A visit to Leicester City makes Alexander Isak (£9.5m) the best captaincy alternative to Mohamed Salah (£13.8m) in Gameweek 31 of Fantasy Premier League.
Salah’s recent record on the road shows why he remains the player to beat ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Fulham.
He has delivered a double-figure haul in each of his last FOUR away matches – against AFC Bournemouth, Everton, Aston Villa and Manchester City - to amass 55 points.
Isak’s record in meetings with this season’s promoted clubs makes the most convincing argument for managers looking for an armband alternative, providing he shakes off the groin problem that saw him withdrawn early against Brentford as a precautionary measure. Head coach Eddie Howe said in his press conference on Friday that Isak is "being assessed".
The Swede has hauls of 11, 17 and 13 points in his last three outings against such opponents.
Indeed, Isak is yet to blank in his total of four appearances against the promoted clubs in 2024/25, averaging 11.5 points per match (ppm).
Who has had the biggest attacking threat in away matches?
An assessment of the underlying statistics in away matches gives Salah a clear advantage thanks to his all-round style of play.
Liverpool's Egyptian has had 24 big chances, which are situations where a player is expected to score. He has also created a further 14, which means he has been involved in 38 big chances in away matches this season.
That's TWICE as many as Isak, who has had 17 big chances and created just two.
Salah v Isak, away matches
| Player | Big chances | Big chances created | Big-chance involvement |
| Salah | 24 | 14 | 38 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isak | 17 | 2 | 19 |
What about their opponents?
Whereas the player data is very much in Salah's favour, the team statistics lend more weight to Isak's case here.
In home matches this season, Leicester have conceded 30 goals, compared with the 21 of Liverpool's hosts Fulham.
That's also reflected by the big chances numbers, with Leicester allowing 51, compared with the 29 of Fulham, which is just four more than the 25 of top-ranked team Arsenal.
So, is Isak a better captain pick than Salah?
Isak's output against the promoted clubs, added to Leicester's poor defensive form, makes him a strong option if he is available to face the Foxes on Monday evening.
While there would be no surprise if the Newcastle star did outscore Salah, the latter's numbers - allied with his hefty 71 per cent ownership - just make him too strong to go against in Gameweek 31.