Fantasy Premier League: It's time for transfers with a wealth of major injuries

Once again we can expect a fierce clash between the Norwegian and the Egyptian in terms of captaincy selection. There are several reasons to give either the armband but there are also many suggesting not to do so, too.

Who to captain?

Of course, in the previous round Haaland (14.0) won the competition with Salah (12.9), as the Manchester City player was the most captained man. However, they quickly found out that they would not gain much ground with this decision.

City led 3-0 against Bournemouth after the first half but the Norwegian had no part in any of the goals and the star of the match was Jeremy Doku (6.6), who picked up an incredible four assists in the game. Haaland couldn't improve his output after the break, as he was substituted at half-time, and registered one point. His owners might have feared an injury, as that was the alleged reason for Guardiola's decision.

During the week, however, it became clear that there was nothing to worry about. Ahead of the Champions League encounter with Young Boys, the Spaniard said that he did not know whether Haaland would be ready to play and that Julian Alvarez (7.2) was likely to play in his place. If that did happen, FPL players might have started to worry about their star player. However, nothing of the sort occurred - Haaland started, played 60 minutes and scored two goals.

This Gameweek though, he will play away at Chelsea, which is probably not a dream scenario for his owners.

But those who intend to entrust the armband to Salah may not be satisfied. Admittedly, the Egyptian does not face a more difficult opponent as he will take on Brentford at home, but Liverpool's last few results haven't been great.

The Reds sensationally only drew against Luton a week ago, and Salah did not produce either a goal or an assist, to the disappointment of many managers who had been for him to take on one of the weakest sides in the league. To make matters worse, Jurgen Klopp's side lost 3-2 in the Europa League against Toulouse midweek.

The German made a few changes at the break and brought three of his stars onto the pitch, including Salah, who was probably expected to be rested that day. Despite this, the Reds were unable to get the three points. However, this shouldn't affect Salah too much. 

Injuries, more injuries and poor form

When I was reviewing my line-up for this coming round a week ago, the thought of using the Bench Boost popped into my head. I very much dislike this chip, often leaving it until the very end of the season because I have absolutely no idea how to use it, and then using it in one of the last two rounds.

This time it looked like I was going to have 15 players to play with, mostly at home against slightly inferior teams. But now, I have 12 players to play with, or maybe even 11.

First came Monday and a very painful encounter for Tottenham fans. But let's focus on its FPL implication. Destiny Udogie (4.8) and Cristian Romero (5.0) have been punished with red cards, so they are out of action.

Micky Van De Ven (4.7) picked up a muscular injury that rules him out of the game until the end of the year. However, the worst is yet to come - James Maddison (8.1) damaged his ankle and it is likely that we will also not see him play until the end of December. 34.4% of players own him at the moment. He needs to be sold as soon as possible.

Let's move on. In Arsenal's meeting with Sevilla in the Champions League, Bukayo Saka (8.6) picked up another injury. He came off the pitch a few minutes before the end of the match, and Mikel Arteta said at Friday's press conference that his player had been taking part in training but would see before the game whether he is fit to start. In the past, the Spaniard has bravely bet on him, but a question mark hangs over his name.

Finally came Thursday and Liverpool's Europa League encounter. Jurgen Klopp decided to start Konstantinos Tsimikas (4.6) from the first minute, even though he thwarted the FPL players on the weekend and sat him on the bench.

Well, after 45 minutes against Toulouse, the Greek left the pitch and that is not good news for his owners. The German manager wanted to shake up the team at half-time and put his three stars on the pitch, taking his three weakest players off. That doesn't give Tsimikas much chance to play against Brentford.

Who to buy?

As usual, who can we suggest for your squad for the next round?

Jarrod Bowen (7.5) - Let's start with an option that is quite popular for this segment. Around 23% of managers in the game have him in the line-up, which in my opinion does not disqualify him from being here. With seven goals, Bowen has more than three times as many as West Ham's second-best goalscorer in the Premier League. He also takes more than twice as many shots as the second-best Hammers player in this respect and has twice as many shots on target as the next player on the list. On top of that, West Ham's schedule is all lit up in green. Really worth it.

Anthony Gordon (5.7) - With his price tag and subsequent injuries in Newcastle, Gordon is emerging as the most interesting offensive option from this team. He scored against a very strong Arsenal a week ago, has had the most shots on goal of any Newcastle player in the Premier League this season and only Callum Wilson has more points than him. Gordon faces one of the weaker teams too - Bournemouth.

Simon Adingra (5.0) - A risky option, but worth a try. Brighton's schedule is encouraging as the Seagulls will play against Sheffield United, Nottingham Forest and Burnley over the next five rounds. If anyone has Kaoru Mitoma (6.5) in the squad, getting two Brighton players is rather unnecessary, but if anyone doesn't have him, they can take a chance on Adingra. He costs very little, scored a goal in the last Europa League game, and has a rather secure place in Roberto De Zerbi's team.

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

Eberechi Eze (6.1) - The Englishman, who became one of Crystal Palace's key players after the departure of Wilfried Zaha, returns after injury. The start of the season was not a good one for him as, despite some good performances, he only scored one goal and recorded one assist. As a result of players getting rid of him, his price tag is now just 6.1 million, making him a good option in the game when looking at the Eagles' schedule in the coming rounds. They will face Everton, Luton and Bournemouth. In the previous round, he only needed 32 minutes to produce an assist, and only 3% of players currently have him in the squad.

Gabriel Martinelli (7.7) - Arsenal face Burnley at home in their last game before the international break and Mikel Arteta will be waiting for news on the health of his offensive players. Eddie Nketiah (5.7) can be expected to be absent, which could help Martinelli. In Wednesday's Champions League match against Sevilla, he picked up an assist. I think the match against Burnley should suit his style of play, and considering Arsenal's next matches against Wolves and Luton, I see Martinelli as a good alternative to Bukayo Sako, who is struggling with injury problems.

Anthony Gordon (5.7) - Scorer of the controversial goal that secured Newcastle's victory over Arsenal in the previous round. With Alexander Isak injured and Callum Wilson substituted after 45 minutes at Dortmund, it is very likely that Eddie Howe will trust Gordon in the striker's role. The Magpies face a long trip to the very south of England where they face Bournemouth, who are still in the Premier League relegation zone. At a price tag of 5.7 million, I wouldn't be afraid to go with Gordon, who has already scored four goals and has as many assists this season.