Gameweek 7 Preview: Liverpool's Injury Crisis and Brighton's Fixture Advantage

Gameweek 7 presents a mixed bag of fixture difficulties, with several standout matchups to monitor and a notable injury crisis at one of the league's top sides. The deadline arrives on Saturday, October 17 at 10:00 AM UK time, with fixtures spread across the weekend and into Monday evening.

Best Fixtures This Gameweek

Brighton emerge as the clear standout performers in difficulty terms, hosting CRY with a home difficulty of just 2. This presents an excellent opportunity for their attacking and defensive assets, with multiple Brighton players featuring in the captain candidate list.

MCI also enjoy favourable conditions at home against IPS, who face an away difficulty rating of 5—the worst in the gameweek. This makes MCI's attacking options particularly attractive, with both Semenyo(free account needed) and Cherki available as captain choices.

FUL face HUL with a home difficulty of 2, while TOT welcome COV with home difficulty of 2, offering additional opportunities for premium attacking assets. Conversely, LEE (difficulty 4), NFO (difficulty 4), and BRE (difficulty 4) face stiffer tests at home.

Injury News Impacting Captaincy Decisions

LIV's injury situation has dramatically worsened heading into their away fixture at BRE. The club faces a significant absence with Gakpo(free account needed) (ankle injury) and a recent departure that impacts squad depth. Most critically, Szoboszlai(free account needed) carries only a 75% chance of playing due to a hamstring injury, making him an unreliable captain choice despite LIV's usual attacking prowess.

Several doubts carry 75% playing chances and warrant monitoring: James(free account needed) (CHE), Shaw(free account needed) (MUN), Mainoo(free account needed) (MUN), Robinson(free account needed) (FUL), and Mykolenko(free account needed) (EVE). These players represent rotation risks, though their underlying fixtures remain worth considering if confirmation comes before the deadline.

AVL face complications in their away fixture at NEW, with Watkins(free account needed) having departed to Al Hilal permanently—a significant blow to their attacking setup. This substantially reduces their captaincy appeal despite the fixture difficulty being moderate at 3.

MUN face mixed news ahead of their LEE trip. While Šeško(free account needed) remains out with a shin injury, both Mainoo and Shaw carry 75% playing chances, potentially boosting their squad depth for an away fixture with difficulty 3.

Captain Recommendations

Brighton's fixture against CRY (home, difficulty 2) makes De Cuyper(free account needed) an excellent defensive captain pick with 10.5 expected points. The setup favors Brighton's entire attacking contingent.

MCI's dominance at home against struggling IPS (away difficulty 5) positions Semenyo(free account needed) as the premium attacking option with 10.0 expected points—offering both points ceiling and floor.

For a differential approach, consider Cunha(free account needed) against LEE despite the away difficulty rating of 3. MUN's attacking setup and his 10.0 expected points offer value relative to more obvious choices, with the potential for haul upside.

With LIV's injury concerns mounting and several fixture difficulties favoring attacking sides, this gameweek rewards targeting the easier home fixtures rather than chasing the traditional big-six attacking assets.