FPL notes: Isak injury + Guiu starting in Gameweek 9?

Another three Premier League clubs were in action in the Champions League on Wednesday. Here we take a look at how Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur fared, assessing their matches from a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) perspective.

WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS

SELECTION/ROTATION

SALAH ON THE BENCH

Arne Slot made five changes to a team that had just lost its fourth game in a row, with the notable decision being to remain on the bench Mohammed Salah (£14.3 million). Doing this in an important Champions League match would have been unthinkable last season, but it confirms what most of us already knew: Salah is currently not the same player as the one who broke the FPL’s all-time points record last season.

After eight games, Salah has 36 points from two goals and two assists. In 2024/25 he had now achieved 74, five and five. It’s an alarming decline. In fact, he has never had such a low total at this stage in his previous eight seasons at Anfield.

EKITIKE STARS

Instead, Slot chose to play Alexander Isaac (£10.5 million) and Hugo Ekiit (£8.6m) upfront, backed by Cody Agat (£7.5 million) and Florian Wirtz (£8.1 million).

Although Liverpool fell behind after a move that started with Wirtz being dispossessed, they rallied through Ekitiké’s breakaway goal.

The Frenchman was brilliant against his former club, showing pace, finishing skills and a mentality that suggests he has already established himself at Anfield.

“The first goal we scored was special. At that moment you could see his pace. These were also moments we were hoping for. As I said before the match, we have been able to create a lot of chances in recent weeks, but unfortunately we have not always been able to score them.” – Arne Slot about Hugo Ekitike

ISAK INJURY

However, the same cannot be said for Isak, who squandered the two chances he had and subsequently suffered a groin injury that resulted in his half-time exclusion.

Isak has scored one goal in eleven games (all competitions) and assisted just once in four games in the Premier League.

“He had to come off because he felt his groin. A lot of people told me they wanted me to play more with him and that we had to find the balance. Unfortunately, that balance didn’t work perfectly for us today. Let’s hope for the best.” – Arne Slot about Alexander Isak

“He didn’t come back [from the international break] with an injury. I said he missed it [on] pre-season and not trained with the team for a long time. He came on September 1, so we had to pick him up once a week and now we’re trying to pick him up twice a week, which he did for the national team. But he was perfectly fit when he came back from the national team.” – Arne Slot about Alexander Isak

It’s telling that even when Isak was released, he was replaced by Federico Chiesa (£6.4 million) in place of Salah, who was limited to a 20-minute cameo. The move paid off as Liverpool scored four goals in the second half.

Encouragingly for Wirtz’s owners, the playmaker produced a pair of assists for Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.5 million). But Liverpool will not be so lax in defending in the Premier League.

ALL ONE

The most attractive Reds investment at the moment is undoubtedly Gakpo, who is playing very well and grabbing a number of corners.

Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m) scored from one such set-piece to put Liverpool 2-1 up, and it’s almost impossible to imagine a side without Gakpo in it. He started seven of the eight league matches and scored in the last two.

Another central defender who scored a header was Ibrahima Konate (£5.4m), although Van Dijk remains the liveliest threat. The captain also scores highly in Defensive Contribution Points (DefCon).

FRIMPONG INJURY

Unfortunately, there was also a setback Jeremy Frimpong (£5.8 million), who was sent off after 19 minutes.

He joins Isak and Ryan Gravenberch (£5.7m) on a growing list of injured players as this hamstring injury will keep him out for a few weeks. Or Conor Bradley (£5.0m) will get minutes at right-back, otherwise Szoboszlai will be deployed there again.

“I hope this doesn’t have to be that bad because if he was out for a few weeks now that would bring him back. So let’s wait. Jeremy has a hamstring problem. He came back from a hamstring injury a few weeks ago and played one game for the national team, came back to us and now unfortunately he had to leave.” – Arne Slot on Jeremy Frimpong

WILL GUIU START IN GAMEWEEK 9?

