A visit to Ipswich Town makes Bryan Mbeumo (£8.2m) one of the best captaincy alternatives to Mohamed Salah (£13.8m) in Gameweek 36 of Fantasy Premier League.
Liverpool’s Egyptian has a tough home match against Arsenal this weekend but is expected to remain the most-selected captain due to his hefty ownership of 70 per cent.
Salah has blanked just TWICE at home in his 17 outings at Anfield, averaging 8.3 points per match (ppm) thanks to 12 goals and seven assists.
Nonetheless, Mbeumo’s record against this season’s relegated clubs - Ipswich, Leicester City and Southampton - shows why he could outperform Salah this weekend.
The Brentford star has averaged 12.8ppm across five such contests this season. Indeed, his total of 64 points against the bottom three is MORE than any other player in 2024/25 Fantasy.
Mbuemo’s team-mate Yoane Wissa (£6.7m) has averaged 9.0ppm in those five outings and didn’t blank in any of them. Brentford midfielder Kevin Schade (£5.1m) has also been a huge success, with four goals and two assists in those encounters.
Manchester City and Nottingham Forest also face the relegated clubs and both are very unlikely to rotate their key players as they look to clinch a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Man City pair Kevin De Bruyne (£9.5m) and Omar Marmoush (£7.6m) have each averaged 9.0ppm against the bottom three ahead of their trip to Southampton.
Over their last five matches, both have been involved in seven big chances, which are situations where the player is expected to score.
Similarly, Erling Haaland's (£14.8m) average of 9.3ppm in four such meetings highlights his potential – if you are willing to risk that he will start at St Mary’s Stadium after his recent recovery from injury, that is.
Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood (£7.1m), meanwhile, has produced 7.6ppm against the bottom three, including a 13-point haul against his visitors Leicester in the reverse fixture back in Gameweek 9.
Players' record v bottom three this season
| Player | Goals | Assists | Pts | Pts per start |
| Mbeumo | 7 | 2 | 64 | 12.8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schade | 4 | 2 | 41 | 10.0 |
| Haaland | 6 | 0 | 37 | 9.3 |
| Wissa | 6 | 1 | 45 | 9.0 |
| De Bruyne | 1 | 4 | 27 | 9.0 |
| Marmoush | 1 | 0 | 9 | 9.0 |
| Wood | 4 | 1 | 37 | 7.4 |
If you’re willing to look beyond those options, Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak (£9.6m) and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Cunha (£7.1m) can provide a solution.
Isak has 38 points and NO blanks in his last five home matches ahead of an encounter with Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.
Cunha has two goals, two assists and 22 points in his previous two home appearance and entertains Brighton & Hove Albion.
