The Scout Squad – Gameweek 18

Our brains trust of Fantasy Football Scout regulars and Career Hall of Famer Peter Kouwenberg are showing precious little signs of fatigue as they select their third Scout Squad in a week.

Nor are they ducking some interesting decisions, with two Everton strikers making it into Peter’s picks and universal love being shown for Arsenal duo Alexandre Lacazette and Sead Kolasinac.

Man City taking on Spurs has meant some big-name stars don’t even make many a long list, which in turn opens up the way for Leicester City’s in-form midfielder Riyad Mahrez to pretty much walk into the Scouts’ final XI come the weekend.

We’ll be back tomorrow to reveal who else makes the cut. In the meantime, here are the choices, and the reasons behind them, as we brace ourselves for the second last Gameweek before Christmas comes a-calling.

Paul Says…

I’m backing Everton and Leicester City to maintain their recent improvement at home to Swansea City and Crystal Palace respectively – the pair offer options at both ends of the pitch in my squad.

Arsenal assets also feature.

Benched in the midweek draw at West Ham, Kolasinac and Lacazette look set to be unleashed at home to Newcastle on Saturday.

Both look very viable captain choices in my opinion.

Over his last four matches, Lacazette has registered more big chances (six) than any player and is also number one for expected goals in our members’ area. No player has netted more goals than the Frenchman’s six in front of his own fans.

Kolasinac, meanwhile, has 58 points in eight home appearances – that’s 7.25 points per outing at the Emirates.

I’m backing both sides for Saturday’s evening clash at the Etihad.

Kevin De Bruyne’s recent rise in the midfield standings is no fluke. Over his last four, the City playmaker has created more chances (16) than any player and is ranked joint-top for efforts on target, along with Harry Kane, on eight apiece.

For me, Kane has to keep his place – Pep Guardiola’s side have one clean sheet in five at home, conceding against the likes of Stoke, Southampton and West Ham over that run.

Elsewhere, I reckon that Man United will return to the 3-4-2-1 formation that served up seven goals and back-to-back victories in their previous two away matches. With that in mind, Jesse Lingard could prove a snip at just 5.9 – he produced 12 and 15 points in those wins at Watford and Arsenal.

Both Marko Arnautovic and Gylfi Sigurdsson have favourable fixtures against their former clubs, but with Wayne Rooney already on board for Everton, I’m turning to the out-of-position Austrian instead.

Shifted up front by David Moyes, he’s produced seven shots, with five in the box, in the last two Gameweeks – including the winner against Chelsea.

Up against the league’s most porous defence, his return to the bet365 looks ominous for the Potters.

Jonty Says…

Everton continue to impress under Sam Allardyce and earn three nominations from me this week as they face an unimpressive Swansea side that, over their last four away days, has failed to keep a clean sheet and could only muster two goals.

Wayne Rooney, whose 32-year-old frame has surprised us all by knocking in nine goals already this season, looks the pick of the mid-price striker options in Gameweek 18. I’ve also added Jonjoe Kenny and Jordan Pickford to my list as they’ve helped the Toffees earn three clean sheets in their last four league run-outs.

Barring injury and benching, Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah are not only shoo-ins for selection, they are also arguably the two best captaincy picks when they square up to Southampton and Bournemouth respectively.

The Saints were trounced 4-1 by Leicester in midweek, while the Cherries last earned a shut-out in Gameweek 13, and that was against a Swansea attack that even I, as a coughing, wheezy middle-aged man, could keep at bay.

There looks to be a wealth of clean sheet possibilities this week, which makes me think a four-man back line may be required.

Arsenal’s Kolasinac was rested against West Ham midweek and should be in fine fettle to keep a travelling Newcastle side quiet. Leicester’s Harry Maguire, who earned an assist and two bonus points against Southampton, looks another strong shut-out prospect when Crystal Palace drop by.

I’ve also included Watford’s Heurelho Gomes as a clean sheet candidate when Huddersfield visit, while Brighton’s Shane Duffy earns a nod for Burnley’s visit. The Terriers last scored on the road in Gameweek 1 and the Clarets have only scored three over their last four trips.

