Liverpool players will be among the key FPL talking points over the next week or two – but is there anyone worth buying?

In this special Q&A article, we explore everything you need to know about the Reds, from their upcoming fixtures to midfielder analysis, Opta stats, Hub AI projections and more.

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📈Liverpool have the best fixture run up to Gameweek 20
😬Doubts over the minutes of most of their attackers means FPL managers could go without them
👀Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai are among the leading options – but the latter’s stats are complicated by the various positions he’s played in this season

Why are Liverpool players on FPL managers’ radars?

Liverpool top the Hub’s fixture ticker up to Gameweek 20, making their players a strong option for some time.

The Reds face all of the current bottom three teams, starting with Nottingham Forest (H) in Gameweek 12 and followed by West Ham (A).

They play Leeds twice in this run, as well as hosting strugglers Wolves in Gameweek 18.

Spurs (A) and Fulham (A) look to be the toughest tests but these matches take place towards the end of the run.

Whether the ticker is filtered by attacking or defensive difficulty, Arne Slot’s side still come out top.

Liverpool top the Hub’s fixture ticker

Who are the most reliable Liverpool picks for minutes?

Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai are the only Liverpool players to have completed 90 minutes in all 11 league games.

Mohamed Salah runs them close but an 84th minute substitution in Gameweek 8 brought his average down to 89 minutes.

More concerningly, the Egyptian has been benched in two Champions League matches, leading to questions over whether his minutes will be managed more than in previous campaigns.

Mohamed Salah. Picture by Getty Images

An ankle injury limited Ryan Gravenberch’s involvement against Manchester United – and saw him miss two games – but the Dutchman otherwise looks reliable with an 86 minute average.

Goalkeepers aside though, the expected minutes of the rest of Liverpool’s squad are less assured.

Cody Gakpo has been benched for two league games, plus the important Champions League tie against Real Madrid, while early substitutions have knocked his average down to 75 minutes.

Ibrahima Konate has started all 11 games alongside central defensive partner Van Dijk, however he has been taken off early four times.

Big-money signing Florian Wirtz has been left on the bench four times and up front, Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak are competing for minutes when both are fit.

Dominik Szoboszlai. Picture by Getty Images

Is Salah worth the money?

A record-breaking 2024/25 saw Salah start at a hefty £14.5m.

Four goals and two assists is a reasonable return but his 54 FPL points is only the 20th highest total, not enough to justify his price tag.

Fourteen-goal Erling Haaland leads the way on 102 points, prompting his price to rise to £14.9m – and his 70% ownership is unlikely to drop any time soon.

Fitting both Haaland and Salah into the same FPL squad requires compromises, so the masses are unlikely to flock to the Liverpool midfielder despite his fixtures.

Salah is still the highest points scorer in the Liverpool team and is a potentially explosive differential for those who can get to him – those on Wildcard may be best placed to consider it.

But for most, the question will be whether they buy a cheaper Liverpool attacker or go without entirely.

Mohamed Salah v Erling Haaland

Who are the best Liverpool FPL midfielders?

Salah aside, our three considerations are Szoboszlai, Gakpo and Gravenberch.

Szoboszlai

Szoboszlai has arguably risen up the shortlist by default, with his teammates’ minutes unconvincing.

The Hungarian in theory offers several routes to points but the detailed picture is more complex.

His role has varied – three games at right-back, two in midfield and six as a number 10.

This has affected his stats. His average defensive contributions for example have been higher when playing a deeper midfield role.

But wherever he’s played, his attacking numbers are relatively unconvincing. His expected goal involvements (xGI) per 90 minutes of one in five (0.2) have risen only slightly when playing as a 10 (0.23).

Set-pieces are a useful back-up wherever he plays but Liverpool players share duties. Wirtz, Gakpo and Salah have taken corners instead in some games – including Gameweek 11 against Manchester City – but he does take the majority of free-kicks.

So while Szoboszlai has multiple potential paths to FPL success, these could be limited at times.

He is also a single yellow card away from a one-match ban, with the five-card suspension threshold not lifting until after Gameweek 19.

Dominik Szoboszlai’s stats

Gakpo

Gakpo is the most expensive of our three at £7.5m.

He has the strongest xGI per 90 of the trio at 0.6 – as good as any regular appearance maker in the league this season.

The Dutchman compares well to his teammates across the board, with the second best xG (3.2) and best expected assists (xA) – he is among those sharing corners too.

His expected minutes are a stumbling block however, with Wirtz now an option on the left as well as centrally, whereas before Gakpo had very little competition for his starting spot.

Low shot accuracy – with just five shots on target – also hinders his bonus potential. He only earned them in Gameweek 2 against Newcastle, when a goal and two bonus points led to his sole double-digit haul of 10.

Cody Gakpo’s stats

Gravenberch

Gravenberch is expected to play plenty of minutes when fit, having only missed one league game last season.

The defensive midfielder’s main opportunity to score points should be through defensive contributions.

He would have earned 30 extra points last season had the system been in place.

But he has only hit the required number in one match this season at an average of 8.4 per 90 – something to monitor over the coming weeks.

His main output has been attacking returns. He’s scored three and assisted two, massively over-performing his 1.1 xGI.

Gravenberch failed to score in Liverpool’s title-winning season but contributed four assists against an xA of 3.37.

Attacking returns should not be expected regularly, however if he can up his defensive contributions and tick along with a goal or assist on occasion, he could prove to be a reasonable FPL pick for £5.6m.

Ryan Gravenberch’s stats

How do the Liverpool midfielders compare to other FPL midfielders?

Salah leads all midfielders in Hub AI’s projections but comes at a premium price.

At the time of writing, Szoboszlai compares well against others in his price range, with Amad the only midfielder below £7.0m predicted to outscore him.

There are a number of similarly rated alternatives however, so his place in our squads is not clear cut.

Declan Rice, Iliman Ndiaye, Ismaila Sarr and Enzo Fernandez are among the options already in many teams.

Sarr and Palace’s favourable fixtures continue beyond Gameweek 12 and although he lacks Szoboszlai’s set-plays and defensive contributions, his 0.5 xGI per 90 is far superior.

Fernandez is a possible sell ahead of Arsenal (H) in Gameweek 13 but Chelsea face Leeds (A) straight afterwards.

FPL managers may therefore look to a Liverpool defender instead.

Midfielder predicted points up to Gameweek 16

How solid is Liverpool’s defence this season?

Van Dijk is the standout defender, who can be relied upon to start over the busy festive period slightly more than Konate. He has also recently seen his price drop to £5.9m.

If Gabriel is ruled out for a while, Van Dijk will be a popular replacement.

Slot’s side have failed to convince defensively though. They only rank sixth best for expected goals conceded (xGC) on 13.1 and have let 17 goals past them.

The Reds have also conceded 29 big chances, the joint-third most behind West Ham and Burnley.

Buyers will be trusting that their strong fixtures help prompt an improvement at the back.

That appears to be Hub AI’s expectation, with Van Dijk second for predicted points among defenders up to Gameweek 16.

Defender predicted points up to Gameweek 16 – Gabriel’s will plummet if he’s red flagged

Who are the best Liverpool players for defensive contributions?

Van Dijk and Konate have each earned 10 points from defensive contributions. Van Dijk has the higher average of the two – 10.64 per 90 versus 8.94.

Szoboszlai is just behind on eight, while Milos Kerkez and Gravenberch have managed two points.

As discussed above, Gravenberch would have fared well for defensive contributions last season so is one to keep an eye on.

Virgil van Dijk. Picture by Getty Images

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