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

How many Liverpool selections can you fit into your lineup for this round?

The Merseyside club are coming off back-to-back wins and boast a in-form striker in Hugo Ekitike going into a clash with a struggling Wolves side who are tracking for one of the worst Premier League seasons on record.

Should you have held onto some of your Africa Cup of Nations wildcards , with the funds to upgrade after losing the injured Bruno Fernandes, then assets from Anfield picks ought to be the main consideration.

The ideal squad is assembled using current FPL costs to fit within a £100m budget, mirroring activating a one-week wildcard.

A Look Back at Our Recent Squad?

Captain Erling Haaland (32 points) , alongside the productive pair of Bournemouth's forward (10 points) and Hugo Ekitike led the squad to a handsome score – supplemented by a double-digit contribution from Fulham's defender from the replacements.

Our FPL Ideal Squad for the Upcoming Round

Goalkeeper & Defence

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

The North London side's defence had a brief dip in the wake of an injury to their Brazilian defender, but they have secured two shutouts over their last four matches , with 9 already with less than half the season gone.

The Emirates Stadium outfit have conceded in just a handful of fixtures at the Emirates this season. The strikes they conceded were scored by Erling Haaland, a long-range strike from Tottenham's forward and a surprise goal from Wolves' attacker.

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

We're opting for a three-pronged from the Gunners' backline.

Not only are they the strongest defence statistically, with a clean sheet in the majority of their matches, they host a Brighton team that has failed to score in their last two games.

Brighton have scored just 9 strikes across eight matches on the road.

Timber is a solid pick each gameweek , with increased offensive potential operating as right-back.

The Ecuadorian has earned defensive contribution points over his last four starts, including a pair of shutouts.

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

Managers would love half a dozen Liverpool assets this week if the rules permitted.

Gary O'Neil's team drew another blank for the 10th time so far in a recent 2-0 home loss to Brentford.

They have scored just nine goals in total, with only two on the road. That makes this a very secure clean sheet bet possible.

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

Regardless of the Yorkshire club's better goalscoring upturn – highlighted by Dominic Calvert-Lewin – we're selecting a Sunderland clean sheet on home soil.

That would mark a third in a row , with the Paraguayan defender becoming the best value defensive pick. You can select him with assurance in most games, given his consistent 'defcon' returns.

Midfielders

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

Mount should play a bigger role for Old Trafford in the next few games, following their Portuguese maestro out injured.

Recently, United registered the highest xG across the Premier League by a significant margin – 8.78 against the next best Leeds' 5.68.

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

The former Chelsea man could well take over many of the injured star's playmaking duties, particularly from dead-ball situations, and could feature in the number 10 role.

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

The German playmaker is poised for a significant score , with a fixture at Anfield against Wolves presenting a perfect time for that to happen.

Wirtz has registered attacking returns in three out of his last four games – two assists and one defensive contribution performance.

During that spell he has created 10 chances, the highest among all his teammates, and his expected goals stands at 0.88.

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

With 30 points over two matches, the midfielder's form is impossible to ignore.

He's Aston Villa's talisman, who can scoring a strike from half a yard of space in the box.

A fixture at Chelsea might seem a tough assignment, but Villa have won 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, a lack of rivalry for a starting spot, and having scored a five-goal haul over three matches, the French striker gets the double-points role for this round.

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

There's no dropping Haaland, however because he has a tricky fixture on the road this week, the choice is to look elsewhere for the armband.

Jarrod Bowen, West Ham United, £7.6m