FPL 2024-25 | Gameweek 1 | Captain Picks
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All the latest Gameweek 1 injury news from each Premier League pre-match press conference ahead of the deadline can be found in our Fixtures, Team News & Predicted Line-ups article
Following a summer packed with international football, including EURO 2024 and the 2024 Copa America, FPL fans are now locked in and fully focused on the 2024-25 Premier League campaign. After Pep Guardiola’s side lifted the title once again last season, narrowly edging out Arsenal, all the challenging clubs will know the importance of a good start.
As ever, the transfer window has seen plenty of wide-ranging moves, from eye-catching incomings to unexpected departures. All of which could make a big impact from a Fantasy Premier League perspective. FPL bosses will be searching for those all-important budget gems and working out which signings are likely to make the biggest splash in terms of attacking returns, not to mention clean sheets.
But as always, one of the most important decisions every week for an FPL manager, is choosing the right captain. Your chosen skipper will have his gameweek score automatically doubled and a bad selection, especially so early in the season can prove costly.
With that in mind, we’ve lined up three premium captain picks to consider for Gameweek 1 of the 2024-25 FPL campaign, along with a couple of differential options ahead of Friday’s 6:30pm deadline.
PREMIUM OPTIONS
Alexander Isak (£8.5m) vs SOU (H)
The popularity of Newcastle forward Alexander Isak is extremely high, which means the best way to profit from owning the Swedish international in Gameweek 1 is to give him the armband.
As it stands, over half of the FPL community boast Isak in their respective teams and he is the highest owned asset in any position.
Last season, Isak racked up 21 goals, four assists and 172 FPL points. Those are seriously impressive numbers when considering that his total minutes totalled only 2,253. Newly promoted Southampton at home has to be one of the most enticing fixtures on paper and plenty will expect Isak to open his account for this season at the first time of asking, accruing a hefty fantasy score in the process.
Erling Haaland (£15.0m) vs CHE (a)
The most expensive asset in the history of FPL, it will cost fantasy managers a cool £15.0m to own Erling Haaland in 2024-25. With that in mind, it makes sense to captain the Man City star if you have him in your team.
Last season, Haaland was afforded plenty of joy away at Chelsea, scoring twice in a Premier League campaign that saw the Norwegian accumulate 27 goals, eight assists and 217 FPL points.
In his two Premier League seasons so far with Man City, Haaland boasts 63 goals and 17 assists and is one of the most reliable FPL scorers in the game. Whilst Chelsea away on paper would be considered tough opponents in Gameweek 1, there are question marks regarding them defensively and after spending the Euros either at home or on the bench, Haaland will be raring to go.
Mo Salah (£12.5m) vs IPS (a)
Although Liverpool have a new manager in Arne Slot, you would still expect Mo Salah to remain as lucrative as ever from an FPL point of view. His Gameweek 1 record across his career at the Reds has been nothing short of remarkable and offers a ringing endorsement of his captaincy credentials for the opening weekend. In four of Salah’s last five Gameweek 1 fixtures, the Egyptian has racked up a double-figure points haul.
A newly promoted club awaits Salah on Sunday as Liverpool travel to Portman Road for a showdown with Ipswich. Kieran McKenna’s men have defied the odds to secure back-to-back promotions and the Tractor Boys won’t make it easy for Liverpool and Slot in his first Premier League game. But Salah still warrants serious consideration in regards to being named your FPL skipper.
DIFFERENTIAL OPTIONS
Niclas Fullkrug (£7.0m) vs AVL (H)
A proven goalscorer in Germany, Niclas Fullkrug now looks to transfer those skills to the Premier League, having signed for Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham from Borussia Dortmund.
Whilst it’s a big ask for Fullkrug to make an immediate impact, he’s an experienced campaigner and definitely has the physicality to succeed in the English top flight. For shrewd FPL bosses searching for a Gameweek 1 point of difference, handing Fullkrug the armband represents a high risk-high reward strategy.
The 31-year-old is coming off the back of featuring for Germany at EURO 2024, where he found the net twice off the bench for the host nation in their run to the quarter-finals. Prior to this, Fullkrug has scored 15 goals in all competitions for Borussia Dortmund in 2023-24. Aston Villa at home is a difficult Gameweek 1 encounter, but it’s worth noting that they were thrashed 5-1 away to Newcastle in this round last season.
Kevin De Bruyne (£9.5m) vs CHE (a)
With the plethora of captaincy options available to fantasy managers, Man City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne seems to have slipped under the radar. But when fit, there is no doubt that the Belgian is among the most valuable assets to own within midfield.
Last season was down for De Bruyne in terms of numbers, mainly due to injury side-lining him from a significant portion of it, but in 2022-23 he was responsible for 25 attacking returns in the Premier League.
The last three campaigns that have seen De Bruyne play over 2,000 minutes of league action, he has successfully recorded an FPL score of over 180 points. He’ll have a point to prove after 2023-24 and it would be no surprise if that started with star performance against Chelsea in Gameweek 1 for the defending Premier League champions.
