FPL Gameweek 8 is over, with the Premier League now pausing for the international break.
Here&#8217;s the highlights of the gameweek from a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) perspective, from injury news to standout performances and <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a>.

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<li><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/my-team/transfers">AI recommended transfers for your FPL team</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>FPL Gameweek 8 captaincy: Split decision &#8211; both sides disappointed</h2>
Erling Haaland (£14.1m) has been the runaway captaincy choice this season, however he was run extremely close in Gameweek 8.
While he remained the most popular pick for the armband, with 39.7% of the top 250,000 managers backing him, there was a split.
Son Heung-min (£9.4m) was the choice of 32.44%, highly fancied for Spurs&#8217; trip to Luton.
But both failed to register an attacking return, leaving FPL managers disappointed.
Haaland registered 0 expected goals (xG) in Manchester City&#8217;s 1-0 loss to Arsenal and just a solitary clean-sheet point was the reward for Son owners.
Instead it was Mohamed Salah (£12.6m) in third place on 8% who was the pick of the trio, managing 15 points against Brighton.
<div id="attachment_58664" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-58664" class="size-full wp-image-58664" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Captains-gw8-top-250k.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="731" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Captains-gw8-top-250k.jpg 900w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Captains-gw8-top-250k-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Captains-gw8-top-250k-768x624.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Captains-gw8-top-250k-610x495.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Captaincy picks &#8211; top 250,000</div>
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<h2>FPL Gameweek 8: Match Centre</h2>
Our gameweek reviews aren&#8217;t intended to provide details of every goal and assist. You can see this, plus bonus scores, FPL points and more in our slick <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fpl-match-centre">Match Centre</a>.
The Match Centre is updated live, with the latest information as games happen, so be sure to bookmark it and follow the action in future gameweeks!
<div id="attachment_58666" style="width: 1100px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-58666" class="size-full wp-image-58666" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GW8-Match-Centre.jpg" alt="" width="1090" height="565" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GW8-Match-Centre.jpg 1090w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GW8-Match-Centre-300x156.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GW8-Match-Centre-1024x531.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GW8-Match-Centre-768x398.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GW8-Match-Centre-610x316.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GW8-Match-Centre-1080x560.jpg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 1090px) 100vw, 1090px" />Hub Match Centre</div>
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<h2>FPL Gameweek 8 injuries: Saka ruled out of City showdown</h2>
The fitness of Bukayo Saka (£8.6m) was a major question mark ahead of Gameweek 8 after the Arsenal midfielder was forced off in the Champions League in midweek.
Mikel Arteta had hinted there was a chance he could be fit to face City but the hamstring strain was enough to keep him out of the matchday squad &#8211; and he will not join the England squad for their upcoming games. Arteta said:
<blockquote>&#8220;He [Saka] felt something and then you are tempted to risk him, but he was unable to train yesterday so that put him out of the game straight away.&#8221;</blockquote>
Arteta also lost Leandro Trossard (£6.6m) to a hamstring, having been taken off at half-time, while William Saliba (£5.2m) has withdrawn from the France squad with pain in his big toe.
Saliba did however complete 90 minutes and the French Football Association said he would &#8216;remain available to his club to treat this chronic injury&#8217;.
<div id="attachment_58667" style="width: 907px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-58667" class="size-full wp-image-58667" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Saka-2.jpg" alt="" width="897" height="731" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Saka-2.jpg 897w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Saka-2-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Saka-2-768x626.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Saka-2-610x497.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 897px) 100vw, 897px" />Bukayo Saka</div>
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Elsewhere, Sheffield United defender Chris Basham (£4.0m) suffered an horrific ankle injury which paused the Blades&#8217; game with Fulham for 13 minutes while he received extensive treatment.
Basham has since tweeted that he has undergone one of two operations to repair the damage and thanked Fulham&#8217;s Tim Ream (£4.5m) for quickly coming to his aid.
Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi (£6.6m) and Burnley&#8217;s Jordan Beyer (£4.0m) were both surprise omissions from their respective squads.
