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The quantity of Liverpool assets can you fit in your team for this round?

The Merseyside club have notched a pair of triumphs , featuring a in-form forward in Hugo Ekitike ahead of a encounter with a struggling Wolves side currently heading towards one of the worst Premier League campaigns in history.

Should you have kept a few of your AFCON free transfers , and possess the funds to upgrade after losing the injured Manchester United's playmaker, then Liverpool options should be your top priority.

The ideal squad is assembled using present FPL costs to stay under a 100 million pound budget, as if you were playing a Free Hit chip.

How Did Our Recent Squad?

Skipper Erling Haaland (32 points) and the productive duo of Antoine Semenyo (10 points) and Liverpool's frontman led the selection to a respectable 82 points – with a bonus a double-digit performance from Fulham's defender from the replacements.

Our Fantasy Premier League Ideal Squad for Gameweek 18

Goalkeeper & Defenders

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

Arsenal's backline experienced a slight stumble following an injury to Gabriel, but they have kept two shutouts recently , with 9 to their name before half the season completed.

Mikel Arteta's side have let in goals in all but three home games campaign. The strikes they conceded came from Erling Haaland, a long-range effort from Richarlison , plus a surprise goal from Tolu Arokodare.

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

This week features a triple-up from the Arsenal backline.

Not only are they the top defensive unit in the game, recording shutouts in over 50% of their fixtures, they take on a Brighton side who have failed to score in two consecutive games.

Brighton have only managed 9 strikes across eight away games.

Timber remains a steady choice each gameweek , possessing more offensive potential since returning to right-back.

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

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

One could select half a dozen Liverpool players this week if the rules permitted.

Gary O'Neil's team failed to score once again so far during a recent two-nil home loss to Brentford.

They have a paltry nine goals this campaign, with only a couple away from home. That makes this a very secure shutout opportunity possible.

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

Despite Leeds United's improved offensive form – including the performances of their striker – the pick is a Sunderland clean sheet on home soil.

That would mark their third in a row and Alderete becoming the best budget defender option. You can field him confidently in most games, given his potential for 'defcon' returns.

Midfield

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

The English midfielder is expected to take on a bigger responsibility at Manchester United over the coming fixtures, following Bruno Fernandes suffering an injury.

Over the past three games, United registered the best xG across the Premier League by a significant margin – 8.78 compared to second-best Leeds United's 5.68.

Their opponents are a Newcastle United side that has been poor in away matches – with just one win in their last seven.

Mount is likely to take over a large share of the injured star's creative responsibilities, notably on set-pieces, and might operate behind the striker.

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

The German playmaker is on the verge of a major point return and a home match against Wolves representing the prime time for it.

Wirtz has delivered returns in three out of his past four games – a pair of assists and one defensive contribution performance.

In that period he's made 10 chances, the highest among all Liverpool, and his xG is 0.88.

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

After recording 30 points across two gameweeks, Rogers' current form cannot be overlooked.

He is Villa's talisman, with an ability to producing a strike from minimal room inside the area.

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.

Strikers

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

Given facing an abysmal Wolves side, having no competition for a starting spot, coupled with notched five goals in three games, Ekitike earns the captaincy this week.

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

There's no benching the Norwegian goal machine, but with him having a more difficult fixture on the road in this round, we are opting to pass over him for captaincy.

Jarrod Bowen, West Ham, £7.6m