Advertisement

Mahrez v Eriksen: who is the better fantasy football pick?

Win £250 cash playing fantasy football here

Deposit £5 now and get £50 free!

Follow Yahoo Daily Fantasy on:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Mahrez vs Eriksen

They are two of the Premier League’s best midfielders but which one should you have in your team?

Now that Riyad Mahrez has returned to the Leicester City fold following his very public failed move to Manchester City, he has the chance to regain some of the form that led him to being the named Player of the Year back in the 2015/16 season. For fantasy players, the choice between him and Spurs’ midfield maestro Christian Eriksen is a tough one.

READ MORE: How to play Yahoo fantasy football

Season form

If we look at the season as a whole, both players have played a similar amount of matches despite Mahrez’s absence earlier this year. The Algerian has played 25 games this campaign and during that time has found the net eight times and assisted seven of his teammates’ goals. Eriksen meanwhile has played one game more than Mahrez but has one less goal and assist than his Leicester counterpart.

Riyad Mahrez scored twice and assisted another before he his self imposed hiatus from the Leicester squad. The Algerian has been very efficient with
Riyad Mahrez scored twice and assisted another before he his self imposed hiatus from the Leicester squad. The Algerian has been very efficient with

Passing

Mahrez plays in a more advanced role for his club than Erkisen does for Mauricio Pochettino’s team and this is evident in the number of passes they regularly produce per game. With a total of 805 league passes completed this season, Mahrez has an average of 32.50 but Eriksen is almost double that figure at 58.69. So while the Dane may see more of the ball, it is not always in an advanced position.

Returns

The recent form of the players is also interesting. Spurs have faced a tricky run of fixtures in Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal and Eriksen has only managed to produce one goal and no assists in that time, the win against United. Mahrez on the other hand has recorded two goals an assist in his last three starts.

Christian Eriksen has created 15 chances in his last four games without an assist. He’s ‘due’ to get an assist sooner rather than later. He’s managed to score himself twice in that time with seven shots.
Christian Eriksen has created 15 chances in his last four games without an assist. He’s ‘due’ to get an assist sooner rather than later. He’s managed to score himself twice in that time with seven shots.

It is the clinical nature of Mahrez’s shooting that has helped him in this regard. In the past four games, he has scored two goals from just four shots and has been involved 75% of Leicester’s goals. Eriksen also has a very good conversion rate in the same time frame having scored two from seven shots. If we compare this to the leading goalscorers of the league it makes for very impressive reading. Mohamed Salah has four goals from 15, Raheem Sterling has one from ten and Eriksen’s teammate Harry Kane has three from 20.

READ MORE: Here are the must-have picks for Gameweek 28 of fantasy football

Eriksen is currently on a run of five league games without an assist which is his longest since November. His form would suggest he is due an assist in the near future and his side faces some very favourable opponents next.

Fixtures

Spurs play Crystal Palace, Huddersfield, Bournemouth and Newcastle in their next four games and of that list only Bournemouth are currently in the top half. The Newcastle fixture in particular is one in which Eriksen could shine as he assisted both the goals in the reverse of this tie back at the start of the season.


Mahrez’s Leicester also have same winnable games on the horizon as they face Stoke, Bournemouth, West Brom and Brighton, with Bournemouth once again being the only side in the top half. Two of their next four fixtures are also against sides currently in the bottom three. Facing the same sides earlier in the season, Mahrez scored two goals and produced one assist so could be inline for a favourable run of form.

Verdict

The choice between the two is a tough one as both represent significant cogs in their team’s machine. One curveball that could be thrown into the mix is Tottenham’s progression in the Champions League and with an upcoming second leg against Juventus in mind, Pochettino may choose to rest the likes of Eriksen in the near future.

Win<strong> £250 cash</strong> playing fantasy football <a href="http://bit.ly/2CC6H2J" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:here;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">here</a>!
Win £250 cash playing fantasy football here!