The Scout Squad are back to name their Fantasy Premier League (FPL) picks for Gameweek 30.

In this feature, our resident writers – Marc, Tom, Sam and Neale – get the chance to nominate an 18-man longlist for the upcoming Gameweek.

All four panelists explain their notable inclusions and omissions in the article below.

MORE ABOUT THE SCOUT SQUAD

The focus is only on the upcoming Gameweek with the Scout Squad, so there’s no medium-term planning involved.

The players who get the most votes are much more likely to make the Scout Picks, although the final XI can’t exceed £83.0m. Occasionally, therefore, cheaper alternatives have to be found.

Each of our writers must meet the following requirements for this feature:

• At least one sub-£5.0m goalkeeper
• At least one sub-£5.0m defender
• At least one sub-£6.0m midfielder
• At least one sub-£7.0m forward
• No more than three players from the same club

SCOUT SQUAD: BEST FPL PLAYERS FOR GAMEWEEK 30

Most popular picks: Bernd Leno, Pedro Porro, Malo Gusto, Antonee Robinson, Son Heung-min, Mohamed Salah, Cole Palmer, Ollie Watkins, Rodrigo Muniz (four), Murara Neto, Conor Bradley, Anthony Gordon, James Maddison, Dominic Solanke, Nicolas Jackson, Erling Haaland (three)

SAM SAID…

There might not have been any Premier League matches over the last fortnight but we have certainly learned a lot about the clubs to target in the coming weeks.

When it comes to the picks for this week in isolation, there are three standout matches to target: Spurs v Luton, Chelsea v Burnley and Liverpool v Brighton. My picks will triple up on those three clubs – quite honestly, I wish the rules here were like in FPL Challenge and I could have five from each club!

Bernd Leno was the only goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in the nightmare that was Blank Gameweek 29 and he faces a Sheffield United side who have scored just 24 goals this season, the fewest in the Premier League. Leno also has the benefit of regularly returning save points: his 108 saves this season is the third-best amongst goalkeepers, resulting in 23 save points this campaign. Leno has also registered 13 bonus points this season; only Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez has more.

Dean Henderson has only made eight starts this season but with Sam Johnson needing surgery, he is likely to be between the sticks for Palace for the remainder of the campaign.

The final goalkeeping slot goes to Jordan Pickford, whose tally of eight clean sheets this season is only bettered by David Raya at Arsenal. With things tight at the bottom of the Premier League, Everton will see a win and a clean sheet away at Bournemouth as important in moving them further away from the drop zone.

In defence, Pedro Porro has a chance to make up for the disappointment he handed to many managers in Gameweek 29 with a home fixture against Luton Town. The Hatters have conceded more goals away from home this season than any other team, which also exlains the double up on the Spurs midfield later, but also why Porro looks the best defensive pick from the Lilywhites because of his attacking threat and shared set piece responsibilities.

Alongside him, Antonee Robinson and Malo Gusto both have the potential for a clean sheet as well as boasting decent underlying attacking numbers. And with Trent Alexander-Arnold not expected back until April, Conor Bradley gets the nod. The defender has shown his goal and assist threat this season and against a struggling Brighton side, could be a great differential this week.

Finally, Joachim Andersen, a great pick this week for managers who are Wildcarding and don’t have a Free Hit intact because of the double in Gameweek 34. He, like Henderson, also has a nice fixture this weekend against Nottingham Forest. I

It’s so nice to be able to slot Mohamed Salah back in my Scout Squad picks again. The midfielder has been sorely missed over AFCON and then again while on the injury list; I have the feeling that his name will be copied and pasted for me every week until the end of the season. Salah has been directly involved in 14 goals in 13 Premier League appearances against Brighton, scoring eight of them and providing six assists, including a brace in the reverse of this fixture back in October.

Here come the Spurs double-up of Son Heung-min and James Maddison. Luton’s defensive issues, as well as the Lilywhites’ desire to make amends for the 3-0 defeat to Fulham last time out, makes these two essential picks in my mind.

Cole Palmer is the best value-for-money player in the game, is on penalties and has a fantastic fixture at home to Burnley – he could be the best differential captaincy option this weekend.

Finally, Anthony Gordon v Alejandro Garnacho was a real toss-up this week. I’ve plumped for Gordon in the end as it is a home fixture, and he has only failed to return once at St James’ Park this season.

Up top, it’s going to be a huge game up in Manchester on Sunday afternoon. But in the biggest games, the biggest players often shine, so Erling Haaland leads the forwards. Alongside him, Ollie Watkins has an attractive home derby fixture against Wolves. Many are selling the forward ahead of the run Villa have after Gameweek 30 but for me he remains a great pick.

Rodrigo Muniz both hurt and impressed me in Gameweek 29. He was the highest points scorer in the Gameweek, was sitting on my FPL bench and was responsible for Spurs dropping three all-important points. Muniz faces a Sheffield United side who are averaging exactly three goals conceded per match on their own soil.

