Captain Poll – Gameweek 26

More time, fewer players: the captaincy decision for Gameweek 26 is somewhat unique.

While the Premier League takes a weekend off to concentrate on the FA Cup, our latest poll has to make do without assets from EFL Cup finalists Southampton and Manchester United, as well as their respective league opponents Arsenal and Manchester City.

This could hand Chelsea’s Eden Hazard (10.2) and Diego Costa (10.5) an opportunity to compete for the summit, as they prepare to welcome a resurgent Swansea City to Stamford Bridge.

While the Swans are much improved under Paul Clement, they have still mustered just a single clean sheet and conceded nine goals in his five matches in charge.

Costa’s strong track record against the Welsh side could also weigh in his favour: he’s scored seven goals against them over three seasons.

As mentioned in last night’s Stock Check, however, Costa’s form is coming into question: he’s delivered a modest three goals over his last eight Gameweek starts.

Hazard’s remarkable home record perhaps edges him above the striker in the armband pecking order, with five of the Belgian’s six double-digit hauls arriving on home turf.

The pair of Blues assets are owned by around a third of FPL managers.

Pedro (6.9), who found the net against Burnley on Sunday, is another Chelsea player that enjoys home comforts, with three of his five double-figure returns arriving at Stamford Bridge.

Having torn into a hapless Bournemouth in his previous home outing, Romelu Lukaku (9. 9) will surely be heavily backed for the visit of an erratic Sunderland defence.

The Black Cats earned a surprise 4-0 away victory against Crystal Palace in Gameweek 24, but were sunk 2-0 at West Brom in their previous road trip, and shipped four without reply at home to Southampton on Saturday.

Ross Barkley (7.1), who scored and earned an assist in the 6-3 rout of Eddie Howe’s side in Gameweek 24, could also attract attention.

Liverpool look to be the other prime source of captaincy candidates as they prepare to visit a Leicester City side in freefall.

The Foxes have shipped nine goals in their last four league encounters and last kept a clean sheet back in Gameweek 20.

Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp’s troops look resurgent following the return of winger Sadio Mane (9.2) from the Africa Cup of Nations. A quick-fire brace against Spurs on Saturday evening should establish him as the favoured Reds option over team-mates Philippe Coutinho (8.2) and Roberto Firmino (8.4).

The Brazilian pair have 13 goals between them this term, but Firmino has registered returns in just two of his previous seven Gameweek starts, while Coutinho’s last goal was back in Gameweek 11.

However, it should be noted that as mentioned in our recent Stock Check and this report, there’s a possibility that Liverpool may yet miss their Gameweek 26 fixture should Millwall take Leicester City to a replay in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

With a four-man defence favoured in the absence of the injured Danny Rose, the Spurs attack has struggled of late. Since the left-back hobbled off away to Sunderland in Gameweek 23, Mauricio Pochettino’s men have scored just once.

While this may temper interest in their key attacking assets Harry Kane (11.2), Dele Alli (8.8) and Christian Eriksen (8.7), a home clash against Stoke City could yet revive their stock. On the road, the Potters have conceded 21 goals, keeping just two clean sheets.

West Brom’s Chris Brunt (5.1) must rank among the top differential armband options on offer. He faces a home tie against the league’s most obliging defence when Bournemouth pay visit.

The injury-ravaged Cherries rearguard has shipped 13 goals in their last four matches ahead of a meeting with Manchester City tonight. Meanwhile, Brunt has served up 61 FPL points, including three double-digit hauls, in his last seven Hawthorns matches.

The Irishman’s strong track record is likely to give him the edge over Baggies striker Salomon Rondon (6.7), who last scored in Gameweek 16, and winger Matt Phillips (5.9), who will be looking to avoid his sixth successive blank.

Hull City’s Oumar Niasse (5.6) is another potential punt. With Abel Hernandez sidelined, the Everton loanee will be relied upon as a source of goals in the forthcoming Gameweeks, starting with their home encounter with Burnley. The Clarets remain a travel-sick side, shipping 24 goals and earning a solitary shut out on the road.

Harry Maguire (4.4) may well be another candidate among the Hull’s ranks, providing the promise of points at both ends of the pitch.

The Clarets attack has scored a mere five times on the road, while Maguire boasts more goal attempts than any other defender since he gained regular starts in Gameweek 15.

The Captain Poll is now live in the middle column on your homepage on desktop, or via the slide-in menu on mobile and tablet under recent comments.

We will be back to check in on progress in the poll later ahead of next week’s deadline when we deliver our “Captain Sensible” article offering an analysis of the results and the statistics behind the leading contenders.