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

The quantity of Liverpool players might you accommodate inside your lineup this week?

The Merseyside club have secured a pair of triumphs , with a red-hot attacker in Hugo Ekitike preparing for a clash with Wolves that are on course for one of the worst top-flight campaigns ever.

For managers who retained a few of your Africa Cup of Nations wildcards and have the cash to spend following the injury to the injured Manchester United's playmaker, in that case assets from Anfield picks should be the primary focus.

The weekly selection is chosen based on present FPL costs to comply with a £100m budget, simulating activating a one-week wildcard.

How Did Last Week's Team?

Skipper Erling Haaland (a massive haul) , alongside the in-form pair of Antoine Semenyo (10 points) plus Hugo Ekitike propelled the selection to a handsome 82 points – supplemented by a double-digit cameo from Antonee Robinson off the bench.

The FPL Selection for Matchday 18

Keeper and Defenders

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

Arsenal's defence experienced a minor wobble in the wake of the absence of Gabriel, however, they've kept two clean sheets recently , boasting 9 already before half the season completed.

Mikel Arteta's side have conceded in all but three fixtures at the Emirates campaign. Those goals came from a Manchester City superstar, a spectacular effort from Tottenham's forward and a unexpected goal from Tolu Arokodare.

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

We're opting for a triple selection from the Gunners' defence.

As well as being the strongest defence statistically, recording shutouts in the majority of their fixtures, they face a Brighton side who have not found the net in their last two outings.

Brighton have scored just nine goals across eight away games.

Timber remains a solid choice every week and has increased goal threat operating as right-back.

Hincapie has earned defensive contribution points in four consecutive appearances, which included two clean sheets.

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

I'd pick six Liverpool assets this week if allowed.

Gary O'Neil's team were shut out for the tenth occasion in 17 games in Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Molineux to the Bees.

They have scored just nine goals in total, with only two away from home. That makes this one of the safest clean sheet prospect possible.

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

Even with the Yorkshire club's better goalscoring upturn – including the performances of their striker – I'm backing a Sunderland clean sheet at home.

It would be their third in a row and the Paraguayan defender is cementing himself as the best value defensive pick. You can start him regularly across many fixtures, given his potential for 'defcon' points.

Midfielders

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

Mount will likely assume a key role at Manchester United over the coming fixtures, following their Portuguese maestro being sidelined.

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

Their opponents are a Newcastle United side who have not excelled on the road – with just a single victory in their last seven.

The former Chelsea man is likely to take over many of Fernandes' creative responsibilities, particularly from dead-ball situations, and could operate behind the striker.

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

Wirtz is on the verge of a significant score and a fixture at Anfield against the struggling Wolves being an ideal scenario for it.

He has posted points in three of his past four fixtures – a pair of assists plus a 'defcon' performance.

During that spell he has created 10 chances, a team-high among all Liverpool, and his xG is 0.88.

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

With 30 points over two matches, Rogers' form is impossible to ignore.

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

A fixture at Chelsea could be viewed as a difficult assignment, but Villa have emerged victorious there on two occasions in the last three campaigns.

Forwards

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

Given his fixture, having no competition for a starting spot, and having scored a five-goal haul over three matches, the French striker earns the double-points role for this round.

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

There's no benching the Norwegian goal machine, however because he has a tougher fixture on the road this week, I'm willing to pass over him for the armband.

Jarrod Bowen, West Ham, £7.6m

Jeffrey Figueroa
Jeffrey Figueroa

A seasoned casino analyst with over a decade of experience in game testing and strategy development, specializing in slot machine mechanics.