FPL Gameweek 9 – Captain Picks

With midweek League Cup football on deck in England, FPL managers are already turning their attentions to the Premier League and Gameweek 9, specifically who best to captain in a bid to gain an edge on the competition. With that in mind, we've come up with our three preferred skippers who are expected to generate high interest from within the FPL community and also added in a left-field pick who doesn't get talked about as much.

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Erling Haaland (£15.7m) vs BHA (H)

Right now, Erling Haaland (£15.7m) is currently not just the top-scoring forward in FPL with 66 points, but also the top-scoring asset across all positions. Even in Man City's 2-1 defeat away to Aston Villa in Gameweek 8, the Norwegian found the net, taking his Premier League tally to nine goals this season. Haaland has now scored in each of his last seven Premier League games, recording no fewer than six FPL points in every one of those gameweeks.

With Brighton, who suffered their first defeat of the season against Liverpool in Gameweek 8, heading to the Etihad in Gameweek 9, Enzo Maresca’s side will be desperate to bounce back at the first attempt and Haaland is the man most likely to lead the response. Therefore, expect another round of fixtures that sees the superstar striker heavily captained.

Marcus Tavernier (£6.3m) vs LEE (H)

Bournemouth attacking midfielder Marcus Tavernier (£6.3m) arrives in Gameweek 9 on the back of consecutive 10-point scores, having found the net against both Sunderland and most recently Man United at Old Trafford. He has now scored in four of Bournemouth's last six Premier League fixtures and boasts four double-figure FPL scores since the start of the season.

There is also a good chance that Tavernier is on penalty duty, having scored a spot-kick for the Cherries against AC Milan last week in the Europa League. With Leeds visiting the South Coast in Gameweek 9, the second highest scoring FPL midfielder looks well placed to continue his purple patch.

Nicolas Jackson (£6.7m) vs FUL (H)

Aston Villa’s Nicolas Jackson (£6.7m) comes into Gameweek 9 in superb form, having started each of his side’s last four Premier League matches, scoring four times and accumulating exactly 30 FPL points. His form extends to all competitions too, with seven goals in his last eight appearances for Aston Villa and Senegal combined.

He is coming off the back of his best performance of the season, scoring both of Villa's goals in their 2-1 victory over Man City in Gameweek 8, bagging 13 FPL points. Owned by less than 10% of FPL managers but rising continuously, Jackson’s price is likely to go up before the Gameweek 9 deadline, with Villa set to host Alvaro Arbeloa’s Fulham.

Differential Pick

Phil Foden (£6.8m) vs BHA (H)

After being named on the bench in Gameweek 8 and eventually coming on at half-time, Phil Foden (£6.8m) could not help rescue Man City at Villa Park. Prior to that, however, he had scored four goals in his last two appearances for the Citizens in all competitions, including a goal and nine FPL points against Ipswich in Gameweek 7, followed by a first-ever hat-trick in the Champions League against AEK Athens.

Foden is in form, confident and notorious within FPL quarters for enjoying a significant purple patch at least once a season, where he racks up multiple attacking returns. With only a small number of owners and Man City looking to bounce back from their first Premier League defeat of the campaign, he is expected to start at home to Brighton, and it would be no surprise if the 26-year-old was to accumulate a big FPL haul. With that in mind, he looks an ideal Gameweek 9 differential captain.