Captain Ekitike and a Three-Pronged Gunners Backline – The FPL Squad for the Round
What number of Liverpool players are you able to fit inside your team for this round?
The Merseyside club have notched a pair of triumphs , featuring a in-form striker in Hugo Ekitike going into a fixture with Wolves who are tracking for an abysmal top-flight seasons ever.
If you've retained a portion of your AFCON wildcards and have the funds to reinvest after losing the sidelined Bruno Fernandes, then assets from Anfield picks should be the primary focus.
This team of the week is chosen based on current FPL valuations to stay under a 100 million pound spending limit, as if activating a one-week wildcard.
How Did Last Week's Squad?
Skipper Manchester City's striker (a huge score) and the productive duo of Antoine Semenyo (10 points) and Hugo Ekitike guided the selection to a respectable 82 points – enhanced by a double-digit performance from Fulham's defender from the replacements.
Our FPL Selection for Gameweek 18
Goalkeeper & Defence
David Raya, the Gunners, goalkeeper, £6m – vs Brighton & Hove Albion (H).
The North London side's defence experienced a brief dip in the wake of the absence of their Brazilian defender, yet they've recorded two shutouts recently , with 9 so far with not even half the season played.
The Emirates Stadium outfit have let in goals in just a handful of fixtures at the Emirates campaign. The strikes they conceded were scored by a Manchester City superstar, a wondrous strike from Richarlison , plus a surprise header from Tolu Arokodare.
Jurrien Timber (£6.5m) & Piero Hincapie (£5.5m), Arsenal – vs Brighton (H).
This week features a three-pronged from the Arsenal backline.
They are the top defensive unit in FPL, recording shutouts in over 50% of their matches, they take on a Roberto De Zerbi's side who have not found the net in their last two outings.
Brighton have scored just 9 strikes in eight matches on the road.
Timber is a reliable pick every week and has more offensive potential operating as right-back.
Hincapie has registered defensive contribution points in his past four starts, including two clean sheets.
Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool, £5.9m – vs Wolves (H).
Managers would love half a dozen Liverpool assets this week if possible.
Wolves drew another blank for the tenth occasion so far in a recent two-nil defeat at Molineux to the Bees.
They have only managed nine strikes in total, with only a couple on the road. This is one of the safest clean sheet prospect available.
Omar Alderete, the Black Cats, £4m – vs Leeds United (H).
Despite Leeds United's recent goalscoring upturn – and the form of Dominic Calvert-Lewin – I'm backing a Stadium of Light shutout at home.
It would be their third consecutive , with the Paraguayan defender becoming the best low-cost defensive pick. Managers can select him confidently across many fixtures, given his potential for defensive contribution points.
Midfield
Mason Mount, Manchester United, £5.9m – vs Newcastle (H).
The English midfielder will likely assume a key role for Manchester United over the coming fixtures, with their Portuguese maestro suffering an injury.
Over the past three games, Erik ten Hag's team registered the highest xG in the league by over three goals – 8.78 against second-best Leeds United's 5.68.
They face a Newcastle side that has not excelled away from home – with just a single victory from seven attempts.
Mount could well assume a large share of the injured star's playmaking duties, especially on set-pieces, potentially play behind the striker.
Florian Wirtz, Liverpool, £8.1m – vs Wolves (H).
Wirtz is on the verge of a significant score , with a home match versus the struggling Wolves representing an ideal time for that to happen.
Wirtz has posted points in three of his last four games – two assists plus a defensive contribution performance.
Over that time he's made 10 chances, the most among all Liverpool, while his xG totals 0.88.
Morgan Rogers, Villa, £7.2m – vs the Blues (A).
With 30 points in two games, the midfielder's form cannot be overlooked.
He is Aston Villa's key attacker, with an ability to producing a strike with the smallest space inside the area.
An away trip at Stamford Bridge may appear a challenging assignment, but Villa have won there on two occasions in the past three seasons.
Strikers
Hugo Ekitike (Captain), the Reds, £8.9m – vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (H).
Given his fixture, having no rivalry for a starting spot, and having scored five goals over three matches, Ekitike receives the captain's armband for this round.
Erling Haaland, City, £15.1m – vs Forest (A).
One cannot consider omitting Haaland, although with him having a tougher away game in this round, we are opting to bet against him with the captain's role.
Jarrod Bowen, West Ham United, £7.6m