This article is part of our The Armband series.
I had one major flaw in my rankings last week in that I went with Man City on the road above Liverpool and Man United at home. After that match finished 1-1 with Danilo scoring the only goal for City, I knew my mistake. If I thought about it for one more second, Mohamed Salah would've topped the rankings. Of course, my personal captain of Callum Wilson ended up being another reason why going with a differential maybe isn't the best idea.
For Gameweek 27, there aren't many options that stand out for the armband, especially since Chelsea look more like a team battling relegation. Even in a great spot at home against West Brom, I can't commit to a player on a team that has given up seven goals in their last two matches to inferior competition. And so, I'll start with the only reasonable place to look for a captain.
Manchester City are back at the Etihad where they have scored a ridiculous 45 goals in 13 league matches. Leicester are playing well, but most of their success has come at home, as they've secured just one point from their last four on the road. Conveniently, that one point was at Stamford Bridge. Raheem Sterling may be a popular play after five shots and two chances created last week, but my money remains on Kevin De Bruyne, who has two goals and five assists in his last four league matches at home. Sergio Aguero may be the preferred play due to his upside, as he has seven goals in his last four home league matches.
Liverpool and Man United are next in line, though they're at Southampton and Newcastle, respectively. Both have been hard to predict, but the Reds are clearly more potent up front with 10 more away goals this season. Salah will be the most popular captain once again, and it's hard not to go with him if he's on your roster. He has a goal or assist in 14 of his last 16 league matches. Sadio Mane is nowhere near that level with three shots on goal and six chances created in his last five starts. The same goes for Roberto Firmino, though he's more likely to score as the front man. But away from home, I'm not betting on it.
For the Red Devils, it's a toss up outside of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez. I can't trust Lukaku on the road so he's out, while Alexis was a bit more active in his second match with the club. Alexis can be considered, but I'm not sure he's worth it over anyone from City or Salah.
Spurs against Arsenal will be a fun one, though it's worth noting Tottenham have an FA Cup match on Wednesday against Newport. Even with that being the case, Harry Kane still has a juicy matchup against an Arsenal side that hasn't looked good on the road, losing their last two at Bournemouth and Swansea. With Kane getting close to three shots on goal per match, he's probably most likely to find the back of the net this weekend. As for the Gunners, I'm not falling for them just yet after scoring five goals at home.
For those looking to mix it up, Wilson and Joshua King are again under the microscope. Huddersfield are at home, but I'm not sure that means much having allowed 14 goals in their last five league matches. Wilson at least managed two shots on goal last weekend, while King subbed on early and managed to score. Sure, King hasn't started the last three matches, but when did that mean anything?
Elsewhere, it's kind of a mess if you're looking to captain someone that no one else is. Theo Walcott has nine shots and three chances created in his last three matches and is home against Crystal Palace. Xherdan Shaqiri isn't making the score sheet as much, but he still has eight shots on goal and 11 chances created in his last four starts. At home against Brighton is plenty favorable. If you really want to light your FPL squad on fire, Gerard Deulofeu has four shots and seven chances created in his two Watford starts. They're away to West Ham, but you never know with the Hammers. Jordan Ayew and Swansea are… never mind, it's not worth it.
