Fantasy Premier League: Haaland-Salah rivalry continues as Palace choices become attractive

The discussion with the captain is finally back on track. Now we have to make a decision that can pay off a lot, but can also cost a lot.

Who to captain?

Haaland's (14.0million) two goals and an assist in the derby against Manchester United fully satisfied many of his managers. Sixteen points from the captain, while his biggest rival only scored half of that, is a great result. Of course, Haaland's captaincy has had many players, who are no longer actively involved in the game, but we are sure it has also had quite a few managers reacting to all the events from week to week.

Manchester City haven't played a game since the meeting with the Red Devils, so all their players were able to rest, which is a very rare situation for them - all because the Citizens fell away to Newcastle in the previous round of the Carabao Cup.

Instead, they face Bournemouth at home this weekend. Every year, the Cherries leak a couple of goals at the Etihad, so it would seem that Haaland with the captain's armband is not only an obvious but also a necessity.

However, there is also the presence of Mohamed Salah (12.9m) to complicate matters, who more and more players have in their squad and he is returning the favour by scoring. A week ago, the Egyptian did not play his best game against Nottingham, and he still took advantage of a Matt Turner (4.1m) error to add another goal to his tally.

He now faces a trip to Luton, who have been one of the worst teams since the start of the season. What may be worrying, however, is that Salah played the full 90 minutes in The Reds' Carabao Cup clash with Bournemouth on Wednesday. He did not score in that game, although the real issue is his performance itself and possible fatigue. However, no one is likely to consider that he will not come out of the starting line-up on Sunday.

If you only have one player out of the mentioned two, the choice of captain is straightforward, as no one else is thrust into the spotlight - omitting any of the duo would be considered a mistake. If, however, you have both, you also have quite a dilemma. The decision is yours to make.

Talking points

Before we move on to recommending specific names, let's, as is standard, pause for a moment and highlight the key issues. One of them is certainly the injury to Pedro Neto (5.7m). The Wolves midfielder bravely delivered the points, and the last time he didn't crank out a goal or an assist was in the second matchday. 

Such a record could be envied by the best players in the Premier League. Unfortunately, that series has been cut short - the Portuguese himself reported that he is out for a few weeks due to a muscular injury, and his keepers must find a replacement.

The same is true of Alexander Isak (7.4m). Admittedly, the Swede has not had such regular point scores, but he has remained a frequent choice in the second striker position. The latest reports are that he will miss two more games, a situation that many managers cannot afford. Newcastle's striker is disappearing from more line-ups, a trend that is sure to continue before the weekend.

Before we move on to the players worth taking a look at, let's look at the squads as a whole. We're at an interesting point in the schedule, as several teams have beneficial calendars. Check out Brighton, West Ham or Crystal Palace's upcoming games - three or even four rounds for these teams is a great opportunity to pick up points. It doesn't look much worse for Aston Villa and Wolves.

Remember, though, not to throw yourself indiscriminately at the players of these teams, because the calendar always works both ways - if you buy five players of these teams now, then suddenly in a few rounds, they will all be playing against a strong side, because after all they have to play against them at some point.

In FPL as in life - everything in moderation. However, if you have stable squad leaders, it is worth looking for cheaper options among the players of these teams.

Who to buy?

As we do every week, we have prepared a list of interesting choices for you together with my colleagues from our Czech editorial team.

Hwang Hee-Chan (5.5m) - One of the Korean's greatest assets is the fact that he is positioned in midfield in the game. In Neto's absence, he is the one who stands out the most in FPL of the Wolves midfielders, who now have a promising schedule. Hwang has been incredibly effective this season - all six of his accurate shots this season have turned into six goals. He is definitely ahead of the xG model.

However, if he's in that much form, there's no need to wonder.

Eddie Nketiah (5.6m) - In many ways a similar selection to Hwang, except that the Englishman is a striker. Interestingly, despite generally being a substitute, he has come out in Arsenal's first team in as many as eight games this Premier League season, only twice leaving the starting XI. He has a low shot accuracy rate, but when he does shoot he usually scores - five goals out of seven shots on target.

