Captain Poll – Gameweek 3

A single match remains in Gameweek 2, but we’re already looking forward to the weekend as we browse the key players likely to make an impact in our latest Captain Poll, which is now open.

A tussle between two heavyweight strikers, one with exceptional form and another who has struggled to find the net, is set to be the main battle among our armband options.

With a third goal in two appearances, as Manchester United registered a second successive 4-0 victory last weekend, Romelu Lukaku (11.6) looks on course to once again dominate proceedings.

The runaway leader of our last two polls is owned by 55.3% of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers and has another favourable encounter when Leicester City drop by Old Trafford on Saturday. While the Foxes kept a clean sheet against newly promoted Brighton at the weekend, their 4-3 away loss in Gameweek 1 to Arsenal may give a better indication of how their defence will fare.

Indeed, they have now conceded at least two goals in five of their seven away matches with Craig Shakespeare in charge.

Unlike Lukaku, Harry Kane (12.5) has severely tested his 30.8% ownership after two blanks in a row.

But will his impressive underlying statistics and a home tie against Burnley punish the 200,000 FPL managers who have jettisoned the Spurs talisman since the start of the season?

This may well be the case. Burnley kept just two clean sheets on the road in 2016/17 and Kane has had more shots than any other Premier League player so far. It would be no surprise to see the England striker break his August goal drought against the Clarets.

There’s also an impressive cast list of co-stars to garner interest.

Paul Pogba (8.1) – now FPL’s joint-highest points scorer with two goals and as many assists – is another strong Manchester United option, as is Henrikh Mkhitaryan (8.1), who is just two points behind his French colleague’s 23-point tally, courtesy of four assists.

More than 161,000 FPL managers have brought in Pogba since Saturday, while 76,000+ have recruited the Armenian.

Christian Eriksen (9.5) and Dele Alli (9.5) present highly credible Spurs alternatives to Kane, particularly the 18.8%-owned Danish playmaker, who has assisted all three of Spurs goals this season.

Alli boasts strong form in front of his own fans if Spurs can shrug off their Wembley woes, though – he bettered Eriksen by nine goals to five at home in 2016/17.

Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero (11.5), Gabriel Jesus (10.5) and Kevin De Bruyne (10.0) could lead the chasing pack as they travel to a Bournemouth side that has conceded the second highest amount of close range efforts so far.

Their backers will perhaps be holding off casting their vote until after tonight’s encounter with Everton at the Etihad.

Of the trio, De Bruyne may be the player most keenly watched for a sign he can justify his 10.0 price tag amongst increasing competition for midfield places – most notably from the red half of Manchester. More than 126,000 of his owners have already seen enough and parted company with the Belgian, who failed to find the net against Brighton in Gameweek 1 despite his four goal attempts.

Liverpool trio Roberto Firmino (8.5), Sadio Mane (9.5) and Mo Salah (9.1) will also look to profit against Arsenal’s defence at Anfield on Sunday.

The Reds scored seven times in their two league matches against the Gunners last term, with Mane the only player to net on both occasions.

Having notched in Gameweek 1 and 2, the Senegal international approaches this one in fine form, while we expect Jurgen Klopp to roll out a full-strength XI for the weekend and return Salah to his front three, after he was utilised as a sub against Palace.

The only side with a worse record than Bournemouth for conceding shots in the box is Swansea City, who travel to Selhurst Park and hand Eagles striker Christian Benteke (7.9) a chance to get among the goals. But he will have to improve on his meagre tally of just four shots in two matches if he is to gather interest.

West Ham could provide two intriguing differential captaincy candidates for Gameweek 3 – midfielder Michail Antonio (7.5) and striker Javier Hernandez (7.0) – when they travel to a Newcastle United side that has shipped three without reply this season.

While the 22.2%-owned Mexican grabbed the Gameweek 2 headlines with a brace against Southampton, Antonio also impressed in his first competitive match following a lengthy injury lay-off, firing four shots, three of which were close range and on target. With a 0.2% ownership, he is among the lowest-owned players in our poll list.

The stock of Chelsea’s stars as poll contenders took a severe knock after defeat at home to Burnley in Gameweek 1, but victory over Spurs yesterday could revive their fortunes, in particular for their rampaging left wing-back Marcos Alonso (7.0). The 12.7%-owned Spaniard’s brace against the Blues’ London rivals offered a powerful reminder of why he is one of the few defenders who can be considered for the captaincy.

Similarly, his compatriot Alvaro Morata (10.0) grabbed a goal and assist on his home debut off the bench in Gameweek 1 and looks set to lead the line at the expense of Michy Batshuayi against the Toffees.

The 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.

Remember, we are looking for your vote for the player you think will be most effective, regardless of whether you own them or not.

We will be back to check in on progress in the poll later ahead of the Gameweek 3 deadline when we deliver our “Captain Sensible” article offering an analysis of the results and the statistics behind the leading contenders.