With a quick turnaround until GW12, FPL managers are scrambling to find the best captain options.
With Arsenal and Man City both on a blank, the evergreen captain Haaland can’t be selected.
Because of this, it makes the captaincy choice really interesting. In some ways too, potentially difficult.
As always, there are a couple of premium options. But with no Haaland, this does open the door for some differentials.
For a full list of the best captains check out our best FPL captain page.
Mohamed Salah
- Fixture: West Ham (H)
- Anytime goal: TBA
- Anytime return: TBA
With no Haaland’s absence, last season’s normality of Salah being the best captain choice returns.
His record against West Ham provides optimism for potential captainers.
Statistically, West Ham is Mo’s favourite opponent. In his 10 appearances against them, he has managed to score 9 goals, alongside 3 assists.
In addition, his ownership plummeted to 26%. Because of this, he could be a very good shout as a relative differential captain pick.
Furthermore, just maybe, he has his form back after all. Salah scored his third goal for the campaign on Sunday, scoring the decider in the Reds’ 1-0 win over what was an unbeaten Man City side.
Liverpool’s six of their next seven fixtures are rated as a 2 on the FDR.
Harry Kane
- Fixture: Man Utd (a)
- Anytime goal: TBA
- Anytime return: TBA
Coming second to Salah is Tottenham’s ever-reliable Harry Kane.
He has managed to return in each of his last nine gameweeks. His only blank of the season coming in GW1.
No other player in the game has achieved this stretch of consistency, within that time.
In games Spurs have scored in, he has scored in three of his last four visits to Old Trafford. This dates back to August 2018. Within that spell, he has scored four goals, alongside an assist.
His form now is being recognised by highly-ranked managers. He is inside the top 10 for being most owned by managers in the top 1k and top 100, with a percentage of 52% and 48% respectively.
But statistically, Man United are a better defending side at home. Only 4 of their 15 goals conceded to date this season have come from Old Trafford. Half of their four came in their 2-1 defeat to Brighton in the opening gameweek.
Aleksander Mitrovic
- Fixture: Aston Villa (H)
- Anytime goal: TBA
- Anytime return: TBA
The next recommended choice is Marco Silva’s Serbian superstar.
Mitrovic returned from his foot injury over the weekend with an instant impact. He was one of Fulham’s scorers, converting from the penalty spot, in their 2-2 home draw to Bournemouth.
With another home game, this should brew more returns for Fulham’s talisman. 5 of his 7 goals scored so far have come from Craven Cottage.
His xG of 5.52 is ranked inside the top five, of all players in the league.
However, Villa’s recent record against Fulham is impressive.
In the two Premier League games Mitrovic has played against Villa, the Clarets have scored three on both occasions. Whether this is a one-off or Villa have Fulham’s number is debatable.
But Villa this season has been shaky defensively. Steven Gerrard’s side has managed just one clean sheet all season. Their elusive shutout came from Elland Road in a 0-0 draw to Leeds.
Leandro Trossard
- Fixture: Notts Forest (H)
- Anytime goal: TBA
- Anytime return: TBA
If you’re feeling adventurous with the armband for GW12, Trossard is an appealing choice.
His upcoming opponents have one of the leakiest defences in the league.
Forest’s 23 goals conceded are only bettered (or worsened) by Leicester’s 24. This trend reflects on Forest’s cleansheet chances for GW12.
Steve Cooper’s side has the second lowest odds, with a clean sheet percentage of 14%. Only West Ham are lower, although they do travel to Liverpool.
Excluding their GW1 trip to Old Trafford, Trossard has recorded a high goal involvement ever since. In Brighton’s last 9 goals, he’s been directly involved in 7 of them. This comes along with his 5 goals scored and 2 assists.
FPL managers have swarmed him due to this fixture. He is the second-most transferred in, with 100k+ already acquiring his services.
Dominic Solanke
- Fixture: Southampton (H)
- Anytime goal: TBA
- Anytime return: TBA
If you’re feeling extremely bold on your armband pick, look no further than Cherries in-form Solanke.
He has been on a good fantasy patch in the last 5 gameweeks, having scored 2 and assisted 4 goals.
In addition, his form in the last six gameweeks is top 10 level. His GW12 opponents present a good opportunity to continue this form.
The Saints themselves, have conceded 18 goals in their first 10 games. With this, the away side hasn’t been able to keep a clean sheet all season.
With a current ownership of 3%, serious gains could occur, should he deliver as your man for the armband.