The away game against Newcastle may not be one of the easiest, but in the long run he is some idea of a cheap striker, especially in the absence of Gabriel Jesus (7.8m).

Odsonne Edouard (5.0m) - However, if you think Nketiah has too few chances in duels with the Magpies' defenders, at a similar price you can get Edouard, who should not have this problem as his Crystal Palace game against Burnley.

The Eagles' striker stopped scoring goals after a successful start to the season, but has measured up against better teams recently. He should have at least a few opportunities to improve his tally in the next few rounds, some of which he will certainly take.

Filip Novak (11Hacks chief analyst)

Darwin Nunez (7.5m) - I mentioned Nunez in this space before the eighth round saying that he is still a bit of a risk, but much more considered than at the start of the season. Since then, the Uruguayan has scored a goal in each of his three league appearances, including scoring 10 last weekend. His position in the FPL has strengthened considerably since then and, after Haaland, he is probably on a par with Ollie Watkins (8.4m) as the second-best option in the striker position. At the moment, 14% of managers own him and that figure is likely to rise soon.

However, he is still a fairly niche choice, which only makes him even more attractive. In terms of combined xG and xA, the Uruguayan is the best in the entire Premier League, followed by Haaland and Callum Wilson (7.8m). On top of that, Liverpool now play at Luton, with Fulham and Sheffield next up.

Hwang Hee-Chan (5.5m) - although Neto's injury is a big loss for Wolves and will probably affect the play of the whole team, some of their players offer very good value for money considering the whole season. Wolves play against the worst defensive team in the league against Sheffield Wednesday in their next fixture, while they also face Fulham, Burnley and Nottingham in the next six rounds. Much is expected of Sasa Kalajdzic (4.9m), but as he is in the striker position in the FPL, the choice is Hwang, who is a midfielder in the game and perhaps in vital form. The Korean has plenty of goal-scoring opportunities and can create for his partners, and cheap midfielders are in demand in line-ups with Salah.

Joachim Andersen (5.0m) - Popular in FPL, defenders are struggling and the list of interesting options at this spot on the pitch is shrinking. Crystal Palace's players are certainly among those being considered, with games against Burnley, Everton, Luton, West Ham and Bournemouth in the coming rounds. As well as a good chance of a clean sheet, Andersen also has offensive potential at corner kicks. If you can't afford the Dane, the cheaper Marc Guehi (4.6m) is also a good choice.

Radim Horák (one of the best Czechs playing in FPL)

Marc Guehi (4.6m) - Looking at the next five queues, Crystal Palace are top of the league in terms of an easy schedule. Roy Hodgson's main focus is defensive and I'm betting on a low number of goals in the games against Burnley, Everton and Luton. In terms of value for money, Guehi is a favourable acquisition in defence. He is 0.4m cheaper than his defensive midfield partner Andersen, and while he has yet to score a goal or assist this season, he is high on the bonus-point chart, which is a nice bonus for FPL players

Bryan Mbeumo (6.7m) - I will admit that Mbeumo left my team before the previous round and I bitterly regretted it after his performance at Stamford Bridge. The Cameroonian, along with Salah, records the best stats in terms of xG among midfielders in the entire league, and at a price of under seven million, he is a great investment. On top of that, this round Brentford will play against West Ham, whose defence is in the bottom half of the table and their recent performances, apart from the cup game against Arsenal, have not been very convincing.

Darwin Nunez (7.5m) - After several weeks it is necessary to return to the recommendation of the Uruguayan striker. His excellent form is shown by the fact that in his last three league games he has scored a goal and recorded three assists. On top of that, in the cup game he only came on from the bench. Liverpool's form and attacking situation suggest he should start the game against Luton from the first minute, and his potential needs to be realised in a game against this rival. At the moment, less than 15% of managers have him in the squad, so every point he scores should result in a promotion in the standings.