Spot the Differential – Gameweek 22

Our usual Saturday morning scour for overlooked Fantasy options brings a couple of midweek two-goal heroes into consideration. We also place out faith in City’s twinkle-toed playmaker as the Etihad side entertain out-of-sorts Palace later this afternoon.

Olivier Giroud

Despite failing to cement a starting berth until the tenth Gameweek of the season, Olivier Giroud (9.2) sits three goals shy of the league’s joint-top scorers (Romelu Lukaku and Jamie Vardy – 15 goals), having bagged his first brace of the campaign at Anfield. Although that performance harvested his first score in excess of eight points, the Frenchman has displayed laudable consistency, registering nine goals, two assists and just three blanks since Gameweek 9.

Poring over the underlying statistics across the previous four Gameweeks, Giroud ranks top among forwards for attempts (15), top for shots inside the box (14) and joint-top for penalty-box touches (36). With a trip to Stoke City next on the Gunners’ agenda, it’s also worth noting that the ex-Montpellier recruit has amassed the joint-third-most shots on target (12) in road clashes – even though he was afforded cameo roles in four of Arsenal’s opening five away fixtures.

The Britannia Stadium hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Arsenal in recent years (three losses, two draws), yet the North Londoners chart second for goals scored (21), second for attempts (162), top for shots inside the box (121), top for big chances (29) and top for shots on target (57) in away match-ups, which bodes well for their attacking prospects against Mark Hughes’ charges.

David Silva

Even by his own admission, David Silva (10.0) has struggled to rediscover his groove since returning from an ankle injury, carding a solitary assist in seven Gameweeks. The Spain international was a notable omission from Manchester City’s starting line-up against Everton on Wednesday, but this was hardly a surprise, given that Manuel Pellegrini alluded to monitoring Silva’s minutes earlier in the week. Regardless, the Sky Blues missed the playmaker’s invention against the Toffees so will be keen to reinstate him for Crystal Palace’s visit.

Notwithstanding his limited attacking output of late, the 5%-owned Silva ranked joint-third for key passes (12) – behind Kevin De Bruyne and Mesut Ozil (both 18) – between Gameweeks 17 and 20, underlining his rich capacity for assists. Indeed, the former Valencia player demonstrated his class with six assists in five outings at the start of the campaign.

Regardless of their blank against the Merseysiders, Man City have been the league’s most dominant attacking force on home turf, racking up six more goals (29) than second-best, Everton (23). Moreover, no side has chalked up as many attempts (204) and shots on target (78), so they’ll fancy their chances of breaching the Eagles’ rearguard as they look to get their title tilt back on track.

Roberto Firmino

Banishing a run of seven matches without a goal, Roberto Firmino (7.7) snagged a quick-fire brace against Arsenal, propelling himself back onto our radar. The Brazilian’s head-turning performance against Manchester City in Gameweek 14 – which yielded one goal and two assists – proved to be a false dawn, yet his recent statistics augur his development into a viable mid-priced asset.

Over the last four Gameweeks, Firmino ranks joint-fourth for attempts (12), joint-fourth for shots inside the box (eight) and joint-fourth for shots on target (five) among midfielders. In addition, only three of his counterparts posted more key passes (12) during that time frame, illuminating his dual threat from a Fantasy perspective.

Considering that Firmino’s attacking returns have arrived against Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea and Leicester City, one could argue that he relishes the challenge of his raising his game against sterner opposition. As such, the stage is set for Firmino to come up trumps when the Reds play host to one of their fiercest rivals, Manchester United. Certainly, Liverpool will be boosted by the fact that the Red Devils are winless in four away ties and shipped seven goals in their last three on the road.