Popular FPL Player Comparisons Ahead of FPL GW25

The last few days have seen a lot of fixture re-arrangements, so our transfer targets are going to hopefully attack the double game weeks. However, we also have to bear in mind some frustrating blanks, as well as navigating how best to use our remaining chips. In this FPL GW25 blog we compare the likes of Jota vs Robertson, Cucurella vs Digne vs Tierney, Saka vs Raphinha vs Martinelli.

Before going further, Do vote in this week’s FPL GW25 allaboutfpl captaincy poll. The same will be available in the captaincy analysis and metrics blog written by@AK_FPL1. The metrics has a 20/24 record this year. Last week the metric predicted KDB as the best captaincy candidate. Stay tuned for the DGW25 Captaincy metric to see who tops it.

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The results and the captaincy metric blog will be published soon based on the votes.

Link to all our FPL Gameweek 25 blogs. Our blogs cover a wide range of topics including the Best wildcard team, Chip strategy, Captaincy metrics, differentials, and more. The best thing is that every blog is completely free to access:)

Upcoming fixtures from FPL GW25

Here is the current fixture list and planner for the upcoming gameweeks:

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With this mind, the teams that stand out are definitely Liverpool and Arsenal. So this player comparison will be looking at:

• Robertson vs Jota
• Digne vs Cucurella vs Tierney
• Saka vs Martinelli vs Raphinha

[All stats and maps are taken from FFSCOUT]

*All the stats & heatmaps mentioned in the article are till GW23. Article was written before GW24 deadline.

Robertson (£7.1m) vs Jota (£8.4m)

With a huge DGW26 announced for Liverpool, competition for that third spot is hotter than ever. A lot of us will already have Jota covering for Salah during AFCON, but is it worth making some more alterations to our squad structure to switch to Robertson?

Robertson vs Jota: The Stats

	Robertson	Jota
Starts / Minutes	16 / 1397	18 / 1552
Total Points	92	109
Clean Sheets	7	10
Goals Conceded	16	14
Goals	1	10
Big Chances / Scored	1 / 1	20 / 9
Goal Attempts	8	59
Shots on Target	4	21
npxG / per 90	0.93 / 0.06	11.42 / 0.65
Assists	8	4
Chances Created	32	25
Big Chances Created	7	6
xA / per 90	3.41 / 0.21	2.24 / 0.13
npxG + xA / per 90	4.34 / 0.27	13.66 / 0.78
Crosses / Successful	110 / 23	13 / 2
Goal Involvement	21	26
FPL Goal Involvement	21	31

Robertson has definitely gone under the radar so far this season, despite registering an impressive 8 assists – the only two players with more are Trent and Salah. However, he is over-performing his xA but a large amount. In terms of defenders, Robertson has the most touches in the penalty area so far this season and the 4th highest npx G + xA, despite missing a few games. Therefore, doubling up on the Liverpool defence may be a great strategy now that the Chelsea defence has fallen out of favour, and offers more certainty that City’s rotation.

Jota has also had a consistent starting spot and is currently the second-highest scorer after Salah, even though he is slightly under-performing his xG. He can be frustrating, as he has had a whopping 20 big chances, yet hasn’t been clinical at times. He also has the second-highest npxG + xA, behind Salah, of all players.

Robertson’s Maps

Heatmaps from FFSCOUT

This will be very familiar to a lot of fantasy players, and Robertson is on corners too.

Jota’s Maps

Heatmaps from FFSCOUT

Jota has been playing a central role in Firmino’s place, but has taken up the left-wing position while Salah and Mane have been away at AFCON.

Liverpool at a Glance

W / D / L	14 / 6 / 2 (2nd)
Goals (Pens)	58 (3) (1st)
xG	52.60 (1st)
Big Chances	85 (1st)
Goal Attempts	420 (2nd)
Shots inside Box	291 (1st)
Shots on Target	146 (2nd)
Crosses / Successful	534 / 136 (1st)
Goals Conceded	19 (4th)
xG Conceded	21.83
Clean Sheets	11 (2nd)
Shots on Target Conceded	65 (2nd)

Liverpool are currently battling it out with Man City to be the best attacking side, and we know that Trent and Robertson form a huge part of their attacking play.

Although Liverpool have frustratingly lost some clean sheets, they are currently only two behind City this season. So, I do think that doubling up on the Liverpool defence could bring great rewards.

