Spot the Differential

Pogba’s new role makes him a useful FPL differential for Triple Gameweek

Triple Gameweek 35 is almost upon us which gives us an opportunity to have a look at some more differential options.

This time, we’ve selected low-owned picks at West Ham United, Aston Villa and Manchester United who we think have the potential to make an impact.

As always, to qualify, the player must have an ownership of 5% or below at the time of writing.

Paul Pogba

  • FPL ownership: 2.2%
  • Price: £7.6m
  • GW35-38 fixtures: avl + LEI + LIV | – | FUL | wol

Paul Pogba (£7.6m) has been one of Manchester United’s top performers in recent weeks, producing some of his best football since returning to Old Trafford from Juventus in 2016.

The French midfielder struggled with several minor injuries and a bout of COVID-19 earlier in the season. However, since regaining full fitness, he has become a vital asset to Ole Gunnar Solskjær, which has coincided with a new, hybrid role on the left of United’s 4-2-3-1 formation.

The more advanced position means he is generally further up the pitch when United reach the final third, where he has the vision and ability to quickly switch play. And that’s led to a big improvement from Pogba, who has scored two goals and registered four assists in his last ten matches across all competitions. He also ranks joint-second amongst team-mates for shots in the box, and third for chances created over the last six Gameweeks.

The Red Devils are now unbeaten in 13 Premier League matches, and after the latest fixture amendments were announced earlier this week, now visit Aston Villa before back-to-back home matches against Leicester City and Liverpool in Triple Gameweek 35.

While it’s hard to pinpoint exactly which, if any, of United’s assets will be handed three starts, Pogba’s versatility enhances his chances, and now in a really good moment, could be an effective differential for the remainder of the season.

Michail Antonio

  • FPL ownership: 5.0%
  • Price: £6.4m
  • GW35-38 fixtures: EVE | bha | wba | SOU

Gameweek 34 saw the return of Michail Antonio (£6.4m) to West Ham United’s attack.

The 31-year-old was back in the starting XI after recovering from the hamstring injury which forced him off against Wolverhampton Wanderers last month, and it didn’t take him long to impress.

His quickfire double, finishing off crosses from Vladimir Coufal (£4.7m) and Saïd Benrahma (£5.9m), turned the game in the Hammers favour, and he was perhaps unfortunate not to return more, as he ended the game with six goal attempts, two big chances and 12 penalty box touches. 

In fact, Antonio’s expected goal involvement (xGI) total of 1.43 was not bettered by any other Fantasy Premier League (FPL) player in Gameweek 34, and as pointed out by Neale in his Scout Notes, it is merely a continuation of a season-wide trend as no forward with substantial game-time to their name has a better rate of xGI per 90 minutes.

Manuel Lanzini’s (£6.4m) performance also caught the eye, with the Argentine excelling in a deeper role in Declan Rice’s (£4.7m) absence, and as a result of their win, West Ham now sit fifth, just three points behind Chelsea with four games to play. 

With a crucial run of games coming up against Everton, Brighton and Hove Albion, West Bromwich Albion and Southampton, Antonio can finish the season strongly, and could be one of the very best FPL differentials for the run-in.

Anwar El Ghazi

  • FPL ownership: 1.2%
  • Price: £5.2m
  • GW35-38 fixtures: MUN + EVE | cry | tot | CHE

Anwar El Ghazi (£5.2m) has not always been a guaranteed starter at Aston Villa this season, but has now scored in back-to-back matches and made a real impact.

The Dutchman’s Gameweek 34 strike at Everton took his tally to eight in the Premier League, making him the Villans’ top scorer behind Ollie Watkins (£6.5m), and there is no doubt that at his best, he has the ability to be a real game-changer.

Interestingly, captain Jack Grealish (£7.5m) recently labelled El Ghazi as Villa’s best finisher at the club, and it was easy to see why at Goodison Park, as he bent the winner past an excellent Jordan Pickford (£4.8m) late on. He also hit the woodwork and enjoyed plenty of success running at Carlo Ancelotti’s backline, which is encouraging.

