Scout Picks – Gameweek 18

With no let-up in the fixture list over the next few days, we move swiftly onto Gameweek 18 of this season’s Scout Picks, where Mark, Jonty, a different member of the community and I pick an XI for the upcoming round of fixtures. Each week, our line-ups go head-to-head and over the course of the season we’ll be keeping a tally of the points as we go along. Similar to last week, the budget is now 84.0 apiece for our starting line-ups.

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Sunderland’s stopper Costel Pantilimon gets the nod in my XI. He’s in great form, the Black Cats are on a roll and Hull have seemingly stopped scoring. With Arsenal’s Kieran Gibbs and Manchester City’s Pablo Zabaleta, I’ve gone for two full-backs with great fixtures, attacking instincts and the strong chance of clean sheets. Historically, Jonny Evans has a great record on Boxing Day and welcomes Newcastle to Old Trafford.

In midfield, I’m opting for Oscar due to concerns over Eden Hazard’s ankle injury. Meanwhile, Angel di Maria deserves a slot after an impressive comeback substitute appearance in Gameweek 17. Santi Cazorla is Arsenal’s form midfielder, while Christian Eriksen is more than capable of a double-digit score, especially up against the woeful Leicester.

Up front, Harry Kane offers a further route into the Tottenham attack, and Olivier Giroud’s strong home record for Arsenal gives him a free pass into my side. Robin Van Persie may have blanked in Gameweek 17 but I fancy him to return with at least a goal when Newcastle visit Old Trafford.

Jonty

Costel Pantilimon will be looking to add another double-digit Fantasy Premier League points haul when Hull, who have just one goal in their last four matches, pay visit on Friday.

In defence, I’m hoping Pablo Zabaleta escapes festive rotation for another week and offers his trademark returns at both ends of the pitch when Manchester City visit West Brom. Cesar Azpilicueta is another I hope makes the starting XI for Chelsea’s home tie with West Ham. Arsenal look shaky at the back, but QPR offer so little threat away I feel that Gameweek 17 goal scorer Mathieu Debuchy offers me a solid chance of a clean sheet at least.

Back from injury, Manchester United’s Angel di Maria looks the most nailed on pick among the Red Devils attacking ranks and impressed with four goal attempts during his 33-minute cameo against Aston Villa last weekend. Eden Hazard is a gamble, given the rough ride his ankle received against Stoke on Monday. However, his exceptional home form is worth that risk. Yaya Toure adorns my Gravatar for good reason. He looks primed for points while Manchester City continue without a striker. Meanwhile, Santi Cazorla, with three goals and an assist in his last three Premier League matches, is the form Arsenal midfielder.

I’ve turned to three forwards riding high in my Attacking Players Members Table for Boxing Day. Each of Wilfried Bony, Olivier Giroud and Harry Kane have registered an impressive amount of shots in the box over the last four Gameweeks.

Mark

Yes, that man Diego Costa is in there again – having backed him this long, I feel I’ve got to keep faith and wait for those goals to flow once again. I reckon Chelsea are going to need two or three strikes to see off the Hammers and if Costa blanks in that scenario then I truly will have to perform a spectacular u-turn.

Alongside the Chelsea man I’ve opted for Olivier Giroud – he takes form into the clash with QPR and I’m just that little concerned on Alexis Sanchez’ pitch time with the testing trip to West Ham looming in two days time. Wilfried Bony completes the forward line – his consistency, particularly at the Liberty, makes him an obvious pick.

I’ve covered four other sides in my midfield. Christian Eriksen’s selection requires no justification, while David Silva earns a spot mainly because I’m sold on his new role in City’s false nine and can see him posing the major threat to West Brom at the Hawthorns.

Adam Johnson is a somewhat risky differential but I just had to back Sunderland against Hull given the Tigers’ current malaise: for me, a home win looks one of the more certain results on Boxing Day and Johnson, might, just might, follow up his Tyne-Wear derby strike with another goal. Costel Pantilimon also claims my keeper’s jersey – Hull have scored twice in their last nine matches – need I say more?

Raheem Sterling’s selection will doubtless surprise many but I’ve seen enough of him and Liverpool in their current set-up to suggest to me that he’s on the verge of clicking. Liverpool won’t find it easy at Burnley but I see three or four goals in this one, with Sterling in profit.

In defence, I’ve steered clear of the Chelsea rearguard as I see them coming under pressure from a confident Hammers attack. Instead, I’ve backed City and Pablo Zabaleta for another clean sheet and opted for the Arsenal defence, via Mathieu Debuchy against a QPR outfit with just three goals from eight away matches. Sir Leighton gets the final spot – like Costa, I can see Baines ending his barren run: a double-figure haul is looming and Stoke at Goodison is attractive enough for me to revisit my one of my old favourites.

Paul

Costel Pantilimon is an obvious choice in goal – averaging 5.5 points per appearance, he faces a Hull side with two goals in nine. Mathieu Debuchy and Pablo Zabaleta have both earned attacking points in recent outings, whilst I keep faith in Leighton Baines – Everton need a big result against Stoke to halt their recent malaise.

I’d love to opt for Eden Hazard but have reservations over his fitness – Jose Mourinho’s lack of a press conference persuades me to reluctantly overlook the Belgian.

Nonetheless, I’ve rolled out a five-man midfield as I feel there are a number of strong options here. Raheem Sterling’s move to a central attacking role brings him into contention, whilst David Silva, Santi Cazorla and Christian Eriksen’s recent displays justify their inclusion ahead of some very kind Boxing Day fixtures. I feel I need a route into United’s attack and reckon Angel di Maria’s impressive cameo against Villa should earn him a start at home to toiling Newcastle.

Up top, then, I’m backing Wilfried Bony to start and get amongst the points as Swansea play host to Villa. The in-form Ivorian is joined by Olivier Giroud as Arsenal entertain a QPR side without a point on their travels – four goals in six since returning from injury is enough to persuade me he’s worth the investment.

The Scores So Far

The shot-stopping heroics of Sunderland’s Costel Pantilimon helped me achieve Gameweek 17’s top score of 70, three more than Community Champion JonnyCO7. Meanwhile, Mark notched up 52 and Jonty was this week’s wooden spoon recipient with 50.

After 17 rounds of fixtures, then, I re-take the lead on 977 points, closely followed by Jonty and Mark, who are both on 970. The Community, meanwhile, remains in fourth on 874.