Captain Poll

Close battle expected for Gameweek 3 captaincy

Fantasy Premier League managers have been handed the first captaincy conundrum of the season ahead of Gameweek 3.

After relatively simple debates for the armband in the opening two rounds of matches, it is wide open this week.

Despite amassing more than 50% support for Gameweek 2, Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) blanked at Southampton, which could dent his appeal for the visit of Arsenal to Anfield on Saturday.

However, the Egyptian registered a goal and an assist last time he hosted the Gunners in the Premier League, while it is likely that he and his team-mates will have shaken off any cobwebs following the Super Cup final too.

With Arsenal bottom of the league for clean sheets in away matches last season, Sadio Mané (£11.5m) might enter the conversation this week after he registered a goal and assist against Southampton. The former Saint also scored a goal against Arsenal last season.

However, the man with the best record against the Gunners in 2018/19 was Roberto Firmino (£9.5m), who netted three goals in two such matches last term.

The Brazilian has registered attacking returns in both Gameweeks of 2019/20 so far too.

Those put off by Liverpool’s recent displays might turn to Manchester City’s attack as they prepare for a trip to Bournemouth.

The Cherries are without a clean sheet so far this season and had one of the worst defences last season.

That said, Manchester City scored just once on their last visit to the Vitality Stadium, Riyad Mahrez (£8.5m) getting the goal.

Either way, Raheem Sterling (£12.1m) has made an excellent start to the new campaign, with four goals in his first two matches, which is certainly captainable form.

Kevin de Bruyne (£9.6m) has begun 2019/20 in a similar vein, with three assists and four bonus points so far and a total score of 18.

Those invested in the Belgian to save money can probably feel more confident putting the armband on him than they did ahead of Gameweek 1.

Presenting a third fixture for us to consider are Spurs, who host Newcastle on Sunday afternoon.

The Magpies have already conceded four times this season, letting in three goals on their travels.

In Gameweek 1, Spurs had 31 shots at home against Aston Villa so we might expect a similar volume on Sunday afternoon.

That could be good news for Harry Kane (£11.0m), who scored twice in that match.

We should remember that Son Heung-min (£9.5m) will be back from suspension for Gameweek 3 and could improve Spurs going forward if he is handed a start by Mauricio Pochettino.

You can now vote in our latest captain poll either below or in the sidebar of our website.

Joe and David will be discussing the tricky debate live on our YouTube channel at 12:30pm BST.

Lessons learned from Gameweek 2

964 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Jomopogbra
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Would you do siggy and Auba to sterling and Barnes for a 4 point hit??

    1. Villa Velour
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Have you got any other City attacking coverage?

  2. extenso
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Which one would you pick?
    Jota or Pukki