There are just two matchdays left in the English Premier League ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and here are the biggest talking points in FPL ahead of GW15.
Erling Haaland to Julian Alvarez
Erling Haaland has missed each of Manchester City’s last two matches with an ankle injury, and the reports suggest the Norwegian will not recover in time to play against Fulham at home in GW15. Keeping Haaland on your bench is always an option in the hope that he plays in the final matchday before the season pauses for the World Cup. However, there could be a possibility that the Premier League’s top goal-scorer misses GW16 as well with this injury.
Removing Haaland from your team for GW15 could be a neat strategy for FPL managers who do not have a deep bench for this week, and one of the best replacements for the Norwegian is his Manchester City team-mate Julian Alvarez. The Argentine hasn’t had much game-time in the Premier League this season but has shown promise in the Champions League, scoring a goal and providing two assists against Sevilla during mid-week.
Alvarez is also priced at just 6 million in FPL, and the remaining funds could facilitate an upgrade from a mid-priced midfielder to Kevin de Bruyne. Fantasy Premier League managers could also just reverse the transfer in GW16 to get Haaland back in for the final matchday before the World Cup break if he is fit.
Harry Kane (11.6m)
If Erling Haaland is injured, one viable replacement for the Norwegian is England forward Harry Kane. The injury news for Heung-Min Son has reduced Kane’s value over the next two matches in the Premier League, but the striker has two home games before the World Cup against two leaky defences.
Tottenham take on a Liverpool side lacking in confidence in GW15 before facing relegation-threatened Leeds United in the final matchday before the FIFA World Cup. It has gone slightly under the radar due to Haaland’s performances, but Kane has ten goals and two assists to start the season and is the second-highest points-scorer in FPL with 83 points. The Englishman hasn’t blanked at home since the first GW of the season in Fantasy Premier League and could be an excellent placeholder for Erling Haaland this week.
CAPTAINCY CANDIDATES | ||
PLAYER | FIXTURE | NPxGi per 90 |
Haaland (12.1 m) | Fulham (H) | 1.03 |
De Bruyne (12.5 m) | Fulham (H) | 0.73 |
Kane (11.6 m) | Liverpool (H) | 0.69 |
Haaland’s injury has thrown a curveball to most Fantasy Premier League managers. The Norwegian is the best asset in the game but might not start the next two Premier League matches, leaving 12 million of the FPL budget wasted on the bench.
If he is fit, Haaland is the best captaincy choice for GW15 at home to Fulham, but there are enough doubts over his injury to turn to other players for the armband this week. The next best option to look at for captaincy for GW15 is Haaland’s Manchester City team-mate Kevin de Bruyne. The Belgian was rested in midweek in the Champions League and has a non-penalty xGi of 0.73.
Shivaan’s FPL Team Selection for GW15: Erling Haaland and Wilfried Zaha to Callum Wilson and Kevin de Bruyne, Kevin de Bruyne captain
All my captaincy decisions in GW15 hinge on the fitness and availability of Erling Haaland. If the Norwegian is completely ruled out of the game against Fulham and a potential doubt for next week’s fixture against Brentford, I will transfer him out of my FPL team.
Haaland’s absence leaves me needing a captain for my Fantasy football squad, and with Kevin de Bruyne being the next best option, my moves will be Haaland and Wilfried Zaha to Callum Wilson and Kevin de Bruyne. If Haaland is likely to be fit and could start this week’s matches, I will transfer out Andreas Pereira and Aleksandar Mitrovic instead for Phil Foden and Callum Wilson, two players that have excellent fixtures in the next two weeks before the World Cup break.
As for the captaincy, Haaland gets the armband if he is fit. Otherwise, I will bring Kevin de Bruyne in and stick it on the Belgian. Best of luck for Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 15!
Shivaan Shah