We are approaching a busy FPL schedule full of blank and double gameweeks (see our FPL calendar). There will be a lot of opportunities to deploy chips and earn extra fantasy points.
So, let’s look at the triple captain dilemma many FPL managers face right now. Some of them might have figured it out already, but som of them might not.
Should you triple captain Haaland in double gameweek 25 or Solanke in double gameweek 28? Or perhaps even leave the chip for double gameweek 34/37?
Well, we like deploying this chip around this time. By the time we get to DGW37, there could be a lot of rotation as many things could be decided in the table by that time.
And both, Man. City and Bournemouth have great fixtures in their double gameweeks – we might not see such good double gameweek fixtures for “captaincy candidates” later in the season.
Haaland triple captain in double gameweek 25
Pros
- He is the main striker, the main goalscorer, for the most attacking team in the league (no team scored more goals than Manchester City this season)
- In reverse fixtures, he returned 16 points against Chelsea, and 5 points against Brentford – so fixtures are definitely not bad for City
- blanked only 5 times when started the game from the beginning this season
- Haaland is a reliable and proven FPL asset – he is like a blue chip stock – the premium pick with low risk and high reward
- Continuing the “stock market analogy”, he is the triple captain pick (in GW25) that large pension funds and large investment funds would pick. And while these big funds are quite inflexible, they can produce satisfying returns year over year
- The effective ownership in double gameweek 25 will be very high, highly likely well over 200 %. So, if you “only” captain him (so your effective ownership of Haaland will be 200%), you basically would lose rank with his each goal and assist. So, if you “only” captain him (no triple captain), you will wish him to blank in GW25.
- On the other hand, Solanke’s effective ownership in double gameweek 28 is unlikely to exceed 200%. So basically, you can gain quite a lot by triple captaining Haaland in DGW25 (300 % effective ownership for you), and “only” captaining Solanke in DGW28 (200 % effective ownership for you). While the opposite combination 200 % Haaland effective ownership for you in GW25 and 300 % Solanke effective ownership for you in GW28 has more risk involved.
- Basically, Haaland is the safe captain pick. Perfect for those who are happy with their position in overall rank, and do not want to take any unnecessary risks.
- The time factor is also important: DGW25 is closer than DGW28 – now, both Haaland and Solanke are fit. But by the time we get into DGW28, there could be some unexpected injury or something
- Triple captaining Haaland in DGW25 is the rationale move.
Cons
- Will Haaland get 180 minutes in DGW25? Between February 10 and March 10, Man City has 9 matches (in PL, Champions League, Cup) – which is approximately a game every 4th day. Surely we will see a lot of Pep rotation during that period. Will Haaland be affected by that given that he just returned from injury? It is hard to predict, but it is something to have in mind when deciding on your triple captain.
- The rank gain from triple captaining Haaland might not be as high given that his effective ownership will be over 200 %
Solanke triple captain in double gameweek 28
Pros
- If he returns big, the rank gain could be huge, as he is unlikely going to have over 200% effective ownership
- just as Haaland, he is the main man for his team, Solanke was involved in 15 of 31 Bournemouth goals this season
- On the paper, Bournemouth fixtures in GW28 (SHU (H), LUT (H)) are better than Man. City’s fixtures in GW25 (CHE (H), BRE (H)). Sheffield (53.67 xGC) and Luton (54.03 xGC) conceded the most xG this season of all teams. While Brentford (34.02 xGC) is 5th best for xG conceded and Chelsea (37.42 xG) 8th.
Cons
- blanked 11 times this season (Haaland only 5 times)
- Solanke blanked in the reverse fixture against Sheffield
- Bournemouth are not Man. City. Citizens scored 56 goals this season while Bournemouth only 31
- Would you be more surprised if Solanke blanks in both double gameweek fixtures than Haaland?
- Solanke is not as reliable FPL asset as Haaland
- You can gain a lot of points (if Solanke delivers in DGW28) by just captaining him, as he is unlikely to have over 200% effective ownership as Haaland in DGW25
Haaland vs. Solanke for triple captain – the summary
- It all points to triple-captaining Haaland in double gameweek 25.
- One of the main reasons is that you will be above effective ownership by triple captaining Haaland in DGW25 (300% vs. 200+%) and “only” captaining Solanke in DGW28 (200% vs. 100+%). That would not be the case if you choose to “only” captain Haaland in GW25 (200% vs. 200+%) and TC Solanke in GW28 (300% vs. 100+%).
But it has to be your decision…
But at the end of the day, the answer on who to triple captain in FPL depends on your risk tolerance. Haaland is the safe, low-risk triple captain option, while Solanke is the riskier but “exciting” triple captain pick because of fixtures Bournemouth have in DGW28.
Overlooked differential triple captain options
- Toney – great form, 4 attacking returns in 4 games this season
- Jota – if Salah is not fit to start DGW25, Jota is definitely one to also consider as a TC option
- De Bruyne – got his rest in GW24, could he now start both matches in GW25?
- Saving Triple Cap