The winger’s shoot-on-sight policy is evident in the numbers, too. Amongst all midfielders per 90 who have played a reasonable number of minutes, he ranks second for goal attempts, fifth for big chances and third for expected goals (xG), only behind Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) and Gareth Bale (£9.1m).

At this stage, we should point out that longer term, this move carries more risk, as it’s likely we’ll see El Ghazi drop out of the starting XI upon Grealish’s return. However, if the England international continues to be ruled out, and you fancy a short-term differential punt, this could be a good one.

2,781 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Torres76
    • 14 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    35 is the best week left to play BB right? Got FH and W.C. left too. Lol

    1. iCon
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      Have you just come out of a coma?

      1. Rupert The Horse
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        2 years, 10 months ago

        😆

      2. Torres76
        • 14 Years
        2 years, 10 months ago

        Bit harsh! Ha ha

    2. Rupert The Horse
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      Mate there’s like no time left at all. Just play it.

      1. Torres76
        • 14 Years
        2 years, 10 months ago

        Played it. Cheers

  2. iCon
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    If all your players start how many fixtures have you got this GW? I’ve potentially got 32…

    1. Rotation's Alter Ego
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 12 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      32 as well. That's a wildly optimistic 32 mind you 😉

      1. iCon
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 13 Years
        2 years, 10 months ago

        Yep, mine too. Would be happy with about 26 starts

      2. yanky
        • 14 Years
        2 years, 10 months ago

        20 lol (no united)

      3. Brimble82
        • 5 Years
        2 years, 10 months ago

        Be happy with just 22!

    2. Brimble82
      • 5 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      Impressive!
      BB?
      I'm on 28.

      1. iCon
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 13 Years
        2 years, 10 months ago

        Of course, actually have a potential 35 including the (c)

    3. Karan14
      • 7 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      30

    4. Zladan
      • 6 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      BB, 3 United, rest doubles (except Kane), Bruno (c)?

  3. IAWC ( It's a Wonderfu…
    • 6 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    play one :

    A)Rudiger
    B) Holding

    1. zotter
      • 14 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      hmm, A

  4. yanky
    • 14 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    anybody like me going with no united players? scared so scared

    1. Alisson WondHaaland
      • 8 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      Im on Shaw but I might not get an attacker. Simply put, theres no way they get more than 200 minutes, its practically a DGW

      1. yanky
        • 14 Years
        2 years, 10 months ago

        thats what in thinking, i already have mendy rudiger saka holding nacho who wont play in gw36 so any united in this week is basically for -8, not sure its worth it! tough calls

    2. Ajax Hamsterdam
      • 9 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      So you should be 🙂

    3. STONEROSES
      • 10 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      I’ve got 2 but I wouldn’t be so scared tbh. With OGS recent comments your essentially getting double GW players not triple. So as long as you’ve reasonable of DGW players in your team to match up with the general template I don’t think your at too much of a loss. People will be taking hits as well and then not really getting what they thought they were.
      Basically prudency rather than getting caught up in the hype is perhaps the right way to go about this IMHO!

      1. yanky
        • 14 Years
        2 years, 10 months ago

        thanks!! needed this hahaha, i can already barely field 11 in gw36 with no hits! see above

    4. Will Kane
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      I've only got Shaw, no way to get any others without hits to remove Son and/or Kane, then taking hits to get a team out next week. Also I'm ranked 1m so who cares 🙂

    5. Gross Blank Point
      • 3 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      I think hits will be the most important factor in the next two GW's
      Seeing a lot of people taking -4 and -8 to bring in ManU players who won't play all 3 and then have to hit to get them out next week.
      If you can negotiate both weeks hit free with a full team out then it's more likely than not green arrows

  5. Alisson WondHaaland
    • 8 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    Will Saka play both games? Should I ship him for someone else?

    1. FPL Daniel
      • 14 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      El Ghazi at that price imo

    2. Free Hat
      • 5 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      Wondering myself. Expect him to be benched vs wbrom. Not sure though

      1. Alisson WondHaaland
        • 8 Years
        2 years, 10 months ago

        Yeah this is my worry...

