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            <p>Which five players does expert Fantasy Premier League (FPL) manager BigManBakar think are must-have picks in your Gameweek 1 team this season?</p>
<p>Here, he reveals all and shares his detailed reasoning - how many of his picks make your draft?</p>
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<h2><strong>Mohamed Salah (£14.5m)</strong></h2>
<p>Salah was last season's record points scorer - and it's very difficult to leave him out despite his high price.</p>
<p>He’s a top captaincy candidate most weeks and with his huge ownership, not having him could be a costly mistake.</p>
<p>In Gameweek 4 and 5, Liverpool face Burnley and Everton - two fixtures where he’s likely to be the standout option for the armband.</p>
<p>In contrast, if you start the season with <strong>Erling Haaland </strong>instead, you’d be relying on him against Manchester United and Arsenal - far tougher opponents.</p>
<p>That means you either go without Salah in two prime weeks, pre-plan transfers to bring him in for Gameweek 4 or consider an early Wildcard to restructure your squad.</p>
<div id="attachment_73572" style="width: 850px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-73572" class="size-full wp-image-73572" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/playerstats-M.Salah-bordered.jpeg" alt="Mohamed Salah Stats" width="840" height="690" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-73572" class="wp-caption-text">Mohamed Salah's stats</p>
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5 ‘must-have’ players to own in your FPL Gameweek 1 team

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