{"id":743763,"date":"2026-08-20T06:30:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T06:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/743763\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T06:30:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T06:30:19","slug":"fpl-2026-27-liverpool-best-players-set-piece-takers-predicted-xi-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/743763\/","title":{"rendered":"FPL 2026\/27 \u2013 Liverpool: Best players, set-piece takers, predicted XI + more"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our Fantasy Premier League (FPL) 2026\/27 team previews<\/a> continue with Andoni Iraola\u2019s Liverpool.<\/p>\n

Here, we discuss their best FPL picks for the upcoming campaign, predict the line-up for Gameweek 1, review pre-season, detail their set-piece takers, assess the summer transfer activity and more.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL<\/p>\n

\"FPL<\/p>\n

KIND EARLY FIXTURES<\/p>\n

Liverpool players will be hard to overlook in our Gameweek 1 squads.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because the Reds have the best early fixture schedule, topping the ticker across their first five matches:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Andoni Iraola will make his bow as the Liverpool manager with an away trip to Newcastle United, before encounters with Nottingham Forest, Ipswich Town, Fulham and Bournemouth, all of whom will be under new management.<\/p>\n

This run takes us up to the first international break of 2026\/27 after Gameweek 5. This break lasts for three weeks, so it could be a perfect opportunity to Wildcard.<\/p>\n

IRAOLA-BALL<\/p>\n

Iraola did a superb job at Bournemouth, with a sixth-place finish and European qualification in 2025\/26.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s equally the style of football which offers so much optimism for the new campaign.<\/p>\n

The Spaniard\u2019s front-footed, attacking approach, which prioritises lots of pressing high up the pitch, is not only easy on the eye, but also highly effective. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

It could make Iraola a great fit at Liverpool, given the quality of the squad he will inherit.<\/p>\n

Indeed, if Iraola can create a system and environment for Florian Wirtz (\u00a37.5m) and Alexander Isak (\u00a39.0m) to flourish, the Reds could be in for a very decent season.<\/p>\n

REASONS TO BE FEARFUL<\/p>\n

\"GW38<\/p>\n

A PACKED SCHEDULE<\/p>\n

Iraola will need to adjust to a packed schedule, however, which will include a UEFA Champions League campaign.<\/p>\n

His proactive approach is fine for playing once a week, but how will it translate to a busier fixture list, with much shorter turnarounds and less time to prepare for each match?<\/p>\n

There are other question marks, too \u2013 will Iraola\u2019s style of play be as effective against teams who consistently sit deep, can he handle the pressure and intensity of the Anfield hot seat, etc?<\/p>\n

LACK OF ATTACKING DEPTH<\/p>\n

Liverpool have already recruited talented winger Victor Munoz (\u00a36.5m) this summer.<\/p>\n

But Kop legend Mohamed Salah has departed, Hugo Ekitike (\u00a37.5m) is injured, while they also missed out on Yan Diomande, who decided to move to Real Madrid instead.<\/p>\n

Yes, the Reds still have quality attackers, like Wirtz, Rio Ngumoha (\u00a36.0m), Cody Gakpo (\u00a37.0m) and Isak, but that alone probably won\u2019t be enough to cope with next season\u2019s demands, something Iraola discussed in his first Liverpool press conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to accept the difficult situation right now. A lot of senior players leaving, very important players. Also, some of the very important players are injured: Ekitike,\u00a0Bradley\u00a0and\u00a0Leoni. They are long-term injuries. In terms of improving the team, we have to consider replacing important players who were making important numbers and the players who will be missing time.\u201d \u2013 Andoni Iraola<\/p>\n

LIVERPOOL: SUMMER TRANSFER ACTIVITY<\/p>\n

Key Transfers In:<\/p>\n

DEF |\u00a0Jeremy Jacquet\u00a0|\u00a0Rennes (\u00a355m)MID |\u00a0Victor Munoz\u00a0|\u00a0Osasuna (\u00a334.5m)DEF | Ronald Araujo\u00a0| Barcelona (loan)<\/p>\n

Key Transfers Out:<\/p>\n

DEF |\u00a0Andrew Robertson\u00a0|\u00a0Tottenham Hotspur (free)MID |\u00a0Mohamed Salah\u00a0| ReleasedDEF |\u00a0Ibrahima Konate\u00a0|\u00a0Real Madrid (free)<\/p>\n

LIVERPOOL: PRE-SEASON FPL REPORTS<\/p>\n

Form Players:\u00a0Szoboszlai (1 goal, 2 assists), Wirtz (2 goals), Gakpo (1 goal, 1 assist), Isak (1 goal, 1 assist), Frimpong (2 assists)<\/p>\n

OPENING FIXTURES<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As mentioned further up this article, the opening five fixtures are pretty positive. <\/p>\n

All five opponents are under new management, as are Gameweek 6 foes Manchester City.<\/p>\n

That could work two ways, of course. Difficult to plan for, or vulnerable as a team in transition? Certainly, in beleaguered Newcastle United\u2019s case, it looks like the latter.<\/p>\n

Gameweek 6 looks like a hopping-off point (ideal if you\u2019re Wildcarding then<\/a>) but, at least, four of these six matches are at home:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

PENALTY + SET-PIECE TAKERS<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

\"FPL<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Our Fantasy Premier League (FPL) 2026\/27 team previews continue with Andoni Iraola\u2019s Liverpool. Here, we discuss their best…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":743764,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[245925,244323,59,245926,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-743763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-fpl-liverpool","tag-fpl-team-previews","tag-gb","tag-liverpool-preview","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/743763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=743763"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/743763\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/743764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=743763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=743763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=743763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}