2024/25 FPL release: Predicting the best squad for Gameweek 1

The 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League game has officially been released and players around the world are busy creating their first drafts for the upcoming season.

New prices have dropped, with the likes of Erling Haaland, Cole Palmer and Mohamed Salah bound to attract managers after enjoying point-laden 2023/24 campaigns.

So which stars should you be edging towards now that FPL is live once again? Here is 90min's best squad for Gameweek 1 when the Premier League returns in late August.

Arsenal's David Raya won the Golden Glove in his debut season at the Emirates Stadium last season, making him a solid pick for your FPL team. At £5.5m, the Spaniard provides decent value and should manage a similar haul to the 16 clean sheets he picked up last term.

There are a few shot-stoppers to opt for at a lower price range, but Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez represents a good choice at £5m. Aside from a tricky home clash with former club Arsenal, the Argentine has decent fixtures at the start of the campaign against West Ham United, Leicester City and Everton.

Best FPL defenders

Trent Alexander-Arnold comes in as the most expensive defender at £7m at the start of the FPL season, but we're steering clear until we've had a good look at his Liverpool role under Arne Slot. Instead, Ben White is the marquee choice at the back after registering 18 clean sheets, four goals and five assists.

Andy Robertson is £1m cheaper than Alexander-Arnold and should be able to return decent point hauls against Ipswich Town and Brentford, while clashes with Leicester and Everton make Tottenham creator Pedro Porro another enticing option.

Diogo Dalot enjoyed a campaign of improvement last time out and will be a regular feature in United's defence in 2024/25. His attacking intent makes the Portugal international a viable candidate for selection and his £5m price tag makes him very affordable.

Coming in at £4.5m, Joachim Andersen is good value after Crystal Palace finished the season in ridiculously good fashion.

Best FPL midfielders

Midfielders could be where the big points are scored in the upcoming season. Starting with a cheaper option, Callum Hudson-Odoi is going to be a major player for Nottingham Forest again under Nuno Espirito Santo and has a promising start to the campaign with clashes against south coast opposition in Bournemouth and Southampton.

Mohamed Salah is a less hipster shout but the Egyptian has proven FPL pedigree. His role at Anfield will be interesting to see under Slot but it shouldn't harm his goalscoring prospects and he's surely a must-pick next season.

Cole Palmer has seen his price skyrocket after a brilliant debut campaign at Chelsea. Having ended the season at £6.3m, the England international will now set FPL players back £10.5m having scored 22 Premier League goals in 2023/24.

John McGinn will hope to bag a few points as part of an enterprising Aston Villa side and comes in at a reasonable £5.5m, while Eberechi Eze could be a steal at only £7m having displayed his immense quality after Oliver Glasner took charge at Selhurst Park.

Best FPL forwards

First up, a disclaimer; Erling Haaland has not made our ideal squad, mainly because picking him for such an egregious price of £15m makes everything less fun. All clear? Good.

There will be some mourning for non-Haaland owners when he scores the inevitable hat-trick against one of Leicester, Southampton or Ipswich, but there are plenty of other forwards who can make up the difference.

Rodrigo Muniz enjoyed a breakout campaign at Fulham and will see opening fixtures against Manchester United, Leicester and Ipswich as opportunities to continue his strong end-of-season form from 2023/24.

Only Haaland and Ollie Watkins are more expensive than Newcastle's Alexander Isak, but that's for good reason. The Swedish striker bagged 21 league goals last time out, finishing the season strongly, and could register even more impressive numbers if he can avoid injuries.

Finishing up our squad draft is Forest's Chris Wood. The New Zealander is a streaky Premier League performer but won't be short on service with Hudson-Odoi and Morgan Gibbs-White behind him and has a promising run of fixtures to start the season.