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Captaincy options for Gameweek 23: FA Cup specialist or Salah safety?
Liverpool's top scorer is unlikely to feature against Plymouth but he'll be unleashed upon Everton in midweek
DREAM TEAM managers need to select their captain (and vice captain) for Gameweek 23 before today's 6:30pm deadline.
It's an interesting conversation this week as the FA Cup fourth round makes up the bulk of the action, meaning the threat of rotation looms large.
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It would be a huge surprise if Mohamed Salah (£8m) featured against Plymouth on Sunday but Liverpool's main man is still a viable captain because he will surely start at Goodison Park on Wednesday.
Had the Merseyside derby not been postponed earlier in the campaign, the Egyptian superstar would probably be staring at a zero-pointer for Gameweek 23 but as it is, gaffers are able to keep the armband on Salah, very much the safe option as the game's leading points scorer.
Any Liverpool players that start against both Plymouth and Everton would have to be considered strong captaincy options by default but it's difficult to identify who that might be - Arne Slot is expected to name a second-string side in Devon this weekend.
A similar logic applies to Erling Haaland (£7.9m), who may not be unleashed upon Leyton Orient but will almost certainly lead the line against Real Madrid in midweek.
However, unless you consider Manchester City stronger favourites over the La Liga giants than Liverpool against Everton (for some reason), there's little sense in backing the Norwegian No9 over Salah.
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Alternatively, instead of overlooking the FA Cup games, why not target one of them?
The following match-ups all have considerable potential if the right players can be identified:
- Leyton Orient v Manchester City
- Wigan v Fulham
- Birmingham v Newcastle
- Plymouth v Liverpool
- Doncaster v Crystal Palace
- Exeter v Nottingham Forest
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Alexander Isak (£6.4m) and Anthony Gordon (£5.3m) would be tempting options had Newcastle not fulfilled an intense contest against Arsenal on Wednesday night.
Will Eddie Howe start his two main attackers against League One opposition on Saturday? Hard to say.
It might be the case that there's an excellent captain lurking in Crystal Palace's ranks this Gameweek.
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Oliver Glasner tends to name relatively strong teams in the domestic cups and so there's every chance Daniel Munoz (£4.6m) starts against the Eagles' League Two opponents on Monday night, as he did against Stockport in the third round.
The Colombian wing-back ranks fourth among defenders overall and no player in his position has taken more points from their last three outings.
Jean-Philippe Mateta (£4.1m) will fancy his chances of continuing his fine form if selected against Rovers.
The Frenchman has amassed 47 points in his last four games via FIVE goals.
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Salah probably won't be risked against Championship basement boys Plymouth but Diogo Jota (£4.4m) is seemingly in line to start.
Luis Diaz (£3.5m) played just the last ten minutes or so against Spurs on Thursday night and so he might be given a decent run out against the team that have conceded the most goals in the second tier this season.
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Harvey Elliott (£3.4m), Conor Bradley (£2.6m) and Kostas Tsimikas (£3.3m) are all likely starters too and should all flourish in what is a very favourable fixture.
Captaining an FA Cup specialist is fraught with risk but the potential rewards are substantial - gaffers in need of drastic action should consider rolling the dice.
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