LEI

bur

NOR, LEE

[blank]

WHU

bha

MUN

WAT

The stats definitely show why so many of us are jumping on the Liverpool triple-up against the poor defences of Norwich and Leeds. Leading up to this, they also have some great games against Leicester and Burnley. Unfortunately, they do blank after GW26, followed by a more difficult game against West Ham.

An issue that both Robertson and Jota have is rotation. With Salah and Mane returning from AFCON, Jota is back in risky territory, competing with Firmino for a starting place. However, Liverpool have a very tight schedule around these double gameweeks:

• 13th Feb – Burnley
• 16th Feb – RO16 1st Leg vs Inter
• 19th Feb – Norwich
• 23rd Feb – Leeds

Looking at this, it’s a real possibility that Robertson could rotate with Tsimikas in the League games, taking away the opportunity for a very nice double fixture.

The Verdict ~Robertson vs Jota ahead of FPL GW25

I really like Robertson’s numbers, and it’s unfortunate that we only have 3 Liverpool slots for that huge double in GW26. As it stands, I think most people will already have Jota and Trent, and will be bringing in Salah to Triple Captain. Rearranging your team to move from Jota to Robertson may not be viable, and those transfers may be best used to target other double players. Both of them being a rotation risk over this congested period also doesn’t help.

If you are on a free hit or wildcard, taking a more differential route with Robertson could pay off greatly, but be aware that he is at risk of being rested for one of those double fixtures. Overall, this is a really close call – personally, I’ll be sticking with Salah, Trent, and Jota as my Liverpool assets for DGW26, but I am very worried that Robertson could punish me.

Before going further, Do vote in this week’s FPL GW24 allaboutfpl captaincy poll. The same will be available in the captaincy analysis and metrics blog written by@AK_FPL1. The metrics has a 19/23 record this year. Last week the metric predicted KDB as the best captaincy candidate. Stay tuned for the GW24 Captaincy metric to see who tops it. Link to all our FPL Gameweek 24 blogs. Our blogs cover a wide range of topics including the best free hit team, FPL chip strategy, players to target, differentials, and more.

Digne (£5.1m) vs Cucurella (£5.1) vs Tierney (£5.1m)

Digne’s performances before moving to Villa weren’t that enticing for FPL managers, but after an impressive two games with his new side and a 12-point haul in GW23, he is firmly on our radars with a great fixture run.

Cucurella and Brighton blank in GW24, but have a polarising DGW25 of Watford and United.

Tierney, when he’s got a good run of games, has been in great form for Arsenal. Arsenal also have probably the best double after Liverpool in GW26, with two home games to Brentford and Wolves.

Digne vs Cucurella vs Tierney: The Stats

	Digne	Cucurella	Tierney
Starts / Minutes	15 / 1350	19 / 1652	15 / 1289
Total Points	39	72	82
Clean Sheets	4	6	8
Goals Conceded	24	18	15
Goals	0	0	1
Big Chances / Scored	0	0	0
Goal Attempts	11	9	14
Shots on Target	2	1	5
Penalty Area Touches	20	25	29
npxG / per 90	0.51 / 0.03	0.28 / 0.01	0.59 / 0.04
Assists	1	1	3
Chances Created	26	26	15
Big Chances Created	2	2	0
xA / per 90	1.50 / 0.10	1.63 / 0.08	1.05 / 0.07
npxG + xA / per 90	2.01 / 0.13	1.91 / 0.10	1.64 / 0.11
Crosses / Successful	80 / 19	61 / 15	55 / 11
Goal Involvement	5	6	17
FPL Goal Involvement	5	6	17

Defensively, Arsenal have been pretty solid, so Ramsdale has been a great GK option this season. This also bodes well for Tierney’s clean sheet points, and we can see that he comfortably beats Digne and Cucurella on goal attempts, shots on target, and xG. Although he has created considerably less chances and no big chances, he has bagged 3 assists compared to others’ 1 each. Therefore, although he has over-performed his assist potential, Tierney looks to be defensively solid and is providing some great attacking numbers.

Cucurella has certainly been a player on a lot of people’s radars over the last few weeks. He has fared better defensively than Digne, and they are both very close in attacking numbers – overall, Digne probably comes out on top, and his move to Villa will really boost his potential as an FPL asset.