Awoniyi could be ruled out for up to a month with a groin injury, while Beyer&#8217;s problem was not specified by Vincent Kompany.
Mark Flekken (£4.5m) was also unexpectedly missing from Brentford&#8217;s squad, with &#8216;illness&#8217; noted by Thomas Frank.
That left Thomas Strakosha (£3.9m) to deputise &#8211; and when asked about whether there was a timeframe for Flekken&#8217;s return, Frank said &#8216;no, not yet&#8217;.
It is one for FPL managers to monitor after the international break, especially for those on a Wildcard who may now have access to a sub-£4.0m playing goalkeeper if Flekken is out for a longer period.
Newcastle have concerns up front, with Alexander Isak (£7.5m) taken off after 86 minutes.
He was replaced by Callum Wilson (£7.8m) who himself has been struggling for fitness. Eddie Howe said:
<blockquote>&#8220;Alex signalled to come off. Callum Wilson couldn’t have started the game and he probably couldn’t have played longer than he did in the end.
&#8220;I really only wanted to use him in an emergency but Alex signalled that he had to come off so it was a natural replacement.&#8221;
</blockquote>
On a positive note, Moussa Diaby (£6.7m) was fit to start for Aston Villa after being labelled an injury doubt ahead of the weekend.
He played 62 minutes of the game but failed to have a shot on goal.
See our <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/premier-league-predicted-lineups">predicted lineups and team news</a> article after the international break to catch up on all the team news before Gameweek 9.
<div id="attachment_58104" style="width: 907px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-58104" class="size-full wp-image-58104" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Diaby-3.jpg" alt="" width="897" height="731" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Diaby-3.jpg 897w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Diaby-3-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Diaby-3-768x626.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Diaby-3-610x497.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 897px) 100vw, 897px" />Fit again: Moussa Diaby</div>
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<h2>FPL Gameweek 8: No Haaland on Wildcard?</h2>
More than 250,000 managers transferred Haaland out of their teams ahead of Gameweek 8, with another 54,000 and counting following suit after his blank.
Some, including Hub partner <a href="https://twitter.com/FPL__Raptor/status/1711070552826212614">FPL Raptor</a>, decided to spread the cash around their Wildcard teams and go without the Norwegian.
It started well for Raptor, who scored 73 points and secured a 2m rank rise.
We&#8217;ll have further analysis on Haaland later in the international break.
<div id="attachment_58668" style="width: 1292px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-58668" class="size-full wp-image-58668" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Transfers-out-9-10-23.jpg" alt="" width="1282" height="753" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Transfers-out-9-10-23.jpg 1282w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Transfers-out-9-10-23-300x176.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Transfers-out-9-10-23-1024x601.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Transfers-out-9-10-23-768x451.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Transfers-out-9-10-23-610x358.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Transfers-out-9-10-23-1080x634.jpg 1080w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Transfers-out-9-10-23-1280x753.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1282px) 100vw, 1282px" />Transfers out after Gameweek 8</div>
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<h2>FPL budget midfielders: Palmer on penalties, Soucek scores, Neto assists</h2>
Budget midfield options are seemingly growing in FPL.
Anthony Gordon (£5.6m) and Pedro Neto (£5.7m) have previously been mentioned in our reviews, with the latter recording his sixth assist of the season at the weekend.
But there are other options in and around this price point too, which could be handy for those yet to trigger their Wildcard.
Cole Palmer (£4.9m) scored his first Chelsea goal from the penalty spot in the 4-1 win over Burnley and added an assist.
It was his second successive league start, having played 78 and 86 minutes in the two games.
There was no word whether Palmer&#8217;s spot-kick duties would be a regular responsibility &#8211; and there were reports of a potential <a href="https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/news/breaking-cole-palmer-chelsea-injury-27864483?int_source=nba">muscle injury</a> for the midfielder &#8211; but regular minutes would make the 21-year-old an enticing prospect regardless.
