’s expected by both club and country to play their next matches against South Africa and Wolves so in terms of fitness he seemingly ready.
Defensively we’ve seen already that Villa have improved lately from the information above reflected in the underlying defensive stats. This gives more hope for a clean sheet.
Offensively the potential is also there. Digne amongst defenders in the last six matches after only playing five is third for most crosses with 35. This is more than Trent Alexander-Arnold. Digne is also third across the whole this season for crosses and fifth for chances created. This ties in nicely with the fact that Wolves are third worst in the league for crosses conceded on their right flank and second worst for chances conceded on their right, which Digne will be attacking. Digne also takes corners and as I mentioned above Wolves we’re third worst in the last six for attempts from set plays conceded.
The underlying stats show that the 5.1 million priced Frenchman has the attacking potential to return points against a side weak to the exact way Digne plays. This makes him a great asset for this week.
Coutinho would also be very ideal for this matchup. With three double digit hauls already the Brazilian can also take advantage of the weakening Wolves defence.
Coutinho is a key creator in the Villa team and we’ve seen that already. Taking free kicks means that there’s huge potential in both assisting and scoring from the midfielder which will only be amplified by the fact that Wolves have been hugely vulnerable lately from set plays.
Not just a creator but Coutinho is shooting and scoring. In the last six matches the Brazilian is joint fourth amongst all midfielders for attempt on goal with 19. Knowing Wolves in the last six have been the second worst for both shots inside and outside of the box conceded means that Coutinho has even more potential to return.
Gameweek 31 fixtures: Man United v Leicester
There have been 31 previous meetings in the Premier League between Man United and Leicester. Man United have won 19 of the matches, Leicester have won four and there have been eight draws.
Leicester have won three of their last five Premier League matches, losing two. Man United have won three, drawn one and lost one. Leicester won the reverse of this fixture 4-2 back in October.
Across these two teams Cristiano Ronaldo is the top goal scorer with 12 goals. Injured Jamie Vardy is second with 10 and Bruno Fernandes third with nine. Paul Pogba has registered the most assists this season with nine, Harvey Barnes and Fernandes are tied second with six each.
On average this season Man United create 1.97 chances per match, significantly more than the 1.3 that Leicester create on average.
Manchester United have kept seven clean sheets this season, in comparison to five for Leicester.
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Gameweek 31 fixtures: West Ham v Everton
There have been 51 previous meetings in the Premier League between West Ham and Everton. Everton have won 27 of the matches, Everton have won 11 and there have been 13 draws.
Everton broke their losing run in Gameweek 29 returning their first victory in the Premier League since Gameweek 25. Prior to that Everton’s last Premier League victory was in early December. West Ham have been inconsistent winning two, losing two and drawing one of their last five fixtures.
West Ham won the reverse of this fixture 0-1 back in October.
Across these two teams Michail Antonio and injury doubt Jarrod Bowen are the top scorers with eight goals. Said Benrahma is third with six goals scored. Bowen has registered the most assists this season with eight. Antonio has returned seven assists and Benrahma six.
On average this season West Ham create 1.53 chances per match, significantly more than the 0.85 that Everton create on average.
West Ham have kept seven clean sheets this season, in comparison to five for Everton.
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Gameweek 31 fixture: Spurs v Newcastle
There have been 53 previous meetings in the Premier League between Spurs and Newcastle. Spurs have won 23 of the matches, Newcastle have won 22 and there have been eight draws.
Spurs broke their win lose win lose run in Gameweek 29 with victory over West Ham in Gameweek 30. They have now one four of their last five Premier League matches. Newcastle had been in an excellent run of form since the arrival of Eddie Howe, however they have lost their last two matches. Both matches we lost very late on in the match by a single goal.
Spurs won the reverse of this fixture 2-3 back in October. These matches tend to be high scoring with three of the last four Premier League matches having at least four goals scored.
Across these two teams Son Heung-Min is the top scorer with 13 goals. Harry Kane is second with 12 goals and injured Callum Wilson is third with six goals. Spurs third best goal scorer this season is own goals having had nine own goals scored for them this season. Son and Kane have both registered five assists this season, the most across these two teams. Matt Doherty is third having returned four assists this campaign.
On average this season Spurs create 2.14 chances per match, significantly more than the 0.83 that Newcastle create on average.
Spurs have kept 11 clean sheets this season, in comparison to four for Newcastle.
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Gameweek 31 fixture: Crystal Palace v Arsenal
There have been 24 previous meetings in the Premier League between Crystal Palace and Arsenal. Arsenal have won 14 of the matches, Palace have won three and there have been eight draws.
Arsenal have won four of their last five Premier League matches, their only defeat coming against title contenders Liverpool. Palace have been on a win, drew, win, drew streak in recent weeks. They have won two, drawn two and lost one in their last five Premier League matches.
