Captain Hugo Ekitike along with a Three-Pronged Arsenal Defence – The FPL Team of the Week

What number of The Reds assets can you accommodate into your squad in the upcoming gameweek?

The Merseyside club are coming off a pair of triumphs , with a sizzling striker in their French frontman ahead of a fixture with Wolves currently on course for a historically poor top-flight seasons ever.

If you've kept a few of your AFCON transfers and have the budget to reinvest following the injury to the sidelined Manchester United's playmaker, in that case Liverpool options should be the primary focus.

The team of the week is constructed using latest FPL costs to stay under a 100 million pound budget, mirroring using a Free Hit chip.

What Was the Performance of Last Week's Team?

Captain Erling Haaland (a huge score) , combined with the hot pair of Bournemouth's forward (10 points) and Liverpool's frontman propelled the squad to a solid total – with a bonus a 10-point contribution from Fulham's defender off the bench.

Our FPL Team of the Week for Matchday 18

Keeper and Defenders

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

The North London side's defence suffered a minor wobble in the wake of an injury to Gabriel, however, they've kept two shutouts over their last four matches and have 9 to their name with less than half the season played.

The Emirates Stadium outfit have conceded in only three matches at home this season. The strikes they conceded came from a Manchester City superstar, a spectacular effort from Tottenham's forward and a unexpected header from Wolves' attacker.

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

We're opting for a three-pronged on the Arsenal backline.

As well as being the best defence in FPL, recording shutouts in over 50% of their fixtures, they host a Brighton team who have failed to score in their last two games.

Brighton have only managed nine goals across eight matches on the road.

Timber remains a steady pick every week and has increased offensive potential since returning to right-back.

Hincapie has collected 'defcon' points over his last four starts, featuring a pair of shutouts.

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

I'd pick half a dozen Anfield players for this fixture if possible.

Wolves drew another blank once again so far in Saturday's two-nil defeat at Molineux to Brentford.

The Midlands side have scored just 9 strikes in total, with only two on the road. That makes this a very secure clean sheet opportunity possible.

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

Even with the Yorkshire club's recent goalscoring upturn – including the performances of Dominic Calvert-Lewin – we're selecting a Stadium of Light shutout at home.

It would be a third consecutive and Alderete becoming a prime low-cost defensive pick. Managers can start him regularly across many fixtures, thanks to his regular 'defcon' returns.

Midfielders

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

Mount should play a significant role for Manchester United in the next few games, with their Portuguese maestro suffering an injury.

In their last three matches, United boast the greatest expected goals (xG) across the Premier League by a significant margin – 8.78 compared to second-best Leeds' 5.68.

They face a Newcastle United team that has been poor on the road – with just a single victory in their last seven.

The former Chelsea man is likely to take over many of the injured star's playmaking duties, especially from dead-ball situations, and might feature as an attacking midfielder.

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

Wirtz is due a significant score , with a fixture at Anfield against the struggling Wolves presenting an ideal time for it.

Wirtz has posted points in three of his last four games – a pair of assists and one defensive contribution display.

Over that time his chance creation stands at 10 chances, a team-high among all his teammates, and his expected goals stands at 0.88.

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

Boasting 30 points across two gameweeks, Rogers' hot streak demands attention.

He's Aston Villa's talisman, who can producing a goal with the smallest room in the box.

An away trip at Stamford Bridge could be viewed as a challenging assignment, but Villa have emerged victorious there on two occasions in the past three seasons.

Strikers

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

Because of his fixture, having no competition for his place, and having notched a five-goal haul in three games, the French striker receives the captain's armband for this round.

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

It is unthinkable to benching the Norwegian goal machine, however with him having a tougher away game this week, we are opting to bet against him for the armband.

Jarrod Bowen, West Ham, £7.6m

Amber Vargas
Amber Vargas

A tech strategist with over a decade in digital innovation, specializing in AI integration and startup growth.