Alexander Isak (£9.3m) and Cole Palmer (£11.4m) have the form and fixtures to rival Mohamed Salah (£13.7m) for the captaincy in Gameweek 21 of Fantasy Premier League.
There’s no doubt that Liverpool's Salah has been the best captain pick for a number of Gameweeks, with a mere two blanks in 19 appearances under Arne Slot this season.
However, one of those blanks was against his midweek hosts Nottingham Forest, who defeated Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield in Gameweek 4.
Newcastle United’s Isak and Chelsea’s Palmer, on the other hand, have favourable home matches against Wolverhampton Wanderers and AFC Bournemouth respectively.
Who's in the best form?
There’s no surprise to learn that Salah is the top-scoring player in Fantasy across his last six matches, producing a massive 76 points thanks to seven goals and six assists.
Isak has been his closest challenger on 58 points, scoring eight goals and supplying an assist. However, late doubts over his fitness place a greater degree of risk over handing him the armband.
Palmer, meanwhile, has four goals, one assist and 46 points in his last six outings. He has delivered double-figure hauls in two of the last three Gameweeks, outscoring Salah in Fantasy on both occasions.
Manchester City's Erling Haaland (£14.8m) and Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes (£8.3m) also look well-placed to deliver big returns.
Haaland visits Brentford on the back of three goals and 21 points in his last two matches. Fernandes hosts Southampton in fine home form, with three goals, five assists and 52 points in his last six outings at Old Trafford.
Form in last six matches
| Player | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salah | 7 | 6 | 76 |
| Isak | 8 | 1 | 58 |
| Palmer | 4 | 1 | 46 |
| Haaland | 4 | 0 | 32 |
| Fernandes | 2 | 1 | 27 |
Who is most likely to score?
The underlying statistics help to showcase Isak's superior goal threat in his last six matches. He's had 11 big chances - situations where the player is expected to score.
Newcastle's forward has also created four such opportunities, which means he has been involved in 15 big chances overall.
While that is significantly more than Palmer's total of nine, it still leaves Isak trailing Salah's 17 big-chance involvements. The Liverpool star also leads the way for goal involvements. When selected, he has scored or assisted 62 per cent of Liverpool's goals in that spell.
Big-chance (BC) stats in last six matches
| Player | Goal involv. | BC | BC created | BC involv. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salah | 62% | 9 | 8 | 17 |
| Isak | 53% | 11 | 4 | 15 |
| Palmer | 50% | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| Haaland | 36% | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Fernandes | 50% | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Who faces the worst defence?
Assessing the defensive form of each captain candidate's opponents can also help guide your armband decision.
Southampton's recent displays could barely be more encouraging for Fernandes here. Saints have conceded a league-high 29 big chances in their last six matches, more than TWICE the total of any other team in the assessment below.
The defensive data indicates more joy for Isak and Haaland too - and it also shows why Salah faces a tough task on Tuesday evening. Over their last six matches, Forest's four clean sheets and six big chances conceded are both the joint-best records in the league.
Opponents' defensive stats in last six matches
| Club | Goals conc. | Clean sheets | Big chances conc. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 14 | 1 | 29 |
| Wolves | 9 | 2 | 13 |
| Brentford | 9 | 2 | 12 |
| Bournemouth | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| Nott'm Forest | 3 | 4 | 6 |
So, who is the best captain for Gameweek 21?
As the defensive data indicates, Salah has the toughest match-up of all the captain candidates and this could be the Gameweek to go against him.
While Isak is the best alternative if you are willing to take a risk on his fitness, Palmer is perhaps the safest pick of the trio.
Southampton's data makes Fernandes a great option, although his lack of big-chance involvement does go against him here.
