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Q: Is it too dangerous to not get Palmer immediately?

A: There has been a lot of debate in the community about whether you rotate your premium assets according to fixtures or just pick and stick with the ‘best’ premium assets. If you are on the former, I think you go without Palmer. However, from the data we have seen so far, the eye test and the stats, Palmer looks like one of the top three premium assets in the game.

If you are somewhere in the middle ground, like me, I think you let Palmer go this week and plan to bring him in next week for Newcastle at home. Palmer’s returns were skewed massively towards home matches this season and a visit to Anfield is always a daunting fixture for any side. Slot’s Liverpool are not as gung-ho as Jurgen Klopp’s and I don’t think Palmer will have as many chances. I’m likely bringing him in for Diaz next week if Saka is passed fit. If Saka is out, depending on the length of absence, Saka to Palmer will be my likely move. 

Q: How do you feel about losing Trent Alexander-Arnold for 6-7 weeks in order to get an extra premium midfielder?

A: Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.1m) and Liverpool’s numbers have been discussed in great detail in this piece. I also mentioned them in my previous article over the second international break.

To summarise, Trent has relied on clean sheet points largely for his FPL output so far but the underlying data has improved from last season. It’s possible that over the tougher games, the clean sheet returns dry up – particularly due to Alisson’s (£5.5m) absence – but the attacking returns average out. 

An exercise I would recommend doing is building a team for Gameweek 12, which is the next big fixture swing and the next main window when Wildcards will be activated. Personally, I’m pretty sure I want Haaland, Palmer and Saka for that run. Liverpool’s schedule isn’t terrible over that time so I can see the appeal of owning Alexander-Arnold. However, Chelsea and Arsenal players are likely going to be your priority. It’s possible, but difficult, to own the aforementioned trio and Alexander-Arnold with a balanced squad. 

So keeping that in mind, I think losing him for the additional premium attacker is an acceptable compromise. There’s nothing wrong with holding him. though: he is likely to be the top-scoring defensive asset this season. 

Q: To get Phil Foden or not?

A: Manchester City’s run over the next four Gameweeks is exceptional. The reigning champions play Wolverhampton Wanderers, Southampton, Bournemouth and Brighton before the next international break.

Their attacking numbers have dipped a bit over the last four Gameweeks. They have created only nine big chances (ranking 12^th ), the same number as Bournemouth and Ipswich Town. Erling Haaland (£15.4m) has only had three such opportunities. We do expect this number to improve, though, given the schedule.

At the time of writing, there is no update from official sources or journalists on Kevin De Bruyne’s (£9.4m) fitness. The last we heard from Pep Guardiola was that the Belgian was expected back after the international break, so even if he is unavailable for Gameweek 8, it is safe to assume that we would see him return before the November internationals at the latest. There is no doubt that the Cityzens have missed him: he created 16 chances in just four appearances. 

While it is possible for both him and Foden to play together, I think having the Belgian back does put a bit of doubt on Foden’s expected minutes. It would be a different case if Foden was in red-hot form like last year and undroppable. He’s not up to sharpness and while it might be a case of fixtures breed form, I think there is too much of a risk going there now. There could be a scenario where Foden is poor against Wolves and then becomes a rotation risk going into Southampton. He’d then be at risk of a price drop.

Of course, there is also the opportunity cost of spending that £9.2m. There are other players who can match Foden’s output at a cheaper price. By going for him, you are likely going without one of Palmer or Bukayo Saka (£10.1m) when you will very likely want both by Gameweek 12. 

However, Foden in Gameweek 8 is similar to the Palmer of Gameweek 6. Very few active FPL managers own him. He is a massive differential going into a good spell of fixtures. If you are chasing, or have free transfers to spare, I do like the move. A haul could massively soar you up the rankings. 

Elsewhere, I still think Josko Gvardiol (£5.9m) and Rico Lewis (£4.7m) are decent picks depending on your budget. Lewis will miss the odd game but the upside over the next four matches is massive. Gvardiol is also likely to get much more attacking license in these games. 

Forward planning is key in FPL, so we highlighted the best teams and players to invest in for Gameweeks 8-10 here

We look at which players are a buy sell and keep for Gameweek 8 here:

You can also find the top 10 predicted player points for the round ahead here:

Our fantasy football expert @FPLReaction reveals his team for Gameweek 8 in this article here:

It’s week in FPL Challenge, so here are our top tips and an expert team reveal to help you come out on top

Be sure to check out all of our latest articles over at Fantasy Football Community.