FPL GW8 Tips & Preview – Breaking Down The Key Dilemmas

Welcome to Insanely Football’s Dilemmas blog for Gameweek 8 of the FPL 2023/24 season. This blog will break down all the popular Dilemmas FPL managers have this week and offer FPL GW8 tips that will help you address the key dilemmas and maximize your FPL points.

The blog is written by Insanely Football. Do subscribe to his YouTube channel Insanely Football for more FPL-related content. You can also follow him on Instagram for daily FPL updates.

Let’s dive right into it. We will start with the first one.

Link to all our FPL GW8 blogs including Buy, Hold, Sell analysis, Differentials, Captaincy metrics, Best GW8 Wildcard Drafts, Tips, and more. Completely free to access as well!

FPL GW8 Tips – Key Questions/Dilemmas Answered

1) How do you structure your FPL GW8 Wildcard team?

Wildcarding in GW8 is going to be popular! To move ahead of the rest, it becomes critical to nail the structure of your team, as this team will stay with you for the next 12-13 gameweeks.

From what I have seen this season, going heavy in defence doesn’t make sense. Even for a defender like Trippier, there are alternatives like Schar and Burn from the Newcastle defence. I would recommend getting at least one Newcastle defender on a Wildcard. Furthermore, you can double up on your existing Newcastle defender or go with one of the defenders from Tottenham or Matty Cash from Aston Villa.

Tottenham’s next 3 fixtures look great (LUT, FUL, & CRY), and there is potential for clean sheets + attacking returns. I prefer Pedro Porro. He is nailed and is excellent at accumulating BPS. He is £5m in the game right now. If money is tight, you can consider Destiny Udogie (£4.8m) as an alternative.

Around £5m, there is also Matty Cash from Aston Villa. He ranks 1st for xGI among all defenders for the season, and Aston Villa have a great run of fixtures till GW14.

In midfield, Son is a perfect hold. He has looked in good touch and has scored 3 goals in his last 2 games. The other must-have player on Wildcard would be Mohamed Salah. He has returned in every game so far this season, apart from GW7. He has the highest xGI among all MIDs and looks excellent for the upcoming games.

The other preferred picks in midfield will be going for slightly cheaper players like James Maddison and Jarod Bowen. Both are talismans for their respective teams and are worth targeting.

The last position is fluid. You can go cheap and play a 3-4-3 with 4 MIDs. Or you can look to play enablers like Neto or Almiron (both being slightly risky differential picks)

Looking at forwards, Haaland is pretty much a lock, and you can double down on the Man City advantage with Julián Álvarez. He is priced only £7m in the game right now, which is excellent value. He ranks 4th for xGI among all forwards and is a great pick despite some rotation risk.

If you don’t want to go with Alvarez, you can look at Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa. He is a nailed starter and is expected to be a key figure in the Villa attack. With good fixtures coming up, there is a lot to gain with Watkins, and he is a solid option among forwards.

Suppose you are looking to play 3 up top. In that case, there is also a scenario where you can have Alvarez and Watkins alongside Haaland.

Here’s a detailed FPL Gameweek 8 Wildcard blog with pros and cons, players to target, and drafts

FPL GW8 Wildcard Team & Drafts to Consider | Wildcard Guide

2) Who are the best Estupinan/Botman replacements?

Botman and Estupinan are injured and expected to miss out in Gameweek 8. Most managers are looking for replacements, and there are many alternatives to look at.

Key Injury News Ahead of FPL GW8

• Estupinan is out for one month, more or less due to an injury.
• Crystal Palace attacker Eze is out with a “serious injury”, and ” will have to wait on a second scan”
• Chilwell is out for at least two months
• Botman ruled out for GW8
• Bukayo Saka – He is in contention. Let’s see how he progresses from here to Sunday. He had to leave the pitch that’s never good news but let’s see how he recovers.”
• Diaby – Expected to train tomorrow(Sat) (Late fitness test). “Could play”, but it’s not ” 100 percent “
• Callum Wilson & Joelinton – “We will wait & see how they are”

For a full list of injury news check out the injury news section of our FPL GW8 Ultimate Guide blog

If extra money is available, Kieran Trippier is the best replacement for these two defenders. The Newcastle defender has hit form at the right time, scoring 30 points in the last 2 games (including 4 assists). We know his attacking threat, which is increasing every game now.

If getting to Trippier is tricky, one of Schar/Burn is a great way to get something off the Newcastle defence. You can still get lucky with an attacking return from these picks, plus you already get the clean sheet potential from Newcastle.

If you already have a Newcastle defender/don’t want to go for one, you can look at Matty Cash. The Villa defender has been in fine form, getting 3 attacking returns already this season. With good fixtures coming up, that number should go further.

You can even look at one of the defenders from Tottenham. Porro and Udogie are great attacking picks and should help you get some attacking returns, especially in the next 3 gameweeks. Of the two, I prefer Porro for his ability to muster higher BPS, leading to higher potential bonus points.

If you are looking for a slightly differential pick, consider Joachim Andersen from Crystal Palace. The Palace defender ranks 1st for points scored among all defenders. He is a threat from set-pieces and has scored twice already this season. With a decent run of fixtures till GW15, you can get him as a regular transfer/even on a Wildcard in GW8.

Further Read: Best FPL Gameweek 8 Differential Picks(<10% TSB)

3) What teams to double/triple up right now?

Double/Triple-ups are always a great way to differentiate from the crowd and double down on any potential advantage in FPL. You can double up on the Newcastle defence with picks like Burn and Schar. (You can even go Trippier if funds are there.) Newcastle has really good fixtures coming up, and you can benefit from the double defence in the short term. (at least till GW10)

If you want to go aggressive, you can triple up on Newcastle with an attacker. We know Miguel Almirón is a streaky player who scored 18 points in his last gameweeks. You can get in him early and take advantage of Newcastle’s good attacking form right now.

You can double up in midfield with Son and Maddison. Both should be fit to start against Luton and have looked good in the Spurs attack. The following 3 are good for both players and doubling up makes a lot of sense. Another way to maximize short-term gains is to get in a 3rd Tottenham player. You can get in one of the attacking defenders, maximizing your potential from Spurs FPL assets.

Another double-up combination option is going for Cash and Watkins from Aston Villa. Most managers on a Wildcard this week will have both. But with players like Botman and Estupinan out injured, Cash is an easy buy this week. Watkins has also looked good, and you can get him in as your 2nd/3rd striker.

Man City’s double-up in attack is still looking good. The Haaland + Alvarez combo is excellent value, as most goals come from both. With Alvarez, there is always that slight rotation risk. Still, Man City is an elite attack, and they will do well, irrespective of the fixtures.

Further Read: Best FPL Gameweek 8 Differential Picks(<10% TSB)

4) Which FPL midfielders to buy/sell/hold ahead of GW8?

This is the million-dollar question right now. Most FPL managers right now are struggling to understand which midfield players to buy/sell/hold.

Suppose you have players like Salah or even Son. In that case, I’d recommend holding them, as both have outstanding potential and are also worth captaining if you are okay going against the safer Haaland pick.

Going with both will mean creating a certain balance by making slight downgrades. I feel it’s still worth holding Maddison, and doubling up with Son for at least the next 3 weeks looks solid. I am also okay with selling players like Saka, Rashford and Bruno. Some really good alternatives are available, and there is no point in chasing to get lost points with these picks. (especially Rashford and Bruno)

It’s also worth selling the likes of Sterling/Foden and moving them on to Son/Maddison or going slightly cheaper with Bowen/JWP. If you are going a bit differential, then Almiron and Neto can be decent 4th and 5th midfielder picks.

I would hold Mbeumo/Mitoma if there are other fires to put out. If not, changing these players to one of the budget picks is worth it. I would wait for more information on Diaby. He is worth holding if he is not out long-term (especially with the International Break after GW8).

Further Read: When to play your first Wildcard?- Best Windows and Analysis

5) What to do with Bukayo Saka?

Arteta on Saka in the Press Conference: “He is in contention. Let’s see how he progresses from here to Sunday. He had to leave the pitch that’s never good news but let’s see how he recovers.”

Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka has been one of the best FPL picks in midfield this season. He is 1st for FPL points scored and 2nd for xGI among all MIDs this season. His returns have been consistent, and even against Man City, there is a good chance he gets an attacking return.

More than the difficulty of the fixture, whether he is fit enough to start against Man City is the more significant concern. Saka was subbed off in 75 minutes against Bournemouth and faces a late fitness test against Man City in Gameweek 8. It’s City, so the expectation will be that he starts such an important game, but some element of risk is involved.

To complicate matters, he has been selected in the England squad for the International Break. He may complicate his fitness concerns even further. If you don’t have Son and have no other problems in your team, I would recommend moving him to Son. Otherwise, you can wait out this week and reassess in GW9.

That will be all from my side for this week! All the best for FPL Gameweek 8, and I will see you all next week.

You can subscribe to my YouTube channel Insanely Football for more FPL-related content. Follow me on Instagram for daily FPL updates.

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Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW8

When to play your first Wildcard?- Best Windows and Analysis
FPL Gameweek 8 Transfer Tips: Two Players To Buy, Hold & Sell
Top FPL Gameweek 8 Captain Picks Based on Analysis & Metrics
Best FPL GW8 Differential Picks(<10% TSB)
FPL Gameweek 8 Scout Selection Based on Stats, Heatmaps and Analysis
FPL GW8 Tips & Preview – Breaking Down The Key Dilemmas
FPL GW8 Transfer Targets & Watchlist Based on Eye Test & Stats
Confirmed & Likely FPL Double/Blank Gameweeks | 23/24 Season
FPL GW8 Wildcard Team & Drafts to Consider | Wildcard Guide
Vote for AllAboutFPL in the 2023 Football Content Awards 
FPL GW8 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More
FPL Fixture Swing Analysis from GW8

Link to all our FPL GW8 blogs including buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, transfer targets, and more. Completely free to access as well!

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