Week 1 FPL Preview: Essential Players for Kicking Off the Season in Style

The 2025/26 Premier League season is set to begin on Friday, 15 August, with Liverpool hosting Bournemouth at Anfield. As managers prepare for the first Fantasy Premier League (FPL) deadline, which is 90 minutes before the kick-off, here are the recommended picks for Gameweek 1 across various positions.

Defenders

Micky van de Ven (Tottenham, £4.5m) is highly recommended due to Spurs’ strong defensive potential under new manager Frank, and a favourable fixture against Burnley. Jesús Murillo (Brighton, £5.5m) and James Tarkowski (Everton, £5.5m) are also solid options based on stats and matchups. Defensive players from promoted teams are worth considering as differential picks. Teams like Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Chelsea are predicted to have the best clean sheet chances in GW1, so defenders from these clubs are priority picks.

Midfielders

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, £14.5m) remains a key premium pick for his attacking potential versus Bournemouth. Other strong midfield picks include Ndiaye (Nottingham Forest, £6.5m), Cody Gakpo (Liverpool, £7.5m), Cole Palmer (10.5m), and Kudus (Spurs, £6.5m) based on analysis of stats and value. Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest, £5.5m) is a notable differential midfielder under 10% owned, valued for both attacking returns and defensive contributions boosted by the new DEFCON scoring.

Forwards

Danny Welbeck (Brighton) is a highly owned forward heading into Gameweek 1. Further top forward picks were not explicitly mentioned in the search results, but Liverpool, Spurs, Manchester City, and Chelsea are teams expected to score highly, so forwards from these clubs are likely smart picks.

In summary, Micky van de Ven leads the defensive picks, Mohamed Salah heads the midfield options, and Danny Welbeck is a forward to consider for Gameweek 1, with additional strong value in midfield from players like Ndiaye and Anderson. Choosing defenders from teams with strong clean sheet prospects such as Spurs, Liverpool, Man City, and Chelsea is recommended.

Additional Notable Picks

Joao Pedro (£7.5m) is the most popular forward pick, having scored in every game at the Club World Cup and pre-season.
Robert Sanchez (£5.0m) is popular due to Chelsea's relatively kind start to the season.
Viktor Gyokeres (£9.0m) is Arsenal's new striker but a tricky start may make managers hold off.
Marc Guiu (£4.5m) may not start for Sunderland but could grow into the newly-promoted side.
Jarrod Bowen (£8.0m) is a strong pick for West Ham United due to their relatively kind start to the season.
Tijjani Reijnders (£5.5m) could prove fruitful as a differential for Manchester City.
Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) is a popular midfielder choice despite Arsenal having a tougher start.
Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) may be a more sensible start for Aston Villa due to his Villa Park record against Newcastle United.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£5.0m) could be an option due to his likely role as a 10 and set pieces for Everton.
Hugo Ekitike (£8.5m) could be a cheaper way than Salah into the Reds' attack.
Beto (£5.5m) could be another option for Everton.
Jorgen Strand Larsen (£6.5m) will now be the main man up top for Wolves.
Moises Caicedo (£5.5m) will likely play a lot and earn defensive contributions for Chelsea.
Liam Delap (£6.5m) is on the bench for Chelsea and could replace Pedro if he doesn't score.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£4.5m) at West Ham United is another popular defender choice due to their easier start to the season and AWB's strong finish last season.
Florian Wirtz (£8.5m) and Omar Marmoush (£8.5m) are cheaper ways into Liverpool and Manchester City's attack respectively.
Rayan Ait-Nouri (£6.0m) or Josko Gvardiol (£6.0m) from Manchester City could be good defender picks.
Oscar Bobb (£5.5m) is a differential midfielder owned by only 0.1 per cent of FPL managers.
Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m) could be a steal at that price point but it may be best to wait until a few games into the season.
Martin Dubravka at Burnley is the most selected goalkeeper at the time of writing.
Matz Sels (£5.0m) could be a strong pick for a goalkeeper in Gameweek 1.

In the context of the European leagues, Micky van de Ven from Tottenham and Mohamed Salah from Liverpool are strong recommendations for defenders and midfielders respectively, while Danny Welbeck from Brighton is a notable forward pick for Gameweek 1. Additionally, defenders from predicted clean sheet contenders like Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Chelsea are highly recommended. Furthermore, affordable midfielders like Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest and Oscar Bobb from an unspecified club can provide good value.