One match remains in Gameweek 6, but we are already looking ahead to the weekend and the players under consideration for the armband in our latest Captain Poll.
The seemingly perfect alignment of form and fixture is set to propel Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku (11.7) back to the summit ahead of Crystal Palace’s visit to Old Trafford on Saturday.
Owned by 55.8%, the Belgian’s successful strike away to Southampton at the weekend was his sixth of the campaign – and the fifth time in six outings that he has delivered attacking returns.
Meanwhile, the winless and goalless Eagles have conceded more big chances than any other team and, along with West Ham, have conceded 13 goals, again a Premier League low.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (8.5) is another consistent performer in Jose Mourinho’s ranks who warrants interest after racking up attacking returns four times and delivering two double-digit hauls. The Armenian – who sits in a third of FPL teams – only mustered two chances against the Saints, but should be handed more opportunities against Roy Hodgson’s obliging backline.
It is also worth noting that in their last four league meetings at Old Trafford, the Red Devils have scored seven times without conceding. Palace are yet to score this season, perhaps even promoting Antonio Valencia and Phil Jones as differential captain options.
Back up front, a trip to Huddersfield Town hands Harry Kane (12.5) the chance to challenge at the top of this week’s poll given his incredible away form.
While the 22.5%-owned Tottenham talisman has failed to find the net at Wembley, he has proved devastating on the road, firing off more shots than any other player and racking up braces against West Ham on Saturday and Everton in Gameweek 4.
Kane now has 11 goals form his last five Premier League away trips.
However, with four clean sheets and just one goal conceded at home, against Leicester City in Gameweek 5, the Terriers could prove stubborn opponents.
Kane’s supporting midfield duo of Christian Eriksen (9.7), who scored against the Hammers on Saturday, and Dele Alli (9.5), who provided two assists, once again proved they are able deputies for those looking for alternative Spurs captaincy cover. The pair enjoy strong ownership, sitting in 27% and 30.4% of teams respectively.
Manchester City’s trip to Chelsea looks potentially tough on paper, but it could be unwise to overlook the Gameweek 6 poll winner Sergio Aguero (11.7), given that he has scored ten times in his 15 encounters with the London side in all competitions.
The Argentine’s place at the top of the FPL points table with 52, following his goal and assist against Palace at the weekend, are also strong factors in his favour. With 65,000+ transfers in since Saturday the FPL market is clearly optimistic he will maintain his recent output.
Among Chelsea options, Alvaro Morata (10.2) is looking impossible to overlook after his hat-trick against Stoke City. That put him level with Lukaku and Aguero on six goals and with more than 153,000 transfers-in, the Spaniard is currently this week’s most popular transfer target.
But perhaps his midfield team-mate Eden Hazard (10.5) could emerge as a stronger option, as he bids to make his first start of the season. The Belgian’s brace against City in this fixture last season certainly makes him a strong differential armband option. If he can deliver, his 3% ownership would surely spike dramatically over the international break.
Another midfielder returning to match fitness who could garner votes is Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez (11.9), who takes on a Brighton defence that has shipped four on the road this term.
His 2.4% ownership will be keeping a close eye on the Chilean’s performance in tonight’s final Gameweek 6 fixture, at home to West Brom. Impress tonight, and he could be worthy of a first FPL captaincy in a season that has been hindered by transfer speculation and injury.
Elsewhere, Bournemouth welcome Leicester City to the south coast in a fixture that presents further differential captaincy options: both teams are among the four worst sides in terms of conceding shots on goal.
Jamie Vardy (8.5) is undoubtedly the Foxes’ prime captaincy candidate. Despite his penalty miss against Liverpool on Saturday, the 11.3%-owned striker has still recorded five goals and earned bonus points on two occasions this term.
Cherries 2.2%-owned forward Josh King (7.2), who scored 16 times last season and finally got off the mark in 2017/18 with a goal at Everton, is another enticing alternative on our list.
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 7 deadline when we deliver our “Captain Sensible” article offering an analysis of the results and the statistics behind the leading contenders.
