The Scout Squad panel return to offer their long-list of candidates to be considered for our regular Scout Picks selection on Friday afternoon.

The 72 nominations will be narrowed down to a squad of 15 (with the starting XI not exceeding £83m and no club represented by more than three players) ahead of the later-than-usual Gameweek 10 deadline at 14:00 BST on Saturday.

Our three FFS regulars – Az, Joe and Paul – are joined again this week by Peter Kouwenberg, who has three top 500 finishes to his name.

The clued-up quartet explain their noteworthy squad selections and omissions in the article below.

Liverpool assets are well-represented as expected, with Andrew Robertson and Mohamed Salah being the only two names this week that the panel unanimously nominated.

Az has backed Manchester City to flourish in their match against Spurs at Wembley, while Paul is lumping on Southampton players ahead of the visit of Newcastle United.

Joe and Peter are jumping on Arsenal’s form with the Gunners up against a Crystal Palace side who are yet to score at home this season.

Most popular picks: Andrew Robertson, Mohamed Salah (four), Alisson, Mathew Ryan, Ben Foster, Shane Duffy, Eden Hazard, James Maddison, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Marko Arnautovic, Jamie Vardy (three)

Paul said…

The availability of Eden Hazard (currently nursing a back injury) will play a big part in determining our likely XI for Gameweek 10.

I feel that picking Spurs or Man City players seems an unnecessary risk for their head-to-head at Wembley, though there’s no shortage of popular, form options in the mid-price bracket right across the positions.

Among the differential candidates, Cedric Soares and Abdoulaye Doucoure could be worth considering.

The Southampton right-back’s all-round style of play is well-suited to the Bonus Points System (BPS) and he has earned maximum bonus in each of the last two occasions his side have claimed a clean sheet – including last weekend’s goalless draw at Bournemouth.

Indeed, Cedric’s total of six bonus is equal to the rest of the Saints defence and goalkeeper combined.

His visitors Newcastle have blanked in three of their last four Gameweeks and have conceded almost double the number of chances (14 to eight) down their left flank in that period.

That points to a successful day for the Saints’ right-back, whose nine successful crosses has been bettered by just five other defenders.

Doucoure has stepped up his form ahead of a home match with Huddersfield.

The Hornets’ midfielder delivered his season-high haul of 11 points at Wolves last time out and has now matched last term’s total of four assists.

Over the last four Gameweeks, he is Watford’s leading player for both shots and chances created, with eight and seven respectively.

Huddersfield arrive at Vicarage Road having failed to keep a clean sheet on their travels, conceding 11 away goals – only Fulham (15) have allowed more.

Joe said…

A home tie against relegation contenders Cardiff City sees Liverpool assets dominate my thinking.

Captain Poll front-runner Mohamed Salah is my top midfield choice – his 15 shots at home is top among his team-mates and he looks likely to add to his three Anfield strikes when Neil Warnock’s troops drop by.

I fancy a Reds defensive double up to also prosper, after seeing how my fellow Scoutcaster Luke has so successfully adopted this tactic. With no goals conceded at home in the league this season, I think selecting both Andy Robertson and Alisson will prove savvy.

Arsenal’s impressive rout of Leicester City on Monday has seen me also triple up on Gunners assets. They travel to a Crystal Palace side that has yet to score at Selhurst Park and has conceded five times.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s back-to-back braces in two substitute appearances earn him a spot in my picks. Arsenal’s chief creator Mesut Ozil earns my vote too and Hector Bellerin’s rampaging runs down the wing, coupled with that awful Palace home record, could see him net returns at both ends of the pitch.

Elsewhere, Bournemouth attacking coverage looks essential against a Fulham side with the worst defensive record of any Premier League side at this stage of a season. Josh King gets my vote with spot-kick duties, two goals and the most close-range shots (eight) of any of his team-mates over the last four Gameweeks.

Watford also look a strong source of points when Huddersfield drop by. Hornets top scorer Roberto Pereyra appears to be the best of their attacking options, with four goals already this campaign. Meanwhile, defender Jose Holebas looks exceptional value at £4.8m, given he has racked up four assists and two double-digit FPL points hauls.

Az said…

Liverpool’s front three get the nod in my Scout Squad, despite them all being a little bit off-form. However, it’s hard to see Cardiff City offering too much resistance at Anfield. So these three, plus Andrew Robertson and Alisson in my picks show just how one-sided I think this game will be. Liverpool will be (and rightly so) frustrated with their display against Huddersfield and they were actually lucky to win the game. They need a good result against Cardiff, and I think they will get a comfortable win here.

