Captain Poll – Gameweek 25

Pinpointing the Premier League’s latest whipping boys proved key to captaincy success in Gameweek 24, with Romelu Lukaku (9.7) scoring four in Everton’s 6-3 rout of Bournemouth at Goodison Park.

That scoreline means that the Cherries have shipped 16 goals in their last five matches and should ensure that players from their next opponents, Manchester City, fare well in this week Captain poll.

Given his brace against Swansea at the weekend – bringing his tally to three goals in just two Premier League starts – City starlet Gabriel Jesus (9.2) is likely to be a frontrunner ahead of Monday’s Vitality Stadium clash.

In terms of frequency of goal attempts in the box, he is now faster than team-mate Sergio Aguero (12.8), who found himself on the bench for a second successive match against the Swans.

While the Samba star has gathered more than 88,000 new FPL managers since Saturday, 38,000 have jettisoned the Argentine.

City midfielders Kevin De Bruyne (10.6) and Raheem Sterling (7.8) could also benefit from Aguero’s plummeting stock. The Belgian schemer now has two goals and an assist in his last three, while the England winger has been the master of creative consistency, recording eight assists in his last nine.

Leicester City’s fragile backline is another worth targeting when considering where to place the armband. Manchester United’s comfortable 3-0 win over the Foxes at the King Power Stadium on Sunday means that Claudio Ranieri’s defence have conceded 10 over their last four

Next up for the Italian’s hapless rearguard is a trip to Swansea City, which promotes the Welsh side’s set piece specialist Gylfi Sigurdsson (7.4) as a strong differential captaincy option. The 8.2% owned Icelander now has three goals and a pair of assists under new manager Paul Clement, as well as three double-digit hauls at the Liberty Stadium.

Another alternative armband candidate is Sunderland’s Jermain Defoe (7.8), who scored a brace away to Crystal Palace at the weekend. The 27.8% owned veteran next faces a home tie against a Southampton side that has shipped 11 goals in their last six matches, with just one shutout earned over that spell.

Following their successful day out at Leicester, Manchester United once again face a favourable defence, when Watford drop by Old Trafford on Saturday.

The Hornets have just two clean sheets and have conceded 22 times on the on the road, which presents Zlatan Ibrahimovic (11.6) with a golden opportunity to top this week’s poll. The Swede’s strike against the Foxes was his 15^th of the season, and he has been the FPL most popular captain pick for seven successive Gameweeks.

Alternative United assets include Henrikh Mkhitaryan (8.8), who racked up a 14 point return on Sunday, his biggest of the campaign, thanks to a goal, assist and maximum bonus returns.

Before Marco Silva took charge of Hull City, their trip to Arsenal this weekend would have cemented Alexis Sanchez (11.8)’s captaincy credentials. But in his four league matches in charge, the Portuguese has seemingly transformed the Tigers.

Over that period, Silva’s side have defeated Liverpool and Bournemouth, kept Manchester United at bay in a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford and proved a stubborn opponent to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, where they eventually lost 2-0.

Although the 35.8% owned Sanchez, who has 10 attacking returns in his last 12, is likely to be a popular selection, the considerable improvement from his Gameweek opponents could see him miss out on top spot.

Last week’s captaincy poster boy Lukaku could suffer the same fate: he is unlikely to find the Middlesbrough defence as obliging as the Cherries when Everton visit the Riverside Stadium next weekend. Aitor Karanka’s troops have conceded 14 goals in 12 home matches, earning four clean sheets.

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 this week’s deadline when we deliver our “Captain Sensible” article offering an analysis of the results and the statistics behind the leading contenders.