With Premier League leaders Arsenal at London Stadium on Sunday, a battle between two in-form players could decide the contest and the outcome of a few Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points as well….
Kurt Zouma's return to form and fitness
Kurt Zouma’s return to fitness has been a welcome boost for David Moyes’ men over the past few weeks, with his impressive performances not only helping West Ham United up the Premier League table but also giving the managers who backed him a few FPL points as well.
A powerful presence in both boxes, the French defender has started West Ham’s last six matches in all competitions, keeping four clean sheets in that time. Half of those appearances and clean sheets have been in the Premier League too, with the Hammers keeping out both Southampton and Fulham in recent 1-0 wins.
From those matches, Zouma picked up six FPL points - two for minutes played and four for a welcome clean sheet. In the recent win at Craven Cottage, Zouma won five aerial duels, combining alongside Vladimír Coufal, Aaron Cresswell and Angelo Ogbonna to make over 60 clearances and block eleven shots. He registered his third straight FPL haul of six points in west London.
And yet, the £4.4m-priced defender has also shown his ability in the other box too. Despite a 5-1 defeat to Newcastle United, six FPL points were also returned against the Magpies thanks to a header from Jarrod Bowen’s corner at the end first half at London Stadium.
That day, Zouma recorded six points for his goal and two more for minutes played, although goals conceded saw his Gameweek haul drop from eight to six.
Of course, that is the second time Zouma has scored this Premier League season. The former Chelsea and Everton centre-back showed his quality against AFC Bournemouth in October last year, heading home the first goal of the game against the Cherries.
That performance, one which included a clean sheet too, saw Zouma register his best individual Gameweek haul of the season of 15 points. Zouma has only recorded more Premier League goals in one season across his career than 2022/23, striking five goals for Chelsea in 2020/21.
Notably, Zouma also picked up an assist in the 2-0 win over Everton in January. Also of note is that the French centre-back seeks his second career goal against Arsenal, having netted in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over the Gunners in September 2015 at Stamford Bridge.
West Ham United’s next three fixtures: ARS (h), BOU (a), LIV (h)
Opposition One to Watch: Gabriel Jesus
Having missed Gameweek 17 until Gameweek 26 due to a knee injury picked up at the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals in Qatar in December, it is quite remarkable that Gabriel Jesus is only ten short of a century of FPL points as he heads to east London today. But with eight goals and six assists in the 2022/23 Premier League, Jesus has been one the most valuable players in FPL, especially when priced at £8.0m.
The Brazil forward has added a figurehead to an Arsenal attack that has registered 72 goals in 30 games and has shown no signs of stopping as the Gunners’ title bid heads into May. Jesus, who returned in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Fulham in March, has three goals in his last two Premier League outings. He is on fire – again.
The Arsenal No9’s best FPL showing came in Gameweek Two, where Jesus netted two goals and two assists in Arsenal’s 4-2 win over Leicester City. A performance that brought the £8.0m-priced striker 19 points.
Jesus managed a double-figure points haul for the second time this season when he struck a brace in Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Leeds United in GW29. He has scored seven goal contributions in nine Premier League career appearances against West Ham.
Arsenal’s next three fixtures: WHU (a), SOU (h), MCI (a)
