Scout Picks – Gameweek 22

Earlier this week we announced the players under consideration for the Gameweek 22 picks in our Scout Squad article. The time has now come to reveal who has made the final cut.

Victor Valdes (4.6) takes his turn as our budget keeper of choice, as Middlesbrough welcome West Ham to the Riverside Stadium in fine defensive form, with four clean sheets in their last 10 matches.

The Spaniard’s modest price tag allows us to opt for a trio of buccaneering left backs in our three-man defence.

Marcos Alonso (6.6) earned top billing from Mark, Paul and I in this week’s Scout Squad article and he was the first name on our teamsheet after a punishing 21-point return at Leicester City.

The Chelsea man is on a collision course with a Hull City side that has scored just six goals on the road, conceded 24 times away and who could also be without their influential playmaker Robert Snodgrass, who is a doubt with a muscle injury.

With more than 87,000 new FPL owners, Alonso has been the most popular defensive acquisition ahead of tomorrow’s 11.30 deadline.

Double-digit hauls could also be in the offing for West Brom’s Chris Brunt (5.0) and Bournemouth’s Charlie Daniels (5.3), who have favourable home ties against Sunderland and Watford respectively.

Brunt looks likely to be deployed at left-back once again, with Allan Nyom still wrangling with the Cameroon football federation over clearances. Even so, the Irishman has returned a pair of assists from that role once this season – providing two crosses in the 4-0 home victory over Swansea City in Gameweek 13.

Indeed, Brunt has notched an impressive 32 FPL points over his last four outings at The Hawthorns. Meanwhile, Sunderland have scored just six times and conceded more goal attempts in the box than any other side on their travels.

Daniels’ encounter with Watford looks similarly enticing.

The Hornets have mustered just two goals in their last six league matches and have conceded 19 on the road, suggesting that the 13.5% owned left-back could reap rewards at both ends of the pitch.

With a number of premium-priced players treated to obliging fixtures, we had to make sacrifices in order to squeeze seven more players into our 84 million budget.

While we favoured Philippe Coutinho as our Liverpool representative for Swansea City’s visit, a 8.3 price tag proved prohibitive, so we have instead opted for his team-mate Adam Lallana (7.7).

Despite being our second choice option, with seven goals and as many assists in the campaign, Lallana is more than capable of providing a strong return against the Swans. Ominously for the visitors, they have shipped three or more goals in seven of their last nine Premier League outings.

A five-man midfield has also been deployed this week, as we seek out maximum value.

Luckily there are two excellent cut-price options at hand in West Brom’s Matt Phillips (5.9) and Junior Stanislas (5.2) of Bournemouth.

Phillips at home has become synonymous with attacking returns in recent weeks, with the 20.4% owned winger registering at least a goal or an assist in four of his last five encounters at The Hawthorns.

Bournemouth’s own set-piece specialist Stanislas also boasts strong form, providing a goal and two assists in three starts since returning from an injury lay-off. Over his last ten starts, the Cherries winger has returned four goals and six assists.

Should first choice penalty taker Callum Wilson be benched once again, Stanislas, who has a lowly 3.3% ownership, will also be on spot-kicks.

That pair enables us to splash a sizeable chunk of our budget on two of the most expensive midfield assets.

Alexis Sanchez (11.9)’s disgust at being withdrawn at Swansea last week told us all we need to know about the Arsenal midfielder’s hunger for goals.

The 37.1% owned Chilean has delivered attacking returns in all but one of his last nine Gameweeks ahead of a meeting with a Burnley defence that has conceded 78 goal attempts in their last four away trips.

It is little surprise to find Sanchez at the summit of our Captain Poll.

Our other heavyweight midfield selection, Chelsea’s Eden Hazard (10.4), also has a strong fixture, with Hull the visitors to Stamford Bridge

The Tigers turn up having conceded 24 goals in their previous ten road trips. That statistic, combined with the fact that the Belgian has scored seven of his nine goals in front of the Blues faithful, makes Hazard a viable armband alternative.

Penalty duties also add to his appeal, with Hull City already conceding 10 this season, one shy of the all-time Premier League record in a season.

Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic (11.6) remains a regular fixture in the Scout Picks as he maintains relentless form.

The Swede has delivered attacking returns in all bar one of his last ten matches and travels to a Stoke City outfit that has shipped nine goals in their last four ties.

The United talisman also boasts enviable form on the road, averaging 10 FPL points a game over his last five away trips.

Another away day specialist, Everton’s Romelu Lukaku (9.6) also gets the nod.

The Belgian, who has been drafted in by more than 115,000 FPL managers ahead of his meeting with Crystal Palace, has scored seven of his 12 goals away from Goodison Park. Meanwhile, the Eagles have yet to keep a clean sheet and have conceded eight times since Sam Allardyce took charge last month.

With defender Jose Fonte set to depart Southampton, his deputy Maya Yoshida looks in line to earn a fourth successive Premier League start in Leicester City’s visit to St Mary’s.

His 4.2 price tag and 0.7% ownership makes him an appealing differential enabler for those seeking to free up funds at the back. Given that the Foxes have scored just eight goals in 10 road trips he could offer an instant reward.

Hull’s aforementioned dismal away form has prompted us to hand a bench role to 5.2% owned Pedro (7.0) as a cheaper Chelsea alternative to Hazard. With four goals and five assists at Stamford Bridge, the Spaniard looks a strong candidate for another home return.

Baggies striker Salomon Rondon (6.8) is unlucky to make the bench, given that he has five headed goals this campaign, while visitors Sunderland have shown a key weakness in the air: no side has allowed more headed goal attempts than David Moyes’ Black Cats.

Community Champion

The community member who beats our picks by the biggest margin over the campaign will win a £100 Amazon Voucher and a place in our Contributors and Moderators League for the following season. The current champion to beat is Boris Bodega, who achieved a 33 point margin of victory over us in Gameweek 15.

The Gameweek 22 champion Sidharth has opted for a 3-5-2 line up of: Mignolet; Brunt, Koscielny, Van Dijk; Phillips, Stanislas, Firmino, Hazard, Sanchez; Giroud, Rondon.