FPL GW2 Best Captain: Haaland, Salah, Saka & More | OneFootball

After an opening weekend full of drama and late goals, attention quickly turns to who wears the armband for FPL GW2. Erling Haaland reminded everyone why he is the go-to captain with a ruthless brace, while Mohamed Salah delivered yet again with a stoppage-time strike to rescue his owners. Bukayo Saka may have blanked in GW1, but with a favourable home fixture against Leeds he is already attracting the armband discussion, while a number of differentials are quietly building their case.

With Manchester City hosting Spurs, Liverpool travelling to Newcastle, and Arsenal facing Leeds at the Emirates, the captaincy debate is wide open. Let’s take a closer look at the standout options and which players could give you the edge in GW2.

The new season got off to a thunderous start in Anfield on Friday night with a 4-2 win for the Champions, tipped to rival the Reds this year. Manchester City also got off to a winning start with an impressive 4-0 victory over Wolves at Molineux; new signing Tijjani Reijnders stole the show with a man-of-the-match display that included a goal and an assist.

Sunderland returned to the top flight for the first time since 2017 with a convincing 3-0 win at home to West Ham, while Tottenham began with the same result against fellow promoted side Burnley. The heavyweight clash between Manchester United and Arsenal on Sunday afternoon only resulted in a single goal as the Gunners ran out 1-0 winners over their long-term rivals. It was only the third time in Premier League history that 2 or more promoted sides won their opening fixture.

After spending big this summer, Chelsea were only able to come away with 1 point following a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge. Aston Villa and Newcastle played out the same result at lunchtime on Saturday, even though Newcastle should feel they were unlucky not to come away with the spoils. The weekend was finished off with a performance Leeds fans can be proud of as they capped off their return to the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Everton at Elland Road.

FPL GW2 Best Captain Options: The Usual Suspects

Mohamed Salah – Liverpool (MID £14.5m)

A stoppage-time strike spared his owners’ blushes in GW1, with Salah returning 8 points as he begins the chase for another monster season after last year’s 344 points. He faces Newcastle away in FPL GW2, a tough fixture on paper, but Salah has a habit of producing in big games and remains a reliable armband option. Will Frimpong’s overlapping football impact him as much as some managers think? Perhaps, time will tell.

Erling Haaland – Man City (FWD £14.0m)

Business as usual for the Norwegian powerhouse. A brace and 13 points reminded everyone why he is the most-owned player in the game. Up next is Tottenham at home, and Haaland has scored 3 goals in his last 3 appearances against the London club. It looks like another promising outing for the striker, who is already the standout captaincy choice for GW2.

Jarrod Bowen – West Ham (FOR £8.0m)

A quiet opening gameweek for the Hammers’ talisman, but Bowen remains a proven FPL asset. He faces Cole Palmer’s Chelsea this weekend, which makes it difficult to expect a major haul on current form. Still, Bowen is capable of explosive returns, particularly if West Ham can hit Chelsea on the counter.

Cole Palmer – Chelsea (MID £10.5m)

Like Bowen, Palmer failed to deliver in GW1. With both players going head-to-head this weekend, managers may prefer to hold rather than captain either, as points could be limited. However, Palmer’s set-piece duties and penalty-taking role mean he is always capable of chipping in with an attacking return.

Bukayo Saka – Arsenal (MID £10.0m)

Saka drew a blank in Arsenal’s opener, but his GW2 fixture looks far more appealing. A home clash with Leeds should give the Gunners plenty of opportunities to attack, and Saka’s combination, set-piece involvement, and consistent minutes make him one of the most attractive captaincy alternatives to Haaland this week. One thing to consider about Saka, though, is that Gyokeres is on penalties this season.

Overall, when weighing up the pros and cons of each player ahead of GW2, we think Haaland is the best captain.

FPL GW2 Best Captain Options: The Alternate Pick

Expectedly, it was a difficult night for Andoni Iraola’s men as they fell to a 4-2 defeat at Anfield on the opening night. But impressively, they scored 2 goals against the Champions and that’s why we feel it’s worth taking a gamble on one of their attackers this week.

Antoine Semenyo is the obvious choice after his brace last weekend but at £5.5m we feel the dangerous Marcus Tavernier is a good alternative choice. Having chipped in with 3 goals and 5 assists last season as the Cherries finished 9th, he will be hoping to replicate that form this season.