There are some unfamiliar faces in my squad selection this week. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gets top spot after scoring four times from the bench in two weeks. It will be interesting to see whether he plays in Europe, but I’d be amazed if he wasn’t let off the leash against Palace, who are pretty woeful at the moment.

Ross Barkley also comes into the match against Burnley with form, having scored the equaliser against Manchester United following a goal and an assist against Southampton. With Eden Hazard’s dodgy back meaning he is a slight doubt, it will be interesting to see if Maurizio Sarri shuffles the deck and I think Barkley could be a decent punt this week.

Roberto Pereyra as well, after a run of blanks, got a goal against Wolves and I think he is likely to register more attacking returns against Huddersfield, who are yet to win this season.

Elsewhere, I’ve gone for Antonio Rudiger over Marcos Alonso to save some funds and for a player who is registering better attacking returns.

Shane Duffy, with two clean sheets in as many games, is looking a real threat in the box too.

I also like the “OOP” prospects of Ricardo Pereira, although his early substitution against Arsenal is a bit of a cause for concern. He did score a wonderful goal the week before, though, so I’m hoping he can build on that rather than fade into obscurity. With his run of fixtures, he could provide a great option at £5.1m.

Marko Arnautovic is one that I am really hoping gets going soon rather than later, having brought him into my own team two weeks ago. His stats are amazing, and despite Aleksandar Mitrovic ticking over with an assist last week and a good-looking game against Bournemouth, I think this is the time that Arnautovic will shine. The fact that I’ve gone for him and Jamie Vardy shows that I think this game will have goals in it – which doesn’t bode too well for my solitary playing goalkeeper, Lukasz Fabianski.

Peter said…

Liverpool welcome Cardiff City to Anfield in the stand-out fixture of the week. Having not conceded a goal at home since February and with some rotation and injury doubts even before Wednesday’s Champions League fixture, I’m hoping that Liverpool’s Alisson, Andrew Robertson and Mohamed Salah represent “safe” selections. The Reds have only conceded two big chances at Anfield this season, although four other teams match or better their record of two goals scored per home game.

One of those sides is Bournemouth, who let me down last week in their stalemate with Southampton. The Cherries have been less prolific on their travels than at the Vitality Stadium, but this week drop in at the away striker’s favourite ground: Craven Cottage.

Surprisingly, both Manchester United and Arsenal have conceded more big chances and shots on target at home than the Lillywhites, but crucially Fulham are already in double figures for goals conceded after just four games. There have, however, been goals at both ends so I think Ryan Fraser, Josh King and Aleksandar Mitrovic will all play a part in a thriller.

A trip to Wembley would be a daunting prospect for most teams, but Manchester City are in imperious form at the moment and a well-rested Sergio Aguero has had more attempts (19) and big chances (five) than any other striker in the last four matches.

I’m even prepared to double up with a Citizen who is (notionally) a defender as Benjamin Mendy joins my selections, despite the fact that he will be directly opposed to Kieran Trippier, whose own offensive statistics are arguably stronger.

I struggle with my Arsenal choices at the best of times, let alone when the league’s most in-form striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (five goals in his last four matches) has had to emerge from the bench to bag his goals and when Hector Bellerin can go from zero to hero in the space of 90 minutes by recording an own-goal and then claiming two assists and a bonus point. Mesut Ozil, with three double-figure hauls in his last four games, probably should have been on my radar sooner, but I’m never entirely sure who will start for the Gunners.

In any event, all three some in for what I hope won’t be an exercise in chasing last week’s points, particularly as hosts, Crystal Palace remain without a goal in four games at Selhurst Park, conceding five in the process.

The Community Champion

This week’s champion is fclackless, who has enjoyed eight green arrows in a row and sits at an impressive 195th in the world after Gameweek 9.

The community champion who has the best lead over the Scouts during 2018/19 will win a £100 Amazon voucher (currently we can only offer Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com vouchers).

Last week’s champion, FPL Mountaineer, lost out to our Scout Picks 50-39 with his line-up of Fabianski (2); Walker (0), Robertson (8), Doherty (1); Ozil (12), Walcott (3), Sterling (0), Salah (8); Lacazette (2), Ings (2), Wilson (1).

Eden Wizard’s Gameweek 2 victory over the Scout Squad crew by a score of 77-68 remains the deficit to beat.

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