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

What number of Liverpool selections can you accommodate into your squad this week?

The Merseyside club are coming off a pair of triumphs and boast a in-form attacker in Hugo Ekitike going into a clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers that are on course for an abysmal top-flight campaigns ever.

Should you have kept some of your Africa Cup of Nations transfers , with the funds to upgrade after losing the injured Bruno Fernandes, then assets from Anfield picks ought to be your top priority.

The ideal squad is chosen according to present FPL costs to fit within a £100m spending limit, simulating using a one-week wildcard.

How Did Our Recent Selection?

Captain Manchester City's striker (32 points) and the productive duo of Antoine Semenyo (10 points) plus Liverpool's frontman guided the selection to a solid 82 points – supplemented by a double-digit performance from Fulham's defender from the replacements.

Our Fantasy Premier League Selection for Matchday 18

Goalkeeper and Defence

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

Arsenal's defence suffered a brief dip in the wake of the absence of Gabriel, yet they've kept two clean sheets in their past four , boasting nine so far before half the season completed.

The Emirates Stadium outfit have let in goals in just a handful of fixtures at the Emirates this season. The strikes they conceded came from a Manchester City superstar, a spectacular strike from Tottenham's forward and a late goal from Tolu Arokodare.

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

This week features a triple selection from the Gunners' backline.

Not only are they the strongest defensive unit in FPL, with a clean sheet in over 50% of their fixtures, they face a Roberto De Zerbi's side who have drawn a blank in two consecutive games.

Brighton have scored just 9 goals from eight away games.

The Dutch defender remains a reliable choice every week , possessing more goal threat since returning to right-back.

Hincapie has collected 'defcon' points in his past four starts, including two clean sheets.

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

I'd pick half a dozen Anfield players this week if the rules permitted.

Gary O'Neil's team were shut out for the tenth occasion so far during a recent two-nil home loss to Brentford.

They have only managed 9 strikes in total, including a couple on the road. It represents one of the safest shutout bet imaginable.

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

Regardless of the Yorkshire club's improved offensive form – highlighted by their striker – the pick is a Stadium of Light shutout on home soil.

That would mark their third consecutive and Alderete establishing himself as an outstanding low-cost defender option. Managers can field him with assurance in most games, given his consistent 'defcon' points.

Midfield

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

Mount will likely assume a bigger role at Old Trafford in the next few games, due to their Portuguese maestro suffering an injury.

In their last three matches, United have generated the highest expected goals (xG) across the Premier League by a comfortable distance – 8.78 compared to the next best Leeds' 5.68.

They face a Newcastle side that has been poor on the road – managing a single victory in seven.

Mount may inherit a large share of the injured star's creative responsibilities, particularly from dead-ball situations, and could feature as an attacking midfielder.

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

The German playmaker is poised for a big haul , with a fixture at Anfield against the struggling Wolves being the prime time for that to happen.

Wirtz has posted points across his last four games – two assists and one defensive contribution performance.

During that spell his chance creation stands at 10 chances, a team-high of any Liverpool, and his expected goals totals 0.88.

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

After recording 30 points in two games, the midfielder's hot streak is impossible to ignore.

He's Villa's key attacker, capable of scoring a goal from minimal space inside the area.

A fixture to Chelsea may appear a challenging assignment, but Villa have emerged victorious there twice during the past three seasons.

Forwards

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

Due to facing an abysmal Wolves side, having no rivalry for his place, coupled with notched five goals in three games, Ekitike gets the double-points role for this round.

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

One cannot consider benching Haaland, but with him having a tricky fixture on the road in this round, we are opting to pass over him with the captain's role.

Jarrod Bowen, West Ham United, £7.6m