Captain Sensible – Gameweek 31

Our pre-Gameweek members article which focuses on the main captaincy contenders arrives once again this evening. As always, we take a three-part approach which includes the weekly poll standings, the Opta statistics and our Rate My Team projections to help steer your thoughts on the armband conundrum.

The Captain Poll

It says everything about Harry Kane’s form that he leads the way in this week’s Captain Poll with just under 25% of the votes cast, despite the fact he faces just one fixture in the Gameweek. The Spurs forward has served up five sets of double-figures in the last eight Gameweeks and now pays visit to a Burnley side with a single clean sheet in their last 14 league fixtures.

Tucked in just behind, Charlie Austin is handed back-to-back road trips to West Brom and Villa as he looks to end a three-match scoring drought. Given that the Baggies have four home clean sheets in five under Tony Pulis, the Hawthorns encounter certainly looks the toughest of QPR’s two fixtures in terms of goals potential. Villa, meanwhile, have just one shut-out in six since Tim Sherwood’s arrival and could struggle to keep Chris Ramsey’s side at bay.

Eden Hazard is next in line with 10% of votes as Chelsea prepare to host Stoke. The Belgian has struck three times in the last six, though all of those goals have arrived on the road – he has, somewhat surprisingly, failed to score at home since Gameweek 16 and has earned just two assists in his last five at the Bridge.

Christian Benteke sits fourth in the poll with 8% backing, having notched three times in as many matches ahead of his pair of fixtures against United and QPR. The Red Devils’ recent resilience (one goal conceded in four) suggests the Villa frontman may struggle at Old Trafford but his home clash against the R’s looks promising, bearing in mind that Chris Ramsey’s men have conceded at least twice in each of their last five.

Sergio Aguero is backed by 7% of voters ahead of City’s trip to Palace. The Argentine has struggled for form, with just a single assist in the last four Gameweeks, though it’s fair to say he’s been far more consistent on his travels this term, producing attacking points in ten of his 13 road trips. Olivier Giroud has also earned 7% of the votes cast. The Arsenal frontman is in remarkable form, having scored in seven of his last eight starts, though he faces a tough task to break down a Liverpool rearguard that arrives at the Emirates on the back of six consecutive away clean sheets.

Further down, Diego Costa and Wayne Rooney (3% apiece) look ready-made differentials ahead of home encounters with Stoke and Villa respectively. Providing he recovers from a hamstring problem, Costa – who has scored in nine of his 11 Stamford Bridge outings – cannot be overlooked, whilst Rooney’s recent move up front has seen him score three times in the last two at Old Trafford.