Aston Villa will return for their first match since New Year's day this week when they head into a double game week.

Having played only 15 games compared to everyone else's 17, it will have been almost three weeks since their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United. 

Two games since then have been postponed following a COVID-19 outbreak within the Aston Villa training camp. Both their fixtures against Tottenham and Everton have now been moved to a later date. However, regardless of this, they will still have a doubleheader in GW19. 

On Wednesday evening they will travel to Manchester City to play their first game. City are in good form at the moment but after Villa's rest, they may be able to take advantage. They then host Steve Bruce's Newcastle United, who are struggling for form, on Saturday 23rd.

Aston Villa could move up to third in the league table with two wins and if other results go their way, which shows emphatic form given that they were fighting a relegation battle until the final day of last season.

Villa

A lengthy period of rest after the busy festive schedule can only mean that Villa's top players will be re-vitalised for this game week, and therefore in comes Jack Grealish. 

Jack Grealish - £7.7m

The 25-year-old forward could be a great choice ahead of DGW19. The England international has already scored five league goals and produced nine assists this season, and has recorded double FPL points hauls in Fantasy Premier League over four times in this campaign. 

For £7.7m he is available for a very reasonable price and could offer good attacking returns, especially against Newcastle. Having not played in over two weeks, he and his Villa teammates will have had time to recuperate from their self-isolation period.

So far this year, Grealish has taken 2.7 shots-per-game and produced an instrumental 3.7 key passes-per-game. On top of that, he is one of the most fouled players in the Premier League this term, getting fouled a massive 4.9 times-a-game. If he gets fouled in the box and wins a penalty then that adds to his assist tally, which he has done a few times already this season. 

Grealish

As he continues to be at the heart of this Aston Villa turnaround, FPL managers have reaped the rewards of selecting him for their teams. Owned by 35.9% of managers, he is a popular choice, but one that could prove effective ahead of this double game week. 

Good fixtures?

Admittedly, Villa's first game of this gameweek, against Man City, will be tough start as they get back into the swing of things. City are unbeaten in 14 games in all competitions, and continue to creep up the table after a slow start.

However, Grealish has a chance to impress alongside the likes of Anwar El Ghazi (£5.8m), who has four goals in as many matches, and Ollie Watkins (£6.1m), Villa's top scorer. Their trip to Newcastle in a week's time will also be a good chance to gain some points in the league table. 

Ahead of this doubleheader, Jack Grealish could be a great option for your FPL team. DGW19 promises to be a big week for double-digit FPL points hauls his ability to assist and score goals could prove vital in considering your final team before Saturday's 11am deadline.