With a goal, two assists and a 14-point haul preceding a favourable “double” against Fulham and West Ham United, Erling Haaland (£12.3m) is a strong favourite for Double Gameweek 34’s Fantasy Premier League (FPL) armband.
Nevertheless, the Captain Sensible article is here to consider the pros and cons of the Norwegian, whether Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) can challenge his mantle, and run the rule over differential assets from Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion.
First, we will assess the fallout of the captain poll, before then analysing the best options, Rate My Team (RMT) and the Premier Fantasy Tools ratings ahead of Saturday’s 11:00 BST deadline.
THE CAPTAIN POLL
City’s Haaland exerts his customary dominance over the captain poll, backed by just under three-quarters of the total votes cast by users at the time of writing.
Liverpool’s Salah provides the main competition, sitting currently in second place, backed by one in nine of our users.
Kevin De Bruyne (£12.1m) occupies third place with 3.58% of the vote, with – curiously – Jarrod Bowen (£8.0m) and Kaoru Mitoma (£5.6m) further back.
THE CANDIDATES
ERLING HAALAND/KEVIN DE BRUYNE
Haaland produced his 11th double-digit haul of the season in Manchester City’s 4-1 demolition of title rivals Arsenal, with the reigning champions demonstrating a technical and physical masterclass.
City’s sharpshooter initially turned provider, offloading to De Bruyne for the first goal after some marvellous hold-up play, before making another for the Belgian in the second half.
The Norwegian then swept home deep into stoppage time to reward armband backers proving that form and class trumps fixture difficulty.
Haaland produced division-leading numbers in Gameweek 33, ranking best for shots in the box (six), shots on target (five) and expected goals (xG, 1.62).
One possible cause for concern, given City’s helter-skelter schedule, is the expected minutes of City’s marksman.
Personally, with City’s title challenge in the balance, I expect Haaland to start both games in Double Gameweek 34 with Guardiola’s showing a preference for resting the Norwegian only when victory is secured.
Above: Legomane’s “fixture crush matrix” highlights Man City’s tight recovery period over the next two Gameweeks (click to expand)
Meanwhile, De Bruyne’s double helped to put City’s title race fate into their own hands, taking them to within two points of Arsenal, with two games in hand and a dominant goal difference.
The Belgian twice slotted cooly past Ramsdale showing unerring accuracy against the Gunners, scoring with both of his shots on target.
The midfield maestro has hit top gear over the last four matches, with De Bruyne leading the division for Fantasy points (49) and assists (five) – while also scoring three times.
Over that four-game period, the Belgian created the most Opta-defined big chances (six) and placed his best foot forward ranking second for touches in the final third (153).
Guardiola’s charges travel to Craven Cottage on Sunday with a win putting City into pole position in the title race.
Marco Silva has refuted allegations that Fulham are “on the beach”, but the Cottagers are now on an eight-game streak without a clean sheet in the Premier League.
Over the last six, Fulham rank in the bottom half for shots on target against (30) and big chances conceded (15).
Furthermore, on season-long numbers, Silva’s side concede an expected goal at the sixth-fastest rate in the division (57.7 minutes).
Manchester City then welcomes a resurgent West Ham United to the Etihad Stadium for the second fixture of Double Gameweek 34, with Moyes’ side winning three of their last six in the Premier League to nullify the threat of relegation.
However, when faced with elite opposition – Liverpool, Arsenal, and Newcastle – the Hammers have shipped two or more expected goals (xG) in three of their last six.
MOHAMED SALAH/TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD
