FPL Gameweek 30 Tips: Pingreen’s Picks – ‘Tried-and-Tested’ Captain to Replace Haaland, Must-Have Munoz & a Surprise Forward Pick

Pingreen is back with expert FPL tips for Gameweek 30, covering the best captaincy pick and standout options across defence, midfield, and, of course, attack. 

Hello, FPL fans! My name is Pingreen, and I’m back to share my top picks for Gameweek 30 and beyond, right here on SportsCasting. I finished 700th in the world in 2022/23 and ranked 1,330th last season, so make sure you take my advice seriously.

It’s been 15 days since a Premier League ball has been kicked, but we’re finally back. This break has felt longer than waiting for a new season of Stranger Things.

FPL Pingreen Gameweek 30 Tips

Captain Pick – Mohamed Salah – £13.7m – EVE (H)

If you had asked me before the weekend who I thought the best captain for Gameweek 30 was, I would have answered Erling Haaland. But unfortunately, the Norwegian was forced to leave the pitch with an ankle injury in City’s FA Cup win on Sunday. That means the armband will once again go to the tried and tested Mohamed Salah.

In Liverpool’s last Premier League match against Southampton, Salah converted two penalties to break the record for the most FPL points in a season. The really insane thing about that stat is there are still nine Gameweeks to go.

Is that new record the reason you should captain him? No. You should captain him because he’s still the most in-form player in the Premier League. Everybody knows by this point he’s leading the way in both goals and assists, but for a nerd like myself, it’s his 0.92 xGI per 90 that really sets him apart from anyone else right now.

Defender – Daniel Muñoz – £5.1m – SOU (A)

Making Daniel Muñoz my defender pick is becoming almost as repetitive as making Salah my captain pick – but with a trip to the South Coast to take on the Saints, it’s really hard to give it to anyone else this Gameweek.

His underlying numbers could easily be mistaken for a winger rather than a fullback. He’s averaging 0.3 xGI per 90, which is equal to or higher than Jadon Sancho and Emile Smith-Rowe. The only defender averaging more is Trent Alexander-Arnold at 0.35, and he’s had the added motivation of securing a g bonus larger than the budget of the new Snow White film.

Muñoz being good isn’t new, but the other reason I can’t look elsewhere this week is his opponent. Apologies to any Southampton fans that read my articles because I must repeat this every single week. The Saints have scored the fewest and conceded the most in the division. That’s why they’ll be playing away at Birmingham next season.

Midfielder – Antoine Semenyo – £5.7m – IPS (H)

Lots of managers have their wildcards active this week due to the FA Cup results giving us a clearer idea of Double Gameweeks. Those managers might not be looking at Bournemouth due to them not having a Double on the horizon, but I think that would be a mistake.

Even without a Double, they’ve got some outstanding fixtures coming up – starting with another side doomed for relegation in Ipswich Town.

Ipswich are giving up the second-highest amount of xG per 90 at 1.98 – making them a great fixture for an attacker. I should probably get to which Bournemouth midfielder I’m actually picking – and that’s Antoine Semenyo.

It’s a toss-up between him and Kluivert, and you can’t go wrong with either, but ultimately, Semenyo has slightly better xGI and tends to stay on the pitch for longer. If you can squeeze in both this week, I would.

Forward – Omar Marmoush – £7.4m – LEI (H)

I’ve already mentioned how Erling Haaland’s unfortunate injury made me shift my captaincy to Mohamed Salah – but it may also open up the door for another Egyptian to enter our FPL teams.

Omar Marmoush has impressed since g for Manchester City in January for 75 million euros. He even came off the bench in the FA Cup Quarter-Final clash against Bournemouth when Haaland had to exit the pitch injured – to then go on and score the winner.

The obvious issue with Marmoush has been how many minutes he can play with Haaland as the main man up top. For the most part, he’s played more than most expected, sitting just behind Haaland in more of a number 10 role. But while the Norwegian is sidelined, he has a big opportunity to become the focal point of the City attack, and there aren’t many better fixtures to step in than a home game against a leaky Leicester side.