After a disastrous weekend of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) action, we’re starting to look ahead by putting together our Scout Picks ‘bus team’ for Gameweek 30.
In this early selection, we select a first draft of our regular picks. They will then be finalised and published much closer to next Saturday’s deadline.
Plenty can change between now and then, of course, with Scout Squad nominations, international fixtures and a whole host of press conferences still to come.
We are, as ever, limited by certain restrictions:
- An £83.0m budget for our starting XI
- An overall squad limit of £100.0m
- No more than three players per team
GAMEWEEK 30 FIXTURES
Above: The Gameweek 30 fixtures sorted by difficulty on our Season Ticker
THE LIKELY LADS
We could potentially overlook both Manchester City and Arsenal for their head-to-head at the Etihad, instead focusing on the numerous alternatives with very strong fixtures.
Chelsea (BUR) and Tottenham Hotspur (LUT) have far more favourable matches, for example, so there is a reasonable shout for double-ups on both sides.
Cole Palmer (£5.7m) is the man in form, having averaged 8.3 points per start over his last 10 appearances.
Malo Gusto (£4.2m) has produced assists in two of his last four outings, so might be worth consideration, too.
Chelsea are admittedly without a clean sheet since Gameweek 21 but Burnley’s on-loan striker David Datro Fofana (£5.0m) is ineligible for this one, boosting the Blues’ shut-out potential.
As for Spurs, they have a plum home fixture against a patched-up Luton side who have conceded 22 goals in their last eight Premier League games.
Son Heung-min (£10.1m) has bagged 22 attacking returns in 24 starts this season but competition is fierce in the Lilywhites midfield, with Richarlison (£6.9m) and James Maddison (£8.0m) very much in the running.
The Hatters’ fallibility at dead-ball situations should be of interest to the latter, plus Pedro Porro (£5.8m), who was back taking corners at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
The fact Luton have allowed more chances from their left flank than any other team over the last six Gameweeks is another factor behind Porro’s inclusion in the ‘bus team’.
Above: The areas Luton have conceded chances from over the last six Gameweeks
Elsewhere, Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) is surely a shoo-in.
The Egyptian made his second start in three days at Old Trafford on Sunday, netting Liverpool’s second, as he continues to build up his fitness following injury.
Having plundered 15 points in the reverse fixture against Brighton and Hove Albion back in Gameweek 8, it’s a perfect match-up, you’d think.
The Reds have the second-best defensive record in the division, meanwhile, so Virgil van Dijk (£6.5m), Andrew Robertson (£6.4m) and Conor Bradley (£4.1m) are worth consideration.
IN CONTENTION
On the subject of Liverpool, Darwin Nunez (£7.5m) is a real viable alternative to the forwards currently selected in our ‘bus team’.
The Uruguayan is third in his position for goal attempts over the season and has nine attacking returns in as many Premier League games. He has a very decent chance of gatecrashing the Gameweek 30 Scout Picks – if he’s fit.
Other forwards in the mix include Alexander Isak (£7.5m), Dominic Solanke (£7.2m), Ollie Watkins (£9.0m), Nicolas Jackson (£6.8m) and Rodrigo Muniz (£4.6m).
Aston Villa v Wolverhampton Wanderers in particular is an intriguing encounter.
Usually, you’d be content backing Watkins, Douglas Luiz (£5.7m) and Leon Bailey (£5.7m) on home turf, yet Unai Emery’s troops have now lost three of their last four at Villa Park, shipping 11 goals.
Given that record, plus the fact that set-pieces are an ongoing concern, Wolves’ Pablo Sarabia (£4.7m) could potentially stake a claim as a differential.
Elsewhere, Anthony Gordon’s (£6.1m) excellent home record (eight goals and six assists in 14 starts) means he will be in serious contention if fit, while a cheap enabler like Alejandro Garnacho (£4.9m) also merits attention, given Brentford’s defensive absentees.
Meanwhile, Murara Neto (£4.7m), Illia Zabarnyi (£4.5m), Bernd Leno (£4.8m) and Antonee Robinson (£4.5m) ought to be in the conversation at the back, with neither Everton or Sheffield United renowned for their goalscoring exploits.
THE LONG SHOTS
Nottingham Forest v Crystal Palace feels quite delicately balanced.
You wouldn’t be particularly surprised at any of the three possible result outcomes here, so the likes of Anthony Elanga (£5.1m), Morgan Gibbs-White (£5.7m), Chris Wood (£4.8m), Daniel Munoz (£4.5m), Eberechi Eze (£6.0m) and Jean Philippe-Mateta (£4.9m) all have their merits without being stand-out Scout Picks candidates.
Manchester United are bottom of the table for set-play attempts conceded over the last six Gameweeks, which will interest Ivan Toney (£8.2m) owners. But Bryan Mbeumo (£6.7m) is now a viable alternative at Brentford, having returned from three months out with an injury as a substitute on Saturday.
As for Kieran Trippier (£6.7m) and Jarrod Bowen (£8.0m), they are arguably down the priority list, too, largely due to the appeal of others in their position.
GAMEWEEK 30 SCOUT PICKS: BUS TEAM
