Captain Poll – Gameweek 38

The race for a top four finish looks to be vital when considering captaincy candidates for the final Gameweek of the season.

With relegation and title matters decided, the search for a motivated source of points is taking us to assets at Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool, who are all vying to join Spurs and Chelsea in next season’s Champions League.

Fortunately, all three have favourable final-day fixtures, particularly Liverpool, who host an already-relegated Middlesbrough side that has shipped 13 goals in their last six – more than any other side over that period.

Philippe Coutinho’s (8.4) brace, assist and maximum FPL bonus returns against West Ham yesterday was perfectly timed to put him high on the list of potential poll leaders. With 22,251 new owners, the Brazilian is already this week’s top transfer target.

Interest in his team-mate Robert Firmino (8.6) is set to be curtailed as he continues to recover from a muscle injury that kept him out of the London Stadium clash. However, Daniel Sturridge (9.6) could present himself as a viable differential option as he also got on the scoresheet against the Hammers in what was his first start since Gameweek 20. The injury-prone marksman sits in less than 1% of FPL teams.

According to recent community analysis by Kryten and Abel Xavier, Gameweek 38 is a traditional goal-fest, with the scoring returns for this final set of fixtures far higher than the season average. This is particularly the case for the Gunners, who have scored four in this fixture over the last two seasons.

Should Arsene Wenger’s troops win against Sunderland in midweek, they will go into their final day home encounter with Everton in search of a similarly impressive scoreline in order to keep their ambitions of a seat among Europe’s elite alive.

Alexis Sanchez (11.6) looks set to lead the charge of Arsenal assets in our poll, with the 28.6%-owned Chilean likely to recover from the injury sustained against Stoke City to feature on the final day. His strike and assist against the Potters handed him his second successive double-digit points haul.

Olivier Giroud (8.0) is another who looks to have timed a return to form well as he looks to repeat his spectacular conclusion to the 2015/16 campaign, where he scored a hat-trick against hapless Villa. The 3.5%-owned Frenchman’s brace on Saturday should ensure he remains in voters’ thoughts in our latest poll, even though his starting place remains in question. Mesut Ozil (9.5) is another Gunner that found the net against Stoke who may also garner interest.

Without an away victory since Gameweek 22, the Toffees have been in an obliging mood on the road this year.

Manchester City still look good for a top four place, but can’t afford to slip up – Arsenal could still overtake them on goal difference should the London side score heavily while winning their remaining games.

This should mean Pep Guardiola will take no chances for City’s away encounter with Watford, with key players all set to start and prove popular options.

Leroy Sane’s (7.7) two assists against Leicester City at the Etihad on Saturday gives the 11.3%-owned German winger the confidence to flourish, as does Gabriel Jesus’ (8.9) converted spot kick in the same match. The Brazilian has attracted 11,000+ FPL managers since Saturday, as he snatched spot-kick duties from Yaya Toure in Sergio Aguero’s absence.

Although Kevin De Bruyne (9.8) blanked against the Foxes, a goal and four assists in as many matches beforehand suggests that he is a player that cannot be overlooked.

Benched on Saturday, question marks over 17.6%-owned Sergio Aguero’s (12.7) minutes may reduce his poll-leading potential. Although for the romantics, his 2011/12 title-winning strike against QPR may see him win votes as his side look to cement a Champions League berth.

Title winners Chelsea have nothing to play for and an FA Cup final in mind the following week, but their home clash against Sunderland could still prove fruitful as they look to embrace the party atmosphere at Stamford Bridge when they are handed the Premier League trophy.

Rotation is likely across the Blues’ final two matches, but should Antonio Conte opt to rest many of his first team regulars tonight at home to Watford,  the likes of Eden Hazard (10.6) and Diego Costa (10.5) could earn a final league run-out on Sunday.

Three goals and an assist in his last four makes the 36.1% Spanish striker a potent threat, while Hazard has a goal and assist over the same period and sits in 33.8% of FPL teams.

Attacking returns in three of his last four matches also makes the 2.9%-owned differential Cesc Fabregas (6.9) another in-form captaincy option, and with a mere 12 starts this season, he’ll certainly be fresh for the Blues’ Gameweek 38 party.

The Black Cats’ concession of nine goals in their last six indicates Chelsea should add to their 76 goals on Sunday.

Spurs have second place and Champions League football in the bag, but a visit to already-relegated Hull City, who conceded four to Crystal Palace yesterday, should ensure their attacking players are not far from the poll summit.

This is particularly the case for Harry Kane (11.7). After scoring against Manchester United in Spurs’ farewell to White Hart Lane yesterday, he is now only three goals away from leapfrogging Everton’s Romelu Lukaku for the Golden Boot. Just a fifth of FPL managers have the England striker in their teams.

Other possible poll favourites may centre around Bournemouth’s visit to Leicester, with the visitors’ top scorer Josh King (6.2) in sensational form – he has attacking returns from 10 of his last 12 matches. For the hosts, Jamie Vardy’s (9.9) similar level of consistency – with nine returns in his last 11 – makes him another strong candidate.

With 19 conceded between them in their last six matches, goals look very much on the agenda at the King Power Stadium.

The Captain Poll is now live in the middle column on your homepage on desktop, or via the slide-in menu on mobile and tablet under Recent Comments.

We will be back to check in on progress in the poll later, ahead of the Gameweek 38 deadline when we deliver our “Captain Sensible” article, offering an analysis of the results and the statistics behind the leading contenders.