FPL Top Picks for Gameweek 5

Gameweek 5 of the 2025/26 Premier League season is the first week after the commencement of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League, in which no fewer than six of the top-flight teams are participating. When we factor in the three English teams in the Europa League and Conference League, this points to a very different season going forward, as many of them will want to prove their mettle at the elite levels of European competition.

Going forward, there will be more rotations to manage game time, especially of premium assets. All Fantasy Premier League managers must take note of this fact for their strategies from now until December/January, when the league stages will be over. As you plan your week 5 strategy around this information, here is our gameweek analysis to help guide your FPL selections.

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Gameweek 5’s match schedule looks like this:

• Liverpool v Everton
• Brighton and Hove Albion v Tottenham Hotspur
• Burnley v Nottingham Forest
• West Ham United v Crystal Palace
• Wolverhampton Wanderers v Leeds United
• Manchester United v Chelsea
• Fulham v Brentford
• AFC Bournemouth v Newcastle United
• Sunderland v Aston Villa
• Arsenal v Manchester City

From our analysis, gameweek 5 will be all about deciding between Mohamed Salah (£14.5m) and Erling Haaland (£14.1m). Salah remains the top dog in FPL. However, Arne Slot has clearly shown that he is looking to reduce the dependency on Salah, with his 4-2-3-1 formation, which gives more responsibility to the likes of Cody Gakpo (£7.7m) and Florian Wirtz (£8.4m). Alexander Isak (£10.4m) and Hugo Ekitike (£8.8m) will soon be competing for the starting striker role, with Ekitike currently in the lead because he joined the Reds first.

Almost all of these players have been more effective in front of goal than Salah has this season. His price tag is looking like a gamble right now. It is more of a gamble when you consider the rumours that the Reds are being set up for the sole purpose of redeeming themselves in the UEFA competitions following their capitulation that saw them go from potential quadruple winners to just the Premier League title alone.

Manchester City will face Arsenal in gameweek 5, so it is understandable if many managers choose to stick with Salah, who will come up against Everton, one of his favourite opponents. Going forward, however, a look at the FDR and their UEFA schedule could determine the fate of FPL’s greatest asset in many fantasy teams.

Best Budget/Differential Picks for Gameweek 5

Here are our best differential picks for gameweek 5 of the 2025/26 FPL season.

Dan Ndoye (£6.1m) — Nottingham Forest

The Switzerland international came in to replace Anthony Elanga (£7.0m), who moved to Newcastle during the transfer window. He has already shown glimpses of what he can bring to the table with one goal and one assist in four games. Ange Postecoglou’s second match as Forest’s manager is here, and his ultra-attacking style is starting to show. Now might be a good time for FPL managers to trust Ndoye, the way they did Brennan Johnson (£7.1m) last season under the Australian manager.

Jaidon Anthony (£5.5m) — Burnley

Jaidon Anthony was one of the key players for the Clarets in their incredible EFL Championship run last season.

He has carried over that form into the Premier League (2G, 1A), and if his showing against Liverpool – who needed a late penalty to see them off last weekend, by the way – is anything to go by, Anthony looks like a good investment for any team at the moment, whether as a starter or a bench option.

Nick Woltemade (£7.0m) — Newcastle United

The gangly striker, who is the Magpie’s like-for-like replacement for Isak, endeared himself to the club’s fans by scoring on his debut at home last week. His price tag doesn’t scream differential or cheap, but he is currently owned by just 2.3% of مديرو شركة FPL, which presents an opportunity for managers to cash in on potential points he can offer, starting with Bournemouth. Also, Woltemade could be a good replacement for Chris Wood (£7.6m) if the New Zealander fails to produce anything of repute in week 5.

Best FPL Players for Gameweek 5

Viktor Gyökeres (£9.0m) — Arsenal

Arsenal face Manchester City in week 5, which pits Gyökeres against Haaland. The Haaland bias is stronger, but the former Sporting CP man’s form inspires some confidence too. This is in conjunction with the fact that Mikel Arteta seems to have finally found a way to deal expertly with his coaching mentor’s methods. He will be extra motivated for this match, especially with the chance to once again prove that he can be placed on the same pedestal as Haaland, after one-upping him in their UCL clash last season while he was still at Sporting.

Ollie Watkins (£8.8m) — Aston Villa

Suggesting Ollie Watkins to any manager right now feels like an attempt to sabotage their efforts. However, Aston Villa have a great fixture in week 5: they face Sunderland, who are solid, but still greenhorns with respect to the experience that Unai Emery’s team has gathered in the top-flight. There is no better match for him to be a top pick than this one.

Hugo Ekitike (£8.8m) — Liverpool

It will be Ekitike’s first Merseyside Derby, and as alluded to earlier, he is more than likely to start ahead of Isak in Liverpool’s attack. With two goals and 1 assist from his first four games, none of which he has played more than 80 minutes, he is one of the best attacking options you can possibly invest in at the moment. David Moyes’ Everton is different, but the likelihood of this match ending in a situation where Ekitike gets no attacking returns is very low, making him one of our three top picks.