Those who took the plunge on any three of our captain picks for Gameweek 8 would have likely been very happy with their returns. The Liverpool midfield duo of Mo Salah (£12.8m) and Sadio Mane (£11.9m) were both among the goals in the Reds’ 0-5 demolition of Watford. Each found the net once, whilst Salah also added an assist to finish on 13 FPL points with Mane on 8 points. Also finishing on 8 points with Jamie Vardy (£10.6m), who extended his goalscoring run to five in his last four Premier League games.
However, once again it was a case of a Man City player disappointing us, as differential pick Riyad Mahrez (£8.7m) failed to accrue an attacking return against Burnley in his side’s 2-0 victory over the Clarets, leaving him with just 3 FPL points and plenty of angry owners most likely thinking of ways to get rid him out of their respective teams.
Gameweek 9 now comes into focus for us as we examine three of the most appealing captaincy options, alongside a differential pick currently not attracting the ownership percentage they deserve ahead of Friday’s 18:30 deadline.
PREMIUM OPTIONS
Romelu Lukaku (£11.7m) vs NOR (H)
Let’s be honest here. Following a good start to life back at Chelsea, Romelu Lukaku (£11.7m) has gone well and truly off the boil in front of goal for his club, hugely frustrating his vast FPL ownership in the process. Lukaku’s blank away at Brentford in Gameweek 8 was the fourth successive Premier League game in which the Belgian forward has failed to score, recording 2-point scores in each of those fixtures. Not good enough for a player of his goalscoring prowess and premium FPL price.
Rock bottom Norwich visit Stamford Bridge in Gameweek 9 and anything less than at least one attacking return and a significant number of fantasy points would represent a big surprise and a huge failure. The Canaries sit bottom of the table on just two points with 16 goals conceded, the second highest of all 20 clubs in the division. Although they are on the back of successive clean sheets, Chelsea away are an opponent on an entirely different level of difficulty than their previous two league matches and Lukaku should be set to profit.
Harry Kane (£12.1m) vs WHU (a)
He’s back in business! After going six Premier League appearances without finding the net, striker Harry Kane (£12.1m) broke his goalscoring duck for Spurs in Gameweek 8, acquiring both a goal and an assist as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side triumphed 2-3 away at Newcastle. It’s been a desperately slow start to the season for the England star following the summer transfer saga that saw him refuse to report for pre-season training at one stage. However, Kane appears to have put that behind him now, to the benefit of those FPL managers who own him.
Next up for Kane is a trip to West Ham in Gameweek 9, who have lost both their two Premier League matches played on the Sunday immediately following their Thursday night Europa League fixture, conceding twice in each game. This surely bodes well for Kane, although Spurs themselves will be in European action, playing in the substantially less glamourous Europa Conference League. Obviously the goalscoring credentials of Kane speak for themselves and it would be a wise move to capitalise on him being full of confidence after Gameweek 8, not only bringing him into your team, but also entrusting the 28-year-old with the captaincy.
Mo Salah (£12.8m) vs MUN (a)
Gameweek 9 on paper may not look so attractive for those considering Mo Salah (£12.8m) for the armband, but with the FPL listed midfielder in such incredible form in front of goal, it’s safe to say that he is fixture proof right now. A goal, an assist and 13 FPL points in Gameweek 8 took him to seven Premier League goals for the season, netting in all but one gameweek so far alongside five assists with a total score of 83 fantasy points, the most of any other player within the FPL playerbase.
Liverpool face off against bitter rivals Man Utd at Old Trafford in Gameweek 9, a tough fixture with the Red Devils no doubt fired up and desperate to put one over on Jurgen Klopp’s men. However, United have kept just one clean sheet so far in the 2021-22 Premier League, which certainly bodes well for Salah. The Egyptian found the net in this fixture last season and when taking into account his formidable form, anyone not captaining Salah is a brave FPL manager.
DIFFERENTIAL OPTION
Kevin De Bruyne (£11.9m) vs BRI (a)
You know the drill by now. Pick a Man City midfielder, they let you down, rinse and repeat. This time it’s Kevin De Bruyne (£11.9m) who has been chosen as our differential pick to consider for your captain’s armband in Gameweek 9 and for good reason. De Bruyne is in an incredibly rich vein of form attacking wise for both club and county and he’ll be confident of continuing that away to Brighton in Gameweek 9.
Not only has De Bruyne now started and scored in successive Premier League games, the Belgian international recorded three assists for his country in the recently concluded UEFA Nations League finals. A pivotal part of this Man City juggernaut, boss Pep Guardiola will surely be loath to rest De Bruyne away at a very dangerous opponent in Brighton. If De Bruyne continues his excellent recent levels of performance going forward, then selecting him should pay off handsomely for this FPL managers looking to make up points on their mini league rivals.