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After the second international break of the season, the Premier League returns to action on Saturday. It was a much-needed one for FPL managers after a disastrous Gameweek 7 that saw lots of highly-owned assets blank.
Mohamed Salah was an exception in that regard; the highly-owned Liverpool star scored his sixth goal of the season en route \a 13-point FPL haul to reward his FPL owners.
In contrast to the general state of affairs, I had an excellent Gameweek 7, with my captaincy punt on Son Heung-Min (TOT) (MID) (£10.1 million) paying off. Hauls from Raul Jimenez, Salah and Bruno Fernandes helped me get to 68 FPL points as compared to the GW average of 38.
The trend of FPL managers playing their Wildcards should continue in GW 8, with this time being earmarked by many to play this most powerful chip. Multiple teams embark on favourable fixture runs from Gameweek 8, with Leeds United, Crystal Palace and Manchester City among those teams.
Those who didn't Wildcard last week will also be rushing to get Chelsea's FPL assets, with the Blues having an excellent run of fixtures ahead. I'll be joining those FPL managers in hitting the Wildcard button this week, and hope to carry on the momentum gained from Gameweek 7.
There is a host of information about player injuries and recoveries over the international break that FPL managers should monitor before making their final moves. Whatever those might be, they should ensure they do so ahead of the Gameweek 3 deadline on Saturday morning UK time.
Gameweek 8 Deadline: Saturday, 16th October, at 11:00 AM (British Summer Time) / 03:30 PM (Indian Standard Time).
FPL Gameweek 8 Fixtures
Gameweek 8 begins with an early kickoff on Saturday, with Liverpool travelling to Vicarage Road to take on Watford. Leicester City will host Manchester United at the King Power Stadium in a 03:00 PM BST fixture, with Manchester City going up against Burnley at the Etihad at the same time. Brentford will take on Chelsea at the Brentford Community Stadium later in the day.
West Ham travel to Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon, with Spurs making a trip to St. James Park later on. The Gameweek will conclude with a Monday night meeting between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium.
Click here to view the full fixtures for FPL Gameweek 8.
FPL Team suggested for the previous Gameweek
Here is the suggested team for FPL Gameweek 7:
Goalkeepers: Robert Sanchez (BHA) (£4.5 million) and Daniel Bachmann (WAT) (£4.4 million).
Defenders: Ben Mee (BUR) (£4.9 million), Tino Livramento (SOU) (£4.1 million), Luke Shaw (MUN) (£5.4 million), Sergio Reguilon (TOT) (£5.1 million), and Marcal (WOL) (£4.6 million).
Midfielders: Mohamed Salah (LIV) (£12.6 million), Bruno Fernandes (MUN) (£11.9 million), Son Heung-Min (TOT) (£10.0 million), Ismaila Sarr (WAT) (£6.1 million), and Dele Alli (TOT) (£6.5 million).
Forwards: Raul Jimenez (WOL) (£7.4 million), Michail Antonio (WHU) (£7.7 million), and Michael Obafemi (SOU) (£4.5 million).
Captain/Vice-Captain: Son Heung-Min/ Mohamed Salah.
GW 7 Average score: 38.
GW 7 Transfers made: 2.
Points Scored (- hits): 68 (-0): 68.
Overall Points: 454.
Overall Rank: 338771.
Free Transfers available: 1.
Money Remaining: £0.2 million
Note: Prices of players reflect their current saleable values (at the time of writing) and not their market values.
Best FPL Team for Gameweek 8
Goalkeepers: Vicente Guaita (CRY) (£4.5 million) and Ben Foster (WAT) (£4.0 million).
Defenders: Ruben Dias (MCI) (£6.1 million), Tino Livramento (SOU) (£4.1 million), Joao Cancelo (MCI) (£6.1 million), Ben Chilwell (CHE) (£5.6 million), and Nelson Semedo (WOL) (£4.9 million).
Midfielders: Mohamed Salah (LIV) (£12.6 million), Son Heung-Min (TOT) (£10.0 million), Raphinha (LEE) (£6.6 million), Bryan Mbeumo (BRE) (£5.5 million), and Josh Brownhill (BUR) (£4.4 million).