Digne at Villa

It’s worth looking at Digne’s stats in his first 2 Villa games:

• 4 penalty area touches
• 9 crosses
• 2 goal attempts
• 2 shots inside the box
• npxG + xA of 0.37

There isn’t a lot of data to go on yet, but we can see that Digne has the potential to be a really valuable FPL asset, especially if Villa get a good run of games or maybe a double gameweek soon.

Digne’s Maps

Heatmaps from FFSCOUT

Cucurella’s Maps

Heatmaps from FFSCOUT

Tierney’s Maps

Heatmaps from FFSCOUT

These players have a very similar style of play, and all three are very attacking.

Villa vs Brighton vs Arsenal

	Aston Villa	Brighton	Arsenal
W / D / L	8 / 2 / 11	6 / 12 / 4	11 / 3 / 7
Goals (Pens)	28 (2)	23 (3)	33 (1)
xG	22.15	27.07	35
Big Chances	26	33	39
Goal Attempts	236	279	310
Shots Inside Box	149	165	195
Shots on Target	78	85	108
Crosses / Successful	376 / 77	411 / 105	328 / 81
Goals Conceded	32	23	25
xG Conceded	27.62	23.70	28.07
Clean Sheets	6	6	10
Shots on Target Conceded	88	84	90

Before coming to Villa, Digne was part of an Everton team who have kept only 3 clean sheets so far this season. With some great performances under Gerrard, his possibility of clean sheet points should be a lot greater now that he is at Villa.

Although they are falling short with their attacking numbers, Brighton have conceded the least amount of goals of all three teams.

However, Tierney maybe provides the best upside here – Arsenal are pretty solid defensively, and their attacking figures definitely come out on top.

Aston Villa	Brighton	Arsenal
LEE	[blank]	wol
new	wat, mun	[blank]
WAT	BUR	BRE, WOL
bha [double?]	AVL	[blank]
SOU	new	wat
whu	LIV	LEI
ARS	mci	avl
wol	NOR	cry

Villa definitely have a great run of fixtures, and with a potential double in GW27 Digne could be a great asset to hold until around GW28, when their fixtures swing harshly.

Unfortunately Brighton blank in GW24, but they do double in GW25. It is unfortunate that they have United along with Watford, but as we have seen they do have a really solid defence, so I still think this double has great potential for Cucurella. Directly after that they also have 3 great games.

It’s also frustrating that Arsenal blank before and after their really favorable double, so stacking up on their players may best be navigated by optimizing your remaining chips – I think ALLABOUTFPL have a few articles giving advice on chip strategies, so be sure to check those out!

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The Verdict ~ Digne vs Cucurella vs Tierney ahead of FPL GW25

I currently have Digne in my team, and I think he can be a great asset over these next few weeks, especially if Villa get to double in GW27. As well as this, it’s looking like Villa will be one of the few teams to not blank in GW30. However, attacking the certain doubles is also important.

I also really like Cucurella as a differential option from GW25, despite him having a more difficult game against United. He’s very attacking and is a bonus points magnet, and after that double fixture Brighton face Burnley, Villa, and Newcastle in succession. Therefore, I think he’s a great pick over this time period, and I will hopefully have a spot for him in my team.

Tierney is also going to be a huge transfer target for DGW26. I think Arsenal have a good chance of keeping clean sheets in both games, and I think I’m definitely bringing him in. After the GW27 blank, they also have a nice run of games, so you would be able to hold onto him for a while.

This is a very rare case where I think all are valid options, and I think acquiring all three over these next few gameweeks is a real possibility and offers huge upside. Let’s hope that they can deliver on their potential!

Further Read: FPL DGW26 Teams & Players to Target with Fixture Ticker & Planner

Saka (£6.4m) vs Martinelli (£5.4m) vs Raphinha (£6.6m)

Due to Arsenal’s two favorable home fixtures in GW26, their mid-priced midfielders also have to be on our radar. Saka seems to be the most nailed option, but Martinelli has definitely been explosive and is a very exciting asset.

Raphinha also has a double in GW26, but this is a very difficult two fixtures against United and Liverpool. However, Leeds won’t blank at all over this period, so is it worth bringing in their top goalscorer Raphinha?

