FPL: 5 BEST CAPTAIN CHOICES FOR GAMEWEEK 1

Premier League Football is back!

With less than two days remaining till the Premier League season kicks off at the Brentford Community Stadium with the Bees’ hosting Arsenal in their first-ever Premier League match. A lot is still up in the air in regards to transfers and player availability, hence starting your FPL campaign on the right note becomes paramount and for that picking the right captain is as important.

In this “5 Best Captain Choices for Gameweek 1” article, we bring you five players who have the potential and form to score major points haul. But also based on other variables like fixture difficulty, quality of opposition defence, injuries, etc. So without further ado, let’s take a look at our top 5 Captain Choices for Gameweek 1.

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#5 Trent-Alexander Arnold (£7.5m) | Opponent: NOR (A)

The Liverpool right-back changed the definition of a traditional fullback when he announced himself during the 18/19 season. Although Trent-Alexander Arnold didn’t achieve the same lofty heights in the 20/21 season, he still managed to score two goals and assisted another seven as he was only second to teammate Andy Robertson in terms of points for a defender. With the Scottish international out for the start of the season, Trent will be Liverpool’s main creator in chief along with being their main set-piece taker. With a generous opening fixture against newly-promoted side Norwich City, Trent looks more than likely to bag clean sheet points and attacking output as well.

#4 Heung-Min Son (£10.0m) | Opponent: MCI (H)

With Salah and Bruno grabbing all the FPL attention, Son seems to have gone a bit under the radar. The South Korean has signed a new deal with Tottenham and looks set to take the mantle of Spurs’ talisman from Harry Kane if the England striker’s rumoured transfer to Man City goes through. And whether you like him or not, Son is a world-class forward. The 29-year-old scored 17 goals and created 10 for his team last season, comfortably outperforming his xG of 11.02. Although facing Man City and Wolves in their first two fixtures isn’t ideal, Son’s clinical finishing skills and the likelihood of Nuno Espírito Santo employing a counter-attacking system makes him a good option regardless of fixtures.

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#3 Michail Antonio (£7.5m) | Opponent: NEW (A)

The West Ham forward was in lethal form last season as he scored 10 goals and chipped in with another five assists, and on his day is easily one of the best strikers in the Premier League. What’s more impressive was the rate at which he was finding the back of the net. Antonio had an xG of 0.45 and an xA of 0.22 per game. With a good pre-season under his belt, and the smooth integration of Saïd Benrahma, Antonio could wreak havoc in the first couple of game weeks this season. Although Steve Bruce’s Newcastle are known for their low-block setup, they are still vulnerable in the back and susceptible to conceding goals against a forward line of West Ham’s quality.

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#2 Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m) | Opponent: LEE (H)

Bruno Fernandes exceeded everyone’s expectations to finish the 20/21 FPL Season as the highest-scoring player in the game. The Portuguese international racked up 18 goals and 12 assists as he almost single-handedly pulled his United side to a second-place finish. And there are no indications that the United #18 would be slowing down any time sooner. With key players like Marcus Rashford, Scott McTominay and Edison Cavani unlikely to be available for the start of the season, while new signings Jadon Sancho and Raphaël Varane need time bedding into the United setup. The onus lies on Bruno’s shoulders yet again and with a relatively easy fixture against Leeds – at least on the attacking front – Bruno should be heavily involved with his exquisite passing range and ability to find pockets of space.

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#1 Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) | Opponent: NOR (A)

Not just me, but almost 90% of FPL managers will be having Mohamed Salah as their captain choice for Gameweek 1. The Egyptian scored 22 goals and provided six assists as he finished a close second behind eventual Golden Boot winner Harry Kane (23) last season. With most of Liverpool’s first-team starters back and ready for the start of the 21/22 season, an opening fixture against Norwich City is crying out for you to pick Salah as your primary captain choice. Especially since Firmino looks short of match fitness ahead of their trip to Carrow Road and if Jürgen Klopp goes with a fluid front three of Salah, Diogo Jota and Sadio Mané, it might be an evening of a rude awakening for Daniel Farke and his boys.