FPL Captain Call Gameweek 2: Who’s the best pick?

The opening week of the Premier League went according to plan for the most part with many of the big clubs winning in style.

Burnley performed well but could not stop Haaland from putting two in the back of the net while Chelsea and Liverpool drew for their seventh consecutive fixture in a row which included a positive performance from the young Chelsea lineup.

Gameweek 2 will help us get a better read on teams and their styles in some key fixtures such as Liverpool v Bournemouth, Manchester City v Newcastle and Tottenham v Manchester United.

Whether you’re looking for a safe pick to get the season off to a good start or are looking for a differential as you reach for the number one rank, we have you sorted in the below analysis.

Salah was unfortunate to only come away with an assist against Chelsea as he was marginally offside for a goal that he scored and also Liverpool were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty from a VAR review which Salah likely would have taken.

Salah was also substituted early which caused a fiery reaction from the Egyptian winger. He had created a big chance and attempted three shots (including hitting the woodwork) which shows he is in good form.

Liverpool are looking to notch their first win of the season as they host Bournemouth at Anfield.
Bournemouth held West Ham to a 1-1 draw at home in Gameweek 1 under new manager Andoni Iraola.

Bournemouth are definitely a different side in both personnel and managerial style from last season but will still have trouble keeping Liverpool from scoring multiple goals.

Salah has been given a 57% chance to score and is our top pick for Gameweek 2.

Haaland was able to open his 23/24 account with two goals from limited opportunities in gameweek 1 and looked in fine form.

City unfortunately will be without the services of Kevin De Bruyne for several months as he will require surgery for his hamstring injury.

Haaland would likely have been our top pick for captaincy if the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva were not suffering from injury issues.
The City team will still score goals and win matches without these two but in a fixture against Newcastle it could prove to be tricky to unlock their defence.

Manchester City however scored 60 goals in 19 home matches last season and will still have the likes of Foden, Grealish and Alvarez fit and ready to provide chances for the Norwegian.

Haaland has been given a 57% chance of scoring by the bookies and is a safe choice in any week of the season.

Maddison has started red-hot for Tottenham under new manager Ange Postecoglou, recording two assists in a 2-2 draw with Brentford.

Maddison created six chances (one big chance) and attempted two shots in a performance which showed he will be stepping up for Spurs with Harry Kane now playing in Germany.

Tottenham face a Manchester United side who were very lucky not to concede at home to Wolves on multiple occasions as their midfield was run over by Wolves.

In their first home fixture under Postecoglou, expect Tottenham to come out firing with the crowd and potential for multiple goals to be scored with Maddison being the talisman.

Maddison has been assigned a 29% to score by the bookies and is more likely to provide assists for his teammates.

We are well aware of Richarlison’s struggles and the memes regarding his offside goals last season but we believe as a differential, he could be gold this week.

Richarlison is the starting #9 for Tottenham now that Kane has departed but was not provided with much service in the opening week.

Richarlison however has a history of goalscoring prowess in the Premier League with both Watford and Everton and also scored a pre-season hattrick in a friendly fixture.

Manchester United conceded the bulk of their chances through the middle against Wolves as their midfield lacked defensive stability and Richarlison could pop up for a goal or two in what should be a shootout of a fixture.

Richarlison has been given a 33% to score and is our differential pick for this week.

Nick, also known as StatsmanFPL, is a qualified data analyst with a love for FPL. He analyses the data so you don’t have to. Make sure to follow him on Twitter and Instagram.