West Ham United are looking to build on a positive pair of Premier League results when we welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to London Stadium on Saturday.
The Hammers followed up last week’s 2-1 dispatching of Wolverhampton Wanderers with a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on Monday night, which saw Lucas Paquetá’s late penalty cancelled out by an Enes Ünal free-kick in second-half stoppage time.
This weekend’s opponents were 2-1 winners at the Vitality Stadium last month, which was their last victory in the Premier League, with Fabian Hürzeler’s Seagulls currently on a four-match winless run - most recently suffering a 3-1 defeat at home to rivals Crystal Palace last Sunday afternoon.
With both teams looking to head into Christmas buoyed by three points in east London, there are many individuals who have the ability to turn the tide for their side, and your Fantasy Premier League (FPL) team in this weekend’s clash.
Ahead of the first weekend of festive fixtures, the Gameweek 17 transfer deadline is set for 11am GMT on Saturday 21 December, with the visit of Brighton kicking-off four hours later.
While we will be giving you FPL tips and tricks throughout the remainder of the 2024/25 season on whufc.com, see below for some of our picks for the upcoming round.
Also, don't forget to join the Official West Ham United FPL League by entering the code tezfax...
Füllkrug to start and bag against Brighton?
With Carlos Soler suspended for the visit of Brighton, Julen Lopetegui might turn to Niclas Füllkrug (£6.7m) to make his first Premier League start this weekend.
Following encouraging displays off the bench in recent matches, which saw him net against Leicester City and go close to netting again at Bournemouth, the Germany striker should certainly be considered.
Alternatively, it might be captain Jarrod Bowen (£7.4m) who leads the line again, looking to net at London Stadium for a second successive match, and score what would be his fifth home goal of the campaign in all competitions.
Looking further back on the pitch, Lucas Fabiański (£4.1m) will be hoping to build on Monday night’s impressive display. The shot-stopper made eight saves on the south coast and was only undone by Ünal’s stunning effort from range.
The Poland international is looking for his third Premier League clean sheet of the campaign at the weekend having kept out Everton and Newcastle to date.
Opposition Watch: Brighton & Hove Albion:
Since returning from injury, Joao Pedro (£5.9m) has impressed up front for Brighton with two goals and three assists to his name in his last six appearances. With Danny Welbeck set to be sidelined for Saturday's game, Pedro is likely to start again, however, he has blanked in his last two games.
Alternatively, summer signing Georginio Rutter (£5.5m), who is often utilised just behind Pedro, is also a shrewd addition as a midfielder in your FPL team. He has recorded 32 shots in 15 Premier League matches this term, scoring twice, since stepping up from the Championship.
The Frenchman is Brighton's second-highest-points-scoring midfielder behind Kaoru Mitoma (£6.6m), who is available at a slightly higher price having scored eleven more points than Rutter this term.
Elsewhere, Joel Veltman (£4.5m) tops Brighton's defensive point scoring ranks, with Jan Paul van Hecke (£4.5m) and Lewis Dunk (£4.4m) following close behind.
