FPL Challenge Gameweek 13 Tips and Team Reveal

In this article, we present to you our FPL Challenge Gameweek 13 tips and team reveal. As well as picking out some of the best players for the round ahead specific to the Challenge structure we also bring in @FPLReaction to share his team and thoughts ahead of the new round.

FPL Challenge Gameweek 13 is here. With exciting new badges to earn and prizes to win FPL Challenge have made some massive changes. With that in mind our tips and team reveal could be exactly what you need to have success.

What is the Challenge this week?

The Challenge for Gameweek 13 is ‘Haaland or Salah?’

Liverpool and Manchester City players earn double points this week.

Challengers have to select five players with a budget of just £44m.

Top Picks – Goalkeepers

Although tempting due to the Challenge parameters, picking either Liverpool’s Alisson Becker (£5.4m) or Manchester City’s Ederson (£5.5m) may restrict your overall potential this week. This is based on the limited budget and the fact that both face a very efficient frontline.

One consideration would Caoimhin Kelleher (£4.5m). If Alisson remains a doubt and Kelleher is starting, then he could be a good option. Albeit, his chances of keeping a clean sheet may be low, but the fact he picks up two points for every three saves due to the Challenge holds some appeal.

Most may prefer to steer clear of picking a goalkeeper in the game, so Brighton could be another team to turn to. The Seagulls have a plum home fixture against 20th place Southampton. The Saints have been extremely poor offensively – ranking the worst in the league for total goals scored so far. Because of this, Bart Verbruggen (£4.5m) could have potential.

Another side who have a meeting with a promoted team is Brentford. The Bees face a managerless Leicester City up next, and their man between the sticks, Mark Flekken (£4.5m), goes into the game off the back of securing nine points in the previous round.

Other goalkeepers with potential include Nottingham Forest’ Matz Sels (£4.5m). In the three matches prior to his back-to-back blanks in the last two rounds, Sels banked between 5-11 points. This week he faces Ipswich at home, which could see him back amongst the points.

Defenders

Similar to the goalkeepers involved in the Liverpool v Manchester City match, even double points may not be enough to feel confident when it comes to investment. With goals from both sides expected, the chances of any side keeping a clean sheet may be low enough to put Challengers off.

With the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold, the Liverpool backline offers very little in terms of offensive threat. However, some could decide to back Josko Gvardiol (£6.3m). The Croatian has produced three goals already in the league this season.

A much cheaper, but less attacking option, is Rico Lewis (£4.8m). Lewis may be shy of goal threat, but he has registered three assists in the Premier League and Champions League this campaign.

Tottenham have been hit and miss recently in terms of results, but they have also netted four goals in two of their last three games. One of those games saw them dismantle title challengers Manchester City, whilst also keeping a clean sheet. On the score sheet was full-back Pedro Porro (£5.5m), who continues to sustain excellent attacking metrics, and Fulham next see him continue that.

Wolves will be in search of another positive result this week, after they comfortably beat Fulham 4-1 in Gameweek 12. Gary O’Neil’s men have struggled for clean sheets this season, but flying full-back Rayan Ait Nouri (£4.8m) offers enough attacking potential to make him an interesting pick.

Other defenders with potential this week include Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber (£5.5m) and Gabriel (£6.1m) against West Ham, Brighton’s Pervis Estupinan (£5m) as he clashes with Leicester, and Nottingham Forest’s Ola Aina (£4.8m) against Ipswich.

Midfielders

FPL Challenge Gameweek 13 Tips and Team Reveal

Manchester City have been displaying some concerning defensive form recently – ranking as the worst side in the league for total big chances conceded in the last six Gameweeks.

With this in mind, the parameters of the Challenge, and his relentless form, Mohamed Salah (£13.1m) may be a shoo-in for Challengers this week. The Egyptian has incredibly amassed eight double-digit hauls in just 12 matches this season.

Manchester City remain amongst the top five teams for total goals scored, so it could be unwise to write them off based on recent form alone. Pep Guardiola’s men will be keen to turn their form around, and midfielder Phil Foden (£9.2m) could help with that. Although short of form domestically, the Englishman has netted in each of his last three Champions League matches.

Challengers looking to take advantage of double points could also back Liverpool’s Luis Diaz (£7.6m) or Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne (£9.4m). However, monitoring the line-ups as they release would be advised if so.

Outside of the Liverpool v Manchester City match, there are plenty of other options we could opt for. One player who could be on his way out of a lot of FPL teams next week is Bryan Mbeumo (£7.9m). Before the Brentford penalty taker heads into a tricky run of fixtures Mbeumo faces newly promoted Leicester, with eight goals and one assist under his belt already this season.

Aston Villa seem to be struggling from a defensive perspective recently. Unai Emery’s men have shipped between 2-4 goals in all three of their last matches and face Chelsea this week away from home. Penalty taker Cole Palmer (£10.9m) sits as the second highest scoring player in the game thus far, and has the explosiveness to reward his owners.

Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka (£10.1m) who faces West Ham and Kaoru Mitoma (£6.4m) who clashes with Southampton, are also great options.

Forwards

Don’t let the Challenge title fool you when it reads ‘Haaland or Salah?’ The Challenge may suggest you have to pick between Erling Haaland (£15.1m) and Salah. However, that isn’t the case, and Challengers have in fact got enough budget to include both.

Manchester City may be out of form, but their star man is sustaining some jaw-dropping data. In fact, although struggling for output domestically, the Norwegian has produced a huge 11 big chances in his last six Gameweeks. Based on that, and the fact Liverpool just shipped two goals to the worst frontline in the league recently (Southampton), Haaland still has huge potential.

One more forward potentially involved in the Liverpool v Manchester City game is Liverpool’ Darwin Nunez (£7.1m). Nunez is yet to prove any sort of consistency in the league this season. But, with in one match, anything can happen.

Southampton could be up against it this week. The Saints have conceded 2+ goals in seven of their first 12 league matches. Taking that into account, bringing in a Brighton forward could be a good play this week. Joao Pedro (£5.6m) is the standout option. The Brazilian has managed back-to-back double-digit hauls since returning from injury.

Another well-priced asset is Chris Wood (£6.6m). Nottingham Forest face Ipswich next up, and the Tractor Boys rank the worst for total big chances conceded. With eight goals already this season, penalty taker Wood could well punish their poor backline.

Challengers could also have potential with Bournemouth’s Evanilson (£6m) v Wolves, Brentford’s Yoane Wissa (£6.1m) up against Leicester, and Tottenham’s Dominic Solanke (£7.6m), as he clashes with Fulham.

@FPLReaction Team Reveal

This is how I am set up currently.
I have stocked up on the Liverpool v Manchester City match, due to the Challenge.
We could see plenty of goals in the game. So, owning both Salah and Haaland could be crucial.
Kelleher and Lewis may concede, but they could both offer multiple routes to points. The former should rack up some saves, and the latter may pick up an attacking return.
Salah or Haaland? Maybe the Challenge is named that due to captaincy, you can only captain one. Captaining Salah feels very straight forward this week, due to his form and home fixture.
The only player I have got, not playing in the big game is Joao Pedro. At his price, I don’t think there is a better option, across all other positions.

Gameweek 12 Challenge Review

I had a good week last week. Prioritising Salah with the captaincy, whilst navigating the budget restrictions worked out.
Gabriel picked up a clean sheet, Kelleher saved a penalty, and Pedro scored and assisted.
I saw that Neto wasn’t on the Chelsea line-up, so switched to Joao Felix, which didn’t work. Morgan Rogers and Lewis Hall were also disappointing.
My round rank was 8k, which has taken my global rank, right up to 6k for the season!