Captaincy options for Gameweek 7: Dare Dream Team bosses take on Erling Haaland?

GAMEWEEK 7 looks set to be a high-scoring affair and so it’s imperative Dream Team bosses get their strategy right.

At the time of writing, Bukayo Saka (£6.3m) is the second-most popular captain in the game ahead of this weekend’s Premier League games.

Such a ploy comes with massive risk as Arsenal’s No7 has not trained all week because of an ongoing Achilles issue.

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The England winger, who is the second-most selected player in Dream Team, is a serious doubt for the Gunners’ trip to Bournemouth on Saturday.

If Saka pulls through then he’s a fine choice for the captain’s armband as the Cherries are without a win in the Premier League this season while Arsenal’s midweek opponents, Lens, are currently 16th in Ligue 1.

However, if the 22-year-old sits out one or both fixtures then those who have picked him as captain are likely to be severely punished.

With that in mind, let’s run through the other captaincy options.

Erling Haaland (£8.3m)

There’s no need to create any false sense of jeopardy or tension; Manchester City’s top scorer is the obvious choice for a reason.

It doesn’t really matter what fixtures Dream Team’s top points scorer has ahead of him as he’s capable of plundering a hat-trick against any opponent on his day.

That being said, Gameweek 7 looks particularly appealing with the treble-winners set to face Wolves and RB Leipzig.

Gary O’Neil’s side are 16th in the Premier League and while the Bundesliga outfit have enjoyed a more promising start to their league campaign (four wins from five games) Dream Team gaffers would do well to remember that Haaland scored FIVE goals in one game against the German side in the Champions League last season.

The prolific marksman’s Gameweek 7 share makes him the most-popular captain of season so far.

Bruno Fernandes (£6m)

Only a brave gaffer would opt for a Manchester United player as captain over Haaland on current form but the Portugal international is worthy of consideration at least.

Whereas City have back-to-back away games, Fernandes has the luxury of two home fixtures in Gameweek 7 – Crystal Palace and Galatasaray.

The Red Devils beat the Eagles 3-0 in the Carabao Cup this past week and while both sides rested regular starters, that result should give Erik ten Hag’s side a psychological edge in the sequel this weekend.

United’s captain scored a brilliantly-executed volley against Burnley last time out and his underlying stats are very encouraging.

No midfielder has created more big chances this season and only five assets in his position have registered more shots on target.

Captaincy may be a step too far but Fernandes certainly looks well placed to return a healthy volume of points in the coming days.

James Ward-Prowse (£4m)

This is a really fun alternative to Haaland for the thrill-seekers out there.

Kieran Trippier’s (£5.4m) set-piece prowess helped him take Sheffield United for 17 points last Sunday and so West Ham’s in-form midfielder, arguably the best dead-ball striker in the league, should be licking his lips at the prospect of facing the Blades next.

Ward-Prowse has amassed 52 points in six outings which includes difficult match-ups against Brighton, Man City and Liverpool – he should therefore enjoy himself against Paul Heckingbottom’s disorganised troops.

Crucially, the ex-Southampton skipper also has a potential second fixture at his disposal this coming Gameweek in the form of an away day to Freiburg in the Europa League.

He earned ten points in his first European outing of the campaign.

Martin Odegaard (£5.1m)

With doubts over Saka, Declan Rice (£3.7m), Gabriel Martinelli (£4m) and Leandro Trossard’s (£3m) availability, Arsenal’s captain is almost guaranteed to be his side’s most-prominent player this coming week, in an attacking sense at least.

The Norwegian playmaker has scored three goals and provided one assist in 2023/24 but the truly telling stat is his 12 shots on target – the most among all midfielders.

As previously mentioned, Bournemouth and Lens represents a favourable double header in Gameweek 7 even if both games are to be played away from home.

One could argue that if several of Odegaard’s key team-mates are absent through injury then he may not have the necessary level of support required to generate healthy returns but he’s a truly class act in the middle of park.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk