One team courting plenty of Fantasy interest this week is Brentford, who rank second on our Fixture Ticker over the next nine Gameweeks.
Of course, millions already own Igor Thiago (£7.0m), this season’s second-best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) forward.
But some managers may want an extra, or alternative, way to cover the seventh-placed Bees’ attack.
Kevin Schade (£6.9m) or Dango Ouattara (£5.8m) are two such individuals – so let’s compare them here.
BRENTFORD’S FORM
In pre-season, pundits tipped Keith Andrews’ side for relegation. Yet some superb form puts them in a dizzying position.
From Gameweek 17 onwards, they’ve won six and drawn two of ten matches. Only Arsenal betters this, while just the Gunners and Chelsea boast more goals.
In this period, Brentford lead the way for big chances (36) yet, confusingly, from the fifth-fewest shots (112). This 32.14% rate is the highest by far, suggesting they don’t waste time on poor long-range efforts.
To quote our summer piece on former boss Thomas Frank, the club’s tactics “emphasise getting the ball into the penalty area before shooting.”
They make sure the quality is good, usually being the league’s best for expected goals (xG) per non-penalty shots. In fact, Andrews’ lot is leading the way this time too (0.135).
Over these latest ten Gameweeks, their 16.1% goal rate is also top of the pile.
SCHADE + DANGO
The Bees’ left-sided attacker, Schade, ended 2024/25 with 11 goals, four assists and 149 FPL points. Right now, among midfielders, he’s this campaign’s number one for headed efforts (17), fourth for penalty area shots (40), and behind only former colleague Bryan Mbeumo (£8.6m) when it comes to big chances (14).
His best moment was undoubtedly Gameweek 18’s hat-trick versus Bournemouth, though he’s recently served a ban following a red card at Aston Villa.
As for Ouattara, he arrived at the Gtech Community Stadium in August for a club record £42m fee. An early adductor injury and the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) restricted his availability, but he’s good at winning penalties. Nobody has more ‘Fantasy Assists’ (four).
Those tight on funds will enjoy seeing him cost less than Schade.
COMPARING THE DUO
(Most figures above are average per appearance)
Putting them directly in competition with each other, we see that both have 10 attacking returns and an almost identical rate of minutes per shot (around 45). Although Schade has put twice as many on target (20 v 10), is generally more creative and has better expected goal involvement (10.39 v 6.24).
The German being taller is handy when it comes to throw-ins, as Brentford have the most chances from these (46) by quite a distance.
However, Ouattara likes to cross (58 v 14) and occasionally takes corners. When on the pitch, he’s involved in 48% of team goals, which is more than Schade’s 33%.
And of all the midfielders who’ve played at least 750 minutes so far, only Cole Palmer (£10.6m) has more big chances per 90 minutes (0.77):
Interestingly, not only does Ouattara beat Schade 4-1 for double-digit hauls, but he hasn’t gone more than three starts without an attacking return.
WHO IS MORE NAILED FOR MINUTES?
After Gameweek 1’s benching, Schade has been named in every league line-up when available.
Whereas mid-August signing Ouattara didn’t establish himself until Gameweek 8. The duo then started eight consecutive matches together but, due to AFCON and a couple of Schade suspensions, they’ve only started in tandem once during Brentford’s last 11. And that ended in the 41st minute.
Ouattara was reintegrated with two cameo appearances, suggesting uncertainty, but has begun the latest three.
In the 12 they’ve started together, the Burkina Faso international emerges with twice as many points (68 v 34) and has ‘won’ the battle nine times.
One question worth pondering: does Schade get an automatic recall, given that the Bees have done well without him?
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, Ouattara surpasses Schade for points (87 v 86), despite playing fewer minutes. He’s also on more hauls, a higher number of big chances per 90, and has a better goal involvement when on the pitch.
Furthermore, he is often winning penalties and outscoring his colleague when they both start. All for a lower price.
The valid question is how guaranteed his place is. The line-up streak between Gameweek 8 and AFCON is promising, and Andrews certainly can’t argue with five goals and five assists in 15 starts.
In fact, could Schade be the bigger shorter-term worry?
Andrews has often rewarded form this season. Look at Mathias Jensen (£4.9m) keeping Mikkel Damsgaard out of the side. Then, when Jensen and Damsgaard played in tandem when Ouattara was absent, the big-money winger had to bide his time on the bench. Even at the back, we’ve seen the fine displays of Kristoffer Ajer (£4.4m) and then Sepp van den Berg (£4.5m) recognised. The hitherto almost-nailed Nathan Collins (£5.0m) was benched for the third straight league match in Gameweek 26.
So, could Schade initially play second fiddle behind Keane Lewis-Potter (£4.8m)? The ‘out of position’ defender has filled in during the German’s suspension, scoring an equaliser against Arsenal.
For £5.8m, Ouattara’s explosiveness feels hard to resist for the Bees’ upcoming fixture run – especially as Schade has a battle on his hands to reclaim his spot.
