Managers who have yet to play their Triple Captain chip will no doubt be considering pushing the button Erling Haaland (£14.9m) in Gameweek
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of supporting the big Norwegian this weekend.
ADVANTAGES
The fixture
There’s no doubt about it. Leeds United are about as inviting at home as you could ask for. Daniel Farke’s side have lost four of their five away games this season, with their only win coming on the road against Wolves and conceding the third most goals on their travels (15). They are also in a bad series of five defeats in six games. They are really looking for something to pick up there.
The form
Haaland is an absolute goalscoring machine. After twelve gameweeks he has plundered fourteen goals, while in all competitions for club and country he has scored an impressive 32 goals in 22 games, failing to score just four times in that run. If he continues to score at his current rate, he will score 44 Premier League goals, breaking the record of 36 he himself set in 2022/2023.
Haaland has had seventeen more shots (50) than any other player and eight big chances (24).
Midweek rest
After a clean sheet against Newcastle in Gameweek 12, Pep Guardiola decided to rest Haaland for Man City’s Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen. Although he was brought on to save the game midway through the second half, he will be fresher as he was limited to a 25-minute cameo.
The emotional century beckons
Haaland was born in Leeds and has an emotional bond with the club he supported as a boy, as well as with Man City, as his father, Alf Inge, played for the Whites. This is clearly a special occasion for him, as he said when he first faced them in 2022.
“When I was little I had a Leeds kit with Eirik Bakke on the back and a City kit with my dad on it. In my wildest dreams I never thought I would be playing at Elland Road for City against Leeds. You can’t even dream of it because it’s so surreal, with a dad who has played for both clubs. I’m proud today!” – Erling Haaland, speaking after his final meeting with his boyhood club
Needless to say, Haaland was on target that day, scoring twice in a 3-1 win.
Haaland is also one goal away from reaching 100e Goal Eredivisie. An attack against Leeds will see him reach his century faster than Alan Shearer (the League’s all-time top scorer).
Fform of Doku and Foden
The shape of Jérémy Doku (£6.5m) should serve Haaland well against Leeds.
The Belgian has been in a sensational situation lately. Against Newcastle in Gameweek 12, he produced the highest number of chances created (four) and the most successful passes into the penalty area (four).
Since Gameweek 8, he is tied for first among midfielders in terms of chances created (15) and tied for third in terms of big chances created (three):
Phil Voet (£8.0m) isn’t a million miles away from Doku’s figures either. He shares the top spot for chances created and has created two big chances in the same time frame.
Haaland will relish the prospect of taking advantage of the opportunities these playmakers carve out at will.
Maximum return!
As with most Gameweeks, Haaland will be the most popular captain this week. Giving him the armband essentially means you’re on par with most of the rest of the field, and there’s a chance his ‘effective ownership’ will be north of 200% at your rank level – so even standard-tier captains will lose if he scores.
Triple Captaining means you can encourage a catch – something many of its owners may not be able to do!
Strike while the Norwegian is hot
My old boss always told me, “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”
At the moment, Haaland is fit and rested. For all we know, if another attractive player comes along, he could be injured, ill or unwell for some reason. There is no time like the present.
THE Disadvantages
Back-to-back defeats for City
While Erling is largely an unstoppable goalscoring machine, it can also be said that he has missed back-to-back games in all competitions. City lost both games and the doubters might suggest this is the start of the kind of slump that Guardiola’s side suffered this time last year. In a run of twelve matches in November and December 2024, City managed just one win and Haaland scored just four times. Could this be a case of history repeating itself?
Armature flurry
Man City are also in Premier League action next Tuesday evening, so Guardiola may have half an eye on the Gameweek 14 trip to Fulham.
Should City take the lead against Leeds and go ahead, will they adopt an energy-saving, sterile possession approach that limits goal chances? Pep can also choose to take players away to wrap them in cotton wool before the match. That could be Haaland, or one of his main goalscorers, Doku or Foden.
Be that as it may, the game situation may rule out Haaland’s goal-scoring madness that Triple Captainers crave.
Gameweek 17 better?
You could argue there’s a better Gameweek for Triple Captain Haaland: against West Ham in Gameweek 17.
We talked above about Tuesday’s upcoming Gameweek 14 meeting with Fulham.
But following the visit of the Hammers in Gameweek 17, there will be a full week’s rest before City play again.
As for what precedes the game against West Ham, City hosted Brentford in the League Cup three days earlier. Guardiola has rested his big guns in the cup games so far, and there is every chance Haaland will get a breather for the Bees clash, having faced Sunderland, Real Madrid and Crystal Palace in the previous nine days.
A possible week-long respite either side of a game against a West Ham side still keeping a clean sheet under Nuno…
Free Hitweek
Managers who still have the Free Hit chip at their disposal may consider playing it this week instead of the Triple Captain. With Arsenal visiting Chelsea and Manchester United hosting Crystal Palace, many managers will own assets that can cancel each other out. Clean sheets for the Arsenal and Palace defenders could well go out the window, with this instead being the week that sees Aston Villa facing Wolverhampton Wanderers, Brentford entertaining Burnley, and well-rested Man City material hosting travel-sick Leeds.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that, at least on paper, the five Gameweeks after Gameweek 13 don’t offer such attractive competitions to play the Free Hit Chip.
Gameweek 16 may be the best option, but we will all get five new transfers anyway to accommodate the departure of players to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
I’m going for a Hail Mary differential Triple Captain
We are of course not obliged to give Haaland the triple captaincy. Other players are available.
Managers looking to improve their rankings or overtake rivals in the mini-league should consider Triple Captain as someone who is no one else.
Arsenal, for example, have a tempting fixture in Gameweek 16 when they host struggling Wolves. Bukayo Saka (£10.1m) and recent hat-trick hero God bless you (£7.7m) could have a good day in that match.
The same goes for Brentford Igor Thiago (£6.5m) could tear it up at home to Leeds in the same Gameweek.
Antoine Semenyo (£7.9m) and Bournemouth next entertain Burnley in Gameweek 17.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
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