We move onto our fourth set of Scout Picks of the 2015/16 season this evening, before the first international break of the season is upon us. Favourable home fixtures for Liverpool and City sees us double-up at both ends of the pitch, whilst Chelsea and Arsenal’s big-hitting midfielders are backed to find their form against Palace and Newcastle.
For the start of the season, the budget for the Scout Picks and Community XI is capped at 82.5m, though this will be increased as the campaign progresses.
A home encounter with West Brom brings Jack Butland into this week’s starting XI. Given that the Baggies have scored just twice so far, the Stoke keeper could well be in line for a first clean sheet of the season, whilst a total of 11 stops in the last two fixtures suggests he’ll have save points to fall back on should the Potters concede.
City’s home clash with Watford brings the in-form Aleksandar Kolarov into our three-man backline. The Serbian is again set to retain the left-back berth after Gael Clichy was ruled out by injury, with last week’s 15-point haul reminding us of his explosive potential at both ends of the pitch.
Martin Skrtel is our Liverpool defender of choice for the visit of West Ham. The Slovakian’s propensity for earning bonus points – allied with his aerial threat in the box – could come to fruition, and with Diafra Sakho doubtful for the Hammers, Brendan Rodgers’ men will be optimistic of racking up a fourth successive shut-out.
Villa’s Micah Richards will be hoping for a second clean sheet of the season at home to Sunderland. On the previous occasion he kept out his opponents, the summer signing earned two bonus points, and with the Black Cats picking up just one point so far, Richards looks a decent shout at just 4.6.
With 12 attempts inside the box so far, Alexis Sanchez has been more than a little unlucky not to get amongst the goals. The Chilean also leads the way for touches inside the box (37) this term and travels to a Newcastle side that were joint-worst for home goals conceded in the previous campaign.
One look at the underlying stats shows Riyad Mahrez’ fine form is no fluke. The Algerian has fired more shots on target (six) than any midfielder and is second only to Sanchez for touches in the box (21) amongst midfield options. Having also created eight chances for his team-mates, Mahrez could be in the points yet again as Leicester visit a Bournemouth backline that’s handed their opponents six big chances so far – only three defences have been more porous.
We’re also backing Matt Ritchie for the Vitality Stadium showdown. Having stuck four past West Ham last week, there’s every chance that Eddie Howe’s men will breach a Leicester defence that’s yet to keep out their opponents, and Ritchie, with nine attempts on goal already, could soon be poised to open his account.
Eden Hazard comes in for Chelsea’s home clash with Palace tomorrow. Given that the visitors have managed two clean sheets in 21 league outings under Alan Pardew, the Blues will be confident of maintaining their momentum after last week’s three-goal haul at the Hawthorns, and we reckon the Belgian – who has spot-kick duties to heighten his appeal – could be the Eagles chief tormentor.
Runaway favourite in this week’s Captain Poll, Sergio Aguero looks primed to bring in the points at home to Watford. Granted, the Hornets have managed back-to-back shut-outs at home but shipped two in their only road trip so far away to Everton. Aguero’s average of 17.6 minutes per attempt is quicker than any regular striker and with David Silva pulling the strings in a central berth behind the Argentine, it could be a long afternoon for Quique Sanchez Flores’ men.
We’ve gone for Christian Benteke over Philippe Coutinho as our Liverpool attacker of choice. Although the Brazilian leads his team-mate for shots (15 to eight), Benteke is the clear front runner for big chances (three to one) and, having grabbed the winner in his only home appearance, could plunder the points against a West Ham side with six goals against in the last two matches.
Bournemouth’s hat-trick hero Callum Wilson also earns a place in our starting line-up. The 5.5-priced striker has registered more touches in the box (32) than any other striker and his pace and movement will surely cause plenty of problems for Robert Huth and co. tomorrow.
With John Terry serving a one-match suspension, we’re opting for Kurt Zouma as our bench defender for Chelsea’s home clash with Palace. Chelsea’s inability to keep out their opponents is a concern but given that they conceded just nine times at the Bridge last term, it seems only a matter of time before they rediscover their resilience.
Having grabbed a goal and assist in the last two matches, Nacer Chadli will be vital to Tottenham’s chances of picking up the points at home to Everton. With Christian Eriksen injured and Harry Kane showing no signs of form, the Belgian looks the man most likely to deliver at the Lane on Saturday evening.
Stoke’s Mame Biram Diouf welcomes West Brom to the Britannia on the back of consecutive strikes against Spurs and Norwich. At 6.5, the Senegal forward will fancy his chances against a Baggies backline that’s struggling to keep out their opponents right now and is rated fourth-worst for shots inside the box (29) conceded.
The Community Champion
Having scrapped the weekly vote idea from last season, we now operate a lottery system to pick our weekly candidates. 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.
Last week saw Patch beat us by a three-point margin, though Fuzzy Warbles still leads the way with a 12-point advantage gained in Gameweek 1.
This week’s champion is Limpar, who has opted for just four of this week’s Scout Picks:
McCarthy, Targett, Kolarov, Gomez, Sanchez, Sterling, Coutinho, Shelvey, Aguero, Benteke, Giroud
