Best picks for FPL Challenge as players score DOUBLE in Merseyside derby

This week in FPL Challenge, Fantasy managers are pitted against Liverpool fan and YouTuber Manny as his favourite team take on Everton in the Merseyside derby.

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, managers will be able to go head-to-head with Manny.

Every bottle and can of Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar sold in the UK and Ireland has a QR code which provides entry to the head-to-head duels where they can win prizes.

Managers outside the UK will still be able to take part in the weekly challenges as usual, but will not be eligible to enter the head-to-head element and win prizes.

Managers have an unlimited budget to pick their 6-a-side team, with all Liverpool and Everton players scoring DOUBLE points.

This means if you choose a captain from one of those two clubs, they will earn FOUR times their points total with the armband.

Managers can also select players from the other nine matches, but none of them will earn double points.

Here, The Scout assesses the best picks for Gameweek 5.

Pick your Challenge team NOW

Between the sticks

Both Alisson and Jordan Pickford will have their points doubled in Gameweek 5.

Alisson has managed back-to-back clean sheets for a side who have conceded the fewest number of shots on goal (seven) in the Premier League this season.

Everton do pose more of an attacking threat this season, ranking eighth for shots on goal, with 48, and joint-fifth for big chances, with nine, but Liverpool’s defence has been rock solid, needing the Brazilian to only make three saves so far. 

Pickford has been the highest-scoring goalkeeper in Fantasy over the last two seasons and the Everton shot-stopper is currently joint-fourth in the goalkeeper standings after four Gameweeks.

England’s No 1 also has two clean sheets as well as a penalty save to his name, but he has managed only one clean sheet in 12 visits to Anfield and faces a Liverpool side with a 100 per cent record so far this season.

With four clean sheets in the last four Merseyside derbies at Anfield, Alisson looks the better pick of the two goalkeepers. 

Battle of the centre-backs

Managers have the option of playing two defenders. It is therefore possible to pick two from Liverpool, two Everton or one defender from each side. 

Virgil van Dijk was the fourth-highest scoring defender last season, with 143 points, but he would have ranked third had defensive contribution points been part of last season's game.

Indeed, so far this season, only Marcos Senesi of AFC Bournemouth has collected more than Van Dijk's total of 50 defensive contributions.

See: What are defensive contribution points 

With 23 points so far, James Tarkowski has a point more than Van Dijk and only one fewer than Everton's joint top-scoring players, Pickford and Jack Grealish.

Everton have looked solid at the back, but it is defensive contributions that make Tarkowski so appealing.

No defender has bettered Tarkowski's defensive contribution points tally of eight, while he also matches Van Dijk for penalty-area touches and big chances. He also scored in the last Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

Van Dijk v Tarkowski comparison, 25/26

Both Van Dijk and Tarkowski feel likely to achieve the upside of defensive contribution points in the derby, so they could both be good picks this weekend.

Which midfielders to pick? 

Similarly with the defenders, if you select two midfielders, it is possible to pick two from either of the Merseyside clubs or one from each.

The most obvious options from each side are Mohamed Salah and Grealish, who are separated by just one point in the player standings.

Salah broke all FPL records with his total of 344 points last season, but the Egyptian has had only five shots this season. For context, he'd produced 12 by this point last season, amassing 43 points.

Yet despite this, he has managed two goals, an assist, is the fourth-highest scoring midfielder in the game and has created three big chances this season. Only David Brooks has managed more.

Grealish has hit the ground running since arriving at Everton. The midfielder was voted EA SPORTS Player of the Month for August after racking up four assists in three matches.

He was unlucky to blank in Gameweek 4 when he created five chances, delivered four crosses and had two shots on goal, and he will certainly cause problems to Liverpool's right-back area. Only two midfielders have bettered Grealish’s total of 10 chances created.

Salah v Grealish comparison, 25/26

Salah looks set to be the most-captained player in Challenge this week, especially with his penalty responsibilities, strong record against Everton and the fact he's score double points. However, owning Grealish alongside the Liverpool star could be a wise strategy if you are expecting Everton to score.

Double up on Liverpool midfielders or consider Semenyo?

Cody Gakpo has provided Liverpool’s greatest goal threat this campaign. Only two midfielders have had more shots than the Dutchman’s 12, while he also ranks eighth among midfielders for chances created, with eight, and sixth for big chances produced (two). 

Outside of the teams who will score double points, Antoine Semenyo is the second top-scoring player in the game, with 36 points.

Only two midfielders had more goal attempts than his total of 125 last season. So far in this campaign, Semenyo has registered 12 shots, which is the joint-best in the league.

Furthermore, Semenyo has three goals, more than any other midfielder. The Ghanaian has scored or assisted in each of his last three appearances against Newcastle United, so can be fancied to produce another attacking return again at home to Eddie Howe’s side.

Gakpo v Semenyo comparison, 25/26

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Iliman Ndiaye and Florian Wirtz are all currently owned by under 10 per cent in FPL Challenge and offer interesting differential options.

Ndiaye has picked up points in each of his last three league matches, a goal and clean sheet point in Gameweek 2, an assist in Gameweek 3 and defensive contribution points in Gameweek 4.

Meanwhile, Wirtz has created eight chances and taken 14 corners, which suggests he has been unlucky not to have registered an assist so far this season.

Wirtz, Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye all have the potential to do well, however with limited picks from the Merseyside clubs, the likes of Salah, Gakpo and Grealish have broader appeal. 

Forward options

Hugo Ekitike has two goals and an assist in his opening four Premier League matches.

Liverpool's Frenchman is the third highest-scoring forward in Fantasy, with 24 points, while among team-mates he ranks top for big chances (two), joint-top for goals scored, second for Fantasy points (24) and joint-third for shots, with seven.

Managers may worry about the impact of Alexander Isak, but in FPL Challenge, managers have up until kick-off to react to team news if needed.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three matches at the FIFA Club World Cup in the summer and has taken that form into the Premier League, with two goals and three assists in 2025/26 Fantasy.

The Brazilian is the second top-scoring forward in Fantasy with 33 points, only four behind Erling Haaland, and he also offers a serious creative threat. No forward has created more big chances than his total of three.

Joao Pedro faces a Manchester United side with no clean sheets and the fourth-worst defensive record in the Premier League, with seven goals conceded.

Ekitike v Joao Pedro comparison, 25/26

Everton's forwards should also be considered. Beto has started three of Everton's Premier League matches this season. However, with Thierno Barry waiting in the wings, if you opt for an Everton forward, ensure that you react to the team news if there is rotation. 

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