The reverse of this fixture finished 2-2 back in October, with Alexandre Lacazette equalising in the 95 minutes of the game.
Across these two teams Emile Smith-Rowe, Baukayo Saka and Wilf Zaha are the top scorers with nine goals. Lacazette leads the way for assists with seven. He is followed my Michael Olise and Saka who have five assists each this season.
On average this season Crystal Palace create 1.24 chances per match, more than the 1.11 that Arsenal create on average.
Arsenal have kept 13 clean sheets this season, in comparison to eight for Palace.
View from the community – FPL Focus
Below is my predicted Arsenal and Crystal Palace line up’s for Gameweek 31. With Ramsdale picking up a muscle injury just ahead of Gameweek 30, I think Leno will keep his position for this game. As a result if he doesn’t play Arsenal will miss Ramsdale’s ability to play out from the back. Playing Lenos style, could bing Crystal Palace joy through the likes of Wilf Zaha and Michael Olise , however I expect Gallagher will be the guy to go chasing down the ball when Leno has it.
Bukayo Saka has scored most goals for a 20 year old in the Premier League with nine, level with teammate Emile Smith-Rowe. Smoth-Rowe doesn’t offer the same security of start as Saka, however he has shown the impact he can have from the bench such as against West Ham, Leeds and Norwich.
Palace will be full of confidence after holding league leaders Man City to a 0-0 draw in their last Premier League match. Both these Premier League managers back young talent. Palace’s Micheal Olise and jean-Phillippe Mateta. The later has kept Christian Benteke on the bench having scored two goals in his last four games for Palace. Both Gabriel Martinelli and Conor Gallagher look like good investments for this fixture. Martinelli wil likely give Nathanial Clynne a tough time and Gallagher will love chasing down Leno when he trys to play out from the back.
FPL Focus predicted line-ups.
Crystal Palace
Arsenal
Gameweek 31 fixture: Burnley v Everton
This is the second game for both of these two sides in Double Gameweek 31. There have been 15 previous meetings in the Premier League between Burnley and Everton. Everton have won eight of the matches, Burnley have won six and there has been one draw.
As mentioned for their previous fixture Everton won their first match since Gameweek 25 in Gamewek 29. Burnley however have lost their last three Premier League ties.
The reverse of this fixture finished 3-1 to Everton back in September. Micheal Keane, Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray scored Everton’s goals, with Ben Mee scoring for Burnley.
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Everton conceded 12 goals in their last four away games, will this lead to Burnley scoring a few? Everton meanwhile will be hoping for a turnaround in form, especially after they managed to win an in-form Newcastle side in their previous league game.
Burnley have conceded eight goals in their previous three games, which coincides with the injury to
Ben Mee. Prior to his injury, Burnley kept four clean sheets in seven games. The Clarets will be
hoping their skipper returns for this important clash.
Everton are currently 17th on the log with Burnley in 19th… both teams know how important three points will be in this clash! A win for either team will help in avoiding relegation, so we can expect a tight and cagey battle.
Everton currently have the worst away record in the league, conceding 28 goals and only
winning one away game all season. Should we back the Burnley backline? It’s a yes from me!
I would consider transferring in Connor Roberts or Charlie Taylor as they are priced generously at £4.4m. Both fullbacks have one assist each and are definitely not attacking like TAA/Robertson, but both offer clean sheet potential. Roberts picked up 17 points in Double Gameweek 26 and would be a good transfer considering Burnley play twice again in Double Gameweek 33.
Top transfer for Burnley: Nick Pope
Looking for a double GW specialist… look no further than Nick Pope. He amassed 19 points
in Double Gameweek 23 and 13 points in Double Gameweek 26. I would consider signing Pope should Ramsdale be ruled out for an extended period, I do think Pope can offer great save points and usually receives the bonus points as Burnley tend to score a few goals. Pope is currently the leading bonus points scorer for Burnley.
Top transfer for Everton: Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Everton and Dominic Calvert-Lewin should benefit from the international break. Their main forward had his minutes managed recently but will hopefully be fit to start the next few games. I like the DCL
punt as he scored three goals vs Burnley and five goals vs West Ham (other fixture in Double Gameweek 31). Calvert-Lewin can definitely help them score more away goals (only 10 in 13 games) and help his team stay in the premier league. There are not many great forward options in FPL
right now. With Jimenez set to be out until Gameweek 34, DCL is a nice differential replacement.
He is only owned by 3.2% of managers could be the forward to help you climb the rankings.
Thinking about playing your Wildcard ahead of Gameweek 31? Ryan from Football Chatbox talks us through who he would pick if he still had his Wildcard available.
