The question of whether to captain Erling Haaland (£14.8m) is rarely a question at all. He has been the best asset in FPL this season and one of the safe captaincy choices. However, after a rare blank in Gameweek 9 and a plum fixture for Arsenal, the captaincy debate for Gameweek 10 is more nuanced than usual. Manchester City host Bournemouth, while Arsenal travel to Burnley.
Case For Erling
For the majority of FPL managers, Haaland remains the default and safest captain pick. Despite the recent blank, the Norwegian striker’s underlying numbers and fixture strength are compelling. Haaland boasts incredible attacking statistics. Across the last six Gameweeks, he leads the league in shots in the box, big chances, and Expected Goals (xG). Haaland has a fantastic record in home fixtures, averaging significant FPL points in his last few appearances at the Etihad. While Bournemouth’s recent defensive numbers have been decent, they are still travelling to a Manchester City side projected to score over two goals. The fixture presents ample opportunity for a significant haul, Mateta scored a hattrick against them 2 weeks ago. Here are some stats that may skew you to the other side City have scored 12 goals in the last six gameweeks most of any side. They rank third for shots in the box (67) and big chances (21). Bournemouth have conceded 7 goals in the same period and the visitors rank 7th for shots in the box conceded (45) and 11th for xGC (8.60) Recent discussions about Manchester City being too dependent on Haaland should actually reassure FPL managers. The team’s attacking play runs through their star striker, making him their primary threat in both open play and from set pieces.
The most important point is effective ownership, for those unaware what that stands for, Haaland is currently owned by 69% of managers. Now when you captain a player they earn double points which means his effective ownership would be 138% if all managers who owned him captained him. With triple captaincy that number can shoot up even more. So in short if Haaland hauls you will lose a big chunk of points.
Case Against
Manchester City face Bournemouth at home, and the Cherries are in good form and are second in the league. For the first time since Gameweek 2, Haaland failed to deliver returns. While one poor game doesn’t undo all his excellent work, it has created doubt among managers. Some 6.5 million backed him in GW9 which means that there is massive ground to make up if he blanks. Bournemouth’s actual goals conceded (11) aligns closely with the expected goals against (11.1), suggesting a generally solid goalkeeping performance that is matching the quality of chances faced. Their 9.98 passes per defensive action is the lowest in the Premier League, indicating they have a very high intensity pressing strategy which could mean that City’s midfield is under pressure more and are unable to provide service to Haaland up top. It shows as well apart from a goal in the FA cup, Haaland has not scored under Iraola’s Bournemouth side.
This gameweek offers a highly appealing alternative captaincy option in the Arsenal camp, particularly with their favorable away fixture against Burnley, who boast comfortably the worst defense in the league according to underlying data about their xGC. Furthermore, Arsenal is projected to have the best clean sheet odds over the next six gameweeks. The strongest Arsenal alternative emerges as Bukayo Saka. His underlying numbers are excellent, leading all Arsenal players with 1.49 xA (Expected Assists) and on penalties. In recent weeks, he has attempted 10 assists and registered 12 shots (second only to Declan Rice), and he is now set to play against the league’s weakest defense after averaging strong returns against Fulham and West Ham.
For a defensive route, Gabriel presents another high quality option, already being the top scoring defender in FPL this season. He has blanked just twice all year and is averaging over 10 points per game in the last four gameweeks, offering reliable returns from both clean sheets and set piece threats. If you’re looking for an intriguing differential choice outside of Arsenal, consider Jean-Philippe Mateta. Over the last six weeks, his attacking numbers have been outstanding, with 13 big chances created and 6.70 xG (both ahead of Erling Haaland), and 23 shots (matching Haaland). This comes as Crystal Palace is ranked top for shots on target and big chances. He faces Brentford at home, a team that has struggled on the road, and Mateta also offers the added security of being on penalties.
GOALS CONCEDED THREAD GAMEWEEK 10
— FPL Meerkat (Charlie) (@FPLMeerkat) October 30, 2025
Welcome back! 😁
Giving you positional data to highlight potential trends and goalscorers 🔎
Starting with:
🟣 BURNLEY vs ARSENAL 🔫
GYOKERES owners this is the best chance you’ll get for a return, chances for a SAKA, TIMBER or GABRIEL… pic.twitter.com/xVpkxdjd47
Should you Captain him?
It is a question of what rank you are and how much you are willing to gamble. Haaland is the leading predicted point scorer, offers the highest ceiling, and his massive effective ownership provides a crucial defense against rank drops. A home fixture against Bournemouth is the perfect opportunity for him to bounce back with a huge score. To climb rank aggressively, captaining Gabriel is a fantastic differential play. You are banking on a clean sheet (high odds), an attacking return (high set piece odds) and Defcon points for a double digit score that few managers will cover. Saka is on penalties and set pieces, has the better fixture and is the talisman for the best team in the league. It is all a question of where your rank is at and if you are willing to bank on a Haaland blank alongside a Gabriel/Saka haul.
