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

What number of Liverpool selections are you able to squeeze in your lineup in the upcoming gameweek?

The Merseyside club have secured back-to-back wins and boast a red-hot forward in Hugo Ekitike preparing for a fixture with Wolverhampton Wanderers that are tracking for an abysmal top-flight campaigns on record.

Should you have retained a few of your Africa Cup of Nations wildcards , and possess the cash to spend by replacing the sidelined Manchester United's playmaker, in that case Liverpool players must be your top priority.

This team of the week is assembled according to current FPL valuations to comply with a 100 million pound spending limit, as if activating a Free Hit.

A Look Back at The Previous Squad?

Captain Manchester City's striker (32 points) and the in-form duo of Antoine Semenyo (10 points) plus Hugo Ekitike propelled the team to a solid total – with a bonus a 10-point performance from Fulham's defender from the replacements.

Our Fantasy Premier League Team of the Week for Gameweek 18

Keeper and Defence

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

The North London side's backline experienced a brief dip after an injury to Gabriel, but they have kept two shutouts recently , boasting 9 already with less than the campaign's midpoint gone.

Mikel Arteta's side have let in goals in all but three fixtures at the Emirates campaign. Those goals were scored by Erling Haaland, a wondrous effort from Richarlison and a surprise header from Wolves' attacker.

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

We're opting for a three-pronged on the Gunners' defence.

They are the top defensive unit in the game, with a clean sheet in more than half of their matches, they face a Brighton team who have not found the net in two consecutive matches.

The South Coast club have only managed nine strikes across eight fixtures away from home.

The Dutch defender is a steady pick each gameweek , possessing more attacking upside operating as right-back.

The Ecuadorian has earned 'defcon' points over his last four starts, which included a pair of shutouts.

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

One could select six Liverpool assets for this fixture if possible.

Gary O'Neil's team were shut out once again this season in a recent 2-0 home loss to Brentford.

The Midlands side have a paltry nine strikes this campaign, including a couple away from home. It represents as safe a shutout opportunity available.

Omar Alderete, the Black Cats, £4m – vs Leeds United (H).

Despite Leeds United's better goalscoring upturn – including the performances of Dominic Calvert-Lewin – I'm backing a Sunderland shutout on home soil.

It would be their third consecutive , with Alderete becoming a prime value defender option. You can select him regularly in most games, thanks to his regular defensive contribution returns.

Midfielders

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

The English midfielder is expected to take on a key role for Manchester United in the next few games, following their Portuguese maestro being sidelined.

In their last three matches, Erik ten Hag's team registered the best expected goals (xG) in the league by a comfortable distance – 8.78 against second-best Leeds United's 5.68.

They face a Newcastle side who have struggled away from home – managing one win in their last seven.

Mount could well take over a large share of the injured star's creative responsibilities, particularly on set-pieces, and might feature behind the striker.

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

The German playmaker is due a significant score , with a home match versus the struggling Wolves presenting an ideal time for that to happen.

He has posted points across four recent games – two assists and one defensive contribution display.

In that period he's made 10 chances, a team-high of any his teammates, while his expected goals stands at 0.88.

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

With 30 points across two gameweeks, the midfielder's hot streak cannot be overlooked.

He's Villa's main goal threat, who can scoring a strike with the smallest space in the box.

A fixture at Chelsea might seem a difficult proposition, but Villa have emerged victorious at that ground on two occasions in the last three campaigns.

Forwards

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

Due to his fixture, having no rivalry for his place, and having scored a five-goal haul in three games, the French striker gets the captaincy for this round.

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

There's no omitting Haaland, but because he has a tougher away game in this round, I'm willing to look elsewhere for captaincy.

Jarrod Bowen, West Ham, £7.6m

Dustin Powell
Dustin Powell

A seasoned slot gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in casino entertainment and strategy development.