It’s all about second chances in the Gameweek 29 Scout Picks this weekend.
A number of options who let us down midweek have been given another opportunity to shine in our selection of the best XI for the upcoming round of fixtures.
We’ve reviewed the Scout Squad submissions made to us on Thursday and have come up with a 3-4-3 side well within our £83.5m budget.
Goalkeeper
Mat Ryan (£4.4m) was overwhelmingly backed as the best goalkeeper option for Gameweek 29 by our Scout Squad panel. All four of them selected the Brighton man in the number one slot ahead of Huddersfield’s visit to the Amex Stadium. The Terriers may be in good spirits off the back of Tuesday’s win over Wolves, but their away form is still fairly poor. In the last four road matches, Huddersfield are the only side not to have created a single big chance, while Brighton have clean sheets in two of their last four at home.
Defenders
David Luiz (£5.9m) was chosen by all four of our pundits, with Joe and Peter selecting him as the best option for Gameweek 29. On Sunday afternoon, Chelsea travel to a Fulham side no longer managed by Claudio Ranieri, now under the temporary control of caretaker manager Scott Parker. The Cottagers have now failed to score in three of their last four matches, and could even play a less expansive style of football in Parker’s first game in charge. Meanwhile, only Manchester City have conceded fewer shots in the box over the last four matches as Chelsea.
Despite the disappointment of the Gameweek 28 defeat Huddersfield, Matt Doherty (£5.4m) gets back into the Scout Picks once again. Two of our pundits, Neale and Az, actually chose the Wolves man as the best defensive option for Gameweek 29 with Cardiff coming to Molineux on Saturday afternoon. Only two teams have recorded fewer shots on target in the last four away matches as the Bluebirds, while Huddersfield are the only side with fewer big chances in such fixtures. Meanwhile, Neil Warnock’s men have conceded six times across their last three road trips, suggesting the possibility of more attacking returns for Doherty.
Tipped by three of our pundits, Luke Shaw (£5.1m) gets into the Scout Picks for Gameweek 29. Manchester United may have only kept one clean sheet at Old Trafford under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer so far but things are improving for them at the back. In the last four home matches, only Manchester City and Chelsea have conceded fewer goal attempts in the box as the Red Devils, who are joint-third best for big chances allowed in that set of fixtures. Meanwhile, Southampton are in the bottom five for big chances of their own across the last four away matches. Shaw was an attacking threat against Crystal Palace and Solskjaer said after the game he is keen for him to get forward more when he faces his former club this weekend.
Midfielders
Controversially, an executive decision has been taken to include Mohamed Salah (£13.5m) in the Gameweek 29 Scout Picks in the place of Sadio Mané, who was tipped by all four pundits. The Egyptian may have blanked four times in his last five matches, but we feel that a big score is coming from him soon, and is possibly more likely this weekend than one for Mané. Salah is ahead of his Senegalese colleague for goal attempts, shots on target and chances created in the last four Gameweeks, while he has more than double the number of touches in the penalty box. Everton look particularly vulnerable this week, allowing more shots in the box and big chances than any other side in the last six home matches.
Raheem Sterling (£11.4m) was practically the first name on the team sheet for the Gameweek 29 Scout Picks ahead of his trip to Bournemouth with Manchester City. The midfielder looks certain to start after a midweek benching and has scored in every Premier League match he has ever played against the Cherries. Eddie Howe’s men will be without key personnel in defence and midfield again while Sterling himself is averaging a shot every 27.3 minutes and a key pass every 31 minutes in the last four Gameweeks.
Captain poll winner Paul Pogba (£8.9m) was always going to earn a place in the Scout Picks this weekend. The Manchester United midfielder was namechecked by all four pundits in this week’s Scout Squad article, with Peter even selected him as the best option in this position. No player has more shots in the last four home matches as Pogba, who has blanked just once at Old Trafford since Solskjaer took over.
Harvey Barnes (£5.5m) is another player who gets another try at the Scout Picks despite a midweek blank. Nobody has had as many shots as the Leicester midfielder in the last four Gameweeks, with just one Fantasy option managing more in the penalty box too. Barnes has admittedly struggled with accuracy so far but a change in management and increasing regular game-time could help solve that issue away at Watford, who have the joint-second worst number of big chances conceded since Gameweek 25.
Forwards
We are expecting the Brendan Rodgers era to start with a bang at Watford as Jamie Vardy (£8.9m) gets the nod up front in the Scout Picks. He is certain to start for the Foxes and has been shooting with frightening regularity over the last four Gameweeks. In that time, he is averaging a chance every 27 minutes and, as we already mentioned, Watford’s defence is not looking too strong for Gameweek 29.
Raúl Jiménez (£6.9m) is another one of our second-chance heroes ahead of Cardiff’s trip to Molineux. In the four matches prior to the defeat at Huddersfield, the Mexican was top of the league for shots inside the penalty box, so one bad match doesn’t put us off him. We are backing Nuno Espirito Santo to get things back on track at home against Cardiff, who have conceded 1.8 goals per away match this season.
Despite a Gameweek 28 blank, Ashley Barnes (£5.7m) gets an upgrade from the bench to the starting XI of the Scout Picks. He was namechecked by three of our pundits and certainly looks the best of the options priced under £6.0m up front. The Burnley man is still second for shots on target over the last four Gameweeks and this week faces a Crystal Palace side that has conceded six goals in their last three away trips.
Substitutes
Shane Duffy (£4.7m) has an outside chance of a decent haul this week as Brighton host Huddersfield Town. We’ve already covered the Terriers problems in front of goals on their travels, but Duffy could also add some attacking threat too. The centre-back is still averaging a chance ever 30 minutes in the last four Gameweeks.
Earning votes from two Scout Squad pundits for Gameweek 29 was James Maddison (£6.6m) ahead of Leicester’s trip to Watford. The midfielder has created more chances than any other player in the last four Gameweeks.
Salomón Rondón (£5.9m) could be the latest forward to frustrate the West Ham defence in front of their own fans. The Hammers still have just two clean sheets at the London Stadium this season while no player has more shots inside the penalty box in the last four Gameweeks as Rondón.
The Community Champion feature will return in Gameweek 30.
