It looks like a three-way battle for the Gameweek 22 captaincy this weekend.
Fantasy Premier League managers are having to think big as we head into the first round of action for some time.
With the wealth of premium options all in decent form at the start of 2019, choosing the right captain could prove harder than ever.
We’re here to analyse the debate from all angles by looking at individual data, team attacking statistics and opposition defences.
Captain Poll
Mohamed Salah (£13.3m) is set to win the Gameweek 22 captain poll as, at the time of writing, he has 40% backing from the voters. The Egyptian faces Brighton on Saturday afternoon having scored 12 points in three of his last four Premier League outings. Salah’s ownership continues to rise again, now just over 42% after his excellent recent form, which is probably the reason why he has done so well in our poll. The Liverpool man seems to be returning to the ‘auto-captain’ status he ended the 2017/18 campaign in.
Some way behind Salah in second place is Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard (£11.1m). It appears that 23% of our voters are confident the Belgian will deliver in Gameweek 22 after two consecutive blanks to round off the hectic festive fixtures. If we are to believe that Hazard tends to punish those who sell him after blanks, maybe he is indeed set for some attacking returns at home to Newcastle on Saturday. The Magpies have registered just one clean sheet in their last five away matches.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.4m) looks set to claim the bronze medal with his 11% backing ahead of Arsenal’s trip to West Ham. The Hammers still have just one clean sheet at home while Aubameyang has attacking returns in all but one away match against sides outside the top six this season.
Sergio Aguero (£11.2m) is the best of the rest with just 6% backing, the voters suitably afraid both of the Wolves defence and the form that Manchester City have shown in Premier League matches. As we discussed in our recent League Cup notes, a 9-0 win over League Cup opposition could mean little when the top flight action is resumed. Raheem Sterling (£11.3m) has just a third of Aguero’s support, with 2% of the vote, with Leroy Sané (£9.5m) even further behind on 1.25%.
Sandwiched amongst those options are Harry Kane (£12.6m) whose 2.49% share is reflective of a match against Manchester United, while Felipe Anderson (£7.4m) remains the most popular West Ham man. The Brazilian has garnered 1.9% of the vote at the time of writing.
Richarlison (£6.9m) is the only other player over 1% while Marko Arnautovic (£6.9m) and Son Heung-min (£8.8m) were close at the time of writing. The West Ham man on 0.95% and Spurs’ South Korean international with 0.83%.
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