Scout Picks – Gameweek 15

The festive schedule takes us into Gameweek 15 of this season’s Scout Picks this evening, 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. Once again, we’ve kept the budgets at 83.5 apiece for our starting line-ups.

The Community – Managed by Kurren

I’ve opted for Brad Guzan because Aston Villa have been fairly resilient at the back and, against Leicester, he’s a good budget pick for a clean sheet. Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic has a great chance of a shut-out and could be due attacking returns, after failing to deliver on his potent threat in recent Gameweeks. QPR’s Steven Caulker is up against goal shy Burnley and is always a goal threat, as is Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel who entertains a struggling Sunderland.

Skrtel’s team-mate Raheem Sterling should also do well as Liverpool continue to improve following their recent slump in form. Gylfi Sigurdssson is at the heart of Swansea’s attacking play and should prosper against an average West Ham side. Meanwhile, Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez’ form is hard to overlook as is Eden Hazard, who I predict will break his away goal drought this week.

Sergio Aguero needs no explanation, he is quite simply essential. Charlie Austin’s home form is superb and he should score against a weak Burnley side. Completing my frontline is Harry Kane, now seemingly free of the risk of rotation and very much the focal point of Tottenham’s attack.

Jonty

With just three goals in the last six matches Leicester look primed to offer Aston Villa’s Brad Guzan a clean sheet, while Chelsea’s Cesar Azpilicueta gives my defence strong bonus potential in a back line that has conceded the fewest shots on goal in the last six matches. According to my Attacking defenders Members table, QPR’s Steven Caulker and Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel are among the most in-form defenders in terms of goal threat. Good home ties add to their appeal this week.

Six goals in the last six Gameweeks provides Alexis Sanchez with a ticket back into my picks, after foolishly ignoring him in midweek. With Diego Costa back from suspension there is a chance for Cesc Fabregas to add to his 10 assists already this season. Another in-form midfielder is Christian Eriksen, with two goals in the last four Gameweeks. Completing my midfield is the old-stager Steven Gerrard- rejuvenated after being benched in Gameweek 13, he returned on Tuesday with a goal and two bonus points. He looks eager to prove his doubters wrong and I fancy him to be in the points once again this week.

Up front, Sergio Aguero is at the top of the goal attempt and goals scored charts. I also dropped him last week, a mistake I will not repeat again. With five goals at home already, Charlie Austin is another shoo-in for me. Harry Kane may be just 5.0 but in the last four Gameweeks he has matched in-form Wilfried Bony for goal attempts and is at the end of Tottenham’s attacking play. An easy home tie (on paper) should ensure he rewards my selection with a handsome point haul.

Mark

The defence was a real issue for me this week: there just wasn’t any assured clean sheets on offer and, with both Chelsea and Everton likely to concede, I couldn’t back my usual double act of Leighton Baines and Branislav Ivanovic. Take the Southampton backline out of the equation and with doubts over Arsenal’s resilience at Stoke with Laurent Koscielny struggling, and suddenly I was scraping the proverbial barrel.

That’s pretty obvious when you consider that I’ve offered spots to Hull’s Michael Dawson and Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen – both forgotten men and spent forces in Fantasy terms, but I think they’ll deliver points this weekend. I gambled on Aaron Cresswell alongside them, simply because I don’t rate Swansea’s goal threat away from home and West Ham have demonstrated resilience in the past few weeks. Cresswell also has the delivery from wide to seek out Andy Carroll bonce.

Up front, the twin pairing of Sergio Aguero and Diego Costa pick themselves. Aguero is a fixture in the Scout Picks and has to remain so, while Costa, for me, is still the most effective cover of Chelsea’s attacking threat. With money spent here, Harry Kane balances things nicely. Spurs are against a Palace side without a clean sheet in eight so I see a positive result for Mauricio Pochettino’s men and that should mean points for the influential Kane and Christian Eriksen in midfield.

The Dane takes one of my four slots in the middle of the park, then, with Stewart Downing and Alexis Sanchez also in the mix. Downing’s set-plays and service will be key to a Hammers win over Swansea while Sanchez, like Aguero, just picks himself. I’m wary of Arsene Wenger’s words on the Chilean needing a rest but I just don’t see it at the Britannia. The midweek trip to Galatasaray or even Gameweek 16’s Emirates meeting with Newcastle would seem a more likely window for parking Sanchez.

Leroy Fer claims the final spot in my midfield, simply because I’ve neglected the Charlie Austin option and I feel that QPR will continue to go for the throat at Loftus Road. A game of goals looks on the cards with Burnley so, if you can’t find a place for Austin, Fer is an option with his regular raids beyond the strikers.

Paul

Two goals conceded in the last four bodes well for Villa’s Brad Guzan against a Leicester side that has struggled on their travels. West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell has three clean sheets, a goal and an assist in his last four at home and faces a Swansea side that have scored twice in their previous four road trips. Chelsea’s increasing resilience earns both Branislav Ivanovic and Cesar Azpilicueta a place for the lunchtime trip to Newcastle. Granted, the Blues are without Nemanja Matic but Jose Mourinho is canny enough to earn a fifth consecutive clean sheet against a side that has managed just 40 attempts in their last four – the second lowest tally in the league.

In midfield, big hitters Alexis Sanchez and Eden Hazard have the form to flourish against Stoke and Newcastle and cement their spots as the top two midfielders in the FPL game. Stewart Downing’s creativity looks key to the Hammers’ prospects of unlocking the Swansea defence, whilst Christian Eriksen – with two goals in his last three – looks set to take advantage of Palace’s porous backline.

Sergio Aguero is an obvious call as City start to find their goal scoring form ahead of Everton’s visit, whilst both Charlie Austin and Harry Kane offer excellent options in the budget bracket against Burnley and Palace. Austin has thrived at Loftus Road in recent outings, with four goals and two assists in his last four at home and although Kane has yet to score in the league at home, Palace’s run of a single shut-out in ten bodes well for his weekend chances.

The Scores So Far

Mark ran out the winner in Gameweek 14 after serving up 63 points. I took second spot with 58 points, whilst The Community – as managed by Jarvis – clinched third ahead of Jonty by 49 points to 34. This means that as we head towards the fifteenth round of fixtures, just four points separate Mark (825), myself (822) and Jonty (821), with The Community currently taking fourth spot on 708 points.