Best FPL Captain Picks for Gameweek 12 After Gabriel Injury

FPL is back this weekend after a worrying international break for managers, with a number of high-scoring players returning with injury concerns.

Arsenal star Gabriel picked up a thigh injury while representing Brazil. The second-highest scoring FPL player could miss up to two months of football.

Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo is also a doubt for Gameweek 12 after he left the Ghana camp early. 

Reports suggest that Semenyo rushed back to get engaged, but he looked in discomfort when he came off in the friendly against Japan.

There is a bit of uncertainty about the captaincy situation as well. Erling Haaland has a tougher fixture this week and is no longer the default choice. 

Below, SportsCasting explores the best captain pick and two top alternatives for FPL GW12.

Best FPL Captain Picks for Gameweek 12

Top Captain Pick for GW12: Mohamed Salah

Mohamed Salah started the 2025/26 FPL season as the game’s most expensive player.

However, a string of subpar returns saw him become one of the most-sold assets. Ahead of Gameweek 10, Salah had been transferred out of more than four million FPL squads.

Salah has yet to hit his stride in the Premier League, but Liverpool’s fixture run is encouraging.

They play Nottingham Forest in Gameweek 12, West Ham United in Gameweek 13, Sunderland in GW14, and Leeds United in GW15. Three of the four teams (Nottingham Forest, West Ham, and Leeds) are currently in the bottom five.

Salah has a decent record against Forest, scoring two goals in five matches. He has been in good form as well, scoring two goals in three games after a six-game goalless run in all competitions.

The former Chelsea man is involved in almost every Liverpool attack. It makes sense to captain him against a team that has conceded 20 Premier League goals so far.

Alternative Captain Pick #1 for GW12: Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland can seemingly do no wrong this season. He has been the highest-scoring player in FPL this season, amassing 102 points from 11 fixtures.

Haaland is comfortably leading the Premier League Golden Boot race, netting 14 goals in 11 games. He also had a record-breaking World Cup qualifying campaign to send Norway through to the finals.

Manchester City face Newcastle United at St. James’ Park in Gameweek 12. Haaland has only scored one goal in the six past meetings against the Magpies, with it coming on Matchday 3 of the 2022/23 Premier League season.

However, considering the form that Haaland is in and Newcastle’s leaky defence (14 goals conceded), it is not unreasonable to give him the armband.

Alternative Captain Pick #2 for GW12: Joao Pedro

Joao Pedro had a dreadful run through Gameweeks 5 to 9, scoring only two points in each of those fixtures. Due to his dip in form, many managers bumped him off their FPL squads.

However, Pedro has turned things around in the last two Matchdays.

In GW10, he scored the only goal as Chelsea beat Tottenham Hotspur, giving a return of nine points in FPL. Pedro was on target in GW11 as well, scoring Chelsea’s second goal in a 3-0 win.

Chelsea face a struggling Burnley in Gameweek 12 at Turf Moor. The Clarets are in 17th place in the Premier League table and have conceded 22 goals.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are third with 20 points on the board. The Blues have scored 21 goals, the second-highest in the league.

Chelsea have sufficient firepower to breach Burnley’s defence, and there is a high probability that Pedro will play a starring role in it.