<div id="attachment_58670" style="width: 907px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-58670" class="size-full wp-image-58670" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Cole-Palmer.jpg" alt="" width="897" height="731" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Cole-Palmer.jpg 897w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Cole-Palmer-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Cole-Palmer-768x626.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Cole-Palmer-610x497.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 897px) 100vw, 897px" />Cole Palmer&#8217;s <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a></div>
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Everton rank fifth for xG this season, creating plenty of goalscoring opportunities, and key to that has been midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure (£5.5m).
He has three goals and one assist this season, scoring in the 3-0 win over Everton. It was a match which also saw James Garner (£4.9m) score, a week after being one of the biggest under-performers of his<a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/chasing-points-gameweek-7"> expected points</a>.
Mathias Jensen (£5.4m) scored his third of the season against Manchester United and tops the overall points list for midfielders price at £6.0m and under on 46, although he has over-performed his expected points by just over 20.
Hwang Hee-chan (£5.4m) has quietly accumulated five goals for Wolves, scoring the equaliser against Aston Villa.
And Tomas Soucek (£4.9m) notched his second goal of the season and has four goals in all competitions, with David Moyes appearing to afford him more freedom to get forward.
The West Ham midfielder is second among teammates for total shots, all of which have been in the box, and xG (2.49).
He scored 10 league goals back in the 2021/22 season, so experienced managers are no stranger to him being a cut-price gem, but he is one to monitor to see if his attacking intent continues.
<div id="attachment_58669" style="width: 907px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-58669" class="size-full wp-image-58669" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Soucek-heatmap.jpg" alt="" width="897" height="731" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Soucek-heatmap.jpg 897w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Soucek-heatmap-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Soucek-heatmap-768x626.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Soucek-heatmap-610x497.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 897px) 100vw, 897px" />Tomas Soucek&#8217;s heatmap</div>
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<h2>Key FPL Double Gameweek 8 stats</h2>
Here are the gameweek&#8217;s player and team leaders in full:
<h3>Opta stats leaders for FPL Gameweek 8: Players</h3>
<ul>
<li>Shots &#8211; Douglas Luiz &#8211; 6</li>
<li>Shots on target &#8211; Willian &#8211; 3</li>
<li>Shots in the box &#8211; Mohamed Salah &#8211; 5</li>
<li>Big chances &#8211; Alexander Isak &#8211; 3</li>
<li>Goals &#8211; Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Scott McTominay &#8211; 2</li>
<li>xG &#8211; Alexander Isak &#8211; 1.6</li>
<li>Non-penalty xG (NpxG) &#8211; Alexander Isak &#8211; 1.6</li>
<li>Key passes &#8211; Dwight McNeil &#8211; 6</li>
<li>Big chances created &#8211; Dwight McNeil and Abdoulaye Doucoure &#8211; 2</li>
<li>Assists &#8211; Raheem Sterling &#8211; 2</li>
<li>Expected assists (xA) &#8211; Dwight McNeil &#8211; 0.67</li>
<li>FPL points &#8211; Raheem Sterling &#8211; 16</li>
<li>Expected points (xPts) &#8211; Mohamed Salah &#8211; 10.16</li>
</ul>
<div id="attachment_47676" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-47676" class="size-full wp-image-47676" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1410247944-1.jpg" alt="Mohamed Salah FPL" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1410247944-1.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1410247944-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1410247944-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1410247944-1-610x407.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Mohamed Salah. Picture by Getty Images</div>
<div class="mceTemp"></div>
<h3 class="mceTemp">Opta stats leaders for FPL Gameweek 8: Teams</h3>
<ul>
<li>Most shots &#8211; Everton &#8211; 25</li>
<li>Highest xG &#8211; Everton &#8211; 2.71</li>
<li>Highest xGC &#8211; Bournemouth &#8211; 2.7</li>
<li>Lowest xG &#8211; Arsenal &#8211; 0.41</li>
<li>Lowest xGC &#8211; Manchester City &#8211; 0.4</li>
<li>Most FPL points &#8211; Everton &#8211; 74</li>
</ul>
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FPL Gameweek 8 review: Saka misses City game, Haaland and Son blank, budget gems emerge

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