Captaincy & Booster options ahead of Gameweek 31: Lessons learned from European quarter-finals

THE events of Gameweek 30 are likely to have a huge bearing on Gameweek 31 and so Dream Team managers may need to refresh their memories.

All the European quarter-final first legs were thoroughly entertaining but the fate of the English teams hangs precariously in the balance, with some teetering on the edge of elimination.

PLAY SCORE PREDICTOR AHEAD OF THIS WEEKEND’S ACTION – SOMEBODY MUST WIN £500 AMAZON GIFT CARD!

Manchester City and Arsenal drew with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich respectively in the Champions League while Liverpool and West Ham have mountains to climb in the Europa League.

Jurgen Klopp’s side were soundly beaten 3-0 by Atalanta at Anfield while the Hammers were comprehensively outplayed by the Bundesliga champions elect Bayer Leverkusen – David Moyes’ side need to overturn a 2-0 deficit.

Aston Villa were the only Premier League outfit to emerge from midweek with a lead in their European tie after they beat Lille 2-1 in the Europa Conference League.

The second legs will take place in Gameweek 31 after a full round of Premier League fixtures and many gaffers will understandably be caught between strategies – the Liverpool result is a huge spanner in the works.

So how does this all impact Gameweek 31?

Firstly, plenty of Dream Team bosses will probably move away from Mohamed Salah (£6.7m) as captain.

The Egyptian superstar delivered 13 useful points in Gameweek 30 but with the Reds needing something close to a miracle in Italy to keep remain active in Europe, it may be the case that Klopp now focuses solely on the Premier League.

Salah’s Europa League minutes have been managed carefully all season and so it would be a surprise if he completed 90 minutes this coming Thursday.

He may well feast at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday but Liverpool’s performance against Atalanta will have been a red flag for some.

That being said, 23 goals and 13 assists from 36 appearances is no joke.

Erling Haaland (£7.1m) was kept quiet by Antonio Rudiger at the Bernabeu in midweek but Manchester City did score three goals against Real Madrid in the Spanish capital.

Pep Guardiola’s side dominated Los Blancos at the Etihad last season and while the La Liga giants are an improved side this term, the hosts will surely generate their fair share of chances.

More appealing is the Norwegian poacher’s meeting with Luton this Saturday, assuming he’s selected to start.

Haaland scored FIVE goals against the Hatters at Kenilworth Road in February and that fact alone will be more than enough to earn him the captain’s armband from most gaffers.

Only Sheffield United and Burnley have conceded more goals than Rob Edwards’ side in the top flight this season – a trip to the Etihad could get messy for them.

Bukayo Saka (£5.5m) has to be considered a strong captaincy candidate having banked 21 points in Gameweek 30 but Arsenal’s double header of Aston Villa (h) and Bayern Munich (a) is a tricky one on paper.

Unless there’s any indication Haaland will be rested against Luton, it seems as if City’s No9 is the smart option.

That the five English teams conceded 11 goals between them in five European quarter-final first legs suggests that gaffers should keep their Park the Bus Booster holstered in Gameweek 31 if they still have it to play.

To be honest, it doesn’t feel like a particularly viable Gameweek for any of the Boosters.

There will be more inviting opportunities to activate 12th Man and Max Captain in the coming weeks.

Lock in your transfers, captain and any Boosters you wish to play before Saturday’s 11:30am deadline.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk