We call upon a trio of midfielders this morning ahead of Boxing Day’s ten fixtures. Liverpool’s fit-again captain is joined by Chelsea and Villa’s playmakers as all three prepare for home comforts.

Jordan Veretout

Unfavoured during Tim Sherwood’s ill-fated reign at Villa Park, Jordan Veretout (5.6) has been afforded a new lease of life under Remi Garde, starting and finishing Aston Villa’s last six league ties. Although the West Midlands club struggled to generate any attacking rhythm during that period, Veretout still benefitted from a more advanced midfield berth by providing an assist in three of the last four Gameweeks.

During that period, Veretout ranked joint-fourth for key passes (11) – tallying as many as Mesut Ozil. Furthermore, the former France U21 international accrued more successful crosses (12) than any player around the league across that stretch, illuminating his quality in the final third. Granted, five attempts and zero shots inside the box since Gameweek 14 exposes his lack of goal threat, but his seven-goal haul with Nantes last term suggests there’s more to come in that department.

Next on the agenda for the Villains is a home tie against West Ham United. Although the Irons have recorded three successive clean sheets, they conceded more shots inside the box (33) than any side over that run, while no team tallied more shots on target than Villa (seven) in the last round of fixtures. With Norwich, Sunderland and Palace to follow, Veretout has the schedule to profit over the festive period.

Jordan Henderson

Jordan Henderson’s (6.5) return from injury has furnished us with an alternate route into Liverpool’s attack beyond Philippe Coutinho. In his first start following a protracted layoff, the Sunderland academy product bagged a goal and an assist in a 2-2 draw against West Bromwich Albion. There are question marks surrounding his position in the spot-kick hierarchy in light of James Milner’s recent success on that front, but the latter’s currently nursing a calf complaint, so we can safely assume that the Reds’ captain now takes precedence.

Only four midfielders have fashioned more attempts than Henderson (seven) since he returned to the starting XI, while he also ranked joint-fourth for shots on target (three). In terms of his creative output, the England international mustered four key passes and charted joint-sixth for passes in the final third (33).

In the wake of three disappointing results, Jurgen Klopp will demand a response from his players when Leicester City make the trip to Anfield on Saturday. Stifling the Foxes’ buoyant attack could an exercise in futility, but the home team are likely to enjoy their fair share of scoring opportunities, too – Claudio Ranieri’s troops have claimed just three clean sheets all season and place joint-fourth for big chances conceded (nine) over the last four Gameweeks.

Oscar

Chelsea’s 3-1 triumph over Sunderland last Gameweek hinted that Oscar (8.2) could be one of the key beneficiaries of Jose Mourinho’s dismissal. The Brazil international looked revitalised against the Black Cats and capped off his performance with a goal from the penalty spot – his first strike since the season opener at home to Swansea.

In the previous Gameweek, Oscar ranked joint-top among midfielders for attempts (five) and shots on target (two), while only Pedro (11) chalked up more penalty-box touches (seven). Despite clocking 629 fewer minutes than Hazard across the course of the campaign, Oscar has carded just one fewer attempt (21 compared to 22) and an equal volume of shots on target (seven).

If their display against the Wearsiders is anything to go by, Chelsea could propel themselves back into relevancy on the Fantasy scene in the coming weeks: the Blues ranked joint-top for shots inside the box (11), top for big chances (four) and joint-top for shots on target (seven). First up for Gus Hiddink’s charges is a home clash against a Watford outfit that have only secured clean sheets against Stoke and Sunderland while on their travels so far.