The battle for the Premier League title looks set to play a major part in managers' armband decisions in Gameweek 36 of Fantasy Premier League.
The top three sides all play at home, with Arsenal entertaining Bournemouth, Liverpool facing Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City hosting Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Man City's Phil Foden (£8.4m) and Arsenal's Kai Havertz (£7.5m) are the form attackers among those three home sides.
Foden has scored five goals to collect 41 points over his last four league appearances, while Havertz has earned 31 points across his previous four outings, thanks to three goals and an assist.
Popular pair Erling Haaland (£14.1m) and Bukayo Saka (£9.0m) are separated by just two points, with the former collecting 25 points courtesy of three goals and an assist.
Mohamed Salah (£13.5m), meanwhile, is Liverpool's most-owned player, found in 28 per cent of squads.
However, his appearance off the bench against West Ham United last weekend has to raise huge concerns over his prospects for Gameweek 36. The Egyptian has no attacking returns and only six points in his last four outings.
Chelsea's Golden Boot contender Cole Palmer (£6.2m) also has a favourable fixture, at home to West Ham. The midfielder has 39 points over his previous four appearances, scoring four goals and supplying a pair of assists.
Player form, last four matches
| Player | Pts | G | A | CS* | Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foden | 41 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Palmer | 39 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Havertz | 31 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Haaland | 25 | 3 | 1 | N/A | 3 |
| Saka | 23 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Salah | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
*Clean sheets. Defenders earn four points for a clean sheet, while midfielders earn one point
Who has had the greatest attacking threat?
Haaland's armband appeal is lifted by the underlying goal threat numbers in particular.
His 13 shots in the box and seven big chances are both more than any of his rivals, while his 23.1 per cent goal conversion rate is joint-top with Havertz.
Palmer also impresses - his 18.4 minutes per shot is the fastest in the table below, with his six big chances just behind Haaland.
Saka, meanwhile, ranks among the top two for both shots in the box and key passes. However, he's been involved in only one big chance and has struggled to finish his opportunities, converting a mere 6.7 per cent of his shots.
Foden, by contrast, has an unsustainable 50 per cent goal conversion rate, with five goals from 10 shots.
Player attacking threat, last four matches
| Player | Mins/shot | Shots in box | Big chances | Goal conversion | Key passes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haaland | 22.6 | 13 | 7 | 23.1% | 3 |
| Saka | 23.3 | 12 | 1 | 6.7% | 11 |
| Havertz | 26.2 | 11 | 4 | 23.1% | 6 |
| Palmer | 18.4 | 8 | 6 | 22.2% | 6 |
| Salah | 24.2 | 8 | 2 | 0% | 6 |
| Foden | 30.0 | 5 | 3 | 50% | 7 |
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How are they performing home/away?
Salah's huge influence at Anfield this season is highlighted by the statistics.
His 20 big chances, 11 big chances created and average of 37.5 minutes per big-chance involvement are all better than any of the other captaincy contenders.
Palmer and Haaland also fare well in the home/away assessment.
The Chelsea star's 27.3 per cent goal conversion is the best on show, while he occupies second spot with 43.4 minutes per big-chance involvement.
Haaland's 20.7 minutes per shot in the box takes first place, while his 19 big chances are just one behind Salah at the summit.
Havertz looks a better option than Saka or Foden here, with his 13 big chances more than the midfield duo's combined total of 12.
Player form, home/away 23/24
| Player | Big chances | Big chances created | Mins/big-chance involvement | Mins/shot in box | Goal conversion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salah (H) | 20 | 11 | 37.5 | 24.9 | 19.7% |
| Palmer (H) | 17 | 7 | 43.4 | 32.3 | 27.3% |
| Haaland (H) | 19 | 2 | 54.0 | 20.7 | 18.6% |
| Havertz (H) | 13 | 1 | 77.2 | 40.3 | 16.1% |
| Saka (H) | 8 | 8 | 80.1 | 36.7 | 11.8% |
| Foden (H) | 4 | 6 | 131.6 | 48.6 | 17.4% |
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How do their opponents compare?
Analysing the opposition team data can help managers identify those players who are set to face weak defences.
Both Palmer and Salah are particularly favoured by the statistics here, with their visitors West Ham and Spurs each conceding 10 goals in their last four outings.
West Ham have conceded league-high totals of 53 shots in the box and 17 big chances across this run, while Spurs' 15 big chances against places them joint-third worst alongside Luton Town.
Haaland's visitors Wolves were also without a clean sheet in that spell, with only four other sides boasting a worse record than their 46 shots in the box conceded.
Opponents' form, last four matches
| Team | Goals conc. | Clean sheets | Shots in box conc. | Big chances conc. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Ham | 10 | 0 | 53 | 17 |
| Spurs | 10 | 0 | 41 | 15 |
| Wolves | 6 | 0 | 46 | 7 |
| Bournemouth | 5 | 2 | 30 | 7 |
How do the opponents fare home/away?
The home/away season data again looks very encouraging for Palmer.
His visitors West Ham have the worst record for all four metrics in the analysis, conceding at least 13 big chances more than any other side here.
Haaland's prospects are also favoured by Wolves' numbers. They have managed only two away clean sheets all season and have conceded 47 big chances, second only to the Hammers here.
| Team | Goals conc. | Clean sheets | Shots in box conc. | Big chances conc. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Ham (A) | 38 | 1 | 193 | 60 |
| Bournemouth (A) | 34 | 4 | 184 | 42 |
| Spurs (A) | 30 | 4 | 164 | 46 |
| Wolves (A) | 28 | 2 | 161 | 47 |
So, who is the best captain?
Haaland, Palmer and Salah all look very strong candidates for the captaincy.
The Liverpool star has the most appealing home record of the trio, but with his pitch time in question, handing Salah the armband does seem a somewhat unnecessary risk.
Palmer’s prospects are boosted considerably by West Ham’s recent and season data and there’d be no surprise if he delivered another double-figure haul this weekend.
Nonetheless, Haaland’s goal threat just about gives him the slight edge and, combined with Man City’s push for the title, may ultimately prove the deciding factor.