Fantasy Premier League managers should be filling their squads with as many players with two fixtures as possible in Double Gameweek 32.
That’s the strategy that has guided our approach to the Scout Picks XI for this weekend.
After deliberating over the Scout Squad submissions from Paul, Joe, Az and Peter earlier in the week, we have produced what we believe to be the best possible XI for Double Gameweek 32.
This time around we are lining up in the 4-3-3 formation and are within £0.1m of the £83.5m budget.
Goalkeeper
Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster (£4.6m) gets the nod for the Scout Picks for Double Gameweek 32. He was tipped by all four of our Scout Squad pundits ahead of a trip to Manchester United and a home match against basement boys Fulham. While the Hornets have conceded the third-worst number of shots in the box over the last four matches, Foster has been racking up the save points. Of the goalkeepers with two fixtures in Double Gameweek 32, only Sergio Rico has made more saves, while nobody has produced more stops from efforts outside the box as Foster.
Defenders
An injury to Serge Aurier has opened the door for Kieran Trippier (£6.0m) to play both of Spurs’ Double Gameweek 32 matches, at Liverpool and at home to Crystal Palace at the brand new Tottenham Hotspur stadium. No defender with two matches in this expanded round of action has created more chances in their last four matches as Trippier, who was included in all four Scout Squad submissions.
David Luiz (£5.9m) is our chosen representative from the Chelsea defence in Double Gameweek 32. There was more clamour for Cesar Azpilicueta from our Scout Squad, with three of our pundits selecting him as the best option, but we’ve gone with the Brazilian to save some money. Also, over the last six matches, Luiz has created the same number of chances as Azpilicueta but registered four times as many shots in the box. A Chelsea clean sheet is a decent possibility in Double Gameweek 32, hence the interest in their defence. Cardiff have the second lowest goal conversion rate over the last four matches while Brighton are joint-bottom of the league for big chances in that time.
As Manchester City come into Double Gameweek 32 with strong clean potential it makes sense for the third slot of any triple-up on their assets to include a defender, especially as the line-up is easier to call in that area of the team. Aymeric Laporte (£5.9m) was the only one mentioned by the Scout Squad, as the most nailed-on of Pep Guardiola’s centre-backs, so we’ve selected him for the Scout Picks. The defending champions are currently top of the league for fewest shots allowed in the box over the last four matches and are joint best for fewest big chances conceded. We’ve already covered Cardiff’s goal conversion rate, while Fulham are joint-bottom of the league for shots inside the box over the last four matches.
Jeffrey Schlupp (£4.5m) is the most exciting of the budget defenders this week, hence why he was backed by all four of our Scout Squad pundits. A home match against Huddersfield does represent a great chance for a clean sheet while second opponents Spurs have the lowest goal conversion in the league over the last four matches. The crucial advantage of Schlupp is the fact that he has been largely operating out-of-position in central midfield for Crystal Palace, and with Wilfried Zaha currently a doubt, he could even play on the left flank of an attacking front three against the Terriers – the stuff of FPL dreams.
Midfielders
Raheem Sterling (£11.6m) is the standout midfield option for Double Gameweek 32, earning the top spot in each and every Scout Squad submission. Nobody in this position has managed more shots on target in the last four matches than Sterling, who faces a truly sensational pair of fixtures over the next few days. Up first is a trip to Fulham, who boast the worst defence in the league season having shipped 64 goals, before Cardiff come to the Emirates Stadium. Neil Warnock’s men sit in the bottom three for big chances allowed over the last four matches.
Eden Hazard (£10.9m) also gets to play against that poor Cardiff defence before hosting a Brighton side that typically does not travel well. The Belgian racked up a whopping 33 points across the two games against these opponents the last time he played them and, unlike some of the Manchester City options in this position, is pretty nailed on to play in both Double Gameweek 32 matches.
Paul Pogba (£8.9m) completes our three-man midfield after being picked as the third-best in this position by three Scout Squad pundits. He may have experienced a dip in form recently but as holding midfield options return to the side he should have a more free role against Watford and Wolves. As already mentioned, the Hornets have given up plenty of chances inside the box of late, and may not be at full strength if they are putting all their focus on the FA Cup semi-final next weekend. That might be the same with Manchester United’s second opponents of Double Gameweek 32 as Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo also has previous when it comes to rotating his side before Cup action.
Forwards
Having won the captain poll and been selected as the best forward option by all Scout Scout pundits, it was an inclusion for Sergio Aguero (£11.8m) in the Scout Picks this weekend. Only one striker has managed more shots on target in the last four matches as the Manchester City man who, like Sterling, faces two incredible fixtures. We actually think that Aguero is more likely to start both outings than his colleague considering his extensive usage by Guardiola over the last eight Gameweeks, while Gabriel Jesus has been largely deployed more in the cup competitions. Furthermore, the Argentinian had the international break to rest while his Brazilian colleague played in both friendlies for his country.
Tipped by three of our four Scout Squad pundits, Raúl Jiménez (£6.8m) looks he could be the best of the budget forwards in Double Gameweek 32. Yes, there is some concern over Wolves rotation in the lead-up to the FA Cup semi-final but the last time Nuno tweaked things for the quarter-finals he largely made changes to the midfield and defence. The Portuguese manager does not really have any recognised strikers outside of his starting pair Jiménez and Jota. The Mexican international is fourth among forwards with two fixtures in Double Gameweek 32 for shots in the box over the last four matches, a run which includes Wolves’ ultra-defensive performance against Chelsea in Gameweek 30. Against Burnley and Manchester United, Jiménez should have more opportunities and with that should come more attacking returns.
Michy Batshuayi (£6.5m) was also tipped by three of our Scout Squad pundits ahead of matches against Huddersfield and Spurs. The Terriers are in the bottom three for shots allowed in the box over the last six away matches, while Tottenham rank inside the bottom four for big chances conceded in the last four matches. Batshuayi himself has had the same number of accurate efforts as Jiménez over his last four outings but has two more total goal attempts than him.
Substitutes
Ashley Young (£5.7m) will have to make do with a place on the bench after he could not fit into the side for budgetary reasons. Since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over from Jose Mourinho, the right-back has averaged a key pass every 52 minutes, the same as Pogba. With Watford and Wolves potentially not at full strength because of the upcoming FA Cup semi-final, clean sheets are not out of the question either.
Gerard Deulofeu (£5.7m) certainly looks like he will deliver attacking points in one of his Double Gameweek matches as he has attacking returns in three of his last four outings. Of midfielders with two fixtures over the next few days, only Sterling and Riyad Mahrez have more shots on target – but we suspect that Deulofeu will fall foul of some rotation ahead of that FA Cup semi-final.
We would have loved to include Marcus Rashford (£7.6m) in the final XI of the Scout Picks with Manchester United’s fixtures looking strong. However, with yellow flags on the Red Devils’ players largely unclarified this week amid news about Solskjaer taking on the manager’s job full-time, there is too much risk surrounding the England international – so we’ve put him on the bench instead.
Community Champion
Representing the community against the Scout Picks in Double Gameweek 32 is Hotdogs for Tea. They have opted for a bold 5-3-2 formation of: Ederson; Lindelof, Azpilicueta, Tomkins, Luiz, Kolasinac; Sterling, Pogba, Pedro; Kane, Aguero.
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.
fclackless‘s winning margin of 33 points (77-44) in Gameweek 10 is still the current target to beat.
