FPL Captain Call Gameweek 23: Who’s the best pick

Marcus Rashford blessed owners with 20 points across the double gameweek, which equates to 40 points for captainers and a mouth-watering 60 points for owners who triple-captained Rashford (which I highly recommended doing in last week’s article). 

The moral is, follow my advice! 

This week there is a tough decision to make, and I predict that managers will be split across the board on who they choose to wear their precious captaincy armband. 

I’m glad to say that the tough decision of who to choose as your FPL captain has been analysed, scrutinised and detailed in the below write-up. 

Whether you’re looking for a safe pick or a high-risk/high-reward option, we’ve analysed all the fixtures to help you make the best decision for your team.

Check out our look at the goalscorer and clean sheet odds here

It won’t come as a shock to many that Haaland is our top pick. Manchester City have a double gameweek and his early season form at one time would warrant this to be an auto-pick captaincy decision. However, it is not as straightforward as it seems. 

Manchester City face Arsenal (Away) and Aston Villa (Home) as their two fixtures for gameweek 23. Arsenal have been a top-three defensive team all season, and Aston Villa have been in rejuvenated form ever since Unai Emery took the managerial reins. Of the two fixtures, the Aston Villa fixture is definitely the more likely for Haaland to earn points. 

Manchester City themselves have also been in very average form. They have only won four of their last eight matches and have scored one or less goals in five of these eight fixtures. Not the usual Manchester City we know.

However, I believe Manchester City should show enough, and Haaland should get enough opportunities over these two matches to be worthy of our captaincy pick.

Haaland has been given a 74% chance of scoring this gameweek by the bookies, and I like those odds.

Saka’s rise to the top has been amazing to say the least. From filling in at left-back for an injury-deprived Arsenal to being a mainstay in the England Starting XI in a matter of a few years. Inspiring stuff!

Saka has been in great form for Arsenal this season with seven goals and eight assists to his name just over halfway through the season. 

Arsenal face Brentford and Manchester City, both at the Emirates for their double gameweek. The Gunners have scored 25 goals in nine matches at home and both Brentford and Manchester City are susceptible to be scored against. 

With Saka on penalty duties and some corners, I believe he is a solid captain choice this week.

Saka has been given a 45% chance of scoring by the bookies. Coupled with his playmaking and assisting abilities, he could be an excellent choice for those who are after a differential.

Nketiah has only found a place in the Arsenal starting lineup due to a long-term injury to Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus. However, Nketiah has made the most of his opportunity. 

Nketiah has four goals to his name from six fixtures since coming into the fold. This is not a fluke, either. Nketiah is averaging more than three shots per match and has recorded five expected goals (xG) in these fixtures. 

The bookies have calculated Nketiah as having a 60% chance of scoring in the double gameweek, and I think those odds are accurate. 

If there is a man with a point to prove this week, it is Kevin De Bruyne. 

After being rested for the Spurs fixture, where his team went on to lose, we could see Kevin return with a hunger and determination to lead his team back into the title race as Arsenal threaten to run away with the league. 

De Bruyne has not been in great form lately so the stats aren’t there to support this choice, it is more an option if you believe De Bruyne and Manchester City are prepared to have a breakout game and return to top form. De Bruyne will be heavily involved if so.

A fired-up De Bruyne could easily put the team on his back and score goals as well as assist over their two fixtures which include a ‘Six-pointer’ against league leaders Arsenal.  

De Bruyne will always have the Norwegian star Haaland to potentially assist while also having a 40% chance to score himself. 

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.