Captain Poll – Gameweek 27

There may be one match left of the current round of fixtures but we’re already looking ahead with the launch of our Captain Poll for Gameweek 27.

Home comforts will ensure Manchester City assets challenge for the summit as Pep Guardiola’s troops look to atone for Saturday’s draw at Burnley when Leicester roll up to the Etihad.

Despite disappointing the 940,000 (16.5%) Fantasy Premier League managers who captained him at Turf Moor, Sergio Aguero (11.9)’s home form is convincing. In front of his own fans the Sky Blues striker has scored 11 of his 17 league goals – a record he shares with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.

The Argentinian has delivered attacking returns in all four of his recent encounters at the Etihad, ranking up two double-digit points hails along the way. Overall, he has seven goals and an assist from his last six home matches.

Kevin De Bruyne (10.3) is another likely to garner votes – 11 of the Belgian’s 17 assists and four of his five goals have come at home. At the Etihad, De Bruyne has registered more shots on target than Aguero (22 to 20), with only Salah (29) and Spurs’ Harry Kane (38) more accurate on home turf.

There’s a similar pattern with Raheem Sterling (9.0)’s home and away form – he has registered more goals (nine vs five) and assists (seven to three) in front of his own supporters.

The Foxes should be obliging visitors on Saturday having picked up just two clean sheets on the road, the joint-second worst away record, conceding on 20 occasions.

Mohamed Salah (10.3)’s brace at Anfield in yesterday’s 2-2 thriller against Spurs makes the Liverpool winger almost impossible to ignore for a trip to Southampton.

A 15-point return against Spurs was the 15th time in his last 17 league run outs that the Egyptian has delivered points. His opponents’ record bodes well for the top-scoring player in FPL – no side has fewer clean sheets at home (two) than the Saints, while only two teams have conceded more goals (19) in front of their own supporters.

Salah has already bagged 16 points against Southampton at Anfield, back in Gameweek 12.

The North London derby at Wembley Stadium presents a wealth of captaincy candidates, most notably Spurs’ Harry Kane (12.8) given his aforementioned accuracy in front of goal in home matches. The striker, who scored his 100^th Premier League goal at Anfield yesterday and has 10 successful strikes in front of his own fans, has also fired off more shots (91) and more penalty area shots (55) than any other player in front of his own fans.

Furthermore, Kane has scored six goals in as many league appearances against the Gunners.

Son Heung-min has the most impressive home form among the Spurs midfield contingent, having scored in seven of his last nine Wembley outings. He has five goals and five assists in his last six home matches.

The visitors’ swashbuckling 5-1 victory against Everton at the Emirates on Saturday should enhance their prospects, with Aaron Ramsey (6.9) particularly catching the eye with a hat-trick.

Former Borussia Dortmund duo Henrikh Mkhitaryan (7.8) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (10.5) both impressed on their first starts for the Gunners, with three assists and a goal respectively. They are already this week’s most popular transfer targets, earning 125,000+ and 93,000+ new owners since Saturday’s deadline passed.

Alexis Sanchez (11.8) is another potential captaincy candidate after a gung-ho performance against Huddersfield in his home debut for Manchester United on Saturday. During the 2-0 victory against the Terriers the Chilean scored from the spot, after having his initial penalty kick saved. He also fired off more shots (six) than any other player in the Gameweek so far and created three chances for team-mates.

Next up, Sanchez visits a Newcastle side that has just one clean sheet in their last six home matches.

Chelsea’s trip to Watford tonight will be keenly watched by those eyeing up a Blues asset for the armband. In Gameweek 27 Antonio Conte’s men host a West Brom outfit that has a solitary clean sheet and shipped 10 goals in their last six road trips.

There should be particular interest in how Olivier Giroud (8.2) performs, should he earn his Chelsea debut at Vicarage Road after moving from Arsenal in the January transfer window.

The Frenchman’s track record across his 16 appearances for the Gunners bodes well, having registered a shot in the box at a faster rate (one every 22 minutes) than any other player.

Other Chelsea players challenging for a strong finish in the poll are likely to include Eden Hazard (10.7), who has three goals in four starts prior to tonight’s Vicarage Road clash. The all-round Fantasy potential of Marcos Alonso (7.4) also keeps him in consideration. He is the highest scoring FPL defender this season with six goals, an assist, 12 clean sheets and 13 bonus points.

Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson (5.9), who has four goals and two assists in his last seven run-outs, may also gain interest.

The forward may have failed to find the net in Saturday’s 2-1 home victory Stoke but he now visits a Huddersfield side that have conceded eight times in their last four home matches – only Watford have shipped more (nine) over that time frame.

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