Nicolas Jackson is definitely a punt but the fixture and underlying stats are good. Jackson has delivered 19 points in his last three matches and since returning to the Chelsea starting XI in Gameweek 24, his six shots in the box and five shots on target both team-leading totals.

Finally, Dominic Solanke. The forward has shown a little dip in form but in a home fixture, he is always a good option, while Andoni Iraola’s words on Thursday were great to hear on the fitness front.

MARC SAID…

Firstly, having missed the last couple, I’m happy to be back on Scout Squad duties. I also enjoyed the two-week break that allowed us Free Hit Gameweek 29 managers to briefly escape the game for recovery purposes, although the Double Gameweek 34 announcement certainly re-energised our community as we enter the final stretch of 2023/24.

The big Manchester City v Arsenal clash frees up space elsewhere, as I’ve only gone for Erling Haaland, meaning there’s a triple-up on three London sides who are against the newly promoted crew.

Cole Palmer loves facing this trio, as each of his three meetings has ended with a huge double-digit haul (at an average rate of 14.67 points). Chelsea’s penalty-taker is a leading captaincy contender and I’ve also chosen attacking team-mate Nicolas Jackson, having seen him bag three goals in his last four domestic matches. At home to Burnley, I expect success for both him and defender Malo Gusto. The right-back has recovered from illness and – even if Reece James is hinting at a recovery – it’s unlikely to be from the start.

Neighbours Fulham get to visit Sheffield United, whose latest three home games have ended in 5-0, 5-0 and 6-0 defeats. Combine that with Rodrigo Muniz’s form – seven goals in seven outings – and it’s easy to back the bargain forward. I think another clean sheet for Bernd Leno and Antonee Robinson is coming, which unfortunately returns me to the dark memories of Gameweek 29.

The Cottagers beat Spurs 3-0, where Son Heung-min, James Maddison and Pedro Porro all blanked to ensure my Free Hit brought a red arrow for a second successive season. Oh well, I reckon they will react by easing past Luton Town in a match where both teams score. After all, Rob Edwards’ troops have netted 17 times in a row. So why defender Porro? It’s because very few defenders hold much appeal and the Spaniard brings a lot of attacking threat, especially if he keeps sharing set-pieces with Maddison.

Even though Son preceded the Fulham loss with six goals and seven assists in just 11 matches, I’m getting one more week out of him before selling for Mohamed Salah. And it’s hard to resist the Egyptian for this weekend, to be honest. We’ve looked at how quickly he’ll become essential in the FPL landscape, acknowledging that he bagged a brace in October’s reverse fixture versus Brighton and Hove Albion. As for Virgil van Dijk, no defender has registered more attempts inside the box (27).

Meanwhile, Bournemouth will also play twice in Gameweek 34 and, to celebrate, I’ve picked Dominic Solanke and Murara Neto at home to Everton.

With Sam Johnstone’s season over due to elbow surgery, the third goalkeeper is Dean Henderson against former club Nottingham Forest. Then again, it’s the Tricky Trees who surprisingly sit joint-fifth for fewest big chances conceded (57), so let’s select Harry Toffolo too.

Rounding off the midfielders is Anthony Gordon, as almost all of his goals have taken place at St James’ Park. Additionally, Newcastle’s last nine encounters with West Ham have featured 36 goals and their records at the back suggest it’ll be another showcase for attacking talent.

Fifth forward Ollie Watkins is this campaign’s top points scorer (187) with the most goal involvements (31) but still finds himself on many chopping blocks. Tough crowd!

TOM SAID…

I’ve opted for a double-up on Chelsea’s defence at home to Burnley, with both selections more than capable of hefty hauls at Stamford Bridge.

Top of my list is Malo Gusto, who has created five big chances over the last six matches, more than any other FPL defender. The underlying stats also show that the Clarets are particularly susceptible to conceding crosses down their left flank of late, something the Frenchman could exploit.

Further forward, Cole Palmer has already been on the scoresheet against Burnley this season and no FPL midfielder has registered as many attacking returns from Gameweek 7 onwards.

Elsewhere, Tottenham assets get high priority for me, despite underwhelming at Craven Cottage last time out.

Luton’s aerial weakness and fallibility at set plays prompt my selection of Pedro Porro, who was back taking corners in Gameweek 29. In a match where he will probably spend more time in the opposition half than in his own, I’m hopeful that he can add to his eight assists for the season.

With the Hatters without a clean sheet on the road in 2023/24, I’ve also gone for Son Heung-min and Richarlison. The latter is selected on the proviso that he is fit again after a period on the sidelines, although doubts are starting to be raised about that as of Thursday evening.

With premium buys Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland nominated, I’ve also sought to include some budget players should we require them in the Scout Picks.

