Gameweek 4 is almost upon us, which gives us an opportunity to have a look at some more Fantasy Premier League (FPL) differential options.
This time, we’ve selected low-owned picks at Arsenal, Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers who we think have the potential to make an impact.
As always, to qualify, the player must have an ownership of 5% or less at the time of writing.
PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG
- FPL ownership: 1.7%
- Price: £9.9m
- GW4-8 fixtures: NOR | bur | TOT | bha | CRY
It feels strange to include a player like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£9.9m) in this section of our coverage, but the Gabon international comes into Gameweek 4 sitting in just 1.7% of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) squads.
Having lost all three Premier League games so far, conceding nine in the process and failing to score a single goal themselves, there will understandably be reservations about investing in Arsenal assets, let alone a premium forward.
However, it’s worth noting that the Gunners have faced back-to-back matches against arguably the best two teams in Europe, and with key personnel – including Gabriel (£5.0m), Ben White (£4.4m) and Thomas Partey (£5.0m) – all set to be available for selection in Gameweek 4, Aubameyang should at least have a platform to rediscover his best form.
Encouragingly, there were glimpses of the ‘old’ Aubameyang against West Bromwich Albion in last month’s EFL Cup tie, albeit against lower-league opposition. The 32-year-old bagged a well-taken hat-trick, and will now hope to open his Premier League account for the season against the leakiest defence in the division – Norwich City – tomorrow afternoon. Aubameyang has an excellent recent record against the Canaries, too, scoring twice against them both home and away back in 2019/20.
The introduction of Martin Odegaard (£5.5m) could also be key. The Norwegian created a whopping 12 chances against Gibraltar during the international break, while last season’s performances also suggest that he can supply Mikel Arteta’s frontline with the type of service they crave.
Investing in Aubameyang is the ultimate differential punt in Gameweek 4, and while it does carry some risk, he might just be worth a look.
ANDREAS CHRISTENSEN
- FPL ownership: 3.0%
- Price: £5.0m
- GW4-8 fixtures: AVL | tot | MCI | SOU | bre
Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen (£5.0m) has been a crucial part of Thomas Tuchel’s defence this season, having started and completed 90 minutes in all three Premier League matches.
There is bound to be some rotation moving forward, but with 36 clean sheets in his last 48 appearances, he may well have edged ahead of Thiago Silva (£5.4m) in the pecking order, at least for now.
The 25-year-old academy graduate found himself on the periphery of the squad last season, but has caught the eye in the clean sheet wins over Crystal Palace and Arsenal, while stepping up to help the Blues keep Liverpool at bay despite going down to 10 men following Reece James’ (£5.6m) red card in Gameweek 3.
Defensively, amongst team-mates, he ranks top for interceptions and clearances, and second for aerial duels won and recoveries, which does suggest that he should do well for bonus if they can keep a clean sheet in the coming matches.
Following his international run-outs against Scotland and Faroe Islands, the 25-year-old is expected to start against Aston Villa in Gameweek 4. Dean Smith’s side have managed just nine shots on target against Watford (a), Newcastle United (h) and Brentford (h) combined, while Chelsea’s fixture run between Gameweeks 7 and 11 is particularly appealing too.
Christensen hands FPL managers a cheap route into one of the best defences in Europe, and providing you have a playing bench who can sometimes step in, he looks like an excellent option for our backlines.
FRANCISCO TRINCAO
- FPL ownership: 0.8%
- Price: £5.9m
- GW4-8 fixtures: wat | BRE | sou | NEW | avl
Francisco Trincão (£5.9m) has enjoyed a promising start to life at Wolverhampton Wanderers, starting all three Premier League matches and bagging his first goal for the club in the 4-0 EFL Cup win over Nottingham Forest.
Encouragingly, the Portuguese international is improving with each game, and came close to opening his Premier League account against Manchester United in Gameweek 3, only to be denied by an excellent goal-line clearance by Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£5.5m). He later scuffed a shot wide when in a decent goalscoring position, too, which does suggest that he needs to work on his finishing, but the fact he is getting into these positions is of course a positive.
Despite losing three matches in a row, Wolves have faced tough opponents in Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Man Utd, and for those eyeing up their attacking assets, the underlying numbers do point to a change of fortunes.
Offensively, Wolves boast the third-highest expected goals (xG) from open-play tally (4.39), ahead of Chelsea and Liverpool, while their 57 goal attempts and 36 shots in the box also stand-out.
The next step for Lage’s men is to turn convert those numbers into points, and handily for the Molineux outfit, they now have one of the best runs of fixtures in the division from Gameweek 4 onwards, stretching right the way through to Gameweek 14.
Despite Daniel Podence (£5.5m) pushing for a start, it seems likely that Trincão will get the nod again at Watford, and priced at just £5.9m, could be a nice differential option given his schedule.
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