Next up in our weekly schedule, we turn our attentions to this weekend’s upcoming fixtures and roll out some early insight into our Scout Picks thinking for the Gameweek ahead.
Boiling the contenders down to a standard squad of 22, we also assess those names in contention for a place in our Spot the Differential article.
Here’s the cast currently under consideration for Gameweek 36.
Goalkeepers
Clean sheets look devilishly difficult to predict, with many of the bankable defences facing away trips.
Watford are a standout given their home fixture with relegated Aston Villa and, as such, we’re likely to turn to the telescopic talents of Heurelho Gomes in this week’s Picks. The Hornets stopper (5.0) ranks top among all goalkeepers for total score (152), bonus points (14) and saves (115), rendering him a strong pick as he prepares to host a dismal Villa outfit that has failed to score in their last trio of road trips.
Despite hosting champions elect Leicester, we’re also keen to back Manchester United’s rearguard as the best home defence in the league. David De Gea (5.9) provides the most suitable solution given Chris Smalling’s price tag and the promise of save points against the title-chasing Foxes.
Defenders
There’s no question that Arsenal offer us the optimum route for a shut-out given their Emirates fixture with struggling Norwich. With that in mind, Hector Bellerin’s (6.5) attacking raids down the right are a shoo-in.
Beyond this, our Scout Picks selection is far from easy.
Three clean sheets in the last four outings highlights the defensive improvement that’s helped Sunderland move out of the drop zone. Even before his Gameweek 37 double, then, this makes Patrick van Aanholt (4.7) a standout option. Up against a Stoke side with a single goal in three, the Dutchman mustered three attempts against Arsenal last time out and charts joint-top among all defenders for goals (five) this term.
Liverpool’s Europa League campaign ensures rotation is a major threat and has us overlook the majority of their attacking assets. In defence, we have Dejan Lovren (4.8), who appears to offer a semblance of security given Mamadou Sakho’s suspension. We’re going with the Croatian for the Reds’ trip to Swansea – the Welsh side were poor at Leicester on Sunday and have just a single goal to their name over the last three.
Elsewhere, we’re scratching around and being forced to take risks on assets facing tricky away fixtures.
Toby Alderweireld (6.4) would normally offer a standout path into Tottenham’s defence, but given Chelsea’s newfound attacking freedom and the fact that Spurs may well have already lost the title by Monday night, his selection is far from straightforward.
We round off our defence with the selection of West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell (5.7) for the trip to West Brom and Leicester’s ever-dependable Christian Fuchs (5.2).
Both could offer attacking returns, although in Cresswell’s case he could well sneak into the Picks by virtue of the Baggies miserable recent record of just two goals scored over their last six.
Midfield
We’ll start by saying as little as possible on Alexis Sanchez (11.1). Given his form and the home tie with Norwich City, we scarcely have to justify his selection in the Squad or indeed Friday’s final Picks.
Similarly, with Jamie Vardy suspended again for Leicester’s trip to United, we have to look to Riyad Mahrez (7.3) as the inspirational factor in Leicester’s Old Trafford tie. Little more needs to be said on the Algerian’s talents to justify his Picks selection.
We certainly have to justify Eden Hazard’s (10.8) selection, however.
Whilst it’s easy to feel sentimental about his return to the Scout Picks, based on his showing at Bournemouth, he’s included on merit. The Belgian netted a brace at Dean Court, propelling him back onto the radar following a prolonged spell in the wilderness. Although a visit from Spurs promises to present a stern challenge, an in-form Hazard harbours the potential to punish a side reeling in the wake of a demoralising draw against the Baggies.
Hazard seems unlikely to make the cut for the final XI but we’re willing him to produce on Monday evening so that he can be truly held up as a potentially explosive differential for the Gameweek 37 double.
Boasting two goals and a pair of assists in five starts, Newcastle’s Andros Townsend (5.7) seems more likely to edge his way into our final Picks. The Toon’s new bag of tricks has emerged as a viable way to capitalise on a resurgent attack that’s scored nine goals in five match-ups. After salvaging a draw at Anfield last weekend, the home tie against Crystal Palace is a must-win and we’re more than wary that Alan Pardew’s outfit may already have one eye on next month’s FA Cup final.
Following a trio of successive heavy defeats, Stoke City will endeavour to restore some pride when Sunderland roll up at the Britannia Stadium. Given that seven of Marko Arnautovic’s last eight goals arrived on home soil, the 6.3-priced midfielder is likely to be at the forefront of a spirited response.
