With the Merseyside derby drawing a line under the first Double Gameweek of 2024/25, it’s time for the Gameweek 25 Scout Squad.

And it’s another Double Gameweek for our in-house panel of Marc, Sam, Neale and Tom to chew over.

Each of them explains their key nominations – and omissions – below.

MORE ABOUT THE SCOUT SQUAD

In this article series, our team discuss who they think the best players are for the upcoming Gameweek in isolation. In other words, there’s no medium-term planning involved.

The players who get the most votes are likelier to make Friday’s Scout Picks.

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: GAMEWEEK 25 PICKS

Most popular picks: Emiliano Martinez, Virgil van Dijk, Gabriel Magalhaes, Daniel Munoz, Mohamed Salah, Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins (four), David Raya, Neco Williams, Cole Palmer, Justin Kluivert, Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak, Chris Wood, Jean-Philippe Mateta (three)

MARC SAID…

We hop straight from this season’s first double into its second, both involving Liverpool. I’ve maximised their three-player spots. Mohamed Salah is an obvious pick, he’s there every time, I just regret not using Triple Captain on him for those 29 points. I was all set to until that Friday lunchtime Double Gameweek announcement caused carnage, chaos and confusion.

Cody Gakpo’s minutes are seemingly being managed and he played no part in their FA Cup defeat. This should see him start against both Wolves and Aston Villa, though there were online suggestions that he limped off at Goodison Park. Another slight doubt is Villa’s Ollie Watkins but he’s now their only recognised centre-forward and has started six successive league games, a period of three goals and two assists.

I won’t take a similar risk at the back, though. Trent Alexander-Arnold came on at Everton but Virgil van Dijk offers lineup certainty and a set-piece threat, as seen by his EFL Cup semi-final goal. Grabbing the second Villa place is Morgan Rogers, who keeps proving – in other competitions, of course – that he’s arguably their most important attacker.

Only the promoted three have kept fewer clean sheets than Unai Emery’s side (three) but Emiliano Martinez is there, should they secure one versus Ipswich.

Meanwhile, it’s so difficult to pick only five midfielders this week. I’m committing to a couple from Bournemouth but really want to namedrop Leandro Trossard and Bryan Mbeumo too.

The Cherries have a hard-to-resist mix of form and fixture: 25 points from 12 matches, ready to visit last-placed Southampton. Each of their main three attackers has something to offer. My experiences with Antoine Semenyo have been awful so I’ll go with penalty-taker Justin Kluivert and out-of-position Dango Ouattara. Both have netted a hat-trick within the last three Gameweeks and the latter’s five big chances in that period are the league’s joint-most. Full-back Milos Kerkez is on four clean sheets from eight, alongside two attacking returns.

At the back, David Raya and Gabriel Magalhaes. Those owning multiple parts of Arsenal’s defence may be thinking of ditching one but should wait until the Gunners have gone to Leicester. Their hosts scored in all but one of their first 15 outings, including twice at the Emirates, but it’s now six goalless games from nine. The Foxes also conceded twice to Beto in their weak surrender to Everton. I was seriously thinking of buying him instead of team-mate Iliman Ndiaye but went seeking some approval. It didn’t arrive and the Portuguese forward ended with 21 points.

Such form makes the Toffees’ trip to Crystal Palace harder to call. Daniel Munoz mightn’t keep a fourth clean sheet in five but he’s only partly about those, as in a half-dozen matches he’s had five box shots and set up four big chances. I mistakenly benched the Colombian, missing out on him assisting half of Jean-Philippe Mateta’s Old Trafford brace. It’s six goals in five for the Frenchman, a reminder of how he ended last season.

Brighton and Chelsea kick off proceedings on Friday. Last week’s identical FA Cup clash involved Cole Palmer’s ball into the box forcing an own goal. He scored four times past them in September but is goalless in three league games. Credit goes to the Seagulls for recovering well from that haunting 7-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest, where Chris Wood and Neco Williams hauled. A trip to Fulham starts a spell of four tough opponents where Forest lost each reverse fixture but now they can smell Champions League qualification.

Finally, Antonin Kinsky is purely because finding a sub-£5.0m goalkeeper with neither a bad fixture nor a better team-mate in defence is tough. But maybe Spurs can do a Spurs, whatever that means these days.

SAM SAID…

Another deadline. Another Double Gameweek. This time Liverpool and Aston Villa play twice. With two teams doubling it makes sense to triple up on both Liverpool and Villa, especially as both have attractive fixtures against Wolves and Ipswich prior to facing each other.

Emiliano Martinez has a good opportunity for a clean sheet against Ipswich and then any additional points against Liverpool in the second game would be a bonus. Liverpool have had 417 attempts on goal this season, more than any other team, so save points could be incoming.

Both David Raya and Kepa Arrizabalaga have good opportunities for clean sheets this week. Arsenal face a Leicester side who have scored just 25 goals this season; only Ipswich and Southampton have found the net on fewer occasions. Kepa, indeed, faces goal-shy Saints in his Gameweek 25 fixture.

Trent Alexander-Arnold would have been my preferred Liverpool defender but there are some doubts over his fitness, especially since he was forced on against Everton when Conor Bradley was walking the red card tightrope. With some uncertainty over Alexander-Arnold, I have instead opted for Virgil van Dijk – a certain starter who has some goal threat. The defender scored in the League Cup last week, indeed.

