Fantasy Premier League managers must decide between the best options at Manchester United and Liverpool for the Gameweek 33+ captaincy.
The two clubs come into this next round of action atop the popularity charts for the armband, but there is still plenty to decipher when picking the right skipper.
As ever, the Captain Sensible article is here to help you do that with data comparisons of each candidate’s statistical form, as well as that of their upcoming opposition’s defences.
As this article uses data from the Fantasy Football Scout Members Area, only those with a valid subscription can read it in full.
Captain Poll
So soon after letting down his followers in the 3-0 win over Sheffield United, Bruno Fernandes (£8.8m) is back at the top of the captain poll once again.
A blistering double-figure haul in Gameweek 32+ has handed the Manchester United man 34.5% of the vote this week.
Despite that Gameweek 31+ blank, the Portuguese midfielder has a remarkably consistent record since joining the Red Devils. In eight Premier League appearances, Fernandes has already racked up five goals, three assists and, as far as we know, retains control of the club’s penalties.
An unfortunate blank at Manchester City on Thursday night was not enough to stop the support of Mohamed Salah (£12.6m) for the Gameweek 33+ captaincy.
The Egyptian was denied early by Ederson (£6.0m) and the post as Liverpool crashed to a 4-0 defeat, a result that 19.5% of our voters are convinced will produce a fierce backlash when Aston Villa come to Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
Indeed, Salah is a reliable asset at home, averaging 10 points per game in his last six league matches there. An improved Aston Villa defence stands in his way for Gameweek 33+, but Dean Smith’s men have only kept one clean sheet since they tightened things up.
Solid returns in their last home match are enough for Anthony Martial (£8.2m) and Marcus Rashford (£9.1m) to act as differential options for the captaincy in this poll.
The Frenchman scored a hat-trick against Sheffield United, 10.5% of the voters reading more into that than his Gameweek 32+ shotless blank at Brighton.
Meanwhile, Rashford’s midweek two-pointer has done little to weaken the resolve of the 8.6% backing the England international, who registered two assists in his last home outing.
Despite coming into a Gameweek 33+ meeting with Crystal Palace devoid of form, Jamie Vardy (£9.7m) completes the top-five but is unlikely to play a huge part in the debate. He has two goals since Gameweek 19 and is backed by just 4.1% of our voters.
Kevin De Bruyne‘s (£10.7m) latest world-class performance has not been enough to allow him entry into the top-five for the latest captaincy popularity contest, perhaps on account of playing 90 minutes against Liverpool, and a quick turnaround before the Southampton game.
Those interested in the Liverpool attack do seem to be presented with an opportunity for serious gains if the performance of Sadio Mané (£12.5m) in this poll is anything to go by. Just 2.7% of our voters have backed him for the Gameweek 33+ armband.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£5.5m), Riyad Mahrez (£8.5m), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.0m), Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.8m), Mason Greenwood (£4.4m), Harry Kane (£10.9m) and Christian Pulisic (£7.1m) are the only other options backed by more than 1%.
