There are double-ups on four sides – Arsenal, Brentford, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest – in the best XI for Gameweek 8 of Fantasy Premier League.

Nott’m Forest’s centre-back Murillo (£5.5m) and Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.9m) are in action first, visiting Ipswich Town in the first match of the Gameweek on Friday night.

Arsenal pair Riccardo Calafiori (£6.0m) and Martin Odegaard (£6.8m) are at home to Everton the following afternoon before Chelsea’s Cole Palmer (£9.7m) and Joao Pedro (£7.9m) host Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening.

Similarly to Forest, Brentford also face a promoted opponent, lifting the prospects of goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher (£5.0m) and forward Igor Thiago (£7.8m) for their trip to Hull City on Sunday afternoon.

Erling Haaland (£15.7m) is named as captain for Manchester City's visit to Aston Villa, with Palmer given the vice-captaincy.

Caoimhin Kelleher (Brentford) £5.0m

A visit to Hull can help the Bees’ goalkeeper collect his third clean sheet of 2026/27 Fantasy this weekend. Kelleher’s hosts have had a league-low 42 shots in the box and failed to score away to Fulham in Gameweek 7.

Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal) £6.0m

Arsenal’s left-back is the third most-popular player in Fantasy, found in 54 per cent of squads ahead of his home match against Everton. Calafiori has boasted the Gunners’ main goal threat from the back this season – his eight shots in the box are more than the combined seven of the rest of their defenders.

Murillo (Nottingham Forest) £5.5m

Forest’s centre-back has been one of the standout defenders for defensive contribution (DC) points this season, picking up two extra points on five occasions. Murillo has also boasted one of the best goal threats in his position in Fantasy – his 10 shots in the box are joint-top among defenders. 

Tarik Muharemovic (Leeds) £5.0m

His multiple routes to returns have made the Leeds United centre-back one of the most consistent defenders in 2026/27 Fantasy. Muharemovic has produced two assists, two clean sheets and eight DC points, and has no blanks in seven outings ahead of a visit to Sunderland. 

Cole Palmer (Chelsea) £9.7m

Although Palmer narrowly trails his team-mate Morgan Rogers (£8.0m) by 38 points to 40, the underlying numbers indicate he offers far more all-round potential. He has created six big chances – situations where a player is expected to score – to Rogers’ two, while Palmer also has the edge for shots in the box, by 14 to 11.

Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest) £7.9m

The Forest playmaker has amassed 23 points in his three away matches this season, scoring once and supplying two assists. Gibbs-White, who has been passed fit after missing the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, can extend that streak at Ipswich, who are one of only two sides yet to keep a clean sheet in 2026/27.

Martin Odegaard (Arsenal) £6.8m

Arsenal’s captain has been far more reliable when playing at Emirates Stadium this season, scoring and earning both his double-figure hauls across three home appearances. With Bukayo Saka (£9.6m) a major doubt to face Everton, Odegaard is likely to be handed penalty duties. 

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Marcus Tavernier (AFC Bournemouth) £6.2m

The AFC Bournemouth star has climbed to third in the midfielder standings, with four goals and 42 points to his name. Tavernier is the second most-bought player in Gameweek 8, earning 231,000+ transfers in ahead of a trip to a Manchester United side who, like Ipswich, are yet to keep a clean sheet in 2026/27 Fantasy.

Erling Haaland (Man City) £15.7m

Man City's talisman travels to Aston Villa on the back of eight goals and 56 points over the last six Gameweeks. Haaland scored at least once in each of those matches and that level of unmatched consistency makes him the best captain option for Gameweek 8.

Joao Pedro (Chelsea) £7.9m

The Brazilian’s average of 7.8 points per match is second only to Haaland among all players this season. Joao Pedro has been involved in (scored or assisted) two goals in four of his six appearances this season, showing why he shouldn’t be overlooked in the captaincy conversation.

Igor Thiago (Brentford) £7.8m

Despite scoring just once this season, the Brazilian has boasted Brentford’s main goal threat by some margin. Thiago’s total of seven big chances – situations where a player is expected to score – is more than double any other player for the Bees, with a lowly 5.9 per cent goal conversion rate letting him down.