The Scout assesses the best armband picks for Gameweek 31 in Fantasy Premier League.
Erling Haaland’s (£12.2m) form and fixture will make the captaincy decision a formality for millions of managers in the upcoming Gameweek.
Manchester City’s striker averages 9.9 points per home start ahead of a visit from 19th-placed Leicester City.
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Haaland has scored a goal every 54 minutes at the Etihad Stadium in 2022/23, recording 18 goals in 13 home matches.
Leicester have a very poor defensive record on the road against opponents high up in the table. They have conceded 20 goals across their five visits to the current top seven sides.
While it will take a very brave manager to look beyond Haaland for the armband, there are a few players who could outscore him.
Haaland's team-mate Riyad Mahrez (£7.3m) was rested from European duties in midweek and has a prolific record in home matches with Leicester, averaging 10 points and scoring in all three of those encounters.
Gabriel Martinelli (£6.7m), Harry Kane (£11.7m) and Mohamed Salah (£12.8m) also have the form and fixtures to rival Haaland.
Martinelli and Salah visit West Ham United and Leeds United respectively. Both teams lost 5-1 in their previous home matches.
Kane entertains an AFC Bournemouth side who have conceded a league-high 38 goals in away fixtures.
Last six matches FPL output
| Player | Pts | Gls | Ass. | Blank when starting |
| Martinelli | 51 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kane | 43 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| Salah | 41 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| Haaland | 40 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
All three have outperformed Haaland in Fantasy over their last six matches, with Martinelli’s 51 points more than any other player.
Martinelli and Salah have both matched Haaland’s five goals and two assists over their previous six, with Kane proving the most prolific on six goals.
Attacking threat in last six matches
| Player | Shots | Shots in box | Big chances | Shots on target | Chances created |
| Salah | 19 | 17 | 7 | 8 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kane | 19 | 15 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Martinelli | 17 | 15 | 6 | 7 | 9 |
There’s little to separate Haaland’s main challenger in terms of the underlying numbers.
Salah has a slight edge for goal threat: his 17 shots in the box, seven big chances and eight shots on target all rank top.
Martinelli and Kane each produced 15 shots in the box and seven shots on target, with the Arsenal star the most creative of the trio on nine key passes.
Last four matches home/away
| Player | Pts | G | A | Shots | Shots in box | Big chances |
| Martinelli (A) | 37 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kane (H) | 33 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 9 | 3 |
| Salah (A) | 10 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 1 |
Both Martinelli and Kane have proven far more consistent than Salah in the home/away analysis.
The Arsenal winger has scored in each of his last four road trips, totalling 37 points. Kane has produced four goals and an assist in his last four at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and has scored in each of his previous five at home.
Salah, by contrast, has just one goal and one big chance over his last four on the road.
Martinelli’s classification as a midfielder, earning him extra points for goals and clean sheets, arguably gives him the edge over Kane as the best alternative to Haaland.
Remember, the Gameweek 31 deadline is at 11:00 BST on Saturday 15 April
