Haaland captaincy dilemma tops FPL gameweek eight decisions
Erling Haaland's fitness and mixed record against Aston Villa headline the captaincy debate, while injuries to Saka, Szoboszlai and Semenyo force midfield changes in FPL gameweek eight.
Erling Haaland is fit to start for Manchester City against Aston Villa on Saturday, according to manager Enzo Maresca, after the striker was an unused substitute in City's 5-1 Champions League win over AEK Athens. That confirmation places Haaland at the top of the captaincy debate for gameweek eight, though he has not scored in his past four Premier League appearances against Villa despite eight goals in seven league games this season. Chelsea attackers offer the main alternatives, with Joao Pedro the club's best fantasy asset so far on five goals and three assists, while Cole Palmer carries a higher ceiling because he takes penalties.
Fantasy managers are also weighing midfield replacements after Arsenal's Bukayo Saka picked up a quadriceps injury in the Champions League on Wednesday. Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai and City's Antoine Semenyo are already ruled out long term. Interest in City's midfield has grown, with Rayan Cherki seeing the most transfer traffic, though Phil Foden shone with a hat-trick in midweek and Jeremy Doku has three goal involvements in three games.
Brighton remain a worthwhile investment, with three of the top five players in the game belonging to the Seagulls. Out-of-position defender Maxim de Cuyper leads the way, followed by Pascal Gross and centre-back Luka Vuskovic, while Bart Verbruggen ranks among the top three goalkeepers and Charalampos Kostoulas among the top three strikers. Brighton have scored a league-leading 23 goals and conceded a league-lowest five.
Starting Gross and De Cuyper at Anfield is advisable, according to the analysis. De Cuyper is effectively an attacking winger who also collects clean sheet points, with five goal involvements in seven games, the most of any defender. Gross is on penalties, has nine goal involvements and ranks second for key passes and big chances created, while Liverpool have yet to win at home in the league this season.
For defensive contribution points, Vuskovic tops the list given Brighton's five clean sheets, having earned the two-point bonus in four games plus two goal involvements. Leeds United's Tarik Muharemovic has hit the bonus on four occasions, and Coventry City's Bobby Thomas leads with 84 defensive contributions. Manchester City's Josko Gvardiol, benched in gameweeks six and seven, could return to the side with Nico O'Reilly reportedly struggling with a back problem, so the advice is to keep him unless transfers are plentiful and other issues are absent.
Supporters discussing the captaincy on fantasy forums remain split between backing Haaland and switching to a Chelsea attacker, reflecting the uncertainty around his record against Villa rather than any confirmed outcome.
Image: Getty Images / BBC Sport