Meanwhile, at Stamford Bridge, Enzo Maresca went for massive rotation against Ajax, deciding the opposition was vulnerable enough to keep just one player. Romeo Lavia (£4.9 million), from the side that defeated Nottingham Forest.

The gamble worked as Chelsea’s young starlets shone. Marc Guiu (£4.3 million), Stephen (£6.5 million) and Tyrique George (£4.9 million) – all teenagers – were on target, while Moises Caicedo (£5.9 million) and Etc Fernandez (£6.7m) scored returns.

Of João Pedro (£7.5m) suspended, Guiu took his scoring opportunity. It’s more than what the Brazilian has done recently: he has managed just two shots – neither on target – and 0.07 expected goals (xG) in four consecutive goals.

Sending Guiu off at half-time with a 4-1 lead, FPL managers can now speculate that Maresca rested the 19-year-old in preparation for a start at home to Sunderland.

Should the FPL’s joint-cheapest forward get the nod, a fully rested Joao Pedro could play in his seemingly better number 10 role, boosting the prospects of both.

ESTEVAO-PEN

However, Guiu was not the only star, as there was another strong one from Estêvão.

He is now Chelsea’s youngest ever goalscorer in the Champions League, aged 18 years and 181 days. From an FPL perspective, the Brazilian took his second penalty and sent it confidently into the top corner.

The first penalty had been won and scored by Enzo, but the Argentinian generously gave Estêvão the chance to take the next one after scoring the foul.

Whether this means he’ll continue to take some in the future remains to be seen. And while this might make Joao Pedro’s owners even more nervous, it’s not like he’s been overlooked. He just didn’t play.

“Estêvão is polite, he is modest, he wants to learn. His family does a lot of work there. Not only are we happy with the way he is performing, but he is also a nice boy.”

“I think he needs a bit more time in the Premier League. It’s very similar to Cole Palmer. I had him, the same age, at Manchester City under-23s. Cole played wide and now he’s inside. Now Estêvão plays wide, but in the future I think he’ll be more of an inside player.” – Enzo Maresca on Estêvão

On the other hand, Chelsea’s life was made much easier by the dismissal of Ajax captain Kenneth Taylor in the 17th minute when the proceedings remained goalless.

PROPER PLACEHOLDER

Elsewhere, goals didn’t fall as well in Monaco. The match against Spurs finished 0-0, which is probably a relief as they struggled to cope with the Ligue 1 side.

Thomas Frank made just three changes to the team that lost at home to Aston Villa. Came in Archie Gray (£4.8 million), Lucas Bergvall (£5.4 million) and Richarlison (£6.6 million) for DJ Spence (£4.5 million), Xavi Simons (£6.9 million) and Mathijs Tel (£6.3 million). But things never really got going, creating the first goalless draw in 125 games.

Apart from Micky van de Ven‘s (£4.7m) header over the crossbar it was all Monaco, leaving Spurs indebted to a virtuoso goalkeeping display from Willem Vicaris (£5.1 million). The Italian made four brilliant saves in the first half and three more later, while former Liverpool midfielder Takumi Minamino squandered three more chances for the hosts, whose xG of 2.56 dwarfed Spurs’ 0.85.

“I think he was very good today. I think some of the saves tonight were exceptional, and it’s a big part of why we got a hard-fought point, but ultimately it could be a crucial point.” – Thomas Frank at the Guglielmo Vicario exhibition

THREAD MUANI GLIMPSE/OBERT INJURIES

On the plus side, Spurs fans got to see a bit The Redican Creation (£6.9m), who has been largely injured since joining from Paris Saint-Germain. He looked lively during his twenty-minute run.

“Kolo Muani, who we believe can make a difference. I think he looked positive when he came on, but he had that injury so of course there’s some of that, no complaints, it is what it is. My job is to get the most out of the players available.” –Thomas Frank

On the negative side, it seems Wilson Odobert (£5.3m) suffered an injury, although Frank is unsure of its severity.

“We threw him away because he was in some pain, but I don’t know what the consequences are.” – Thomas Frank on Wilson Odobert’s injury