As Jürgen Klopp makes preparations ahead of Liverpool’s season opener against Chelsea, millions of FPL managers around the globe are making adjustments too. The Premier League’s official fantasy football game has grown to vast popularity, and many players will be weighing up the various options on offer at Anfield.

Last season, Mohamed Salah was the top-scoring midfielder in the game. The Liverpool talisman has occupied these upper echelons from the minute he arrived in the league, and will naturally be in the thinking of many FPL managers once again.

However, the pricing this season has forced a dilemma, with Salah pegged at a steep £12.5m. That’s £2m more than Kevin De Bruyne, the next-most expensive midfielder, and £3.5m more than any of the other options.

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The midfield is packed with tempting prospects in FPL this season, with Son Heung-min, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli all in the enticing £8-9m bracket. Against that backdrop, paying the premium for Salah represents a big call.

However, for anyone wishing to cash in on offensive returns from Liverpool, this looks like the only ‘safe’ way into the attack. It seems likely that Klopp’s side will score freely this term, but there is precious little certainty over who will start among Darwin Núñez, Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo and Luis Díaz — getting Salah remains the best chance of banking 90 minutes most weeks.

The aforementioned quartet are all worth monitoring as the season progresses. If Gakpo holds on to his spot as the number nine from the end of the last campaign, he will look very appealing, listed as a midfielder with an attractive £7.5m price tag. For the same amount, Núñez is undoubtedly one to watch, especially amid fairly limited forward options in this year’s FPL line-up.

But from the start, Salah looks to be the way to go. Any of the other options would be a big gamble which could see FPL players fall behind early — and the Egyptian is expected to hold on to penalty duty, which for many may be the clincher.

Looking at the defense, it’s all about Trent Alexander-Arnold. Particularly given the hybrid role he has taken up, he is set to offer a truly colossal goal and assist threat compared to a typical ‘defender’. That’s reflected in a premium £8.0m price, but it’s well worth paying.

Essentially, Alexander-Arnold looks practically like an advanced midfielder who also gets clean sheet points. Thinking of him in those terms, he almost seems cheap. With eight goal involvements in nine games following his switch into the hybrid role, he is even more of a must-own than Salah for FPL players.

When looking at a Liverpool strategy for FPL, then, the Salah and Alexander-Arnold approach looks to be the most appealing. At a combined £20.5m, it takes up more than a fifth of the overall budget — no small amount, especially seeing as most will consider Erling Haaland a must-own, even at £14.0m. However, owning the Reds duo is enough to cover the key bases in Klopp’s side, effectively guaranteeing major returns over the course of the season.

For anyone determined to use the full allocation of up to three Liverpool players, Díaz would probably be the gamble of choice from the off. Next to Salah, he looks the most assured of game time in the front line, and he is competitively priced at £7.5m.

Elsewhere, both Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott could become wildcard options at £5m apiece, with those twin number eight roles promising some attacking returns. But with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai on board, that’s one to watch and wait on. The bottom line is Salah and Alexander-Arnold.