6 must-have players for FPL Gameweek 28

Gameweek 28 promises to be a defining one in the final few months of the 2023/24 Fantasy Premier League season.

There’s a huge clash in the title race as Manchester City visit Anfield to battle Liverpool, but routes to points elsewhere must be considered with Bournemouth and Luton Town set to play twice in the upcoming gameweek.

Aston Villa’s fixture with Tottenham on Sunday could prove to be an FPL goldmine, while Arsenal’s recent hot form in front of goal makes their assets all the more tempting.

Here are 90min’s top picks in FPL this weekend.

In Tottenham’s clash with Aston Villa in November earlier this season, when Unai Emery’s side prevailed 2-1 in north London, Son Heung-min had three goals disallowed for offside. The South Korean might have won the game for Spurs on another day, but instead Ange Postecoglou’s centre-back-less team fell to defeat.

Sunday’s trip to Villa Park is a huge one for Spurs in their hunt for fourth place, with the threat of falling eight points behind their opponents looming should they suffer a fourth successive loss to the Birmingham side.

It was Son who grabbed a hat-trick in Tottenham’s last win in this fixture – a 4-0 thrashing in 2022 – and he could benefit from an open game that could go either way.

West Ham have managed to turn things around in recent weeks, with wins over Brentford and Everton improving a previously desperate mood around London Stadium.

Their players may be a little tired after Thursday night’s defeat to Freiburg in the Europa League, but the fixture against 19th-placed Burnley is one FPL managers must try to target, with the potential for plenty of goal-mouth action in east London.

Only Erling Haaland, Ollie Watkins and Mohamed Salah have scored more Premier League goals than Jarrod Bowen, who shot up to 14 strikes – now comfortably his best return in the top flight – with a hat-trick against Brentford.

Another player who could prosper from a potential classic at Villa Park, Douglas Luiz has found home comforts easy to come by so far in 2023/24.

The Brazilian midfielder has found the net nine times in the Premier League this term, with each coming on the Lions’ home turf. All but one of them have come in victories, with Villa’s defeat to Manchester United last month the only blot on that record.

Luiz has notched 134 points in total – the sixth-most of all midfielders in FPL – and will be a threat on Sunday as well as in upcoming matches against West Ham and Wolves.

There’s no doubting Kai Havertz now looks right at home in this free-scoring Arsenal side after a more unconvincing start to life post-Chelsea.

The Germany international has played large roles in the Gunners’ last three victories, picking up a goal and an assist in each game against Burnley, Newcastle and Sheffield United. That run also saw Havertz bag seven bonus points.

Arsenal do blank in Gameweek 29 as the FA Cup quarter-finals take centre stage, but there are points on offer when a depleted Brentford visit the Emirates Stadium.

Dominic Solanke already features in over a quarter of all FPL teams but that figure is sure to rise with Bournemouth in action twice over Gameweek 28.

They are appetising games, too. The Cherries take on relegation certainties Sheffield United and a more spirited but still struggling Luton Town, having returned to winning ways against Burnley after a six-game victory-less run in all competitions.

Solanke wasn’t on the scoresheet for the 2-0 win over the Clarets but, with 14 league goals this season, the England international is a must-have in Gameweek 28.

He’s finally back.

Having only played twice for Liverpool this year before Thursday night, Mohamed Salah made his return from injury in the Reds’ Europa League thumping of Sparta Prague. He didn’t net but the Egyptian is available for Sunday’s huge clash with Man City, who he boasts an incredible record against in previous meetings.

Salah has scored 11 times against the Cityzens in his career – only managing more against Man Utd (12) – and netted in both league fixtures last season.