Captain Hugo Ekitike and a Three-Pronged Gunners Defence – The FPL Squad for the Round

The quantity of The Reds selections can you fit in your team for this round?

The Merseyside club have notched a pair of triumphs , featuring a red-hot forward in Hugo Ekitike going into a fixture with Wolverhampton Wanderers who are heading towards a historically poor top-flight seasons ever.

For managers who held onto a few of your AFCON wildcards , with the budget to upgrade following the injury to the injured Manchester United's playmaker, consequently assets from Anfield options should be the primary focus.

This team of the week is chosen according to present FPL prices to fit within a 100 million pound budget, simulating activating a Free Hit.

What Was the Performance of Our Recent Selection?

Captain Erling Haaland (32 points) , combined with the hot duo of Bournemouth's forward (10 points) plus Liverpool's frontman propelled the team to a handsome score – with a bonus a 10-point cameo from Fulham's defender off the bench.

This Week's FPL Selection for Matchday 18

Goalkeeper & Defenders

David Raya, Arsenal, keeper, £6m – vs Brighton & Hove Albion (H).

The North London side's defence suffered a minor wobble in the wake of the absence of Gabriel, however, they've kept two shutouts in their past four , with nine already with less than the campaign's midpoint completed.

The Emirates Stadium outfit have let in goals in only three fixtures at the Emirates this season. Those goals came from a Manchester City superstar, a wondrous strike from Richarlison , plus a surprise goal from Wolves' attacker.

Jurrien Timber (£6.5m) & Piero Hincapie (£5.5m), Arsenal – vs Brighton (H).

This week features a triple selection from the Arsenal defence.

They are the best defence in FPL, recording shutouts in the majority of their matches, they face a Brighton team that has drawn a blank in their past two outings.

The South Coast club have a mere nine goals in eight away games.

Timber continues to be a steady pick each gameweek , with greater attacking upside now he is right-back.

Hincapie has registered defensive contribution points in four consecutive starts, including a pair of shutouts.

Virgil van Dijk, the Reds, £5.9m – vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (H).

One could select half a dozen Liverpool assets this week if the rules permitted.

Gary O'Neil's team drew another blank for the tenth occasion in 17 games during Saturday's two-nil defeat at Molineux to the Bees.

The Midlands side have scored just nine strikes this campaign, with only two away from home. This is as safe a shutout prospect possible.

Omar Alderete, Sunderland, £4m – vs Leeds United (H).

Regardless of Leeds United's recent offensive form – highlighted by Dominic Calvert-Lewin – the pick is a Sunderland clean sheet on home soil.

That would mark their third in a row , with Alderete establishing himself as an outstanding low-cost defensive pick. You can start him confidently in most games, due to his consistent 'defcon' points.

Midfield

Mason Mount, Manchester United, £5.9m – vs Newcastle (H).

The English midfielder should play a bigger responsibility for Manchester United in the next few games, following their Portuguese maestro being sidelined.

Recently, Erik ten Hag's team registered the highest expected goals (xG) across the Premier League by a significant margin – 8.78 compared to second-best Leeds United's 5.68.

Their opponents are a Newcastle United side that has not excelled in away matches – with just one win in their last seven.

The former Chelsea man is likely to take over a large share of Fernandes' playmaking duties, notably from dead-ball situations, potentially feature in the number 10 role.

Florian Wirtz, the Reds, £8.1m – vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (H).

Wirtz is poised for a big haul and a fixture at Anfield versus Wolves being a perfect opportunity for it.

He has delivered returns in three of his last four fixtures – a pair of assists plus a defensive contribution display.

Over that time he's made 10 chances, the most of any Liverpool, and his expected goals totals 0.88.

Morgan Rogers, Villa, £7.2m – vs the Blues (A).

After recording 30 points across two gameweeks, Rogers' current form cannot be overlooked.

He's Villa's talisman, capable of creating a strike from half a yard of space inside the area.

An away trip to Chelsea could be viewed as a difficult assignment, but Villa have emerged victorious there twice during the past three seasons.

Strikers

Hugo Ekitike (Captain), Liverpool, £8.9m – vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (H).

Given his fixture, a lack of competition for his place, coupled with scored five goals over three matches, Ekitike receives the captain's armband this week.

Erling Haaland, City, £15.1m – vs Forest (A).

There's no dropping the Norwegian goal machine, although because he has a more difficult fixture on the road in this round, I'm willing to pass over him for captaincy.

Jarrod Bowen, West Ham United, £7.6m

Sara Clark
Sara Clark

Lena is a seasoned agile coach and software developer with over a decade of experience in transforming teams and delivering high-quality digital solutions.