    3. yanky
      • 14 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      im starting him, with no lacazette he could see more minutes, also has great fixtures to finish after his blank

  6. FPL Daniel
    • 14 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    THoughts on Coleman and his chances of starting? Does anyone know what the fan forums think?

    1. Karan14
      • 7 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      Are you selling Kane?

      1. FPL Daniel
        • 14 Years
        2 years, 10 months ago

        yes i am selling most probably

    2. Hktrader88
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      I'm not an Everton fan but I did trawl their forums for the info. Some seem to think that his legs are not up for playing twice in a week and expect him to be rested in games. That was enough to put me off. I could handle a benching in the double but I really needed him to play GW36 when I'm short of players and they have Sheffield Utd. I narrowed my choices to Godfrey and Digne and ended up getting Digne.

      1. FPL Daniel
        • 14 Years
        2 years, 10 months ago

        Thanks, mate, I need a cheap defender below 5m and that's why I need him.

        Thanks for the comment helped a lot.

        Cheers

  7. Brimble82
    • 5 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    Just realised I can afford Robbo over Digne. Worth it right?
    Neither are owned within ML oppos, so would be to tackle OR/make up rank.
    On FH, other two Defs are TAA/Maguire (Mitchell sub)

    A) Robbo
    B) Digne

    1. zotter
      • 14 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      yes Robbo

      1. Brimble82
        • 5 Years
        2 years, 10 months ago

        That's what I thought.
        Gives me:
        Guaita
        TAA/Robbo/Maguire
        Salah/(B)runo/G'wood/Zaha
        DCL/Nacho/Vardy

        (Forster//ESR/Mitchell/Amartey*)

        Tails off at the end!

        My only niggle is whether to go G/wood in a 343 or AWB in 433.
        Think AWB is likely to get more mins, but you don't win MLs with mins played!

  8. Letsgo!
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    Do u think alonso got chance to start?
    Mount to zaha for -4?

  9. The Mighty Whites
    • 9 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    Can only have one,

    Man Utd defender or Greenwood?

    1. Ajax Hamsterdam
      • 9 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      Greenwood

    2. Eh, just one more thing ...
      • 12 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      Greenwood

    3. xHaTr
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      Greenwood for me. Very dangerous off the bench

    4. IAWC ( It's a Wonderfu…
      • 6 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      green

    5. FPL Daniel
      • 14 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      Defender for me

  10. The Head-Ake
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    Is Kabak the cheapest and best Liverpool defender choice?

    1. Torres76
      • 14 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      Phillips

      1. The Head-Ake
        • 7 Years
        2 years, 10 months ago

        Will he play for sure though?

        1. Torres76
          • 14 Years
          2 years, 10 months ago

          Yes Nat is back in training

  11. Fernando Torres
    • 12 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    Is Zaha fit to play?

    1. Eh, just one more thing ...
      • 12 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      Whether he is fit or not ... he is a trap. Do not torment yourself ... you have never heard of Zaha. He does not exist. Put this phantom out of your mind. He is not the fantasy asset you are looking for.

      1. Nomar
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        2 years, 10 months ago

        I’ve fallen for it.

        But then I had 2 FT and still have FH chip left, so Perreira to Zaha was a punt worth taking, IMO. Especially as Jorginho is on my bench.

    2. lukecrocker77
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 2 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      Was also hoping to find this out

  12. Shardlow
    • 6 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    Which scores more this week?

    A. Kane + M. Pereira + 4
    B. DCL + Watkins

    1. Ha.
      • 8 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      A

  13. DannyDrinkVodka
    • 4 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    Who scores more points this week?

    A) Kane, Greenwood, Siggy
    B) DCL, Jota, Son

    1. Ha.
      • 8 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      B

  14. Ha.
    • 8 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    Glad I didn't settle for Maguire

    1. Hybrid.power
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      It may be a triple game week on paper but in reality it's going to be a double for most of the United players

      1. Winston.
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        2 years, 10 months ago

        Agree

      2. Babelcopter
        • 5 Years
        2 years, 10 months ago

        Yeah so should we just cap Salah or Nacho?

