Dec 14

Gameweek 22 Captain Tips

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FPLHolly is back with her selection of captain picks for the first Gameweek of 2018 and the first double Gameweek of the season. The deadline is 11:30 on New Year's Day, so get those teams locked in before the celebrations commence. Gameweek 21 had it's highs and lows. The hype was about Chelsea players, but Hazard was rested and Morata blanked despite the 5-0 thrashing of Stoke. Firmino also blanked and Lukaku was injured early on. Salah returned once more, and bailed out many managers who got his vice captain points, when Hazard didn't feature. Looking ahead to Gameweek 22, the selections centre around Spurs and West Ham who each play twice. With Lukaku and Salah injury doubts, plus Arsenal facing Chelsea and rotation at Manchester City, its difficult to look elsewhere. Here's the suggestions.

Shield Pick: Harry Kane vs Swansea (A), West Ham (H)

Anytime Goalscorer Odds: 6/10, 1/2 Harry Kane looked to be absolutely essential for Gameweek 22 and maybe even a prospect for the Triple Captain chip: then Poch delivered the news that he's been struggling with illness. Keep an eye on Twitter before the deadline for more news. Obviously, if he's fit then he's the prime target for the armband. He's in fantastic form, the best player in the Premier League and has two easy games: he scored a brace against the Hammers earlier this season. Kane is aiming to be the first player to score three hat tricks in consecutive games in the Premier League, it's certainly within his capabilities. He has 3 goals in 6 appearances against Swansea, plus 7 goals in 11 appearances against the Hammers. I expect that he will feature in both games, but his minutes may be limited due to the illness. I'm planning to give him the armband, but suspect that the triple captain chip may be a step too far with the uncertainty surrounding his fitness.

Sword Pick: Marko Arnautovic vs West Brom (H), Tottenham (A)

Anytime Goalscorer Odds: 17/10, 3/1 Arnie is on an excellent run of form since moving to more of a central striker role under David Moyes. He has started each of the last 5 games and has got 6 goals in that time. He should get at least 150 minutes across the two games. If you are looking to a Hammers player for the armband, then Arnautovic carries the biggest goal threat. West Brom have been woeful recently and Spurs have kept just 2 clean sheets in their last 9. Are you going with the shield pick?

Form Pick: Son Heung-Min vs Swansea (A), West Ham (H)

Anytime Goalscorer Odds: 21/20, 19/20 Given the fitness worries with Kane, and the fact that Son has started the last 6 Premier League games, he becomes a decent armband pick for the double gameweek. He also has the best form out of all the Spurs and West Ham assets. If Kane doesn't play, then Son is likely to take the central striker role ahead of the unfavoured Llorente. His minutes look assured and he is the biggest goal threat currently in the Spurs side behind Kane. He has an incredible 4 goals and 4 assists over his last 6 games. Will you choose the form pick?

Fixture Pick: Manuel Lanzini vs West Brom (H), Tottenham (A)

Anytime Goalscorer Odds: 21/10, 19/5 The fixtures don't get to look any better than a double gameweek. If Arnautovic is the goal provider in the Hammers side, Lanzini is the assister. His prospects are also boosted by the fact he's on penalties, with Mark Noble out injured. He has an excellent record against both of his opponents: 2 goals in 4 appearances against West Ham, 3 goals and 2 assists in 5 appearances against Spurs. With 4 assists in his last 4 starts, will you be giving Lanzini the armband this time around?

Punt/Park the Bus Pick: Adrian vs West Brom (H), Tottenham (A)

Clean Sheet Odds: 23/20, 15/2` Goalkeepers have an excellent history of big scores in double gameweeks and West Ham have a far better defensive record in recent weeks than Spurs, so Adrian gets the nod in this section. He looks to be the most likely player to get 180 minutes and I'd expect a clean sheet against West Brom and then at least some save points against Spurs. The Hammers have kept 3 clean sheets in their last 6. Are you going to take a punt and captain a goalkeeper?

Clueless Husband Pick: Christian Eriksen vs Swansea (A), West Ham (H)

Anytime Goalscorer Odds: 9/4, 19/10 He may have jumped the gun with this selection, ahead of a blank, but now the double gameweek is upon us, Christian looks like an excellent selection from my husband. Out of the Spurs attackers, he is the most guaranteed source of minutes. He hasn't been as prolific in recent weeks, but he is regularly picking up goals and assists. Eriksen scored against West Ham earlier this season and has blanked just once in his last 6 games. He has an excellent record against both opponents: 6 goals and 3 assists in 9 against Swansea, 1 goal and 2 assists in 10 against West Ham. Will you be brave enough to follow my Clueless Husband? Until Next Week… Good Luck and Happy New Year. Holly. Follow Holly for more FPL insight... Also be sure to check out Holly's new website where she is pulling together all the best of #FPL - This week she provides form and fixture charts for GW22 [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type="1_6" layout="1_6" spacing="" center_content="no" hover_type="none" link="" mer_position="all" padding="" dimension_margin="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" last="no" element_content=""][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]