Captaincy options for Gameweek 8 – Arsenal v Manchester City creates wide open field

STOP the presses!

Is it actually possible that Erling Haaland (£8m) is NOT the safe, smart choice for captain in Gameweek 8?

Manchester City’s No9 is still by far and away the most-popular selection to have his points doubled among Dream Team managers but if ever there was a week to take him on, this is surely it.

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Pep Guardiola’s side travel to the Emirates for a top-of-table clash on Sunday in what should be a competitive fixture.

Granted, the treble winners have an impressive recent record against the Gunners – they won 3-1 in North London earlier this year – but Mikel Arteta’s men ultimately triumphed in the Community Shield and when Rodri (£4.2m) is unavailable City are noticeably more vulnerable.

The same logic can be applied to several other captaincy candidates: Martin Odegaard (£5m), Julian Alvarez (£4.5m), etc.

So, with Gameweek 8’s headline fixture a difficult one to read, perhaps gaffers should look elsewhere for captaincy options?

James Maddison (£4.4m)

There’s a chance Tottenham could head into the international break as league leaders.

With Arsenal and City going to battle, Ange Postecoglou’s troops have a relatively favourable fixture in the form of Luton.

The Hatters beat Everton last weekend but defeat to Burnley in midweek came as something of a reality check and Rob Edwards will know his side will have to be at their resilient best to keep a free-flowing Spurs at bay.

Maddison is his side’s playmaker-in-chief and he’s not shy of a effort on goal either – no midfielder has registered more shots on target this season.

Even without European fixtures, Spurs’ No10 is the joint-third best asset in his position this term.

Son Heung-min (£4.7m)

Much of what applied to Maddison is also relevant here.

In fact, Dream Team gaffers with both Spurs stars in their XI will have a tough time deciding who to select as captain if they do decide to target the Luton fixture.

The South Korea international has scored six goals in his last four outings, a run that includes tricky match-ups against Arsenal and Liverpool.

Son is the fourth-most popular captain ahead of Gameweek 8.

Mohamed Salah (£6.7m)

Many gaffers will defer to Liverpool’s main man if they feel Haaland isn’t a suitable captain this weekend.

Salah is the second-most selected striker in Dream Team and his return of four goals and four assists, while impressive, doesn’t even tell the full story.

The 31-year-old has created ten big chances in all competitions this season – no other player has registered more than six.

And his tally of 14 shots on target is only bettered by the aforementioned pair of Alvarez and Haaland.

The Reds travel to Brighton on Sunday and while that may well prove to be a tricky fixture, it’s a match-up that virtually guarantees goals.

The Seagulls are the Premier League’s top scorers but they’ve also conceded as many goals as Luton – they simply don’t do clean sheets.

Aston Villa hit six past them last weekend and Salah will be licking his lips at the prospect of an open game with counterattacking potential.

Levi Colwill (£2.7m)

A proper outside-the-box suggestion to finish.

With so much of the talk around Chelsea focusing on their inefficiency in front of goal, their solid defensive record has gone somewhat unnoticed.

The Blues have kept four clean sheets in all competitions and only Man City have conceded fewer league goals this campaign.

This parsimony has translated to Dream Team success with Robert Sanchez (£2.7m) second in the goalkeeper rankings and both Colwill and Axel Disasi (£3.5m) among the top eight defenders.

The 20-year-old, who is included in Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad, took Fulham for 12 points on Monday night and looks well placed to thrive again at Turf Moor on Saturday.

Burnley have scored just five league goals since promotion and so they are unlikely to get much joy out of Colwill and company on current form.