Skipper Hugo Ekitike and a Three-Pronged Arsenal Defence – The Fantasy Premier League Squad for the Round

How many The Reds assets can you squeeze in your squad for this round?

The Merseyside club are coming off two consecutive victories , featuring a red-hot attacker in Hugo Ekitike preparing for a encounter with Wolves that are tracking for an abysmal Premier League campaigns on record.

Should you have retained a portion of your AFCON wildcards and have the cash to reinvest following the injury to the sidelined Manchester United's playmaker, in that case Liverpool players ought to be the main consideration.

This team of the week is assembled using present Fantasy Premier League prices to comply with a 100 million pound budget, as if using a Free Hit.

What Was the Performance of The Previous Selection?

Skipper Erling Haaland (a huge score) , alongside the hot duo of Bournemouth's forward (10 points) plus Hugo Ekitike propelled the squad to a solid 82 points – with a bonus a double-digit cameo from Antonee Robinson as a substitute.

Our Fantasy Premier League Ideal Squad for Matchday 18

Keeper and Defenders

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

The North London side's backline suffered a brief dip in the wake of the absence of their Brazilian defender, yet they've recorded two shutouts over their last four matches and have nine so far before the campaign's midpoint gone.

The Emirates Stadium outfit have conceded in all but three home games this season. The strikes they conceded came from a Manchester City superstar, a spectacular strike from Richarlison and a unexpected goal from Tolu Arokodare.

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

This week features a triple selection on the Arsenal defence.

Not only are they the top defensive unit statistically, recording shutouts in over 50% of their matches, they host a Brighton team who have not found the net in their last two outings.

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

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

Hincapie has earned 'defcon' points in four consecutive starts, featuring two clean sheets.

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

One could select six Liverpool assets this week if the rules permitted.

Gary O'Neil's team failed to score for the 10th time this season in Saturday's two-nil home loss to the Bees.

They have scored just 9 goals in total, with only a couple away from home. It represents a very secure clean sheet opportunity possible.

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

Regardless of the Yorkshire club's better goalscoring upturn – and the form of their striker – the pick is a Sunderland shutout on home soil.

This would secure a third consecutive and the Paraguayan defender establishing himself as a prime budget defender option. You can select him confidently across many fixtures, given his consistent 'defcon' returns.

Midfielders

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

Mount is expected to take on a bigger role at Old Trafford in the next few games, due to their Portuguese maestro being sidelined.

In their last three matches, United registered the best xG in the league by a significant margin – 8.78 versus the next best Leeds United's 5.68.

They face a Newcastle side who have been poor in away matches – with just a single victory in seven.

The former Chelsea man may assume many of the injured star's playmaking duties, notably on set-pieces, and could feature behind the striker.

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

The German playmaker is due a major point return and a home match versus Wolves representing an ideal scenario for that to happen.

Wirtz has delivered returns in three out of his last four games – a pair of assists and one 'defcon' performance.

Over that time he's made 10 chances, the most of any Liverpool, while his expected goals is 0.88.

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

After recording 30 points in two games, Rogers' hot streak demands attention.

He's Villa's key attacker, with an ability to creating a goal from half a yard of space inside the area.

A fixture to Chelsea could be viewed as a difficult assignment, but Villa have emerged victorious at that ground on two occasions in recent years.

Strikers

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

Because of his fixture, a lack of competition for a starting spot, and having notched a five-goal haul over three matches, Ekitike gets the captain's armband for this round.

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

There's no dropping the Norwegian goal machine, however because he has a more difficult fixture on the road this week, the choice is to pass over him for the armband.

Jarrod Bowen, West Ham United, £7.6m

Benjamin Wright
Benjamin Wright

Lena is a tech journalist and gaming enthusiast with over a decade of experience reviewing hardware and software.