The Scout Picks Selection Committee is at full-strength once again with Granville back on board this week. There are some obvious contenders to take our fancy, with Spurs and Man City playing significant parts in our first XI- their home clashes against Bolton and Norwich respectively looking particularly appetising:
Subject of our Watchlist article earlier this morning, Paul Robinson makes his way in between the posts. Swansea’s away form proved crucial to our decision- with two points and four points on the road and with Danny Graham a major doubt, Brendan Rodgers’ side may struggle, giving Rovers the perfect opportunity to record their first clean sheet of the campaign.
A home clash with a post-Europa League Stoke City brings Leighton Baines leaping and bounding into the Scout Picks. Tony Pulis’ side have lost every away game after their European adventures this season and with Baines, and Everton, finally producing form, the left-back is a nailed-on certainty, with the Potters clash offering plenty potential on Sunday afternoon at Goodison.
Man City may have a crucial Champions League game next Wednesday but, going by Roberto Mancini’s previous European lineups, there’s a good chance Micah Richards won’t be taking part, leaving him free to line up against Norwich tomorrow. Mancini has selected the right-back just once in Europe this season, with Pablo Zabaleta the preferred choice for the bigger stage. Richards’ rampaging runs down the right have seen him bag 5 assists already this season and offers a strong prospect of points at both ends of the pitch against the Canaries.
It was a close call between Kyle Walker and Benoit Assou-Ekotto for the final defensive slot. In the end, the former won us over with his attack-minded performances more liable to produce Fantasy returns than his fellow Spurs full-back. With Aaron Lennon’s speed posing Paul Robinson all sort of problems, Walker will be afforded plenty chances to bomb forward down the Tottenham right flank and add to the Trotters’ woes.
Refreshed from serving his one-match suspension at Stamford Bridge last weekend, Jamie O’Hara will be welcomed back to the Wolves fold ahead of the home clash with manager-less Sunderland. The midfielder has been shifted further forward of late with Mick McCarthy opting for a 4-5-1 and has produced the goods, scoring in both his last home league games- three points are crucial on Sunday and O’Hara will be key to the host side’s chances.
Gareth Bale makes the picks once again, despite Rafael Van der Vaart’s recovery from a hamstring strain. Claims of inconsistency are being quelled by the week, as the Welshman continues to produce the points with a far greater regularity that ever before. Bale has returned double figures in four of his twelve appearances already this term, and the signs look good for the Bolton clash.
We picked Theo Walcott for last week’s Differentials and were awarded with a 7 point return, so this time round we’re giving him a promotion to the Picks. The Gunners winger earns his place for a recent run of returns that has seen him either score or assist in each of his last four fixtures. The wheels could come off at any point but while the bandwagon’s rolling, we’re jumping on all the way to the DW Stadium tomorrow afternoon.
The threat of rest and rotation hangs over plenty of Man City’s player this weekend, with the aforementioned game against Bayern on Wednesday looming large. Nevertheless, we cannot overlook their attacking talents for this one and David Silva gets the nod with tomorrow’s game against Norwich in mind. The top-scoring Fantasy midfielder this season, Silva’s had six days to recover from the previous league game and with another four days till the Bayern game, we reckon he’ll start at the Etihad tomorrow.
A brace in each of his last two games sums up the sort of form Emmanuel Adebayor is in right now. The on-loan forward is revelling in his role as the focal point of a vibrant Tottenham attack that is scoring goals aplenty since his arrival- Owen Coyle will be bracing himself for a repeat performance as ‘Arry’s boys go for their tenth win in eleven.
He may have drawn a rare blank last week but it’ll take more than that to stop us calling up Robin Van Persie. First name down on the team sheet pretty much every week right now, he’ll be pitting his wits against Victor Moses and co, as the Gunners make their way to Wigan and Van Persie, with 5 goals in his last couple of away games, is looking like a strong favourite for the armband once again.
Sergio Aguero gets the nod for our final place. When available, Aguero has started all but one of Man City’s home games this season- a second half sub appearance in the opener against Wigan has been the only exception. With Edin Dzeko playing the full ninety minutes in the Carling Cup clash at Arsenal in midweek, Aguero’s chances of a start look increasingly more likely and against a porous Norwich defence that have yet to record a single clean sheet, he looks a good bet to continue the form that has seen him return 6 goals, 4 assists and 9 bonus points in his five home games this season.
