Liverpool assets are relatively low-owned in Fantasy Premier League right now, with only striker Hugo Ekitike (£8.9m) and defender Virgil van Dijk (£5.9m) having ownership over 20 per cent.
Form and fixtures are beginning to collide going into Gameweek 27, though, which could be enough to tip the template in their favour.
So is now the time to be investing in Liverpool assets, and who are the key players to pick for this upcoming period?
Four fine fixtures
Liverpool have seen an upturn in their form in recent games, with significant wins against Newcastle United and Sunderland in the last four gameweeks, coupled with narrow defeats to Bournemouth and Manchester City.
Over this spell, they’ve scored eight goals, while leading the way for shots (69) and ranking joint-second for big chances (13), showcasing their routes to points.
A reprieve from a punishing European schedule has also helped them, while their Premier League games now carry plenty of appeal in the future. Over the next four gameweeks, they face opponents in the bottom quarter of the Premier League table, beginning with a trip to Nottingham Forest.
It’s then West Ham at home, before a midweek trip to Wolves, a fixture then repeated in the FA Cup the following weekend. They then entertain Tottenham at Anfield — who last won there in May 2011 — in mid-March before travelling to a Brighton side on a run of only one win in 13 in the Premier League.
Considering their attacking data and the quality of their upcoming opponents, there’s certainly an argument for owning at least one Liverpool player.
Hugo remains the boss
Striker Hugo Ekitike is the obvious investment from Liverpool’s attack, with the French striker in 25.7 per cent of FPL teams at the time of writing, making him the fourth-most-owned forward in the game.
He would make the template forward line for managers looking to play their second wildcard in this immediate period, alongside Brentford’s Igor Thiago (£7.0m).
Hugo Ekitike remains Liverpool’s best source of goals (Danny Lawson/PA Images via Getty Images)
His minutes are consistent, especially while Alexander Isak (£10.3m) remains absent through injury, starting four of the last five in the league. He’s scored two goals in this time, taking him to double digits for the campaign.
His underlying numbers are compelling, ranking third among all players for shots (12) and shots in the box (10) in the last four gameweeks, and first for big chances with seven.
The only other Liverpool asset producing close to this level of output is Mohamed Salah (£14.0m), who has hit the ground running since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations.
In his last four games, he’s top for shots (14) and shots in the box (12), but has failed to convert three big chances on goal. He has made eight key passes, notching three assists from three big chances created.
He’s clearly reintegrated into Arne Slot’s side, plus he remains on penalties, having converted from the spot in the FA Cup last weekend against Brighton.
The only difficulty in getting Salah into your team is his high price tag: he remains the second-most-expensive player in the game behind Erling Haaland (£14.9m), who is currently an injury doubt for Gameweek 27.
Managers on a wildcard or carrying a stack of transfers could opt to make the switch, but must remain mindful that a fully fit Haaland is close to essential, and it would require two free transfers to buy him back.
The Manchester City striker broke his barren spell with two goals and two assists from his last three starts in the Premier League, before being substituted at half-time against Fulham with a knee issue. He was pictured in training on Tuesday ahead of the home game against Newcastle United on Saturday evening, which suggests a sale for Salah might not be viable.
We do need to be mindful that Manchester City will likely blank in Gameweek 31 due to their involvement in the Carabao Cup final, with Salah a potential captain pick that weekend with a trip to Brighton.
Other options from Liverpool’s attacking ranks include Florian Wirtz (£8.4m), Cody Gakpo (£7.3m) and Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.7m), who all come in at more viable price tags.
Wirtz has two goal involvements from the last four gameweeks, having had nine shots on goal and created seven chances for his team-mates, and would be my favoured differential right now.
Gakpo is a bigger differential, owned by around five per cent of managers. He has eight goal involvements for the campaign, but his last Premier League return came in Gameweek 20.
Szoboszlai has been prolific in recent weeks, with two goals and one assist from three starts, but just five shots on goal suggest that these high levels of returns are not sustainable.
Defensive dilemmas?
There’s growing momentum to invest in Liverpool’s defence, too, with Van Dijk among the five most transferred-in players going into Gameweek 27.
His 17-point haul against Sunderland last time out has created this bandwagon, producing their first clean sheet in five league games, and his second goal in four gameweeks.
Van Dijk’s goal was the difference at the Stadium of Light (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
He remains one of the best defenders in the game for goal threat, ranking eighth for shots in the box with 16 and sixth for big chances on goal with four. The Dutchman also ranks fifth among defenders for defensive contributions in this campaign, hitting the two-point bonus on 12 occasions, including in three of the last four gameweeks.
The only concern for investment would be Liverpool’s clean-sheet potential, conceding six goals in the last four gameweeks and 10 big chances on their goal in this time.
West Ham are the only opponent of their next five that Liverpool managed to keep a clean sheet against in the reverse fixture earlier in this campaign.