The Manchester clubs form the spine of our Scout Picks selection for Gameweek 13.
No fewer than five of their players make the final cut, this week chosen by Scout Squad pundits David, Neale, Tom and Andy.
It is a return to the traditional 3-4-3 formation this time out, with the team coming in at £82.8m, £0.2m inside our budget of £83.0m.
Goalkeeper
Clean sheets, saves and bonus; Alex McCarthy (£4.6m) has it all this season. Capable of delivering any combination of the above against any opponent, a trip to Arsenal is certainly a favourable fixture these days. The Gunners have scored two Premier League goals since October 17, blanking on six occasions in that run.
Defenders
Manchester City have now kept four clean sheets in their last six Premier League matches, Liverpool the only visiting team to score at the Etihad Stadium since October. Ruben Dias (£5.6m) has been a big part of that success, starting the last nine league outings in a row, completing 90 minutes in eight of them. The centre-back has a favourable fixture in Gameweek 13 as West Bromwich Albion travel north with the third-worst scoring record in the division so far (nine goals).
Sheffield United’s woeful performances in front of goal make some investment in Manchester United’s defence sensible for Gameweek 13. Harry Maguire (£5.4m) is our chosen representative against his former club as he stands a good chance of returns at both ends of the pitch. Across the course of the whole season, no team has given up more headed attempts than the Blades.
Reece James (£5.3m) has been outperforming defensive colleague Ben Chilwell recently, registering more key passes and shots than the left-back over the last four matches. That makes James the standout option from Chelsea’s defence for Gameweek 13, especially considering his price. Meanwhile, Wolves are yet to score during a match in which Raúl Jiménez did not start this season.
Midfielders
Mohamed Salah (£12.3m) manages a place in the Scout Picks despite the tricky visit of Spurs on account of the match taking place at Anfield. In all home matches this season, the Egyptian sits joint-second in the whole league for shots in the box, big chances and shots on target. Those underlying statistics have produced five goals, two assists and only blank from a possible five.
Kevin De Bruyne (£11.9m) looks a must-have option for Gameweek 13 when West Bromwich Albion come to the Etihad Stadium. Not only have the Baggies conceded more goals than any other side this season but, over the last four Gameweeks, De Bruyne has also created more big chances than any midfielder. And, over the same period, Manchester City’s penalty taker ranks top among his colleagues for shots on goal.
Bruno Fernandes (£11.0m) is another important piece for the Gameweek 13 puzzle. The Manchester United man is still yet to blank in an away match this season, double-figure hauling in each one he’s started too. Sheffield United remain the only Premier League team without a clean sheet in 2020/21 and, since Gameweek 9, no team has conceded more goal attempts from set plays than the Blades.
Ademola Lookman (£5.0m) is finally proving his value this season, adding his third attacking return in four matches against Liverpool. During that period he has created more big chances than any other Fulham player, sitting second for big chances of his own too. Gameweek 13 pits Lookman against a Brighton defence that concedes an average of 1.8 goals per away game this season.
Forwards
With West Bromwich Albion visiting Manchester City, it is difficult not to double-up on their attack. Gabriel Jesus (£9.3m) gets the nod, largely on account of his chances of starting but also because he has delivered in two of his three home appearances this season and, in the last four matches, sits behind only De Bruyne for shots in the box among his colleagues.
Home matches might not necessarily be Patrick Bamford‘s (£6.3m) speciality in 2020/21 but he looks set for a favourable match-up on Wednesday evening. Newcastle currently sit second-worst for conceding chances through the middle on the road this season, particularly ominous considering they have played one fewer away match than most of the division so far.
Only Liverpool have fashioned more big chances in home matches this season than Aston Villa, made all the more impressive by the fact that they have turned out at Villa Park only five times thus far. Ollie Watkins (£6.1m) is our chosen representative for the visit of Burnley, mainly for budgetary reasons but also because he sits joint-top among Villa players for big chances over the last four.
Substitutes
Fresh from a double-figure haul at Wolves, Emiliano Martínez (£4.8m) has a good chance of more returns in Gameweek 13. Burnley average 0.7 goals per away game this season.
Crystal Palace may have hit West Bromwich Albion for five in their last away match but that was the first time they had found the net on the road in four attempts. Vladimir Coufal (£4.6m) could benefit as a result, currently top among West Ham defenders for key passes since Gameweek 9.
Matt Targett (£4.5m) is a cheaper alternative to Martínez ahead of Burnley’s trip to Villa Park.
Fulham’s penalty taker, makeshift centre-forward and out-of-position FPL midfielder Ivan Cavaleiro (£5.3m) creeps onto the Scout Picks’ bench for Gameweek 13. Across the last four matches, only one Premier League player has registered more shots on target than the former Wolves man.
THE CAPTAIN
We choose the Scout Picks captain using a four-way vote between our Scout Squad pundits.
Because the use of Fantasy Football Scout data is used so heavily in this process, the skipper we choose each Gameweek is known only to those with a valid Fantasy Football Scout subscription and revealed to the public only when the deadline has passed.
Here’s how we voted for Gameweek 13:
THE COMMUNITY CHAMPION
Each week, one of the Fantasy Football Scout community takes on the Scout Picks by pitting their chosen XI against ours.
The Community Member who beats our team by the largest margin will win a £100 Amazon Voucher and a place in our Moderators and Contributors League for the following season.
Ccgway secured victory over the Scout Picks in Gameweek 12, winning by a 61-54 score-line and pulling one back for the community champions, who trail the editorial team 7-5 this season.
Legomané takes us on for Gameweek 13, whose team will be revealed in due course.
AA33 is the current leader, defeating the Scout Picks by a 53-point margin in Gameweek 2.
