Alexander Isak (£9.5m) has the form and fixture to offer the strongest alternative to Mohamed Salah (£13.7m) for the captaincy in Gameweek 23 of Fantasy Premier League.
Liverpool’s Salah has a very favourable home encounter with Ipswich Town on Saturday, and his hefty 70 per cent ownership means he is bound to be the most-picked captain.
Salah has amassed 36 points in his three meetings with promoted clubs in 2024/25, including a goal, an assist and 14 points against Ipswich in Gameweek 1.
Isak also faces a promoted opponent, with Newcastle United visiting a Southampton side who have conceded at least three goals in each of the last three Gameweeks.
The Swede’s record against such opponents is almost identical to that of Salah, with 33 points in his three appearances against promoted sides.
Assessing their output over the last six Gameweeks, there’s even less to separate the pair – only ONE point to be exact, with Salah edging it by 58 to 57.
Both were involved in nine goals across that run. Salah scored five and assisted a further four, while Isak delivered eight goals and an assist.
Salah v Isak
| Player | Pts v promoted clubs | Pts in last six Gameweeks |
| Salah | 36 | 58 |
|---|---|---|
| Isak | 33 | 57 |
Staying with Liverpool and Newcastle, Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.3m) and Lewis Hall (£5.1m) could also deliver big hauls this weekend. Both full-backs have delivered two sets of double-figure hauls over the last seven Gameweeks and boast strong potential at both ends of the pitch.
Son Heung-min (£9.8m) also faces a promoted side when Tottenham Hotspur host Leicester City on Sunday afternoon.
Elsewhere, four goals over the last four Gameweeks show why Erling Haaland (£14.8m) can never be ruled out of any captaincy conversation ahead of Manchester City’s match at home to Chelsea.
Who is most likely to score?
The underlying statistics over the last six Gameweeks show both Isak and Haaland have the slightest of advantages over Salah when it comes to being supplied with big chances, which are situations where the player is expected to score.
Although they both better the Egyptian by nine to eight here, Salah's far superior potential for assists is clear to see. He has also created nine big chances, which means he has been involved in a total of 17 over that spell, five more than second-placed Isak.
Haaland’s frustrating form is evidenced by the goal involvement numbers – when selected, he’s scored or assisted a mere 27 per cent of Man City’s goals across their previous six matches.
By contrast, fellow forwards Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.3m) have shown improved form ahead of their favourable fixtures for Aston Villa and Crystal Palace against West Ham United and Brentford respectively.
The pair are near-identical for output over their last four matches. Mateta has 31 points, scoring in each of the last three Gameweeks, while Watkins three goals, an assist and 30 points.
Big chance (BC) stats, last six matches
| Player | Goal involvement | BC | BC created | BC involvement |
| Salah | 47% | 8 | 9 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isak | 60% | 9 | 3 | 12 |
| Haaland | 27% | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Watkins | 57% | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| Mateta | 50% | 6 | 2 | 8 |
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Who faces the worst defence?
Analysing the weakest defences can also help refine your armband decision. A look at the numbers over the last six Gameweeks highlights the clubs who have struggled at the back of late.
Certainly, Southampton’s numbers show why Isak seems set for a successful weekend – Saints conceded a league-high 29 big chances over that spell, eight more than Ipswich.
West Ham’s numbers also offers plenty of encouragement for Watkins. They rank third-worst for allowing big chances, while their 14 goals conceded and one clean sheet is identical to Southampton.
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ frailties could also be good news for Kai Havertz (£7.8m). The German has scored in back-to-back matches in all competitions for Arsenal and produced his season-high haul of 12 points against his upcoming opponents back in Gameweek 1.
Opponents' defensive stats in last six matches
| Club | Goals conc. | Clean sheets | Big chances conc. |
| Southampton | 14 | 1 | 29 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spurs | 16 | 0 | 27 |
| West Ham | 14 | 1 | 24 |
| Everton | 7 | 1 | 23 |
| Ipswich | 15 | 1 | 21 |
| Wolves | 11 | 2 | 17 |
| Leicester | 14 | 0 | 16 |
So, who is the best captain?
The form and defensive data both combine to suggest Salah and Isak can each deliver another huge haul with the armband.
Nonetheless, the Liverpool star’s big advantage when it comes to creativity means he is still the most likely to repay your faith.
Added to his extra points for goals and clean sheets as a midfielder, it's impossible to look past Salah.
