FPL Captain Picks For Gameweek 16
This is the final round of fixtures before the World Cup, and you could have fun rolling the dice on your FPL Captain Picks. City kick-off game week 16 at lunchtime on Saturday, and whilst logic will say to go with Erling Haaland, an ongoing foot problem, combined with the game kicking off first, is enough to put me off, and I’ll be considering another asset, who has the potential to perform better. But first…
Erling Haaland
I don’t want to dwell too much on why the Premier League’s top goal scorer should wear the armband this weekend. Erling Haaland is the obvious pick, although I urge slight caution as Pep admits his striker is ‘still not perfect’ despite his recent improvement.
The 22-year-old has averaged 8.2 FPL points since GW9, and the striker has the highest expected returns (80%), plus a 73 per cent likelihood of getting on the scoresheet.
Darwin Nunez or Mohamed Salah
I’ll start this analysis by stating: ‘I do not believe you should captain either of these players!’ However, many managers within the FPL community are giving serious consideration to Salah, although Nunez is the better differential pick, in my opinion. But for what it’s worth, I won’t be championing either for the armband, and I certainly won’t be using one of my Fantasy Football Transfers to bring in either.
Liverpool have struggled for consistency throughout the season, and a win at Tottenham has not solved those ongoing issues. Personnel is the primary problem here, with Jurgen Klopp heavily rotating his side for domestic games and European competition, although you would expect that most of his Big Hitters will be rested in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening. But there are no guarantees, and I prefer to nail my colours to someone with a little form and consistency.
I agree with the majority that a home fixture against a managerless Southampton side that has lost five straight at Anfield is very tempting. Liverpool have reserved their best performances for The Kopp, and despite only four wins, they are still producing good underlying numbers.
Nunez has averaged 1.2xGI per 90 since the international break, and his aerial threat offers a perfect target for the fit-again Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold. This is particularly pertinent given that the Saints have the Premier League’s second-lowest ariel duels win ratio. Form and tactics should suit the Uruguayan, with Liverpool ranked second for the win (80%) and Southampton 19th in terms of keeping a clean sheet (8%).
You can read the rest of Ben Dinnery’s article here on 888sport.com
