FPL Captain Call Gameweek 5: Who’s the best pick?

The International Break is just about finished and we are more excited than ever for some Premier League action! 

At time of writing, the international break has been uncharacteristically kind with very few injuries to premier league players, especially our favourite top assets. This allows us to push on from where we left off as fantasy managers. 

Manchester City are the only team currently with a flawless four wins from four match record while Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs have hit the ground running, currently sitting in second position and exceeding expectations. Funnily enough two of our best picks for gameweek 5 are from these top teams!

Manchester City will face their toughest fixture so far, travelling to an in-form West Ham. West Ham have conceded exactly one goal in each match which has guided them to fourth spot on the table but Manchester City is on another level to the teams they have faced so far. 

Tottenham have the pick of fixtures this week with a home match against relegation candidate Sheffield United. Sheffield United have the worst expected goals against so far with a value of 9.3 which is very poor after only four matches. This came with three of their fixtures being at home too which is even more worrying for Blades fans. Tottenham are equal second for goals this season with eleven which is a hallmark of Postecoglou’s managerial style. 

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. 

Check out bookie’s advantage for gameweek 5 here

This week is definitely a week where a differential choice is not a bad decision. Although Haaland is our top pick, it is much closer than other weeks and you are less likely to be punished if you chose a differential captain. It does feel funny saying this after Haaland scored 20 points with a three goal and one assist masterclass in gameweek 4. 

Haaland however earns our armband once again due to his great form and Manchester City’s pedigree being world class. 

Haaland has only failed to score against Newcastle this season so far so I see no reason to deviate from our favourite Norwegian Robot. 

Although West Ham have performed well so far this season, they may have been a bit fortunate only conceding four goals from 6.7 expected goals against. 

Haaland has been given an impressive 65% chance to score and is once again our top captaincy choice. 

Son was written off unfairly as a fantasy candidate after playing quite wide and not being involved enough in gameweek 1. He did not return points until gameweek 4 when he played in the #9 role and put on a finishing masterclass against Burnley. 

Across gameweek 2-3, Son created eight chances with two of these being big chances as well as taking a handful of shots. Although he was less of a goal threat while playing wide, he was still involved in the final third for Spurs. 

The hope for this week and for an extended period this week is that Son continues playing as striker and finishes the high number of chances that will be provided to him by teammates such as James Maddison. 

Son has been assigned a 58% chance to score by the bookies and is also likely to provide assists for his teammates. 

James Maddison has been thriving as Tottenham’s new main man under new coach Ange Postecoglou. Postecoglou’s pressing and attacking coaching style has seen Tottenham score eleven goals in the opening month of fixtures while Maddison has led every key attacking stat such as shots and chances created. 

Spurs face Sheffield United who, as mentioned earlier, are one of the best fixtures from an attacking perspective. With Tottenham’s ferocious attacking attitude from the first minute until the last, they are very likely to score and score multiple goals.  

Maddison will once again be the engine room for the spurs attack and will likely be in the points once again.

Maddison has been assigned a 41% chance to score by the bookies and is more likely to provide assists for his teammates with his creative prowess. 

Seeing Salah appear as a differential is an uncanny sight but here we are! 

Salah has returned every gameweek in the 23/24 season but has only averaged just under 6 points per week. Salah’s 25% ownership as a premium allows him to be a differential captaincy option against Wolves in gameweek 5. 

Wolves have conceded eight goals total with four goals being conceded to Brighton and three goals being conceded to Crystal Palace. This bodes well for a captain potentially hauling if Wolves have the ability to capitulate defensively and let multiple goals in.

Liverpool have scored two or more goals in their past three gameweeks and are likely to again score multiple goals against Wolves at Molineux. 

Salah has been given a 55% chance to score 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.