We brace ourselves for a busy next few days, as the first of two rounds of fixtures within a week gets underway this evening.
As usual, we roll out our pre-Gameweek members article, assessing the main Captain Poll contenders and taking a look at the Opta numbers and Rate My Team rankings before suggesting a differential or two to help with your armband dilemma.
The Captain Poll
It’s a case of déjà vu when it comes to our latest Captain Poll as Alexis Sanchez once again leads the way ahead of Arsenal’s home clash with Watford.
Over 47% are backing the Chilean to get amongst the points against a defence with a single clean sheet in 12 Gameweeks. A late penalty against Burnley last time out means he’s scored or assisted in all but one of the last ten Gameweeks.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is rated as the best of the rest with 21% of the votes cast.
Set to host a Hull defence that’s conceded more goals on the road (26) than any other side, the United striker has been almost as consistent as Sanchez, proving points in nine of his last 11 league outings.
Harry Kane has persuade 10% of voters as Spurs make their way to struggling Sunderland.
Having recovered from an ankle injury in time for Tuesday’s clash, Kane has racked up six goals and two assists in his last five fixtures and faces a Black Cats backline that’s conceded at least twice in each of their previous five.
With the three big-hitters proving so popular, there is a number of differential options on offer.
Dele Alli earns just 4% votes, yet has eight goals in six to his name ahead of that trip to Wearside. Team-mate Christian Eriksen, meanwhile, has six double-digit hauls in the last ten Gameweeks.
Over at the Emirates, Olivier Giroud has netted in four of the last five Gameweeks yet, like Eriksen, has been picked by just 1%.
Sergio Aguero collects a mere 2% of the votes for City’s trip to West Ham, with concerns still surrounding the knock that saw him miss the weekend FA Cup win at Palace.
Everton’s trip to Stoke has convinced just 1% to look at Romelu Lukaku. The big Belgian rolls up to the bet365 having netted in three of the last five Gameweeks.
Diego Costa’s popularity (1%) is surprisingly low for Chelsea’s trip to Liverpool, given that he’s scored or assisted in 16 of 20 league appearances. All three of his 10+ points returns have arrived on the road.
