Captain Cole Palmer or Mo Salah? Holly Shand Weighs Up the FPL Gameweek 27 Captaincy Dilemma

Holly Shand is back with a midweek edition of her FPL tips and advice, centring around who to captain for Gameweek 27 – Mo Salah or Cole Palmer?

The FPL Gameweek 27 captain decision looks to be going right down to the wire with two key protagonists: Mohamed Salah at home to Newcastle United and Cole Palmer at home to Southampton.

So which one should you be backing this midweek?

FPL Gameweek 27: Captain Salah or Palmer?

Mohamed Salah vs Newcastle United (H)

When it comes to captaincy, I always start at the same standpoint: is there enough reason not to captain Mohamed Salah?

It’s a question I asked myself last weekend ahead of the trip to Manchester City, and I was rewarded with 14 points, Salah’s sixteenth double-digit haul of the season.

Mohamed Salah is on course for his best ever fantasy season, averaging over ten points per game. He has surpassed 40 goal involvements, with 25 goals and 16 assists. It’s clear that he is capable of hauling in any game and should be considered fixture-proof.

In the reverse of this fixture, Mohamed Salah produced two goals and one assist for an 18-point haul. That game resulted in a 3-3 draw between the two sides.

🥉 3rd on the all-time list already
👀 19 points off breaking his own record
😮 11 matches still remaining

1 incredible Mohamed Salah season 🇪🇬👑#FPL pic.twitter.com/eW7qQC2u3A

— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) February 24, 2025

Newcastle United come into this game with mixed form, with two wins and two losses in their last four, conceding ten goals in this time.

Salah’s routes to points are plentiful, especially given that he is on penalties. He leads the way among all players for shots (98) and shots in the box (89). He hasn’t blanked at Anfield since Gameweek 4, scoring in seven consecutive Premier League games.

Cole Palmer vs Southampton (H)

Despite Salah’s seemingly obvious credentials as a top captain pick once again this week, there is a tempting alternative in Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, as his side have the pleasure of hosting bottom of the league Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening.

Predicted models and odds favour Palmer this midweek.

The concern is that Chelsea’s form has been underwhelming going into this game, with one win and three losses in this time. They’ve scored just four goals in this period, with Palmer himself providing just the one goal involvement in this time.

🚨🔵 Enzo Maresca: “I am not concerned about Cole Palmer and his form”.

“During the season he can have some moments where he struggles a little bit more. With Cole, we rely on Cole for everything. We need to rely on the team. We are not worried about Cole at all”. pic.twitter.com/Ss0VnWwHxy

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 24, 2025

In fact, Palmer has only two goals and one assist so far in 2025. His underlying numbers remain positive, including 13 shots on goal in the last four gameweeks, and he has the routes to points given his set-piece involvement, including penalties.

However, there’s masses of potential against this Southampton side, with the reverse fixture ending 5-1 to the Blues back in December. Palmer found himself on the scoresheet in that game and he has seven double-digit hauls this season.

Predicted models and odds favour Palmer this midweek. Southampton have conceded 11 goals in their last four.