Gameweek 5 locks at 18:30 BST on Friday 18 September, ninety minutes before Brentford vs Chelsea under the lights. After four rounds the scoring chart has flipped: Jayden Bogle leads the entire game on 37 points, but the captaincy call I keep landing on is Erling Haaland at home to promoted Sunderland — 33 points through GW4 and the softest fixture rating of the round at the Etihad.
Haaland first, then Palmer on Friday
City beat United 1-0 in the GW4 derby and travel nowhere this week — Sunderland lost 0-2 to Arsenal at the Stadium of Light and now visit the Etihad. That is the template captain case. If you want the armband settled before the weekend proper, Cole Palmer (33 pts) opens the gameweek at Brentford on Friday at 20:00. Chelsea drew 2-2 with Hull in GW4 but Palmer's penalty duties still give the armband a floor away from home.
Gakpo after the Anfield blank
Liverpool drew 0-0 with Fulham at Anfield in GW4 — frustrating for anyone who captained Gakpo (29 pts). Away at Bournemouth on Sunday is a fixture to bounce back: the Cherries score at home but leak at both ends. I would rank Gakpo third this week, behind Haaland and Palmer, unless you already doubled up on City and Chelsea premiums.
Fixtures shaping the armband
- Man City vs Sunderland (Sun 14:00) — Haaland's home banker; Sunderland conceded twice to Arsenal in GW4.
- Brentford vs Chelsea (Fri 20:00) — Palmer before the Saturday cluster; Brentford drew 2-2 with Bournemouth last time out.
- AFC Bournemouth vs Liverpool (Sun 14:00) — Gakpo and Isak target three points after the GW4 blank.
- Leeds vs Crystal Palace (Sun 14:00) — Bogle (37 pts, 2.9% owned) at Elland Road after the 4-1 Newcastle rout.
The differential captain case
Jayden Bogle is owned by fewer than 3% of managers despite leading the game on points. Leeds beat Newcastle 4-1 in GW4 and host Palace on Sunday — if you want rank movement in your mini-league, captaining a £4.5m defender nobody else owns is exactly that lever. Pascal Groß (33 pts, home vs Arsenal) is the midfield version: Brighton hammered Coventry 5-0 away in GW4, though Arsenal away at the Amex is a harder sell than Bogle at Elland Road.
Who I am avoiding on the armband
- Bruno Fernandes away at Fulham — 29 pts but United lost the GW4 derby 0-1; fine as a player, weak captain week.
- Bukayo Saka away at Brighton — Groß and Mitoma are in form at home; Arsenal's trip south is not the easiest route to a haul.
- Triple Captain — still only gameweek five; save it for a double gameweek or a fixture you would captain anyway without the chip.
Play it free
Gameweek Fantasy on FootballDream applies 2× to your captain with no entry fee — set a GW5 squad, try Haaland or Bogle on the armband, and see the score before your official FPL deadline passes.