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            <p>Is <strong>Mohamed Salah</strong> no longer 'essential'? Is <strong>Joao Pedro </strong>a good FPL pick despite minutes doubts? And who should be a lock in our Gameweek 1 teams?</p>
<p>FPL content creator and pundit Holly Shand covers the key dilemmas to help Fantasy Football Hub members with their decision making as Friday's deadline approaches (August 15).</p>
<p>And among the above questions, we consider the balance between the new defensive contributions and seeking attacking returns before finishing with a bunch of quickfire queries, summarising many of the 50-50 calls under consideration.</p>
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<h2>Is Salah no longer essential after a quiet Community Shield?</h2>
<p>Salah's subdued performance in the Community Shield has seen his popularity wane in recent days, with <strong>Cole Palmer </strong>and <strong>Joao Pedro </strong>overtaking him for ownership.</p>
<p>But given his record-breaking 2024/25 campaign, he still feels like a must-have in my eyes and I'm quite happy for his ownership to be lower going into Gameweek 1.</p>
<p>He has a superb league record on opening weekends - averaging 12.25 points per game - and faces a new-look Bournemouth defence following key departures in the summer transfer window.</p>
<p>Liverpool have been active in the market to strengthen their attack, with full-back <strong>Jeremie Frimpong (£6.0m) </strong>marauding forward on their right flank, which may slightly alter Salah's positioning, as does <strong>Hugo Ekitike (£8.5m) </strong>as the focal point.</p>
<div id="attachment_73892" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-73892" class="size-full wp-image-73892" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GettyImages-2227834167.jpg" alt="Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike. Picture by Getty Images" width="1024" height="683" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-73892" class="wp-caption-text">Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike. Picture by Getty Images</p>
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<h2>Can other Liverpool picks cover Salah?</h2>
<p>The captaincy has to be factored in when considering this question, with the Egyptian being an ever-reliable recipient of FPL managers' armbands.</p>
<p>He will often be the highest-rated and most popular captaincy pick and any Liverpool alternative will do well to match him on a consistent basis.</p>
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FPL Gameweek 1 Q&A: Is Salah no longer essential? Is Pedro a worthwhile risk?

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