Dimitri Payet (8.4) hands us a dilemma ahead of his Hawthorns trip. The Frenchman remains pivotal to all things good produced by the Hammers, although we’re currently being drawn to Andy Carroll as an option up front and unsure on whether we can afford to load up with a second West Ham attacker.
Bournemouth’s Joshua King (4.3) rounds off our current thinking in midfield – a super enabler given his record of four goals in seven appearances. He will doubtless trouble a demoralised and shaky Everton rearguard at Goodison.
Forwards
Inevitably, we have to keep faith with Sergio Aguero (13.6) and Harry Kane (10.4) by virtue of their form and pedigree. We have doubts on both given City’s Champions League ambitions and the chance that Kane may well have the stuffing knocked out of his game should Leicester triumph at Old Trafford.
As mentioned, we’re leaning towards Andy Carroll (6.4) as a genuine Picks option. The big striker has been a revelation since a goal scoring cameo against Chelsea in Gameweek 31, notching six times in five appearances. Ahead of a trip to the Hawthorns, Carroll spearheads a confident Hammers attack that amassed nine goals in their previous quartet of away clashes.
Like Carroll, Jermain Defoe (5.2) will come alive as an option over the Gameweek 37 doubles but also warrants early attention as Sunderland visit a Stoke side that has surrendered four goals in each of the last three Gameweeks. Defoe has bagged three goals in six starts and is unquestionably the preferred route into a Black Cats attack that is driven to notch goals for survival.
Although Watford have struggled on the attacking front of late – managing just six goals since Gameweek 24 – a home match-up against Aston Villa could act as the perfect antidote. To that end, we’re giving Troy Deeney (5.2) a slight edge over Odion Ighalo (5.5) as we look for signs of form ahead of double Gameweek 37. Over the last six Gameweeks, Deeney has played more minutes than the Nigerian and has registered double the number of goal attempts (eight vs four), all of which arrived from inside the opposition box.
We’re currently opting for Daniel Sturridge (10.1) as a route into the Liverpool attack at Swansea. Even if he’s restricted to minutes from the bench, we feel he has the form to flourish against a Swans defence that shipped seven goals in their previous two fixtures.
Finally, and somewhat reluctantly, we’re keeping tabs on Romelu Lukaku (8.7) despite miserable form. We know from experience that the Belgian can explode points and, given that Bournemouth have now shipped 16 goals in their last six league outings, it’s difficult to overlook him totally.
On Standby
Scouring the market for any potential hidden gems in this round of fixtures, there are numerous talents that court our intention.
In the budget bracket, Marcus Rashford and Alex Iwobi (both 4.6) retain their appeal as enablers. The former has strengthened his grip on a starting berth with two goals in five outings, while the latter ranks joint-top among Arsenal’s midfielders for shots inside the box (four) across their last two fixtures.
Raising the budget slightly, Yannick Bolasie (6.0), Moussa Sissoko (5.6) and Wahbi Khazri (5.7) are all worthy of a mention. Bolasie netted in his last two starts across all competitions, while Sissoko notched attacking returns (one goal and an assist) in two of his previous three as the pair go head-to-head at St James’. As for Khazri, the Tunisian playmaker possesses a shot frequency (one every 41.5 minutes) that far outstrips any other Sunderland midfielder and could benefit from Stoke’s dire defence.
Roberto Firmino (8.2) has four goals and three assists in his last eight starts ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Swansea. Concerns over rotation still render the Brazilian a slight risk, though he has started each of the last four league fixtures.
Christian Eriksen (8.6) earned points in each of his past five appearances (one goal, five assists), and places third among his counterparts for attempts (13) and key passes (15) across his previous four starts.
Diego Costa (10.5) has eight goals and four assists in 12 appearances under Guus Hiddink ahead of Monday’s match with Spurs. Elsewhere, Papiss Cisse (6.2) is the Magpies’ favoured lone striker under Rafa Benitez and, having netted at Anfield last time out, will fancy his chances against the Eagles’ shaky rearguard.
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.
Red Devil leads the way after beating the Picks by 25 points in Gameweek 17.
Gameweek 35’s Community Champion Mark-o-Pirlo defeated the Scout Picks 56 to 46.
Our resident Double Gameweek guru Balders has been selected by lottery to represent the community as champion in Gameweek 36. This is his fourth season, with last year’s 5832 finish his highest.
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.
