The Gameweek 27 Scout Picks is built on a mid-price forward line and a powerful double-up on Liverpool’s attack.
There are some favourable match-ups for the cheaper strikers this weekend, while West Ham’s visit to Anfield could produce a hatful of Fantasy Premier League points.
After deliberating over the Scout Squad submissions from David, Neale, Paul and Geoff, we have picked our best XI for Gameweek 27.
We line up in the 3-4-3 formation this time, coming in at £83.5m, £1.5m under our budget of £85.0m.
Goalkeeper
Five of Sheffield United’s nine clean sheets this season have come at Bramall Lane, which is why we’ve chosen Dean Henderson (£5.1m) for the Scout Picks. Over their last six away matches, upcoming opponents Brighton are in the bottom five for their goal conversion rate.
Defenders
You have to go back to Gameweek 15 for the last time Liverpool conceded at home while West Ham are the joint second-worst side for big chances over the last four matches. A clean sheet looks likely for Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.7m), who himself has not blanked in an outing he started since Gameweek 13.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£5.3m) makes it into the Scout Picks after three of our pundits chose him in their squad submissions. Liverpool (seven) are the only team with more clean sheets than Manchester United (four) since Gameweek 20 while the right-back has made some improvements to his attacking potential recently. Over the last four matches, none of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s players has created more chances than Wan-Bissaka.
Willy Boly (£4.7m) gets into the Scout Picks on the back of some impressive defending from Wolves of late. Over the last four matches, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have conceded the second-fewest number of big chances, while upcoming opponents Norwich are still comfortably bottom of the Premier League for away goals this season, scoring just six times in 13 road trips.
Midfielders
Mohamed Salah (£12.8m) looks set for a potentially big haul in Gameweek 27 as West Ham come to Anfield. Over the last four matches, the Hammers are joint-bottom of the league for shots allowed, in the bottom five for big chances conceded and nobody has a worse expected goals conceded (xGC) score. Salah himself is second in the division for shots in the box and no player has created more big chances than him.
Sadio Mané (£12.2m) benefits from that same defence this weekend so we are expecting great things from him too. In light of Ryan Fredericks’ recent shoulder injury, Liverpool’s left-winger should be up against veteran right-back Pablo Zabaleta, which could allow him space to exploit. Furthermore, West Ham looked vulnerable to set pieces against Manchester City and Mané is second only to Richarlison for headed attempts on goal among midfielders this season.
Fresh from scoring against Chelsea and Club Brugge this week, Anthony Martial (£7.9m) gets into the Scout Picks for the visit of Watford to Old Trafford. Manchester United’s centre-forward has scored three league goals in his last four home matches and will be boosted by the added creativity of new signing Bruno Fernandes. Meanwhile, Watford have conceded an average of two goals per game since Gameweek 24.
Jack Grealish (£6.7m) continues to be a reliable source of points despite Aston Villa’s recent struggles on the road. The midfielder has recorded two double-digit hauls in his last three away matches and, in his last four, only two players have created more chances than Grealish. Meanwhile, recent defensive improvements for Southampton have dried up as, since Gameweek 23, they have conceded 12 big chances, only three Premier League sides giving up more in that time.
Forwards
Raúl Jiménez (£7.8m) has four attacking returns in his last four home matches ahead of the visit of Norwich to Molineux this weekend. In his last four Premier League outings, the Wolves man is just one shot in the box behind Salah, while no player in the division has been afforded more big chances than him.
Danny Ings (£7.1m) is now just two goals behind Jamie Vardy in the hunt for the Premier League Golden Boot award and faces an out-of-sorts Aston Villa defence this weekend. Over their last four matches, Dean Smith’s men are inside the bottom five for shots conceded in the box while no side has allowed more big chances in that time.
Only two teams have conceded more big chances in their last four matches than Arsenal, which bodes well for Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.2m). The Everton forward is joint-top of the Premier League for big chances of his own over his last four and has three goals in the Toffees last four away matches.
Substitutes
Only West Ham and Norwich have scored more away goals than Bournemouth this season, which bodes well for Nick Pope (£4.7m), especially as Burnley have the joint-highest number of home clean sheets this season (six).
Patrick van Aanholt (£5.5m) faces a Newcastle side inside the league’s bottom two for shots on goal, big chances and shots on target in 2020 this weekend. Meanwhile, the left-back has been involved in set piece situations for Crystal Palace recently, a perennial weakness for the Magpies.
Charlie Taylor (£4.2m) is a cheaper route into that Burnley defence as it prepares to host a struggling Bournemouth side.
Stuart Armstrong (£5.2m) is another option for doubling-up on the Southampton attack as he has more shots on target than any of his colleagues over the last four, and two goals in in that time.
The Captain
The Scout Picks has a captain for the 2019/20 campaign.
This skipper is chosen using the conclusions of the latest Captain Sensible article and a four-way vote between David, Neale, Paul and Geoff.
Because the use of Fantasy Football Scout data is used so heavily in this process, the captain we choose each Gameweek is usually known only to those who have signed up to Membership for the 2019/20 season and revealed to the public only when the deadline has passed.
Here’s how we voted:
COMMUNITY CHAMPION
Representing the community against the Scout Picks in Gameweek 25 is ringwraith.
They have gone for a 3-5-2 of Dúbravka; Baldock, van Dijk, Robertson; Fraser, Alli, B Fernandes, Martial, Salah (c); D Jota, Aubameyang.
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.
Haggis was thoroughly beaten in Gameweek 26 as the Scout Picks emerged with a 65-35 victory.
Community Champion gwitbrock beat our Scout Picks 86-63 in Gameweek 25 and as a result, their winning margin of 23 points is now the target to beat.
