Spot the Differential – Gameweek 9

Our usual Saturday morning trawl for some overlooked Fantasy options sees us place our faith in a couple of hot-headed frontmen with favourable home encounters on their agendas. Southampton’s playmaker also earns a nod as Ronald Koeman’s men embark on a very kind run of fixtures.

Diego Costa

In the same way that Sergio Aguero and Alexis Sanchez silenced their critics in emphatic fashion with explosive Fantasy returns, one would imagine that Diego Costa’s undoubted class will eventually shine through and spark a much-needed hot streak. To that end, Chelsea’s home tie against Aston Villa this Gameweek could provide the perfect antidote for the Blues’ ailing offense, considering that Tim Sherwood’s men shipped eight goals in their last trio of road clashes.

Costa’s most prominent failing this term has been a lack of goal attempts; Radamel Falcao has mustered as many shots on target (four) as the combative frontman, despite being afforded less than half his pitch time (231 minutes compared to 540). It bodes well, then, that only Leicester and Norwich City surrendered more shots inside the box (22) than Villa during the last two Gameweeks.

With a large portion of Sergio Aguero’s ownership pinpointing Graziano Pelle – who’s the most transferred in player this Gameweek – as the most viable replacement, the 10.9-priced Costa (6% ownership) could be an impactful purchase. If he can rediscover his groove against the West Midlanders, Chelsea’s excellent run through to the New Year – which includes a quartet of strong home encounters (NOR, BOU, SUN, WAT) – plays right into Costa’s hands.

Dusan Tadic

Beyond Graziano Pelle (three goals and four assists in three) and Sadio Mane (two goals and three assists in three), Dusan Tadic (three goals in five) makes the most cogent argument for investment among Southampton’s attacking contingent. Priced at 7.0, the Serbian playmaker serves as a cheaper route into a Saints outfit that netted eight goals in their past four match-ups and is buoyant in the wake of a 3-1 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

From a statistical standpoint, Tadic has excelled over the past four Gameweeks. Aside from tallying six attempts, he ranked joint-fourth among his counterparts for key passes (14). Moreover, taking the campaign as whole, Mesut Ozil (one every 19.5 minutes) and Erik Lamela (20.2 minutes) are the only midfield starters to boast superior key-pass frequencies (23.1 minutes) than Tadic, underlining how pivotal he is to Southampton’s build-up play.

The Saints’ next match-up finds them hosting a Leicester City side that ranked second for goals against (10) and shots inside the box conceded (44) across the previous four Gameweeks, exposing their paucity of defensive resolve. With three more favourable home encounters (BOU, STO, AVL) and a trip to Sunderland also to follow in the next seven Gameweeks, the 6%-owned Tadic could be a real contender in the mid-price bracket.

Aleksandar Mitrovic

Notwithstanding their 6-1 mauling at the hands of Manchester City last Gameweek, Newcastle United will take solace from Aleksandar Mitrovic’s first goal of the campaign. Fantasy managers will understandably be wary of recruiting from the Tyneside outfit – given that no side has chalked up fewer goals (six) this campaign – but it’s worth bearing in mind they’ve already squared off against six of last season’s top six teams and now embark on an agreeable schedule (NOR, sun, STO, bou, LEI, cry) through to Gameweek 15.

Despite facing off against Chelsea and Man City in the last two Gameweeks, the former Anderlecht marksman managed to rack up six shots inside the box – only five forwards carded more. Next on the agenda for the Magpies is Norwich – who’ve conceded the most shots inside the box (48) and second most big chances (11) over the last two Gameweeks – which suggests Mitrovic will have an easier time fashioning chances.

Valued at 6.2, Mitrovic is certainly friendly on the budget, though the real problem up until this point has been his temperament. If he can curtail the aggression that’s resulted in two yellow cards and a sending off in just over 300 minutes with the Magpies, his predatory eye for goal looks key to steering Steve McClaren’s outfit up the table.