FPL GW9 Best Captain: Palmer, Salah, Haaland & More
Following another round of European action, we’re having a look at the best captaincy picks ahead of this week’s round of fixtures. Here are the FPL GW9 Best Captain choices!
Our surprise pick for GW8 was Newcastle playmaker Anthony Gordon, and unfortunately it didn’t go the way we hoped for Gordon or the Toon Army.
Brighton arrived at St James Park full of confidence under young coach Fabian Hurzeler after an impressive 3-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in GW7. Their defence was on top from the first minute, and Gordon got very little change from his direct opponent, Netherlands international Joel Veltman.
The Seagulls deservedly came away with a 1-0 victory, moving them above Newcastle to 15 points as this year’s league begins to take shape.
This week presents another opportunity to gain some ground within your FPL mini-leagues, and we’re confident this week’s surprise pick will be popular among supporters. Let’s get into the action!
FPL GW9 Best Captain Options: The Usual Suspects
1. Erling Haaland (15.4 m)
- Expected points: 8.9
The big Norwegian sensation has failed to score in his last 3 Premier League appearances, and although FPL managers won’t be considering selling the big centre forward, they will be concerned about his recent form.
For such a hefty price tag, returning a miserable 2 points for the last 3 GW’s is disappointing and he has been overtaken at the top of the FPL point-scoring rankings for this season by Mo Salah. Hard to believe considering Haaland’s early season form
But this weekend’s fixture at home to Southampton presents the perfect opportunity for the 24-year-old to get back amongst the goals, and you would be very disappointed if he doesn’t hit the net at least once on Saturday afternoon.
The 24-year-old was on the scoresheet twice in midweek as Manchester City romped to a 5-0 victory over Sparta Prague in the Champions League.
A similar result tomorrow would be more than welcome by FPL owners of the striker. He is a leading candidate to take the captain’s armband this week.
2. Cole Palmer (10.8 m)
- Expected points: 7.7
A 2-point return last weekend at Anfield was only the 3rd time Cole Palmer has failed to contribute to a goal throughout 90 minutes this season.
The England International was on the periphery throughout, with Liverpool’s midfield dominating and, in particular, Palmer’s former U21 teammate Curtis Jones grabbing the headlines.
This weekend presents an opportunity for the 22-year-old to restore himself among the goals. Chelsea welcome Newcastle to Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon with a repeat of last season’s result in mind.
Chelsea defeated Newcastle 3-2 in this fixture last season, with Palmer scoring 1 and assisting 1, where he rightfully claimed man of the match afterwards.
The Blues will be keen to erase last weekend’s defeat from their minds following an encouraging start to the season, and the visit of Eddie Howe’s stuttering Magpies is a good opportunity to get a victory.
Palmer is known to turn on the style more often than not at Stamford Bridge, and this weekend will be no different.
3. Mo Salah (12.6 m)
- Expected points: 6.3
Last time out, Salah was on the scoresheet from the penalty spot as he opened the scoring against his old club as Liverpool went on to claim all 3-points with a 2-1 victory.
The Reds sit at the top of the league as they travel to the Emirates this weekend in a heavyweight clash with Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
In his last two Premier League appearances against this week’s opponents, Mo Salah has hit the back of the net twice.
It’s a massive clash in the title race but the Egyptian has been known to produce his best performance’s when it matters most throughout the years.
That fact alone will give FPL owners optimism ahead of the weekend as we feel trusting the wideman with the captain’s armband is the way to go.
4. Bukayo Saka (10.0m)
- Expected points: 5.8
Having missed out on last weekend’s 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth due to a hamstring injury. Bukayo Saka is rated as 25% fit ahead of this weekend’s crucial tie with fellow title chasers Liverpool.
After starting the season in flying form, the Englishman’s fitness will be crucial if Mikel Arteta’s side are to keep up with the Reds as they hope to end Manchester City’s bid to win 5 in a row.
He was missed hugely during last weekend’s defeat, and Gunners fans will be hopeful that he is fit enough to play some part in Sunday’s tie. But due to the chance he may not even feature, stay away from the Arsenal man.
FPL GW9 Best Captain Options: The Surprise Pick
Ollie Watkins (9.1m)
- Expected points: 6.0
Aston Villa’s number 11 and chief goalscorer Ollie Watkins is our surprise pick ahead of GW9, despite not hitting the heights of last season yet, he is showing signs of being very close to the form that saw him bag 19 league goals in last year’s campaign.
So far he has 5 goals in the first 8 GW’s of this season and will hope to add to that tally this weekend.
Watkins has made 5 goal contributions (1 goal, 4 assists) during his three 90-minute Premier League appearances in his career against this weekend’s opponents Bournemouth.
Having been rested for Villa’s midweek Champions League tie with Bologna, Watkins will be raring to go this weekend and with strong competition from fellow striker Jhon Duran, he will feel it is crucial to get on the scoresheet.
The competition for a starting spot at Villa at the moment can only be a good thing and will mean Watkins will be extra motivated to impress when he gets his chance.
For this reason alone, we feel the Villa frontman is a no-brainer for the captaincy this weekend, along with his record against this week’s opposition.
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