Leicester City, Liverpool and West Ham United are the three clubs with double-ups in the Gameweek 6 Scout Picks.
After Sam, Az, Neale and Tom submitted their Scout Squad selections earlier this week, we have chosen our best players ahead of Saturday’s deadline.
We line up in a 3-4-3 formation and come in at £82.9m, just inside our budget of £83.0m.
GOALKEEPER
Alex McCarthy (£4.5m) is our chosen goalkeeper ahead of Southampton’s home fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers in Gameweek 6. The Saints stopper is coming off the back of two straight clean sheets against West Ham and champions Manchester City, with the latter defensive display particularly impressive, as they restricted Pep Guardiola’s side to just 0.97 expected goals (xG). As for their opponents, Bruno Lage’s side have the worst shot-to-goal conversation rate in the league and failed to register a single attempt on target against Brentford last time out.
DEFENDERS
Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.6m) is averaging 8.5 points per match this term, more than any other defender. The England international missed Gameweek 5 through illness, but is set to return to the Reds’ backline at Brentford this weekend. Jurgen Klopp’s side have kept five clean sheets across their seven matches in all competitions in 2021/22, while Alexander-Arnold carries significant assist potential and despite missing a match, ranks first amongst all defenders for expected assists (xA).
Leicester City’s backline hasn’t really convinced for a while now, but given that no team has conceded more headed opportunities and set-piece chances than Burnley this season, we’re backing towering defender Jannik Vestergaard (£4.9m) to deliver. There is also some potential for a clean sheet, given that Sean Dyche’s side have only scored three Premier League goals in 2021/22.
With our expensive purchases further forward, budget option Shane Duffy (£4.3m) takes up the final spot in our backline. Over the opening five Gameweeks, the Irishman has produced 27 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points, a total which ranks ninth amongst all defenders, while his 29 clearances and 27 aerial duels won are both league-leading totals. Opponents Crystal Palace are playing with more attacking verve under Patrick Vieira, but Brighton have started well and these types of derby matches can be cagey affairs.
MIDFIELDERS
Following his 12-point haul in Gameweek 5, it’s now four Premier League goals and three assists for Mohamed Salah (£12.6m) this season. His 22 goal attempts, 19 shots in the box and three big chances created all rank among the top three players, while his 10 points per match average is unmatched. Following their midweek EFL Cup win, Liverpool have now scored three goals in four successive matches in all competitions, and while Brentford have served up some good defensive displays in 2021/22, they are yet to face an attack anywhere near as potent as this Reds’ side.
Leeds United are without a clean sheet to their name this season, and could be four centre-halves down by the time West Ham come calling. Tomas Soucek (£5.9m) was under serious consideration due to his aerial threat, but in the end, we opted for teammate Said Benrahma (£6.5m). The Algerian was a bit fortuitous to get his deflected goal against Manchester United, but will head into this one brimming with confidence having already registered five attacking returns this season.
Against Norwich City in Gameweek 5, Ismaila Sarr (£6.1m) was particularly impressive, netting two goals, maximum bonus and a whopping four big chances. The Senegalese winger was a constant threat down Watford’s right, and now takes on a shaky Newcastle United backline that has conceded 13 goals and 17 big chances this season, and also ranks bottom for expected goals conceded (xGC)
Given that two of Watford’s strikes came from deliveries from the right last weekend, Andros Townsend (£5.4m) could be in for a big haul against Norwich this week. The Canaries have conceded 14 goals across their opening five Premier League matches, while Townsend has impressed since his summer move, providing three attacking returns and sitting top amongst team-mates for xA.
FORWARDS
Since his return to Old Trafford last month, Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.7m) has scored an impressive four goals in three appearances in all competitions. His 13 Premier League goal attempts, 12 shots in the box, five big chances and 3.24 expected goals (xG) are all league-leading totals since Gameweek 4, while this weekend’s opponents, Aston Villa, have been inconsistent so far. The Villans notoriously struggle against Man Utd, and despite improvements since switching to a 3-5-2 formation, the Portuguese’ movement and clever positioning could make it another difficult trip for Dean Smith’s side.
Leicester City have had a challenging start to the season, losing three of their opening five Premier League matches, but that hasn’t stopped Jamie Vardy (£10.4m) from producing. The Foxes no. 9 has scored three goals and provided an assist so far, and as a result, is the second top-scoring forward on 29 FPL points. Next up is a favourable home fixture against Burnley, with Sean Dyche’s side still searching for their first win and importantly for Vardy, are without a clean sheet in 2021/22.
Michail Antonio (£7.9m) has scored five goals in as many matches in all competitions this season, and despite missing Gameweek 5 through suspension, is still well clear at the top of the FPL forwards’ points table. He is first among players in his position for goals scored, attempts, shots in the box, efforts on target, big chances and penalty box touches, and will fancy his chances against Leeds United this weekend, for the reasons outlined above. It’s also worth noting that Marcelo Bielsa’s troops have given up a massive 32 chances from the centre of the pitch so far this season, more than any other side.
THE CAPTAIN
We choose the Scout Picks captain using a four-way vote between our Scout Squad pundits.
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.
BobMcMayday, who triumphed 74-68 in Gameweek 4, has set the target to beat.
Our champion this week is Pirlo’s Pen, who has gone for a 3-4-3 of: Schmeichel, Alonso, Robertson, Pereira, Townsend, Mane, Bowen, Fornals,
Vardy, Antonio (c), Rondon.
The Scout Picks are 4-1 up on the community this season.
