Captaincy options & Booster strategies for Gameweek 10: Erling Haaland or favourable match-ups?

AT first glance, the captaincy conversation for Gameweek 10 appears an open-and-shut case.

Erling Haaland (£7.4m) is the default selection on account of him being a goal machine – he’s scored 11 in all competitions already this season.

PLAY SCORE PREDICTOR AHEAD OF THIS WEEKEND’S ACTION – SOMEBODY MUST WIN AN XBOX!

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There are times to take on Manchester City’s No9 but such a ploy is harder to justify in the wake of a significant points haul from the big striker.

Haaland scored against Brighton last weekend before bagging a brace away to Young Boys on Wednesday night for a return of 26 points, doubled to 52 with the captain’s armband.

The prolific Norwegian was the best performer in Gameweek 9 so surely Dream Team managers should opt to double his points again, right?

At this stage, Haaland is by and away the most-selected captain ahead of Gameweek 10 but several seemingly one-sided fixtures are due to take place this weekend, creating tempting alternatives.

Aston Villa have won 11 home games in a row and are currently the Premier League’s second-top scorers this season.

Unai Emery’s side welcome relegation-threatened Luton to Villa Park on Sunday in a contest that could yield huge returns for Ollie Watkins (£4.5m) – Matty Cash (£3.2m) may also enjoy himself.

GettyA man in form[/caption]

Elsewhere, Arsenal host a Sheffield United outfit with just one point to show for their efforts since promotion.

Bukayo Saka (£6.4m) averages 8.8 points-per-game this season and he’ll be licking his lips at the prospect of taking on a beleaguered defence that have conceded 24 league goals already in 2023/24.

Liverpool v Nottingham Forest is another favourable match-up to consider.

Mohamed Salah (£6.6m) has amassed 35 points across the last two Gameweeks and gaffers who backed him over Haaland in Gameweek 9 were handsomely rewarded.

The Egyptian superstar is over 50% more popular among captaincy-pickers ahead of Gameweek 10 than he was this time last week.

Of the names mentioned, Saka and Salah potentially have an additional midweek fixture at their disposal but it wouldn’t be a surprise if both players were rested in the Carabao Cup fourth round.

It boils down to Haaland or a favourable fixture, although some fans would argue that the Manchester derby is also a favourable match-up for Pep Guardiola’s side given the unconvincing performances of the Red Devils this term.

Dream TeamA Dream Team legend[/caption]

Booster Strategies

First things first, the usual caveat that Boosters are generally best deployed during double Gameweeks.

Half the top-flight clubs are set to pull double duty in Gameweek 10 but extensive rotation is expected in midweek.

Saying that, a back five of Cash, Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.3m), Ben White (£4.6m), Pedro Porro (£3.1m) and Kieran Trippier (£5.6m) looks fantastic to combine with Park the Bus on paper.

The aforementioned captaincy dilemma may provoke some to activate Max Captain.

This would give gaffers peace of mind, guaranteeing them the best captain when all is said and done, but if Haaland prospers then there’s a risk of a Booster going wasted.

The worst case scenario when playing Max Captain is that the player you were going to captain anyway ends up as the best performer in your XI that Gameweek.

12th Man is definitely best saved for a juicy double Gameweek but those desperate for returns this weekend could use this Booster to bolster their forward line.

With Haaland and Salah virtually must-haves, there’s only room for one of Julian Alvarez (£4.7m), Son Heung-min (£4.8m) or Watkins to join them in a standard three-man attack.

12th Man would allow gaffers to back four in-form strikers for Gameweek 10 only, a tempting option given the fixtures, but the truth is there are more appealing opportunities to come later in the campaign.