Forwards: Raul Jimenez (WOL) (£7.4 million), Romelu Lukau (CHE) (£11.7 million), and Adam Armstrong (SOU) (£6.0 million).
The Wildcard is a defining moment in every FPL campaign, and it's easily the most powerful chip. I've tried to maximise its power in my Wildcard draft for Gameweek 8 by having a good blend of differentials and reliable FPL assets.
The most noticeable aspect in my team would be the absence of Trent Alexander Arnold and the inclusion of Son Heung-Min. While this decision is made partly by the Spurs fan in me, I believe that Spurs would turn their season around. Despite some tricky fixtures in their next four games, Son should continue delivering FPL points.
It's not easy to convince someone to go without Alexander-Arnold, and it was difficult to convince myself to drop him. However, my defence is strong enough to cover his absence, so I've decided to go ahead without him. I also have a flexible team, and could get him in two moves if I need to do so. With that out of the way, let's take a look at the rest of the team.
I've gone for Guaita over Ramsdale or Raya as my starting goalkeeper. Crystal Palace have posted some solid defensive numbers despite their tough run of games. Guaita is in the top four for saves and top five for BPS. He could thrive during Crystal Palace's excellent fixture run that extends until Gamewek 18. Foster is my enabler at 4.0 million.
The double Man City defence in Dias and Cancelo should provide steady returns over the upcoming Gameweeks. Tino Livramento is among the best budget FPL players, and is an excellent pick with Southampton's fixtures. Wolves' good schedule continues till GW 14, so Nelson Semedo could profit from it. However, I could also go for an Arsenal defender instead.
Meanwhile, Ben Chilwell is the differential punt on my Wildcard. He offers plenty of attacking potential if he starts, and could outscore the safer picks like Rudiger. Furthermore, he usually doesn't come on as a sub if benched, and the risk of 1-pointers is less. Given that I've opted for a team with good bench strength, taking a gamble on Chilwell could be worth it.
My midfield is a pretty standard one barring the inclusion of Son. Salah, Raphinha, and Brownhill are among the best FPL midfielders at their price points. Bryan Mbeumo has emerged as a cut-price FPL gem. While he has scored only twice this season, his underlying numbers are staggering, and he should do well in my team.
Raul Jimenez and Romelu Lukaku are the standout FPL forwards over the next 6-7 Gameweeks, and are routine selections. Adam Armstrong could also offer lots of value at £6.0 million ahead of Southampton's fixture run.
Overall, I'm happy with the flexibility and depth of this team despite the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold. I've made a decent start to the season, and this Wildcard should help me continue that run, and move up the ranks. With Raphinha likely to miss out this Gameweek, I'm playing a 5-2-3 with only two midfielders.
Gameweek 8 - FPL Captaincy
While an in-form Mohamed Salah is the standout captaincy option against Watford, Son Heung-Min against Newcastle United is also tempting. However, a Salah haul could hurt those who don't captain him, and I'm leaning towards the Liverpool attacker due to his high effective ownership.
Best FPL XI for Gameweek 8 - Summary
Starting XI:
GK - Vicente Guaita (CRY) vs ARS (A).
DEF: Ruben Dias (MCI) vs BUR (H), Tino Livramento (SOU) vs LEE (H), Joao Cancelo (MCI) vs BUR (H), Ben Chilwell (CHE) vs BRE (A), and Nelson Semedo (WOL) vs AVL (A).
MID: Mohamed Salah (LIV) vs WAT(A) and Son Heung-Min (TOT) vs NEW(A).
FWD: Raul Jimenez (WOL) vs AVL(A), Romelu Lukau (CHE) vs BRE (A), and Adam Armstrong (SOU) vs LEE (H).
Formation: 5-2-3.
Bench: GK - Ben Foster (GK) vs LIV (H), 1st Sub: Bryan Mbeumo (MID) vs CHE(H), 2nd Sub: Raphinha (MID) vs SOU(A); 3rd Sub: Josh Brownhill (MID) vs MCI(A).
Chips activated: Wildcard.
Transfers made: Wildcard played.
Points Hits taken (if any): None.
Captain: Mohamed Salah | VC: Son Heung-Min
You may also like: FPL 2021-22: Best Fantasy Team for Gameweek 7 | FPL Tips.
