Some unusual factors may be at play in the Gameweek 26 captaincy debate.
There are a number of clubs who enjoy excellent matches in the next set of Premier League fixtures but the forthcoming games are spread out over ten days, with the English top flight’s first-ever winter break very much in full swing.
Only four matches take place this weekend, so we’ll be in the dark on the latest injury situation at a dozen Premier League clubs heading into Saturday’s deadline.
The Captain Sensible article runs through the runners and riders for the armband in this minefield of a Gameweek to come.
Most of this piece is restricted to subscribers of Fantasy Football Scout, with full details on how to sign up – and a guide to the benefits of membership – available by clicking here.
CAPTAIN POLL
Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) leads the way in our captaincy poll for the third Gameweek in a row, although unsurprisingly, given the number of viable alternatives this time, his leading margin is narrower than in Gameweek 25.
The Egyptian has registered 16-point hauls in each of the last two Gameweeks and averages 9.2 Fantasy Premier League points per match in 2020 so far.
It has to be said that Salah hasn’t been prolific on the road this season, scoring only two goals away from Anfield – although he has supplemented those strikes with five assists.
Of course, Salah bucked the trend in his last away outing, racking up 14 points in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over West Ham United.
That was his highest FPL score in an away game since Gameweek 16 of 2018/19.
Liverpool’s opponents this weekend, bottom-of-the-table Norwich City, have conceded more goals on home soil than any other team bar Southampton this season.
The ongoing injury concern over Sadio Mane (£12.3m) has probably aided Salah’s cause in the captaincy poll, with there being little in the way of a ‘split vote’ among the Reds’ premium midfielders: the Senegal international has garnered just over 1% of the nominations so far, with uncertainty still clouding his availability in Gameweek 26.
Despite their heroics at the back over the last few months (eight clean sheets in nine matches), not one of Liverpool’s defenders can boast more than a 1% share of the vote.
The number of popular FPL midfielders and forwards with appealing fixtures in Gameweek 26 will largely be the reason why even the most in-form of defenders are being overlooked for the armband.
Sergio Aguero (£12.0m) is among that group, with Manchester City facing West Ham United at the Etihad on Sunday.
Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne (£10.7m) sit second and third in our poll at the time of writing, with Riyad Mahrez (£8.5m) down at ninth.
If Pep Guardiola was less prone to rotation, then City assets would surely be faring even better in our poll.
The advantage that the reigning champions’ players have over their counterparts from Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea, Manchester United, Wolves and Leicester this week is that we will hopefully hear about any injuries before Saturday’s deadline, with Guardiola’s pre-match press conference scheduled for Friday.
As for Messrs Klopp, Mourinho, Lampard, Solskjaer, Santo and Rodgers, they’ll only deliver their fitness updates long after the Gameweek 26 deadline has been and gone.
Of course, Guardiola is not one for being completely transparent when facing the media and it is extremely unlikely that he will give us any clues as to his starting XI.
Based on the fixture alone, Aguero and co have strong cases.
West Ham have conceded on nine occasions in their last three matches, shooting themselves in the foot against Brighton last Saturday when gifting the Seagulls two of their goals.
While it’s fair to point out that ten clubs have conceded more goals than the Hammers on the road in 2019/20, David Moyes’ beleaguered troops have yet to face five of the traditional ‘big six’ – including City ‘- away from home.
Aguero and De Bruyne have both hit double figures for FPL attacking returns at the Etihad this season, with Mahrez a little further back on eight.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£10.8m) is the best of the rest, with around 4% of our voters eyeing up Arsenal’s home fixture against Newcastle United a week on Sunday.
The Gabonese forward has actually been better on the road this season, with 11 of his 17 attacking returns coming away from home.
That said, most of those games came under Unai Emery.
His role as a left-winger in Mikel Arteta’s 4-2-3-1 set-up is less about hugging the touchline, as evidenced by the three excellent chances he was presented with in more central positions against Burnley last weekend.
Aubamayeng has also failed to blank in his four previous meetings with the Magpies.
The fact that we’ll have concrete team news from Carlo Ancelotti ahead of Saturday’s deadline is perhaps a reason why Lucas Digne (£5.8m) and Richarlison (£8.1m) are proving so popular in our poll.
The pair are fifth and sixth respectively, with the visit of Crystal Palace offering the prospect of returns at both ends of the pitch: the Eagles have scored fewer goals than any Premier League team this season and are without a clean sheet since Gameweek 16.
Just over 80% of Digne’s FPL points have come at Goodison Park in 2019/20.
Danny Ings (£7.0m) and Son Heung-min (£10.0m) also feature in the top ten and it’s a little surprising to see the South Korea international so low down, given that Aston Villa have the joint-worst defensive record in the top flight and that Son has scored in four consecutive matches in all competitions.
4 years, 2 months agoa) Sarr to Mahrez -4
b) Martial to Mahrez or Son -4
c) stay put and play 4 at the back (TAA, O'Connell, Dunk, Stephens)
TIA