Captaincy options and Booster strategies for Gameweek 15: Is Manchester City’s favourable double header all it seems?

THERE’S barely time for Dream Team managers to catch their breath from Gameweek 14 before Gameweek 15 gets underway.

The European group stages will draw to a close in midweek after a full round of Premier League fixtures this weekend, meaning eight teams are set to pull double duty.

Once again, the focus should therefore be on Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle, Liverpool, West Ham, Brighton and Aston Villa for gaffers seeking substantial returns, right?

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Erling Haaland (£8.1m) is by far and away the most-popular captain for Gameweek 15 and if he starts both games then he should feast.

Pep Guardiola’s side travel to Luton this weekend before a trip to Red Star in midweek.

Belgrade is said to be an intimidating place to go but the reality is the Serbian outfit have taken just one point from their five Champions League games this season.

In contrast, City are guaranteed to finish top of their group no matter what happens on Wednesday having won five from five in Europe.

And here’s where Dream Team bosses should fear a critical dose of Pep Roulette – the name given to the decorated tactician’s rotation policy.

Given that the meeting with Red Star is essentially a dead rubber, would it really be a surprise if Haaland and several other regular starters were given a rest ahead of the festive rush?

Second-guessing Guardiola’s line-ups is fraught with danger of course and Haaland may only need one fixture to bag a double-digit haul anyway – but it’s something to consider.

Or the Norwegian poacher may ask to play, sensing an opportunity to add to his already imposing goal tally after some squandered chances in the past week.

The more pressing question: if not Haaland then who?

Liverpool have already secured top spot in the Europa League group so the possibility of key players such as Mohamed Salah (£6.8m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (5.8m) being rested should also be acknowledged.

The latter remains a tempting option, however, having outscored all other Dream Team assets in Gameweek 14.

On Saturday, the Reds face a Crystal Palace side that have taken just one point from their last four games – only Sheffield United have scored fewer league goals than the Eagles this season.

The chances of Alexander-Arnold contributing to a clean sheet are relatively high and in current form he’s likely to chip in with attacking returns too – any minutes against Union Saint-Gilloise in midweek would be a bonus.

Bukayo Saka (£6.6m) and Jarrod Bowen (£5.3m) are appealing captaincy options as well but a lack European jeopardy for both Arsenal and West Ham heading into the final group game increases the chances of key players being rested.

Newcastle and Manchester United will have to field strong teams in midweek as they are still fighting to qualify for the knockout stages.

Anthony Gordon (£3.8m), Kieran Trippier (£5.8m) and Bruno Fernandes (£5.8m) should there be considered viable options for the armband in Gameweek 15 – certainly their minutes are more assured.

That being said, Eddie Howe’s side face a tough double header against Spurs and Milan while the Red Devils could easily be embarrassed by Bayern Munich.

Dream Team bosses who bet against Haaland this week would feel very silly if he was named to start against Red Star in midweek and perhaps it’s not worth the risk given the lack of a clearly superior alternative.

As for Boosters, it could be argued that Max Captain is viable as it would remove the captaincy headache and act as an insurance policy if the likes of Haaland, Salah and Saka all sat out in midweek while other players thrived.

The fixtures don’t look right for Park the Bus unless one happened to strike the perfect combination of Man City defenders – although the defending champions have conceded more than their fair share of goals lately.

As a general rule, the last round of European group games is something of a minefield as the competitiveness of the games depends on whether the English clubs involved are already through to the knockouts or not.

And with City, Arsenal, West Ham, Liverpool, Brighton and Villa all in the pots for their respective knockout draws, it’s probably best to save the precious Boosters for another Gameweek.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk