Captain Ekitike along with a Three-Pronged Gunners Defence – The Fantasy Premier League Team of the Week

The quantity of The Reds selections can you squeeze into your squad for this round?

Jurgen Klopp's side have secured a pair of triumphs and boast a red-hot forward in their French frontman going into a clash with a struggling Wolves side that are heading towards one of the worst Premier League seasons in history.

If you've kept a few of your AFCON wildcards and have the cash to reinvest by replacing the injured Manchester United's playmaker, consequently assets from Anfield players ought to be the main consideration.

The weekly selection is constructed using current FPL prices to stay under a £100m cap, as if using a one-week wildcard.

How Did Our Recent Squad?

Skipper Manchester City's striker (a massive haul) and the in-form duo of Bournemouth's forward (10 points) and Liverpool's frontman guided the selection to a handsome 82 points – with a bonus a double-digit contribution from Fulham's defender off the bench.

This Week's FPL Ideal Squad for Matchday 18

Goalkeeper and Defence

David Raya, the Gunners, goalkeeper, £6m – vs Brighton & Hove Albion (H).

Arsenal's backline suffered a minor wobble after an injury to Gabriel, however, they've recorded two shutouts over their last four matches , with nine so far with less than half the season gone.

The Emirates Stadium outfit have conceded in all but three fixtures at the Emirates this season. Those goals came from a Manchester City superstar, a spectacular effort from Richarlison , plus a unexpected goal from Tolu Arokodare.

Jurrien Timber (£6.5m) and Piero Hincapie (£5.5m), the Gunners – vs Brighton (H).

It's a triple selection on the Gunners' defence.

They are the top defence in the game, with a clean sheet in more than half of their fixtures, they host a Roberto De Zerbi's team that has drawn a blank in their past two matches.

The South Coast club have scored just 9 goals in eight fixtures away from home.

Timber continues to be a reliable choice every week , possessing greater attacking upside operating as right-back.

The Ecuadorian has collected 'defcon' points in his past four starts, which included a pair of shutouts.

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

I'd pick half a dozen Liverpool assets for this fixture if possible.

Wolves were shut out for the tenth occasion so far during a recent two-nil defeat at Molineux to the Bees.

They have a paltry nine goals all season, including two away from home. That makes this as safe a shutout bet imaginable.

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

Regardless of the Yorkshire club's recent goalscoring upturn – including the performances of their striker – the pick is a Sunderland clean sheet on home soil.

That would mark their third in a row and Alderete becoming the best value defender option. Managers can select him with assurance across many fixtures, thanks to his consistent defensive contribution returns.

Midfield

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

The English midfielder will likely assume a key responsibility for Old Trafford over the coming fixtures, with Bruno Fernandes out injured.

Over the past three games, Erik ten Hag's team boast the greatest expected goals (xG) in the league by over three goals – 8.78 compared to the next best Leeds' 5.68.

They face a Newcastle team that has not excelled on the road – with just a single victory from seven attempts.

The former Chelsea man may inherit many of Fernandes' playmaking duties, especially on set-pieces, and might feature behind the striker.

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

Wirtz is on the verge of a big haul , with a home match against Wolves being an ideal scenario for it.

He has registered attacking returns across four recent fixtures – a pair of assists and one defensive contribution display.

Over that time his chance creation stands at 10 chances, the most among all Liverpool, while his xG stands at 0.88.

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

With 30 points across two gameweeks, the midfielder's current form cannot be overlooked.

He is Villa's talisman, who can scoring a strike from the smallest space inside the area.

An away trip at Stamford Bridge might seem a challenging assignment, the Birmingham club have won at that ground on two occasions in the past three seasons.

Forwards

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

Because of facing an abysmal Wolves side, having no competition for a starting spot, coupled with bagged five goals over three matches, Ekitike receives the double-points role for this round.

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

It is unthinkable to benching Haaland, although because he has a tougher fixture on the road this week, we are opting to pass over him for captaincy.

Jarrod Bowen, West Ham United, £7.6m

Andrew Conley
Andrew Conley

A seasoned casino analyst with over a decade of experience in gaming strategies and slot machine mechanics.