Skipper Ekitike and a Three-Pronged Arsenal Defence – The FPL Squad for the Round
How many Liverpool selections are you able to squeeze inside your lineup for this round?
The Merseyside club are coming off two consecutive victories , featuring a sizzling striker in their French frontman going into a fixture with a struggling Wolves side who are heading towards one of the worst Premier League campaigns in history.
If you've kept a portion of your AFCON free transfers , and possess the funds to reinvest by replacing the sidelined Bruno Fernandes, consequently Liverpool options must be your top priority.
The weekly selection is constructed according to latest FPL costs to fit within a 100 million pound budget, mirroring activating a Free Hit.
What Was the Performance of The Previous Selection?
Skipper Manchester City's striker (a massive haul) , alongside the productive pair of Antoine Semenyo (10 points) and Liverpool's frontman led the selection to a handsome score – with a bonus a double-digit contribution from Fulham's defender from the replacements.
The FPL Ideal Squad for Gameweek 18
Keeper and Defence
David Raya, the Gunners, goalkeeper, £6m – vs Brighton (H).
Arsenal's defence suffered a slight stumble after an injury to their Brazilian defender, but they have kept two clean sheets over their last four matches , with nine so far before half the season gone.
Mikel Arteta's side have conceded in all but three matches at home campaign. Those goals were scored by Erling Haaland, a spectacular effort from Richarlison , plus a late header from Wolves' attacker.
Jurrien Timber (£6.5m) & Piero Hincapie (£5.5m), the Gunners – vs Brighton (H).
This week features a triple-up from the Arsenal defence.
As well as being the top defensive unit in the game, recording shutouts in over 50% of their matches, they take on a Brighton team who have not found the net in their last two games.
The South Coast club have a mere 9 strikes in eight matches on the road.
The Dutch defender is a steady choice every week , with increased attacking upside now he is right-back.
The Ecuadorian has collected defensive contribution points over his last four starts, including two clean sheets.
Virgil van Dijk, the Reds, £5.9m – vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (H).
Managers would love six Liverpool players for this fixture if possible.
Wolves were shut out once again so far during a recent 2-0 defeat at Molineux to Brentford.
The Midlands side have scored just nine goals all season, including two on the road. It represents a very secure shutout opportunity imaginable.
Omar Alderete, Sunderland, £4m – vs Leeds United (H).
Even with Leeds United's improved goalscoring upturn – including the performances of their striker – we're selecting a Stadium of Light clean sheet on home soil.
It would be a third in a row and the Paraguayan defender becoming an outstanding low-cost defensive pick. You can start him regularly across many fixtures, thanks to his potential for defensive contribution returns.
Midfield
Mason Mount, Manchester United, £5.9m – vs Newcastle United (H).
Mount should play a key part at Manchester United in the next few games, following Bruno Fernandes suffering an injury.
Recently, Erik ten Hag's team have generated the best expected goals (xG) across the Premier League by a significant margin – 8.78 versus second-best Leeds United's 5.68.
They face a Newcastle team who have been poor on the road – with just a single victory from seven attempts.
Mount may take over many of the injured star's playmaking duties, notably on set-pieces, potentially feature behind the striker.
Florian Wirtz, the Reds, £8.1m – vs Wolves (H).
Wirtz is poised for a significant score , with a home match against the struggling Wolves being an ideal time for it.
He has registered attacking returns across four recent fixtures – two assists plus a 'defcon' performance.
During that spell his chance creation stands at 10 chances, the most of any Liverpool, and his expected goals is 0.88.
Morgan Rogers, Villa, £7.2m – vs Chelsea (A).
Boasting 30 points in two games, Rogers' form is impossible to ignore.
He's Villa's key attacker, with an ability to scoring a goal from half a yard of space inside the area.
An away trip at Stamford Bridge may appear a difficult assignment, but Villa have won at that ground in two of the last three campaigns.
Strikers
Hugo Ekitike (Captain), the Reds, £8.9m – vs Wolves (H).
Due to his fixture, a lack of rivalry for his place, coupled with bagged a five-goal haul over three matches, Ekitike earns the double-points role for this round.
Erling Haaland, City, £15.1m – vs Forest (A).
There's no dropping the Norwegian goal machine, although because he has a tricky fixture on the road this week, I'm willing to look elsewhere for captaincy.
Jarrod Bowen, West Ham, £7.6m