The three must-have FPL players for Gameweek 2

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The 2022/23 Premier League season has started and whether your FPL team smashed it or barely scraped 30 points, it's time to get that starting XI in order for Gameweek 2.

Big hitters from Liverpool and Manchester City clocked up high scores, while there were some surprising tallies from players expected to be battling towards the bottom of the table.

As managers around the world consider their next moves, here are the three players you must own for Gameweek 2.

Joao Cancelo (£7.0m) vs Bournemouth (H)

We saw a signature performance from Joao Cancelo in Gameweek 1, where he banked a clean sheet and a bonus point for Manchester City, despite picking up a yellow card. Manchester City were one of just five sides to keep a clean sheet last weekend, conceding just six shots on goal. 

Cancelo had one shot on goal and created one chance for his teammates. He played as an inverted full-back, with his average positioning in midfield. According to the Fantasy Football Hub points prediction tool, Cancelo is expected to be the highest scoring defender in Gameweek 2, with 6.4 predicted points.

Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) vs Crystal Palace (H)

Mohamed Salah had another outstanding Gameweek 1 for Liverpool, taking home 12 points with a goal and an assist. He was the most captained player in the game and could likely stay that way with his first home fixture of the season against Crystal Palace. He has a great record against the Eagles, scoring seven goals and creating another six in eight appearances against them.

In fact, Liverpool haven’t conceded a goal against Palace when Salah has been on the pitch across the last three seasons, scoring 16 goals in that time. Salah had two shots in the box last time out and created one big chance, which was converted by Darwin Nunez. He’s predicted to score 6.3 points in this fixture.

Erling Haaland (£11.6m) vs Bournemouth (H)

Erling Haaland certainly put his critics to bed during his Premier League debut: he scored two goals in 77 minutes and looked frustrated to be substituted before his hat-trick, having achieved the same debut feat in the Bundesliga and Champions League. Manchester City have the fixture of the weekend: a home game against promoted Bournemouth, with Haaland the most popular transfer in to date.

It’s no surprise given the strength of his underlying numbers: he had the most shots in the box (five) of any player in Gameweek 1, converting two goals from four big chances. His link up play with Kevin De Bruyne looks to be electric already and we now know that he’s on penalties too. He’s predicted to score 8.5 points in Gameweek 2 by the Fantasy Football Hub points prediction too and should be considered the best captain pick.