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Welcome, one and all, to your dream team for Gameweek 8. If you were looking for the very best players to fill your positions this week, of all weeks, then look no further.
I’ve got to be honest… filling out the dream team this week was pretty tough!
The very best teams do have solid fixtures:
So, we’re ideally looking to double or triple up on that lot.
Those aside, we’ve got some close-looking matchups. Intriguing in real life. Not great in FPL.
Namely:
Again, these should make for a great Match of the Day. But they make it a struggle to exploit good matchups in FPL.
Fear not, however, for I have battled through regardless to bring you this lovely guide on exactly who to pick in Gameweek 8.
Again, I’m obviously leaning heavily on the four aforementioned good matchups here.
Even with those, I don’t 100% love every pick. But hey – I’m doing my best here, and working with what I’ve got!
Let’s run through each position in turn, for your viewing pleasure. I’ve also included alternative and/or cheaper picks, where appropriate.
Ideally you want either Sanchez or Raya in goal.
In a vacuum, I’d obviously take Raya, since Arsenal’s defence is better.
However, the midfield is a bit dodgy this week, so I also want Saka in midfield, and we can cover ourselves for the Arsenal clean sheet by doubling up in defence.
I’d still say Chelsea have a solid shot at a clean, since Forest are awful, and Sanchez is also considerably cheaper.
If you need a proper budget pick, I’d just start Dubravka. If Burnley’s defence is at all respectable, Leeds at home is as good a shot at a clean sheet as they can hope for.
Again, Arsenal are easily our most reliably shot at a clean sheet this week. Ideally you want two defenders, and – as noted – Raya could be chucked in there too. Timber is your cheaper alternative to the two centre-backs.
After that, I like Chelsea and City to keep cleans.
I’ve doubled-up on Chelsea elsewhere here, and I trust City’s defence a bit more, so I’ll just back Gvardiol. Cucurella is a solid premium alternative, though.
If you want to save some money, I definitely think Esteve is startable this week, following the same logic as Dubravka. Guehi is also a decent pick, since Palace are at home, and Bournemouth’s attack hasn’t looked great recently.
This is very much an ‘in an ideal world’ midfield.
Semenyo picks himself at the moment. He’s been amazing, and I don’t care who he’s playing.
I’m guessing Liverpool will batter Man U, as they tend to do, so I want at least a couple of their attackers.
Salah obviously hasn’t looked great so far, but hold him for this if you’ve got him, and I’d definitely take him on a free hit.
Gakpo is a borderline, much cheaper alternative. He did just get 90 minutes against Chelsea, and scored. I can’t fully trust him with the Ekitike looming, though, even if – if I had to bet my life on it – I would back him to start this week.
I’d also take Saka this week. Again, tripling up on Arsenal at the back obviously isn’t crazy, but I’d prefer Saka as one of my three picks. He’s scored in three games in a row, for club and country, and Fulham’s defence hasn’t been as good as we expected.
For the final slot I was torn between two options.
Personally, I’d take Enzo. Chelsea should beat Forest comfortably, he’s looked threatening per the eye test, he’s the 4th-highest scoring midfielder so far, he’s on corners, he’s got an excellent xGI of 0.62/game, and they could clean.
My other option would be Sarr. Bournemouth isn’t a great matchup on paper, but Palace’s counter-attacking style matches up well against them, he’s in form, he’s already scored against Villa, Liverpool, and Everton… and he’s also just an excellent player.
Haaland obviously picks himself here, much like Semenyo.
Joao Pedro is another pretty obvious pick, for me. I know he’s blanked three games in a row, but Chelsea went down to 10 men in two of those, and the other was against Liverpool. Oh, and Forest are awful.
Finally, budget allowing, I’d back Isak to come good this week. He’s going to pop sooner or later, and Man U at home is pretty much a dream matchup. If budget is a factor, I’d take him over Salah and just save your money by moving Mo down to Sarr, for example.
Woltemade also deserves an honourable mention here, and is a much cheaper alternative. He’s scored in four of his last five games for club and country, generally looks excellent, and Brighton’s defence has been shaky.
Strand Larsen is the budget pick. Slow start to the season, but we know he’s a good player, and Sunderland away is a nice matchup.
Right-o, that’ll just about wrap it up for your FPL Gameweek 8 dream team. They’re my two cents on your best picks for the week, anyway!
If you can’t afford the full dream team, mix in a few of those cheaper players and you should be able to arrive at a halfway decent team. What more could you ask for?!
Cheers for reading, everybody, and feel free to check out our Gameweek 8 previews for both fixtures and transfer targets too.
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