Up front, the options look thin this Gameweek.

I’d like to see one of Arsenal’s Lacazette or Liverpool striker Robert Firmino joining Rooney up front.

I’ve also put forward the rotation-prone City forward Gabriel Jesus and Leicester’s Jamie Vardy for consideration, although in both cases I prefer the form of their respective team-mates David Silva and Riyad Mahrez.

The Spaniard has scored an impressive four goals in his last three, while the Algerian maestro has handed his owners attacking returns in each of his last four run-outs.

Peter Says…

With many of the game’s most expensive players facing off in Saturday’s evening match between champions-elect Manchester City and Spurs, I’ve gone for mainly mid-price players this week.

I’m pretty happy with the defensive and midfield choices overall, but felt there were slim pickings up front.

Focusing on the bottom three clubs, Swansea look dead and buried, and a resurgent Everton side will surely exploit that at Goodison on Monday night.

I understand that Kenny may well prove a popular Scout pick, but since Mason Holgate exited my own team before week 14 he has played every minute for the Toffees and kept three clean sheets, so I’m acknowledging my error by choosing him today, alongside two in-form strikers in Rooney and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

To be fair to the visitors, Swansea are one of the tightest sides away from home, but surely they must show a little more attacking intent if they have any hope of escaping the drop to the Championship.

In stark contrast, West Ham’s recent performances will have given their fans plenty of optimism and with Stoke leaking more goals than any other side over the last four Gameweeks, I think Michail Antonio could be the man to take advantage of that fragile defence.

Comeback kings Crystal Palace complete the bottom three, and while they have also shown signs of life recently, they are yet to score away from home and are far from watertight with the talismanic Mamadou Sakho ruled out.

So Leicester, in the form of Maguire and Mahrez, should have more than enough for the Eagles.

Phil Jones was back among the bonus points on his Man United return while Romelu Lukaku rediscovered where the goal was against Bournemouth. Both should continue to flourish away at the Baggies.

The Cherries continue their difficult run with a visit to Anfield, and I’m torn between the explosive and fresh Philippe Coutinho and the consistent but fatigued Salah to join Roberto Firmino in my side – team news whispers could play a big part in that decision.

Finally, Arsenal and Chelsea are obvious choices with enticing home fixtures, so I draw five of my selections from those two sides.

Alvaro Morata would undoubtedly make it six (despite poor recent form) were we to receive positive news on his chances of making an appearance prior to the final cut.

Mark Says…

Still celebrating the success of convincing Jonty to back down and allow Trent Alexander-Arnold into the Picks, I’m pushing my luck with the nomination of Daryl Janmaat. But with six shots from his two starts – more than any other Watford player – I know that he scratches Jonty’s itch for goal threat statistics.

If he makes it, he surely helps form a Picks back four. The options in attack are so scarce, we look set to be forced into a 4-4-2 or even a 4-5-1 come Friday.

If we opt for a pairing, then Lacazette and Vardy get my vote.

I expect the Frenchman to return to the Arsenal starting line-up against as struggling Newcastle defence – with returns in six of his eight home matches, he could push double figures.

Lacazette offers a differential captain pick, along with Vardy for Leicester against Palace. With Sakho ruled out, I just can’t see Roy Hodgson’s defence standing up to a confident Leicester attack and while Mahrez is a certainty for Friday’s XI, I feel that it could be Vardy to return the biggest profit.

In midfield, I’m being somewhat controversial by sticking with Raheem Sterling over the “sexy” Silva option.

Home form is key here. Sterling has started the last seven, but I don’t think a clash with Spurs will be the time for Guardiola to end that run. Quite simply, while Silva has dazzled in recent matches, his home form just doesn’t compare to Sterling’s – both in terms of basic goal returns (5 vs 2) and the underlying statistics.

The Community Champion

Representing the community against the Scout Picks in Gameweek 17 will be veteran Powell, who is in his 12th FPL season and has finished in the top 5,000 twice.

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 17’s champion Hodar beat the Scouts 61-58. The champion to beat remains Gregor, who achieved victory over the Scouts by a 33-point margin in Gameweek 5.