Captain Ekitike and a Triple Arsenal Defence – The FPL Team of the Week

How many The Reds assets are you able to accommodate in your lineup in the upcoming gameweek?

The Merseyside club have secured back-to-back wins , featuring a red-hot attacker in Hugo Ekitike going into a encounter with Wolves that are on course for a historically poor Premier League campaigns in history.

Should you have retained some of your AFCON wildcards , with the funds to upgrade by replacing the unavailable Manchester United's playmaker, consequently Liverpool players should be your top priority.

This weekly selection is assembled according to latest FPL costs to comply with a £100m cap, mirroring you were playing a Free Hit chip.

What Was the Performance of The Previous Squad?

Captain Erling Haaland (32 points) , alongside the in-form duo of Bournemouth's forward (10 points) as well as Liverpool's frontman led the squad to a handsome 82 points – enhanced by a 10-point cameo from Antonee Robinson as a substitute.

The Fantasy Premier League Ideal Squad for Matchday 18

Keeper and Defence

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

Arsenal's defence suffered a slight stumble in the wake of the absence of their Brazilian defender, however, they've kept two shutouts in their past four and have 9 so far with not even the campaign's midpoint completed.

Mikel Arteta's side have let in goals in all but three matches at home this season. The strikes they conceded came from Erling Haaland, a long-range strike from Tottenham's forward and a late 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 best defence in FPL, with a clean sheet in the majority of their matches, they take on a Roberto De Zerbi's side that has not found the net in two consecutive games.

The South Coast club have a mere nine goals from eight fixtures away from home.

Timber remains a reliable choice every week , possessing more attacking upside operating as right-back.

Hincapie has earned defensive contribution points in four consecutive starts, featuring two clean sheets.

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

I'd pick half a dozen Liverpool players for this fixture if allowed.

Wolves drew another blank for the 10th time so far in Saturday's 2-0 home loss to Brentford.

The Midlands side have scored just 9 strikes in total, including a couple on the road. This is one of the safest clean sheet bet possible.

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

Regardless of Leeds United's recent goalscoring upturn – including the performances of their striker – the pick is a Sunderland shutout at home.

This would secure their third in a row and Alderete is cementing himself as the best low-cost defensive pick. Managers can start him with assurance in most games, thanks to his consistent defensive contribution points.

Midfielders

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

The English midfielder is expected to take on a key part for Manchester United over the coming fixtures, due to their Portuguese maestro out injured.

Over the past three games, United have generated the greatest expected goals (xG) across the Premier League by a comfortable distance – 8.78 compared to the next best Leeds' 5.68.

Their opponents are a Newcastle team who have struggled away from home – with just a single victory from seven attempts.

Mount could well take over a large share of Fernandes' playmaking duties, notably from dead-ball situations, and might feature as an attacking midfielder.

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

The German playmaker is poised for a big haul and a home match against the struggling Wolves being a perfect opportunity for it.

Wirtz has posted points in three out of his past four games – a pair of assists plus a 'defcon' display.

During that spell he has created 10 chances, the highest of any his teammates, and his expected goals totals 0.88.

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

After recording 30 points over two matches, Rogers' current form demands attention.

He's Aston Villa's main goal threat, with an ability to producing a strike with half a yard of space in the box.

An away trip to Stamford Bridge could be viewed as a tough assignment, the Birmingham club have emerged victorious there on two occasions in recent years.

Forwards

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

Because of his fixture, having no rivalry for a starting spot, and having scored five goals in three games, Ekitike receives the captaincy this week.

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

There's no benching Haaland, although because he has a more difficult away game this week, I'm willing to bet against him for captaincy.

Jarrod Bowen, West Ham, £7.6m