Fantasy Premier League managers are facing a tight captaincy call before the Friday 18:30 BST deadline, with Arsenal at home to Burnley on Monday evening and Manchester City away to AFC Bournemouth the following night in Gameweek 37. Viktor Gyokeres and Bukayo Saka are among the three most-bought players going into the round, while Erling Haaland remains the headline alternative after another run of ruthless form.
Gyokeres, priced at £9.0m, has drawn more than 249,000 transfers in, while Saka, at £10.0m, has been brought in more than 162,000 times. Arsenal’s appeal is obvious: Burnley have conceded 45 goals in 18 away matches and still do not have a clean sheet on the road. They have also given up 53 big chances away from home, a number that makes the trip to north London look uncomfortable before a ball is kicked.
Bournemouth offer a sterner test on paper, even if City’s attacking ceiling keeps them firmly in the conversation. The home side have collected six clean sheets in 18 home matches and have conceded only 19 goals there, while allowing 19 big chances. That gives Bournemouth a stronger defensive record than Burnley, which is why Arsenal’s fixture stands out so sharply in Gameweek 37.
Haaland, though, is the player many managers will still trust when it matters. He has scored in each of his last four matches, supplied an assist over that same run and totalled 31 points. The numbers behind it are just as strong: 10 big chances and 17 shots in the box over his last four outings. Jeremy Doku is also in form with 33 points over his last four matches, while Bournemouth’s Rayan has 28. In the same table, Jack Hinshelwood is the only player apart from Haaland whose totals are at least twice those of every other player listed.
There are other names pulling attention this weekend. Morgan Gibbs-White and Casemiro face each other, although Gibbs-White is a doubt for the Old Trafford contest because of a head injury. Ollie Watkins has also surged into the frame, with 27 points in his last three starts after scoring three goals and supplying an assist. Unai Emery is expected to field his strongest team at home to Liverpool, and a win would clinch Aston Villa’s place in next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Leandro Trossard is the only Arsenal attacker in the table and sits joint-second with Hinshelwood and Watkins on six big-chance involvements. That keeps him in the discussion, but the simplest read is still the one the numbers keep pointing toward: Arsenal have the softer fixture, City have the stronger individual captain, and Haaland remains the safest route for managers who do not want the deadline to become a gamble.
