Aston Villa sit top of our Season Ticker from Gameweeks 8-14, with five matches against sides currently ranked 12th or below in the Premier League table.
In the attacking spots, Fantasy Premier League (FPL) interest is chiefly focused on Ollie Watkins (£8.0m) and Moussa Diaby (£6.7m), but how do they stack up against one another?
Diaby, of course, was substituted late on in Gameweek 7 with a back injury and missed Thursday’s UEFA Europa Conference League clash against HSK Zrinjski, but he isn’t expected to be out for a period of time.
So, in this, our latest Premium Members article, we explore Watkins and Diaby’s appeal.
WATKINS V DIABY: GOAL THREAT
| Watkins | Diaby | |
| Goals | 4 | 2 |
| Shots | 22 | 18 |
| Shots in the box | 21 | 13 |
| Big chances | 7 | 2 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 3.39 | 1.61 |
Watkins has the edge over Diaby for goal threat.
While the pair have racked up a similar amount of shots, with 22 and 18 respectively, Watkins’ 21 efforts inside the box and seven Opta-defined ‘big chances’ is significantly better.
In his first five matches, Watkins was the most wasteful finisher in the league according to expected goals (xG), failing to score from 2.38 xG.
Since then, however, he’s found the net four times from 1.01 xG, readdressing the balance.
Above: Ollie Watkins (left) and Moussa Diaby’s (right) xG shotmaps in 2023/24
WATKINS V DIABY: ASSIST POTENTIAL