Nottingham Forest have only conceded three goals in their last three fixtures but if Crystal Palace are to breach Nuno Espirito Santo’s backline, it could well be from a set-piece situation – as happened at Kenilworth Road in Gameweek 29.

The Tricky Trees have consistently conceded goals from set plays all season (more than any other side) and Eberechi Eze is extremely good at them, be it quality crosses into the box or shots from direct free-kicks.

Rodrigo Muniz’s blistering recent form (seven goals and one assist in his last seven matches) suggests that he may take advantage of Sheffield United’s leaky defence.

Antonee Robinson’s attacking threat coupled with the Blades’ lack of goals means the Fulham left-back also features on my wishlist. Chris Wilder’s side have conceded the most crosses and key passes from their right flank (Fulham’s left) of any team over the whole season, meanwhile.

Finally, Conor Bradley has attempted eight shots and created 10 chances in his last six matches and should be given license to roam forward on Sunday afternoon. At home to a Brighton attack that has failed to score in four of their last seven away trips, he looks like a great enabler at just £4.2m.

NEALE SAID…

There ain’t no Gameweek 29 and there never was. After the debacle of a Gameweek a fortnight ago, the Fantasy cavalry returns this week.

Two of the more trusted sets of players meet at the Etihad on Sunday. We’ve witnessed two fairly cagey encounters between Arsenal and Manchester City already this season, so I’ve decided to opt against representation from either club. Some key team news could change my thinking. An absence for Gabriel Magalhaes boosts the prospects of City attackers. Should Messrs Stones, Walker and Akanji all fail to recover for the hosts, then you’d fancy Bukayo Saka’s chances a bit more.

Onto who does make the cut.

My goalkeeper picks, perhaps more so than any other position, tend to be influenced by the opposition. Murara Neto faces the division’s most wasteful attack in terms of shot conversion, while Bernd Leno encounters the lowest goalscorers in the league. Emi Martinez will square off against a Wolves attack shorn of at least two-thirds of its first-choice frontline, meanwhile, and we saw how much they struggled in similar circumstances against Brentford and Newcastle.

Clean sheet potential isn’t completely jettisoned with the defenders, even though attacking threat is also a major consideration. Four of my selections feature right at the very top of G-Whizz’s weekly clean sheet odds list, indeed.

I’m surprised Tottenham Hotspur feature so highly, mind, with Luton Town on a long scoring streak. Pedro Porro gets in regardless, this time winning the weekly battle between him and Destiny Udogie for the Spurs full-back slot. The scales are tipped in his favour by Porro retaining control of some set plays (Luton have conceded a lot of chances from corners and free-kicks of late) and by the weaknesses down the Hatters’ left flank. Not only does Alfie Doughty tend to leave huge chasms down the Luton left but Rob Edwards will have again have to turn to a makeshift centre-half down that flank, amid a serious injury crisis.

Malo Gusto and Antonee Robinson boast similarly strong offensive numbers from full-back and come up against two of the bottom three, while Conor Bradley is towards the top of defender tables for both chances created and shots during his six league starts for Liverpool. If he gets to face a suspect Pervis Estupinan, that’s even better.

Daniel Munoz rounds off the defensive selections. He’s such a threat in open play from wing-back but he’s also popped up with a couple of headed set-piece chances in his short time with the Eagles, and we’ve seen how much Nottingham Forest have struggled in those situations regardless of who is in the managerial hotseat. If his substitution in the international break was anything other than precautionary, then we can go with Joachim Andersen instead.

Joining the template trio of Son Heung-min, Mohamed Salah and Cole Palmer in midfield are James Maddison and Anthony Gordon, who aren’t exactly outside-of-the-box selections themselves. I’d have ideally liked Richarlison in there as Maddison doesn’t seem to possess that explosive chip, but injury doubts linger around the Brazilian. I do feel that we need more than Son as representation from the Spurs attack, however, as I fear a backlash from Gameweek 29 against an injury-hit Luton backline already shipping chances for fun. It’s not just in defence where the fitness issues lie: there is also a dearth of defensive midfielders for the Hatters, so Maddison should get plenty of space in the engine room to pick his passes.

Willian came close to inclusion but I’ve sided with Gordon in the end. The Newcastle man has remarkably only blanked in one of his 14 home starts this season, delivering more attacking returns on his own soil than any other Fantasy midfielder.

The profligate pair of Darwin Nunez and Nicolas Jackson have been the butt of many jokes but there have been redemption arcs for both of them. Liverpool simply look like a better team with Darwin in the side right now, while Jackson has delivered an attacking return in each of the last five matches in league and cup.

Wasteful is not how you’d describe Ollie Watkins, Rodrigo Muniz and Alexander Isak of late: they’ve delivered a combined 15 goals in the last six matches. This weekend they’re all facing sides in the bottom seven for expected goals conceded (xGC) this season.

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