Captain Poll – Gameweek 19

There may still be one match to play in Gameweek 18, but we are already looking ahead to the next set of fixtures with the launch of our latest Captain Poll.

Manchester City’s key midfielders look set to challenge for the summit after turning in another dazzling display.

Following their 4-1 home demolition of Spurs on Saturday evening, Pep Guardiola’s attack will now be unleashed on a Bournemouth side that, like Spurs, were also on the wrong side of a weekend thumping, beaten 4-0 by Liverpool.

Raheem Sterling (8.5)’s brace, from six efforts against Mauricio Pochettino’s troops, brings his goal tally to 11 for the season.

The winger has now earned Fantasy returns in seven of his last ten run outs and has started all but one of these matches. He is the Fantasy Premier League’s most popular transfer target this week, picking up 129,000+ new owners since Saturday.

Kevin De Bruyne’s (10.3) goal and maximum bonus returns took him to 113 points and second in the overall points table. He ranks behind team-mate Sterling for transfers (73,000+) in so far this week.

Over the season, De Bruyne has racked up double-digit returns on five occasions, delivering a goal or assist in all but two of his last eight appearances. He also offers a security of starts, having started all of City’s league matches.

Both Sterling and De Bruyne’s prospects will be boosted further should they get a rest in the EFL Cup tie with Leicester City on Tuesday, which should guarantee them starting berths against a Cherries defence without a clean sheet in five.

Leroy Sane (8.6) also put forward a case for consideration with two assists against Spurs, his first attacking returns since Gameweek 12.

We have included David Silva (8.3) in our list but voters may hold off until more information is forthcoming surrounding his absence from Gameweek 18 due to “personal reasons”. Already more than 79,000 managers have decided to act and have already moved him out of their squads.

It’s also worth keeping an eye on who starts up front against the Foxes in midweek, given Guardiola’s rotation policy. A role on the bench for either Gabriel Jesus (10.2) or Sergio Aguero (11.5) would boost their chances of making the teamsheet to face Bournemouth.

Liverpool assets can offer a strong challenge with Sunday’s performance at the Vitality Stadium taking them level with Man City for goals scored in away matches (24).

The Merseysiders face a Friday night trip to an Arsenal defence that has proved resilient at home – with clean sheets in four of their last six Emirates encounters – although Jurgen Klopp’s side won the corresponding fixture 4-3 last season.

Leading the Reds’ charge is likely to be top points scorer Mohamed Salah (10.0), who, with a 57.5% ownership, is the game’s most popular player.

Sunday’s strike on the south coast made him the first Premier League player to score 20 goals in all competitions. No player has found the net more times (eight), had more penalty area shots (25) or shots on target (14) than the Egyptian in away matches.

Brazilian pair Roberto Firmino (8.6) and Philippe Coutinho (9.0) should also pick up interest based on Sunday’s showing.

Firmino has four goals and two assists in his last four starts across all competitions, while Coutinho has been exceptional on the road, supplying 10+ points in four of his five away appearances.

Elsewhere, Paul Pogba (7.9) returns from a three-match suspension for Manchester United’s trip to Leicester.

Across eight starts he has picked up three goals and seven assists, only failing to deliver attacking returns on two occasions. With an average of 7.0 FPL points per match, over 40,000 managers have already added him to their line-ups.

The Frenchman’s return should also boost the attacking prospects of Romelu Lukaku (11.3), who has scored in successive league appearances for the first time since Gameweek 7.

With just one clean sheet in their last six run-outs, the Foxes look unlikely to keep the Red Devils at bay.

Sam Allardyce’s revival of Everton’s fortunes may temper interest in Chelsea armband options for their Saturday lunchtime head-to-head at Goodison Park. Ahead of tonight’s Gameweek 18 clash with Swansea, the Toffees have kept two clean sheets and restricted Liverpool to just one goal with Big Sam at the helm.

Nevertheless, with three goals and two assists in his last five away days Eden Hazard (10.9) can never be underestimated. Equally, Alvaro Morata (10.7) will threaten the Everton backline should he earn a recall to the Chelsea starting XI. On the road, the Spaniard has scored five, assisted twice and racked up more big chances (11) than any other player.

Another strong away performer, Watford’s Richarlison (6.6), travels south to Brighton on Saturday. The Seagulls will be without influential centre-back Shane Duffy through suspension, improving the Brazilian’s prospects. Richarlison already has four goals and as many assists in away matches.

Indeed, onlyHarry Kane (12.8) can better the Watford winger for shots in away matches. The Spurs striker next faces a testing trip to Burnley, with over 35,000 moving him out following his 1-point return at Manchester City. However, notably, another 17,000 have moved to acquire Kane prior to Saturday’s fixture.

While Kane’s underlying statistics impress, he has only found the net once in his last four away days. He also faces a Clarets backline that has shipped just three goals in front of their own fans, an impressive record matched only by Liverpool and Manchester United.

With four goals in his last four starts, Charlie Austin (6.2) is a captaincy punt that could pay off.

Restricted to just 29 minutes off the bench at Chelsea, the Southampton striker looks set to make the starting XI for the visit of Huddersfield, who have kept just two clean sheets on the road.

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