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How many The Reds assets are you able to accommodate inside your lineup for this round?

The Merseyside club have secured back-to-back wins , featuring a sizzling attacker in Hugo Ekitike going into a fixture with a struggling Wolves side that are on course for a historically poor Premier League campaigns ever.

If you've retained some of your Africa Cup of Nations free transfers and have the budget to upgrade by replacing the unavailable Bruno Fernandes, then Liverpool picks should be the primary focus.

The ideal squad is assembled according to current FPL prices to comply with a 100 million pound budget, mirroring activating a Free Hit chip.

What Was the Performance of Last Week's Team?

Skipper Manchester City's striker (32 points) , alongside the productive pair of Bournemouth's forward (10 points) and Liverpool's frontman guided the selection to a handsome score – with a bonus a double-digit performance from Fulham's defender from the replacements.

Our Fantasy Premier League Team of the Week for Matchday 18

Keeper & Defenders

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

The North London side's defence had a slight stumble in the wake of an injury to Gabriel, but they have recorded two shutouts recently and have 9 so far before the campaign's midpoint played.

Mikel Arteta's side have let in goals in just a handful of fixtures at the Emirates this season. The strikes they conceded were scored by Erling Haaland, a wondrous effort from Richarlison and a surprise goal from Wolves' attacker.

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

This week features a triple-up on the Gunners' backline.

As well as being the strongest defence in the game, with a clean sheet in over 50% of their fixtures, they host a Roberto De Zerbi's team that has failed to score in their last two matches.

The South Coast club have a mere nine strikes across eight matches on the road.

Timber is a reliable option each gameweek , with more offensive potential operating as the full-back role.

The Ecuadorian has collected defensive contribution points over his last four starts, which included two clean sheets.

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

Managers would love six Liverpool assets this week if possible.

Wolves were shut out once again so far during a recent 2-0 defeat at Molineux to Brentford.

The Midlands side have a paltry 9 strikes all season, including a couple away from home. This is one of the safest clean sheet opportunity possible.

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

Even with Leeds United's better offensive form – and the form of their striker – I'm backing a Stadium of Light shutout at home.

That would mark a third consecutive , with the Paraguayan defender becoming the best low-cost defender option. You can select him confidently across many fixtures, thanks to his potential for defensive contribution returns.

Midfielders

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

The English midfielder is expected to take on a bigger part at Manchester United over the coming fixtures, with Bruno Fernandes out injured.

Recently, Erik ten Hag's team registered the greatest xG statistically by a significant margin – 8.78 compared to second-best Leeds' 5.68.

They welcome a Newcastle United team who have not excelled in away matches – with just one win in seven.

Mount is likely to assume a large share of Fernandes' creative responsibilities, especially on set-pieces, and might operate behind the striker.

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

The German playmaker is on the verge of a major point return , with a home match against Wolves presenting the prime scenario for it.

He has posted points in three of four recent games – a pair of assists plus a defensive contribution display.

Over that time his chance creation stands at 10 chances, the most among all Liverpool, while his xG is 0.88.

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

Boasting 30 points across two gameweeks, Rogers' form cannot be overlooked.

He is Aston Villa's key attacker, capable of creating a strike from half a yard of space in the box.

A fixture at Chelsea might seem a challenging assignment, but Villa have won there twice during the past three seasons.

Strikers

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

Because of his fixture, a lack of competition for his place, and having scored five goals over three matches, the French striker receives the captaincy for this round.

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

There's no dropping the Norwegian goal machine, although with him having a tricky fixture on the road this week, I'm willing to pass over him with the captain's role.

Jarrod Bowen, West Ham United, £7.6m