        1. Cruyff's Eleven
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 5 Years
          2 years, 10 months ago

          I've captained Salah

  15. Atimis
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    Thoughts on: Son Davis to Zaha Watkins ?

    Mendy/Forster
    TAA/Castagne/Shaw/Rudiger/Holding
    Salah/Bruno/Son/Siggy/Lingard
    Kane/Nacho/Davis

    1. iCon
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      Do it!

  16. The White Pele
    • 6 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    start:
    A) Veltman
    B) Konsa

    1. iCon
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      Ezri

    2. SweepaKeepa
      • 7 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      I’m starting Konsa if it helps.

  17. Tross007
    • 12 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    Is Wood to Watkins for -4 worth it?

  18. Nightcrawler
    • 4 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    So Maguire definitely Isnt worth a hit now

    Is Zaha fit???

    Also...considering Salah TC now. Massive utd rotation incoming

    1. Public user
      • 13 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      Why isn’t worth ??

  19. Public user
    • 13 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    how many game will Shaw start ?

    1. Karan14
      • 7 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      2

    2. Duke Silver ☑
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      2 I reckon

    3. Aladdin Sané
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      Two is my guess

  20. RobboKop
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    Henderson or Allison this gw? (Draft, I have both).

    Can't decide as I'm not sure Henderson will play all 3 as De Gea was praised by Solskjaer for his performance last night.

    1. Nomar
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      Hendo

  21. DycheDycheBaby
    • 8 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    Now I feel like a complete idiot for getting Maguire in as part of my -8

  22. Zlatan F.C
    • 3 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    Digne or Maguire?

  23. Aladdin Sané
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    The only United asset I have is Bruno. Would you:

    A) Take a -4 for Shaw in GW35 (would require -8 in GW36)
    B) Get Digne for free in GW35 (only requires -4 in GW36)

    1. Nomar
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      B

  24. The Red Devil
    • 9 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    Pick a combo-

    A- Digne+Rudiger+Greenwood+4 points

    B-Son+Rudiger+Greenwood+4 points

    C- Digne+Greenwood+Evans

    1. Aladdin Sané
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      A

    2. Phil's Stamps
      • 13 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      A

  25. Torres76
    • 14 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    Any changes needed? Thinking of BB with this team for -8

    Martinez*
    Phillips*, Rudiger* Castagne*
    Bruno*, Salah*, Jota*, Greenwood*
    Kane, Nacho*, DCL*

    Forster*, Son, Dallas, McGuire*

    Thanks

  26. King of Kings.
    • 3 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    Advice appreciated please lads. Best defender under 4.6 for GW36 and beyond?

    Currently looking at either Ayling or Taylor.

    1. ExpressoMySonny
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 3 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      Alioski

  27. tim
    • 14 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    Bench boost all good?

    Martinez Fabri
    Holding Targett Veltman Mitchell Maguire
    Salah Lingard Bruno(C) Jota Greenwood
    Nacho Kane Dcl

    Guaita for -4?

    CHEERS LADS!

    1. ExpressoMySonny
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 3 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      Looks good ! Good luck

  28. ExpressoMySonny
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 3 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    Bottomed

    Please help I can’t make a decision what transfer suits?? Team currently has 0.tb with 2FTs

    Mendy

    Rudiger Phillips Shaw

    Son Bruno Salah Jota lingard

    Kane Ihenacho

    Bench Fabri Bamford Dallas coufal

    A) Rudiger, Bamford and Son to Zaha Digne and Watkins for -4
    B) Mendy, Bamford son to Greenwood DCL and Pickford -4
    C) Son to Greenwood and save the FT

    1. IBBIKA
      • 8 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      A

  29. IBBIKA
    • 8 Years
    2 years, 10 months ago

    Maddison or Zaha???

    1. ExpressoMySonny
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 3 Years
      2 years, 10 months ago

      Zaha