We’ve done both template and differential squads so far, but it’s time to put that all together and come up with our recommended squad for Gameweek 1! The staff at All Things FPL have put their heads together and come up with the following warriors for Gameweek 1:
Everton have kept four clean sheets in their last four friendlies, and given his cheap price-tag and favourable fixture run at the start of the season, Jordan Pickford (£4.5m) gets the nod in goal, ably supported by Matt Turner (£4.0m) who looks like he may start in goal for Nottingham Forest.
There is plenty of investment in defence, where a trio of attacking full-backs are relied upon to do the damage. Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.0m) doesn’t come cheap but he has the ability to justify the outlay, while Ben Chilwell (£5.5m) and Pervis Estupinan (£5.0m) are more than capable of recording attacking returns themselves. Sven Botman (£4.5m) and Issa Kabore (£4.0m), meanwhile, are solid bench options that free up funds elsewhere.
The decision not to include Mo Salah means that a strong, four-man midfield can be selected. Man Utd duo Marcus Rashford (£9.0m) and Bruno Fernandes (£8.5m) combined for 381 FPL points last season, while Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka (£8.5m) surpassed the 200-point mark himself. The generously-priced Eberechi Eze (£6.5m) has been firing on all cylinders in recent friendlies and looks primed for a big season at Crystal Palace, while budget option Elliot Anderson (£4.5m) has been finding the net himself of late, and looks the best value in his price bracket.
Erling Haaland (£14.0m)’s selection speaks for itself with the Man City striker undoubtedly one of the first names on the teamsheet, and he finds himself part of a three-pronged attack in the staff team. Ollie Watkins (£8.0m) recorded 23 goal involvements for Aston Villa last season, while new Brighton man Joao Pedro (£5.5m) has been proving popular with FPL managers after scoring twice from the spot in recent warm-up games.