With the international break finally behind us, our Friday evening attentions turn to the Gameweek 32 Scout Picks. We roll out a 4-4-2 formation this time around and double up on Arsenal, Leicester and West Ham as all three prepare for vital home encounters over the weekend’s ten fixtures.
A home clash with Palace affords West Ham a strong chance to extend their 12-match unbeaten run at Upton Park. With four clean sheets in the last five in front of their own fans, we’re bringing in Adrian between the posts.
With three assists in his last two appearances, Hector Bellerin is the in-form option as Arsenal entertain Watford. The Gunners will be desperate to avenge their FA Cup exit at the hands of Quique Sanchez Flores’ side, who have scored in just one of their last five roads trips.
Sunderland’s Patrick Van Aanholt gets the nod for a home encounter with West Brom. The Dutchman has found the net on five occasions already this term and faces a Baggies side that have scored just 11 times on their travels so far.
Christian Fuchs is our preferred Leicester defender for the visit of Southampton. The Foxes have conceded in just one of their last seven at the King Power and their left-back’s penchant for picking up bonus points has seen him average 4.7 points per appearance so far.
Chelsea’s trip to a doomed Villa outfit brings Branislav Ivanovic into our back-four. The Blues have kept a clean sheet in four of their last six away matches and the Serbian’s two goals and three assists since the departure of Jose Mourinho makes him the best bet for points at both ends of the pitch.
West Ham’s home match with Palace affords Dimitri Payet the platform to maintain his recent form. Having bagged points in four of the last five, the Frenchman notched a trademark free-kick over the international period and faces a defence without a clean sheet in their last 11 outings.
Mesut Ozil remains our Arsenal midfielder of choice as Watford make their way to the Emirates. Whilst Alexis Sanchez has hinted at a return to form, the German’s consistency is enough to earn the nod as Arsene Wenger’s men desperately try to keep their title bid alive against a defence with two shut-outs on their travels all season.
Whilst Jamie Vardy has struggled for form with a single goal in seven, Riyad Mahrez has stepped up in recent weeks. Having bagged the winner in two of Leicester’s last three matches, the Algerian looks the man most likely to take advantage of a Southampton defence without a clean sheet in their last five league outings.
Marko Arnautovic’s home comforts could come to fruition once again as Stoke play host to Swansea. The Austrian has netted seven of his last eight at the Britannia and faces a defence with just one away clean sheet to their name all season.
Up top, we’re keeping faith in Harry Kane for Tottenham’s trip to Liverpool. With five goals and an assist in his last four, the England international has been head and shoulders above any other striker in recent matches and he’ll fancy his chances against an unconvincing Reds rearguard with just two clean sheets in ten.
A trip to Bournemouth boosts Sergio Aguero’s chances of recovering from a run of four blanks in his last five appearances. The Argentine is level with Kane for efforts inside the box in his last four appearances, which bodes well when he faces a backline that’s conceded at least twice in three of their last four home fixtures.
Norwich’s Timm Klose makes the bench at home to a Newcastle side that have scored seven times on their travels all season. Priced at 4.2, the winter signing has served up two clean sheets and five bonus points in the last couple of Gameweeks.
With concerns still surrounding Roberto Firmino’s fitness, we turn to Philippe Coutinho for Liverpool’s home clash with Tottenham. The former Inter man has produced a goal and three assists in his last two league starts and has averaged 5.3 points per appearance so far – more than any team-mate.
Jermain Defoe looks to score for the third successive league appearance as Sunderland welcome West Brom to Wearside. With 12 goals to his name already this season, the veteran’s contribution looks vital if Big Sam’s side are to stave off the threat of relegation.
The Community Champions
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.
In addition to a shot at the £100 Amazon prize, FantasyBet are offering a chance for further prizes to Community Champions that are eligible to play their games. More details can be found here.
Red Devil leads the way after beating the Picks by 25 points in Gameweek 17.
Gameweek 31’s Community Champion Gawa 11 beat the Scout Picks by 74 points to 70.
The Gameweek 32 Community Champion is Van Dear Vaart. His selection is as follows: Courtois, Daniels, Azpilicueta, Fuchs, Sanchez, Sigurdsson, Arnautovic, Payet, Welbeck, Kane, Defoe.
