Gameweek 1 captaincy options: Tempting midfield alternatives to obvious choice Erling Haaland

THIS season, Dream Team managers have the luxury of selecting a captain .

The chosen player will have their points doubled for the duration of the Gameweek, no matter how many fixtures that encompasses.

It’s imperative that gaffers give due consideration to this element of the game if they want to bank as many points as possible – click here to read more about captains.

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Let’s analyse the best captaincy options for Gameweek 1.

Erling Haaland (£8.5m)

Manchester City’s prolific No9 is categorised as “the obvious choice” until further notice.

The Etihad’s resident cyborg racked up 400+ points last season thanks mostly to his obscene goal tally of 52 in all competitions.

Haaland is a strong option no matter his fixtures but he’s particularly popular ahead of Gameweek 1 because he travels to newly-promoted Burnley on Friday night – make sure you’ve selected a captain before 7pm!

The Clarets swaggered to the Championship title last season but the enormity of their promotion could slap them in the face when they welcome the treble-winners to Turf Moor.

Manchester City beat Vincent Kompany’s men 6-0 in the FA Cup back in March – Haaland scored a hat-trick.

See also: Kevin De Bruyne (£7m).

Eberechi Eze (£3m)

Haaland has scored one goal in his last eight competitive appearances for City, nine if you include the Community Shield.

Perhaps his form at the end of last season is irrelevant because of the summer break but Dream Team gaffers may feel Gameweek 1 is actually the perfect time to take him on.

Crystal Palace’s No10 has thoroughly enjoyed himself in pre-season having sparkled since Roy Hodgson’s return to the Selhurst Park dugout.

The talented midfielder kicks off his 2023/24 campaign with a trip to Bramall Lane to face a Sheffield United side seemingly intent on entering the top flight with a worse squad than they had in the Championship.

Bukayo Saka (£6m)

Arsenal start at the Emirates against a Nottingham Forest side who mustered just eight points away from home last season – no team registered fewer on the road.

It’s therefore a mightily favourable match-up for the Gunners and who better to exploit it than their resident Star Boy?

Saka would have been his side’s top scorer (313 points) by a country mile last season had the new scoring system been implemented.

Victory in the Community Shield over Pep Guardiola’s side has set Arsenal up for another flying start and it wouldn’t be a surprise if their homegrown No7 bagged a double-digit haul to open his account in style.

Kaoru Mitoma (£3.5m)

Brighton v Luton is another tempting fixture to target.

Most neutrals are willing the Hatters to upset the odds this season but the fact is they are perhaps the biggest underdogs to ever grace the Premier League.

The Seagulls have played free-flowing, attacking football under Roberto De Zerbi with their Japanese winger arguably being the star attraction.

Mitoma is Brighton’s most-popular player at the time of writing and while the captain’s armband may be a stretch too far, he’s certainly an excellent option for Gameweek 1.

MOST-POPULAR CAPTAINS FOR GAMEWEEK 1

1. Ering Haaland (£8.5m)
2. Kevin De Bruyne (£7m)
3. Bruno Fernandes (£6.5m)
4. Bukayo Saka (£6m)
5. Martin Odegaard (£5m)

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk