Dugout Discussion – Swansea City vs Liverpool

Gameweek 24 concludes at the Liberty Stadium as Swansea City entertain Liverpool at 8pm.

The visitors boast two of the top five captains in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) for this round of fixtures, with both Mohamed Salah (13.8%) and Roberto Firmino (3.6%) in exceptional form ahead of their trip to south Wales.

Captained by 19 of the top 100 managers heading into Gameweek 24, Salah has returned double-digits on 10 occasions, with a goal or assist in 13 of his last 14 league appearances.

Firmino, meanwhile, has delivered 46 points across his last five starts, which includes two goals in a 5-0 win over the Swans in Gameweek 20.

The Reds’ rampant form had a marked impact on the FPL market ahead of Saturday’s deadline – in terms of transfers in, both Firmino (275,000) and Salah (233,000), along with team-mate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (111,000), were among the 10 most popular trades.

The latter retains his place on Jurgen Klopp’s teamsheet in light of his goal and assist in last Sunday’s win over Man City.

Still only costing 5.7, Oxlade-Chamberlain’s claim as a budget midfield pick is enhanced by a schedule that pits the Merseysiders against Huddersfield, Southampton, West Ham and Newcastle in the subsequent five Gameweeks.

At the other end of the pitch, we’ll get the chance to monitor Virgil van Dijk’s impact on the Reds’ rearguard – the January signing has recovered from a hamstring complaint and starts under Klopp for the first time in a league match.

For the hosts, Jordan Ayew has another opportunity to impress as a budget striker option.

Costing 5.1, he was the fourth most transferred in (154,000+) player for Gameweek 24 – the Ghana international has netted in three of the last five and was also on the scoresheet in last week’s FA Cup replay win over Wolves.