Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) is the clear and obvious alternative to Erling Haaland (£14.0m) as the best captain in Gameweek 2 of Fantasy Premier League.
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Haaland’s massive ownership of 90 per cent means he is expected to be the runaway armband favourite for Manchester City’s home match against Newcastle United.
Salah, by contrast, is found in only 29 per cent of squads for Liverpool’s home encounter with AFC Bournemouth.
That immediately lifts his appeal for managers who are prepared to look beyond Haaland for their armband.
There is certainly a strong case for considering Salah.
He was the Premier League’s form player in pre-season matches, having a direct involvement in nine goals, scoring two and assisting seven.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian’s assist at Chelsea in Gameweek 1 continued a prolific run of form in competitive matches that has coincided with a change of tactics for Liverpool since Gameweek 30 last season.
Indeed, Salah is the top-scoring player in Fantasy from that point, just bettering Haaland by 83 points to 82.
Salah v Haaland since GW30 last season
| Stat | Salah | Haaland |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 83 | 82 |
| Attacking returns | 13 | 13 |
| Goals | 7 | 10 |
| Assists | 6 | 3 |
| Blanks | 1 | 1 |
| Double-figures | 4 | 4 |
| Points per start | 7.5 | 9.0 |
The pair have produced remarkably similar numbers across a range of key statistics in that period.
Both have been involved in 13 goals and recorded four double-figure scores in Fantasy.
They have also been hugely reliable, with only a single blank each.
Haaland does have the edge in terms of points per start, with 9.0 to the 7.5 of Salah, a statistic that may ultimately decide the armband dilemma for those managers who own both.
Nonetheless, the statistics also show that captaining Salah can pay off just as effectively, despite what the huge disparity in ownership may suggest.
Remember, the FPL deadline is Friday, 18 August, at 18:15 BST.
Also in this series
Part 1: Whose FPL prospects have improved after Gameweek 1?
Part 2: The Scout’s FPL Gameweek 2 Ones to watch
Part 3: Foden and Alvarez can thrive in FPL in De Bruyne's absence
Part 4: The Scout’s FPL Gameweek 2 Differentials
Part 6: FPL experts: Do you NEED a Liverpool player for Gameweek 2?
Part 7: FPL long view: Plan ahead for Chelsea and Spurs' dream fixtures
Part 8: Scout Selection: Best FPL team for Gameweek 2
Part 10: Disasi and Colwill ideal James replacements in Fantasy
