A rested David Silva is an overlooked City midfield FPL differential

Gameweek 24 is just around the corner and our regular feature looking at three overlooked Fantasy Premier League assets returns ahead of the midweek deadline.

All of these mid-price differentials have an FPL ownership between 3% and 5%, with one set to enjoy a Double Gameweek 25 too.

David Silva (£8.5m)

FPL ownership: 4.3%

After being handed the night off in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg win over Burton Albion last Wednesday and featuring only as a substitute in the hammering of Burnley in the FA Cup on Saturday, a rested David Silva (£8.5m) looks primed to return to the Manchester City starting XI on Tuesday.

Silva’s ingenuity may well be needed to prise open a Newcastle United defence that is likely to be obstinate in nature, if past evidence is anything to go by when the Magpies have come up against a “big six” side.

Kevin De Bruyne (£9.7m) is another City midfield differential but after starting both of those aforementioned cup ties and given that he is still building up his match-fitness, the Belgian is less certain to feature on Tyneside in midweek, particularly with stiffer tests ahead – Arsenal (h), Everton (a) and Chelsea (h) – in the coming fortnight.

Silva’s minutes-per-key pass average is the best among City’s regular midfielders this season and only three Premier League players in his position have created more big chances in 2018/19.

“El Mago” also ranks sixth among FPL midfielders for penalty box touches this season and even has a better minutes-per-shot rate than Raheem Sterling (£11.3m).

With a Double Gameweek just around the corner, Silva could be a points-spinning differential beyond Tuesday.

Xherdan Shaqiri (£7.1m)

FPL ownership: 3.0%

A “proceed with caution” selection due to his significant rotation risk status, Xherdan Shaqiri (£7.1m) has nevertheless become a more prominent figure in Jurgen Klopp’s plans recently, having started in eight of Liverpool’s last 12 Premier League games.

Shaqiri is generally the fall guy when Klopp uses a 4-3-3 against fellow “big six” clubs but has mostly been a regular on the right flank since the German manager adopted his now widely used 4-2-3-1 in November.

It would be a surprise if last weekend’s failed experiment with Naby Keita (£7.2m ) on the opposite wing – and Sadio Mane (£9.5m) on the right – is repeated, with Shaqiri primed for a return to the Liverpool starting XI against a Leicester side that shipped four goals at Wolves in Gameweek 23.

Mohamed Salah (£13.6m) and Son Heung-min (£8.6m) are the only two FPL midfielders to have scored more goals than Shaqiri since his run in the team began in earnest in Gameweek 12.

A maverick (and unreliable, from a selection perspective) pick he may be, but with Manchester United the only “big six” team that Liverpool face in the coming eight Gameweeks, the Swiss midfielder should see plenty of game-time if Klopp’s 4-2-3-1 continues as expected.

The Reds are also one of only five teams currently guaranteed to have a fixture in the Blank Gameweeks of 27, 31 and 33.

Patrick van Aanholt (£5.4m)

FPL ownership: 4.0%

A fair number of us have had a representative of Crystal Palace’s backline in our squads for much of the season in the form of Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£4.5m), who sits in over one-third of FPL teams and is the third-most-popular defender in the game.

Patrick van Aanholt (£5.4m) has quietly amassed a tidy haul this season, however, outstripping Wan-Bissaka for overall score in FPL and having accrued only five points fewer than Matt Doherty (£5.2m).

Crystal Palace sit second in our Season Ticker for the next four Gameweeks, with their appealing run of fixtures starting with a clash against a Southampton side that have registered the second-lowest number of attempts on goal and shots in the box over the last six Gameweeks.

No club outside the current top four have kept as many clean sheets as the Eagles (eight) this season, with half of those shut-outs coming on the road.

From Gameweek 3 onwards, no FPL defender has had as many attempts on goal as van Aanholt, with only two players in his position having had as many shots in the box as the Dutch left-back.

All of van Aanholt’s attacking returns have come away from home this season, too.