Saka vs Martinelli vs Raphinha: The Stats

	Saka	Martinelli	Raphinha
Starts / Minutes	19 / 1576	10 / 872	19 / 1621
Total Points	96	60	92
Goals	6	4	8
Big Chances / Scored	5 /	7 /	6 / 3
Goal Attempts	46	26	59
Shots on Target	15	7	16
npxG / per 90	4.95 / 0.27	4.18 / 0.41	3 / na
xG / per 90	//	//	5.36 / 0.29
Assists	5	3	2
Big Chances Created	6	2	8
xA / per 90	3.14 / 0.17	1.13 / 0.11	3.75 / 0.20
npxG + xA / per 90	8.09 / 0.45	5.31 / 0.52	9.11 / 0.49
Crosses / Successful	60 / 15	37 / 4	95 / 23
Goal Involvement	38	35	48
FPL Goal Involvement	42	41	48

Saka has also provided some consistent numbers, with an impressive 6 goals and 5 assists so far. He is slightly over-performing his expected stats, but being a more guaranteed starter has to give him a boost here.

Martinelli’s numbers are also great, considering he has played almost half the game time as Saka and Raphinha.

Raphinha is currently at 8 goals, along with 6 other players, and his attacking numbers definitely come out on top here. Another great bonus is that he is on penalties, and he has scored all 3 so far this season.

Saka’s Maps

• Saka can take corners

Martinelli’s Maps

• Martinelli can also take corners

Raphinha’s Maps

• As well as being on penalties, Raphinha takes corners and free kicks

Heatmaps from FFSCOUT

	Arsenal	Leeds
W / D / L	11 / 3 / 7	5 / 7 / 9
Goals (Pens)	33 (1)	24 (4)
xG / npxG	35.00 / 28.77	25.14 / 21.98
Big Chances (Scored)	39 (14)	34 (14)
Goal Attempts	310	294
Shots Inside Box	195	164
Shots on Target	108	90
Crosses / Successful	328 / 81	385 / 74
Goals Conceded	25	40
xG Conceded	28.07	35.91
Clean Sheets	10	3
Shots on Target Conceded	90	110

Arsenal definitely come out on top here.

Leeds are currently 15th in the table and have been struggling, particularly without Bamford. He has actually received another setback in his recovery, with a foot injury. Kalvin Phillips may also be out until March, so that’s another worry for Leeds. However, Raphinha has still been delivering with the goals.

Arsenal	Leeds
wol	avl
[blank]	eve
BRE, WOL	MUN, liv
[blank]	TOT
wat	lei
LEI	NOR
avl	wol
cry	SOU

Of course, Arsenal’s double fixture will be what FPL managers look to target. After their blank, they have some more great games.

Leeds’ next two fixtures against Villa and Everton are promising, and then of course they have a frustrating double against United and Liverpool, followed by Tottenham. However, Raphinha has proven that he can deliver against the top teams. From GW28, they also have a very nice fixture run.

The Verdict ~ Saka vs Martinelli vs Raphinha ahead of FPL GW25

Having a double and no blanks, if you can fit Raphinha into your squad and still attack the more favourable doubles I think this is a good option. He could definitely surprise in these difficult games, but there is also a huge risk that he draws a blank. Leeds also hit a good run from GW28, so having him during this period could really boost your score. Overall, despite Leeds being in poor form, Raphinha has still proven to be a consistent FPL asset.

Saka and Martinelli is also a very close call. Saka is definitely the safer option, and he has a good chance of attacking returns. However, Martinelli’s potential is very appealing, despite him being more at risk of rotation. I would personally lean towards Saka, but for almost £1m less Martinelli is also a great option that could really pay off. Currently, Tierney is my favourite Arsenal option for the upcoming double, but I do really like their midfield options and will definitely look to bring in one for GW26 – most likely Saka.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! Any feedback or advice is always welcome, and I wish everyone good luck for GW24/25. Do follow me on my Twitter(@Soph_FPL)

Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 25:

Best FPL Chip Strategy For The Remainder Of The Season
FPL DGW26 Teams & Players to Target with Fixture Ticker & Planner
Popular Player Comparisons Ahead of FPL GW24/25 ~ Robbo vs Jota, Digne vs Cucurella vs Tierney
FPL GW25 Wildcard + FPL GW26 Bench Boost Guide And Draft
FPL GW25 | Premium FPL Assets Rotational Planner

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