FPL Gameweek 35: Captain picks
By Holly Shand
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There’s no let up in the congested FPL schedule with another round of fixtures this weekend and we could see some rotation which may impact our captain decision. So who are the top picks?
Erling Haaland vs Leeds (H)
Erling Haaland has started the last eight games in all competitions for Manchester City. With a two legged Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid kicking off on Tuesday and even more Premier League records already broken, we could feasibly see him rested against Leeds this weekend. With no early kick-off we may get leaked team news before the 1:30pm deadline on Saturday.
However, given Haaland’s phenomenal form this season, we can back him to deliver even from the bench and crucially he looks to be back on penalties after converting from the spot against Fulham last weekend.
He’s the highest scoring FPL player over the last five gameweeks, leading the way for shots on target (12) and big chances (10). He scored a brace in the reverse fixture against Leeds, coming away with 13 points.
Mohamed Salah vs Brentford (H)
Mohamed Salah has been defying the data in recent games to deliver his FPL owners points, scoring penalties in consecutive games to end Double Gameweek 34 on 14 points.
He sits top for shots (25) in the last five gameweeks, scoring six goals from nine big chances. It was encouraging to see him retain spot-kicks despite two misses in recent weeks and with his success rate in this period, it’s likely he’ll continue that responsibility.
Salah has one goal from two Premier League appearances against Brentford. The Bees have only one clean sheet since the international break, conceding just under two goals per game on average. Jurgen Klopp hasn’t been afraid to rotate his squad in recent weeks and so there’s a small chance that Salah is the one to find himself benched this week, especially with Bobby Firmino closer to returning from injury for a clean bill of health for their attack.
Harry Kane vs Crystal Palace (H)
It’s been a very challenging season for Spurs but Harry Kane has been in top form and continues to score goals in the most unlikely of circumstances.
He’s blanked just once since the international break, with four goals and two assists, plus he’s on penalties. Kane remains on track for his best ever FPL season, just 17 points behind his total of 242 points from 2020/21 with four fixtures remaining.
One advantage of Spurs' poor form for Kane is his ability to amass bonus points, with 40 this season. He has ten goals and five assists in 17 appearances against Crystal Palace, grabbing 16 points in the reverse fixture which Tottenham won 4-1. With no midweek fixture for Spurs, Kane is the ideal vice captain pick for this week.