After dabbling with a four-man backline last time around, we return to a 3-4-3 formation for this week’s Scout Picks. Liverpool, Man City and Tottenham supply us with a couple of players apiece, whilst we also place our faith in Leicester and Arsenal’s recent hat-trick heroes for Gameweek 16.
Having earned a sixth clean sheet in eight appearances after keeping out Man City last weekend, we hand Jack Butland the spot between the posts as Stoke roll up to West Ham. The Potters have conceded in just one of their last five road trips and with Slaven Bilic’s side devoid of their first-choice front four, another shut out could be on the cards for the visitors.
Rested for Liverpool’s trip to Sion last night, Alberto Moreno will be fully refreshed as the Reds welcome West Brom to Anfield on Sunday. The Spaniard earned nine points in his previous home appearance and his raids down the left will torment a Baggies side that has scored just four times on their travels so far.
Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld entertains a Newcastle outfit that have notched only three goals away from home – less than any other side. The Belgian is joint-top amongst defenders for attempts inside the box (ten) and has climbed to second in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) defender standings on the back of two goals and a pair of assists.
Aleksandar Kolarov comes into contention for City’s plum home clash with Swansea. The Serbian sits top amongst defenders for shots (nine) and efforts on target (five) in the last four Gameweeks and has chipped in with a goal and assist over that period. He’ll fancy his chances of a clean sheet tomorrow, bearing in kind that the visitors have failed to score in four of the last five league matches.
Kevin de Bruyne gets the nod for City’s home encounter with a struggling Swansea outfit that’s registered a single clean sheet in 11 Gameweeks. The Belgian’s security of pitch time is key here, as is his consistency at home – De Bruyne has produced three double-figure hauls in six Etihad appearances and blanked just once in front of his own fans.
Having returned to first-team action with a 30-minute run-out off the bench against Sion last night, Philippe Coutinho looks poised to be handed a start for Liverpool’s home clash with the Baggies. The Brazilian has served up double-figure hauls in each of his last three league appearances and his contribution looks key if the Reds are to breach a defence that’s conceded just five times on their travels.
Three goals in the last four Gameweeks earns Yannick Bolasie a place in our midfield as Palace welcome Southampton to Selhurst Park. With Wilfried Zaha back in contention this week, we reckon Bolasie will reprise the central support role that saw him rack up 15 points in the Eagles’ previous home match. Considering that the Saints have just two clean sheets in 10, the DR Congo international could be a real differential with just 5% ownership.
We cannot leave Riyad Mahrez out of the Scout Picks after the Algerian’s three-goal demolition of Swansea last weekend. Whilst Jamie Vardy has been slightly more consistent than his team-mate, the Algerian’s explosive potential earns him a spot for a tricky home encounter with Chelsea – he’s racked up seven double-figure hauls in 14 appearances, compared to Vardy’s two in 15 league outings.
A home clash with Newcastle affords Harry Kane the chance to return to form. The Spurs frontman has blanked in each of the last two against Chelsea and West Brom but should find the Magpies defence far more obliging, given that they’ve conceded 14 times in their last four road trips.
We’re backing Romelu Lukaku to get amongst the points once again as Everton make their way to Norwich. The big Belgian has notched in each of the last five Gameweeks and faces a defence that’s kept out their opponents just once all season.
Arsenal’s midweek hero Olivier Giroud grabs the final place in our three-man frontline for the visit Villa Park. The Frenchman’s hat-trick against Olympiacos highlights the form that’s seen him score in five of the last seven Gameweeks, whilst Villa’s defensive record – eight goals conceded in the last three – suggests Arsene Wenger’s men should have plenty of chances to find the net.
Sunderland’s Patrick van Aanholt warms the bench for tomorrow’s home encounter with Watford. The left-back’s attacking potential has earned him a goal and assist in four appearances under Big Sam, whilst the Black Cats have three clean sheets in seven since their new manager was appointed.
We’ve opted for Aaron Ramsey’s eye for goal over the consistent Mesut Ozil as Arsenal roll up to Villa Park. The Welshman fired seven attempts against Sunderland last weekend and bagged a goal and assist in the 3-1 win, underlining just why he prefers a central midfield berth.
Jamie Vardy makes the bench for Leicester’s home encounter with Chelsea on Monday evening. Having scored or assisted in all but one of the first 15 Gameweeks, the Foxes frontman still looks a strong shout to get amongst the points as Claudio Ranieri’s men attempt to maintain their record of scoring in every league match so far.
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.
Gameweek 15’s community champion Jose’s Magic Omelette narrowly lost to the Scout Picks by 37 points to 38. Massive stays in the lead to claim the £100 Amazon voucher, then, after beating us by 16 points in Gameweek 6.
Gameweek 16’s Community Champion as selected by our lottery, is Shaktimaan. His starting XI is as follows: Gomes, Koscielny, Moreno, Rose; Sterling, Mata, Mahrez, Coutinho; Lukaku, Kane, Giroud.
