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Following the first round of the new Champions League group phase, a major development occurred from an FPL perspective, with Man City’s Kevin De Bruyne (£9.6m) suffering an injury that is likely to keep him out of Gameweek 5 and his side’s crunch top of the table clash with Arsenal. It could also have an adverse effect on the attacking output of popular FPL captain pick Erling Haaland (£15.2m), who boasts nine Premier League goals already this season.
That Man City vs Arsenal clash headlines Gameweek 5 and as the deadline draws nearer, we’ve picked out three premium captain choices who could wind up being extremely profitable for FPL managers, as well as a potential differential ahead of Saturday’s 11:00am deadline.
PREMIUM OPTIONS
Mo Salah (£12.7m) vs BOU (H)
Liverpool’s shock 0-1 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest in Gameweek 4 was the first league game that Mo Salah failed to find the net for Arne Slot’s side this season. Prior to that, the Egyptian had recorded a goal in each Premier League fixture, along with three assists. His current score stands at 43 FPL points, second only to Haaland.
The Reds host Bournemouth this coming weekend and after not scoring in their victory over AC Milan in Europe midweek, expect Salah to bounce back strongly here. With Haaland facing a tough Gameweek 5 assignment against Arsenal, putting the armband on Salah may well prove a shrewd move.
Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) vs WOL (H)
After having failed to score across the opening three gameweeks, Ollie Watkins finally got his season up and running last weekend, after the Aston Villa forward bagged a brace against a desperately poor Everton side.
In 2023-24, the England international racked up 19 goals, 18 assists and 228 fantasy points. Those numbers helped Watkins command a significant number of FPL owners for this campaign and now he has his first goal, more are expected to follow, starting in Gameweek 5 vs Wolves.
Cole Palmer (£10.6m) vs WHU (a)
Don’t be fooled by the xG stats, Cole Palmer was impressive as always in Gameweek 4 and from an offensive point of view, he was constantly involved in Chelsea pushing bodies forward away to Bournemouth at every opportunity. Palmer’s creativity complements his natural goal threat reason well, turning him into quite the star.
Chelsea face another away assignment in 2024-25, this time against West Ham in a match that sees West London meet East London. The Hammers have conceded five goals over the course of their opening two home Premier League fixtures, so consider naming Palmer your skipper.
DIFFERENTIAL OPTION
Jhon Duran (£6.1m) vs WOL (H)
We’ve already named one potential Gameweek 5 captain from Aston Villa. But a lesser-owned asset who is making a huge impact every time he steps onto the pitch could be the sleeper pick to opt for. Jhon Duran has come off the bench in each gameweek so far this campaign, scoring in all bar one of those and recording 21 FPL points in the process. His most recent goal was a truly magnificent strike from distance against Everton.
Duran could finally be afforded a start by Aston Villa boss Unai Emery in Gameweek 6 vs Wolves but even if not, the striker is still likely to be afforded enough gametime to make a big splash once again off the bench. With that in mind, Duran could wind up being the ideal differential captain pick.
