FPL Gameweek 7 Tips – What to do about Burnley and Luton’s double?

Two teams play twice in Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 7 – newly promoted pair Luton Town and Burnley.

Double gameweeks in Fantasy Premier League are frequently targeted by managers – and with good reason.

Picking players with two matches in a single gameweek greatly increases their chances of returning points and can often lead to sizeable hauls.

However, those looking to take advantage face the unusual scenario of having just two struggling teams to choose from.

We break down the trio of fixtures and assess whether or not either side’s assets are worth investing in.

Everton vs Luton Town

Luton’s double is kinder than Burnley’s, with a trip to fellow strugglers Everton first up.

The Hatters have attempted the most headed shots per game in the Premier League (2.8), and their most enticing assets are those heavily involved in that process.

Carlton Morris’ (£5.5m) five headed shots are the joint-third most in the division, while defenders Alfie Doughty (£4.4m) and Issa Kaboré (£4.0m) both rank inside the top 10 for crosses completed per 90.

However, Everton are similarly strong in the air, attempting just 0.3 fewer headed efforts per 90 and winning 17.5 aerial duels per game to Luton’s 17.6, reducing the Hatters’ likelihood of finding joy in this area.

Furthermore, for those considering Luton defenders, Rob Edwards’ men have faced a league-high 19.4 opposition sequences of 10 or more passes per game – though Everton’s league-low tally of 1.83 completed key passes per match suggests the Toffees may not possess the guile to take advantage of that.

Newcastle United vs Burnley

Burnley’s first Gameweek 7 encounter is against high-flying Newcastle United, whose 8-0 thrashing of another promoted side – Sheffield United – last weekend does not bode well for the Clarets.

The Magpies have overperformed their xG by a league-leading margin of 0.81 per game – a trend that looks set to continue against Vincent Kompany’s side, whose opponents have collectively overperformed their xG by 0.83 per game – also the highest margin in the league.

Burnley defenders look far from a safe bet for this clash, then, while their attackers may find it difficult to receive the ball with time and space against Eddie Howe’s hardworking outfit, who top the rankings for both pressing duels attempted (67.33) and total sprinting distance (2,771.67m) per game.

Luton Town vs Burnley

The clash between Luton and Burnley is both sides’ FPL assets’ best chance of picking up points in Gameweek 7.

However, neither side have displayed a particular affinity for goalscoring in their first five Premier League outings.

Luton rank bottom of the competition for goals scored (0.6), non-penalty shots on target (two) and non-penalty post-shot xG (0.25) per game, while Burnley prop up the rankings for post-shot xG per match (0.54).

Meanwhile, defensively, both sides are yet to keep a clean sheet.

Their greatest differences are stylistic – Luton attempt the fewest passes in the league per match (303), while Burnley rank seventh (491.8) – but that is no guarantee of success for either side.

Rolling the dice

While it is undoubtedly a risk to move for Luton or Burnley assets despite their double, it also represents an opportunity for those willing to roll the dice.

Budget defender Amari’i Bell (£4.0m) is the most-selected player from either side at just over six percent owned at the time of writing, while Burnley’s most popular player is of the same mould in Jordan Beyer (£4.0m), who can be found in less than three percent of teams – making every Luton and Burnley player a differential.

Even if a gamble on one of these low-owned players pays off, though, managers must consider that asset’s place in their squads from Gameweek 8 onwards.

There are few arguments for including Luton or Burnley players after their double, given the teams’ struggles to adapt to life in the top flight so far – but if managers are simply deploying their budget enablers as a one-off or are planning to wildcard soon and can effectively dead-end their squads, that minimises their risk.

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