The Scout Squad – Gameweek 7

A draw last week for our regular Fantasy Football Scout contributors and the Hall of Fame’s former number one Peter Kouwenberg represented a giant leap forward in what has been a tough season for the “experts” to date.

They’ll be hoping to go one better in Gameweek 7 and have decided early doors that the potentially epic clash between Chelsea and Man City is not the place to be shopping for points.

Instead, they’ve zoomed in on some eye-catching fixtures for in-form stars such as Romelu Lukaku, Harry Kane and Alexandre Lacazette.

As big-money forwards continue to stretch their funds, the Scouts have also picked out some budget-friendly options in both defence and midfield, with West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell being courted by all four of the panel – surely for the first time ever.

We’ll be back on Friday to reveal exactly who has made the cut. In the meantime, it’s over to the Scouts themselves to talk through their Gameweek 7 plans.

Peter says…

This week’s picks are not informed by European selections or injuries, but subject to the midweek matches there are undoubtedly some stand-out fixtures for several form players.

It would be remiss not to start at Old Trafford, where we are spoilt for choice as the Red Devils seek to better their City rival’s demolition of a goalless Eagles team who will be without the potent threat (!) of Christian Benteke.

Antonio Valencia and the cheaper Phil Jones have been discussed as genuine captaincy options on these pages, and Romelu Lukaku has had more big chances than any other player.

Another team likely to be heavily backed are Arsenal, who have recovered from their shaky start to the season to register seven points from their last three league matches without conceding a goal.

Hector Bellerin seems to have the statistics in his favour, so I’m going with him despite suspecting Sead Kolasinac is more likely to get the nod in the final Scout shake-up. Aaron Ramsey remains on my list from Gameweek 6, as does Alaxandre Lacazette, who was sacrificed for Sergio Aguero in my own team last week.

Despite Newcastle’s relatively stoic defence, I fancy Sadio Mane to remind us what we and Liverpool have been missing since he went all MMA and, as Liverpool matches are often full of goals (particularly against Newcastle), I’ve thrown the consistent Matt Ritchie into the mix in the hope that the villainous Jonjo Shelvey doesn’t steal his set-pieces again.

My remaining choices are mainly a case of balancing the books rather than deliberately avoiding the Saturday evening clash between Chelsea and Manchester City, which could as easily end 3-3 as 0-0.

My superstitious, Watford-supporting friends, though, will be disappointed to hear that I’ve given up backing their opponents, which will no doubt herald a Baggies’ masterclass on Saturday afternoon.

Or maybe not.

Jonty says…

Three of this season’s increasing array of premium-priced strikers stand out for selection this week.

Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku looks a shoo-in. He has delivered returns in all but one of his league matches and welcomes a winless, goalless and downright hapless Crystal Palace to Old Trafford.

Similarly, with seven goals on the road for Spurs in all competitions this month, Harry Kane cannot be ignored for his trip to Huddersfield.

Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette’s home form also demands inclusion for Brighton’s visit, after scoring four in his last three on home turf.

Their places in the picks will make this another week where we’ll need to step up our search for value across the midfield and defensive slots.

A visit from Swansea City makes West Ham a good place to look.

Among the bargain picks I’ve put forward are Hammers full-back Aaron Cresswell, who has nine chances this season, which is second only to Spurs’ Ben Davies among defenders.

Fellow Hammer Andy Carroll’s record of five in eight Premier League appearances against the Welsh side makes him another strong budget option.

I’ve turned to both my goals and assist imminent tables to also offer up Stoke City set-piece specialist Xherdan Shaqiri for consideration. His 14 chances suggest that he will add to his single assist when Southampton visit, and his 12 shots indicate his second goal of 2017/18 is not far away either.

Paul says…

I’m going to overlook both Chelsea and Man City for their head-to-head at the Emirates as there are numerous alternatives with very strong fixtures.

Arsenal, Man United and Spurs all have far more favourable matches and supply three players apiece in my 15-man squad.

But there’s no place for Alexis Sanchez for the visit of Brighton. Aaron Ramsey and Alexandre Lacazette are my preferred Gunners attackers until the Chilean gets in and around the opposition box more often.

Five goals in six underlines Jamie Vardy’s claim as our third striker as Leicester City visit a Bournemouth side that have conceded more shots in the box than any other.

Aaron Cresswell is perhaps a surprise inclusion for the visit of Swansea, but he’s the number one defender for crosses and successful crosses since West Ham moved to a wing-back formation in Gameweek 4.

Stoke’s Eric Choupo-Moting is my budget midfield pick for a home clash with Southampton.

Since making his first start in Gameweek 2, he’s joint-top midfielder for both shots (19) and efforts in the box (15) and is number one for aerial efforts on goal. The Saints, meanwhile, have conceded more headers than any other side.

Mark says…

I’m not sure how advisable it is to completely snub Chelsea and, in particular, Man City’s assets. However, overlooking Pep Guardiola’s charges comes as sweet relief given the confusion around his teamsheet intentions.

Instead, I’m more than happy banking on Spurs and Manchester United to deliver. Despite European distractions, I expect a good deal of goals from both with the handbrake off ahead of the international break.

I reckon we will end up with four attacking players from those two teams, with a defender apiece also selected in Friday’s XI.

Around that half dozen, there are places up for grabs, with the big decision likely to come up front.

If we opt for a third striker, then I’m happy with either Alexandre Lacazette or Jamie Vardy, though the budget is the key factor, along with the possible selection of Aaron Ramsey in midfield.

I have to go with the Welshman over Alexis Sanchez – just to avoid a futile argument come Friday. There’s no way we can find room in our 83 million budget for the Chilean’s 11.9 just yet – not until he hints at exploding some points to help me build my case.

Stoke’s Eric Choupo-Moting looks a decent budget fall-back in midfield, while I’ve gone with Andy Carroll as a makeweight in attack due to his quite ridiculous record against Swansea City.

I’m wary in both cases because neither the Swans, nor Stoke’s opponents Southampton, have conceded on their travels as yet, though the “eye test” and the statistics say that they’ve both been fortunate.

I’m prepared to fight well into Friday evening for Aaron Creswell in the Picks defence, and would even consider promoting him above Arsenal’s Sead Kolasinac if the budget is tight.

Cresswell’s wing-back role and monopoly of set-pieces could be key against the Swans, while the threat from Paul Clement’s side seems so powder-puff that I can see a clean sheet with bonus on offer at the very least.

The Community Champion

Representing the community against the Scout Picks in Gameweek will be veteran Ringwraith. He is now in his 12th season, with 2008/9’s finish of 1,572 his best to date.

The community champion who has the best lead over the Scouts during 2017/18 will win a £100 Amazon voucher (currently we can only offer Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com vouchers).

Gameweek 6’s champion The UnderGods tied with the Scouts on 73 points. The champion to beat remains Gregor, who achieved victory over the Scouts by a 33-point margin in Gameweek 5.