Gabriel Magalhaes and Arsenal should return to their defensive security against a goal-shy Leicester and with his attacking threat (three goals and two assists in the Premier League this season) there is potential for returns at both ends of the pitch.

My other three defenders were also easy picks. Dean Huijsen, Daniel Munoz and Neco Williams all have the fixtures for clean sheets this weekend and offer some semblance of threat at the other end, Huijsen from set plays and Munoz and Williams on the rampage from wing-back/full-back.

On the back of 29 points in Double Gameweek 24, there is no way I would go into this round without the Egyptian King leading the midfield. Alongside him, Morgan Rogers also has a Double Gameweek. Rogers has 11 attacking returns to his name and is averaging 4.2 points per start this season. He also registered seven points against Ipswich Town earlier in the campaign where he scored in the 2-2 draw away from home.

Justin Kluivert is my favourite of the Bournemouth midfielders. Kluivert’s penalty-taking responsibility gives him that extra route to points that his teammates don’t have and since Gameweek 16, only four midfielders (Messrs Salah, Elanga, Foden and Murphy) have more attacking returns. In that period, Kluivert is averaging 7.6 points per start.

Cole Palmer was unfortunate to only register an assist in Gameweek 24. However, even with just an assist and a yellow card the midfielder still picked up two bonus points. Only Mohamed Salah and Chris Wood have registered more bonus points this season than Palmer, while only Salah has more double-digit hauls.

The final slot goes to Ethan Nwaneri. Arsenal lost Kai Havertz to a long-term injury earlier this week and with Gabriel Jesus already out, Gabriel Martinelli picking up an injury in Gameweek 24 and Bukayo Saka not yet ready to return, Nwaneri is likely to get the start this weekend. He has also scored in two of his last three matches for the Gunners.

Despite the yellow flag, I am prepared to take a risk on Ollie Watkins being available to play in both matches of the double. Likewise, despite Diogo Jota getting some more fitness-boosting minutes against Everton, I expect Cody Gakpo to start both games over the Double Gameweek. Gakpo was rested in the FA Cup last weekend, which hopefully bodes well for the Premier League action over the next couple of weeks.

I couldn’t understand why so many managers were hasty to sell Chris Wood ahead of Gameweek 24. Wood’s 17-point haul in Gameweek 24 saw him score his 15th, 16th and 17th goals in the Premier League this season, with only Salah and Erling Haaland netting on more occasions than the Forest frontman.

Like Wood, Jean-Philippe Mateta was also outstanding in Gameweek 25. His brace earned Palace three points away at Manchester United and the forward now has 11 attacking returns for the season, six of which have come in the last five Gameweeks.

Alexander Isak might be one of the most-sold players ahead of Gameweek 25 but even with what on paper is a difficult fixture against Manchester City, I wouldn’t want to be without the Newcastle frontman. City have conceded 35 goals this season, and have only kept five clean sheets. Meanwhile, Newcastle have scored 42 goals in 2024/25, of which Isak has been directly involved in 22 of them.

TOM SAID…

Aston Villa and Liverpool, the only two teams with a pair of fixtures, supply six of my Gameweek 25 squad.

I will, of course, be closely monitoring Unai Emery’s Friday presser as there is Ollie Watkins’ availability to clear up. He has at least been spotted in the gym with the rest of the squad this week.

Based on points per million, Morgan Rogers is unsurprisingly the best-value Villa player this season. He has only blanked in two of his last eight home starts in all competitions, delivering eight goals – including a hat-trick against Celtic – and three assists. I don’t see Ipswich putting up much resistance on Saturday, so either playing as a No 10 or drifting in from the flank, Rogers’ running power and physicality could be key.

At the rear, Emiliano Martinez can at least compensate for the likely clean sheet losses with save points.

As for Liverpool, there’s the rather dull Virgil van Dijk pick over Trent Alexander-Arnold, simply because the full-back is only recently back from injury so may be carefully managed. Cody Gakpo is not assured of two starts either but he betters every other Fantasy forward for points over the last six home matches (53). Having seen Wolves concede on eight occasions in their last three away outings, there’s reason to expect goals at Anfield on Sunday.

On the single Gameweek front, Leicester v Arsenal is a fixture that shouldn’t be overlooked. Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side gave up four goals and seven big chances against Everton last time out, so Leandro Trossard makes the midfield longlist. He could find himself up against the unconvincing James Justin, or potentially through the middle as a false nine, boosting his appeal.

Meanwhile, I’ve opted for Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo, who I’ll be starting in my own team. I’ve been really impressed with him on the left recently, where he has built a strong connection with Milos Kerkez. Up against Southampton’s dodgy right flank (James Bree and Kyle Walker-Peters), I think both players will cause plenty of problems for Ivan Juric’s side.

Finally, there’s a Crystal Palace triple-up for their clash with Everton. Daniel Munoz, third among defenders for xGI this season, and Jean-Philippe Mateta make the cut. The Toffees are admittedly flying high under David Moyes right now but a) they could be physically and mentally exhausted after Wednesday’s Merseyside derby and b) will probably be without key forward Iliman Ndiaye.

NEALE SAID…

There weren’t too many teamsheet shocks for Liverpool in Double Gameweek 24. Only an unforeseen injury prevented Trent Alexander-Arnold from starting the Reds’ second fixture at Everton.

Gameweek 25 could be more problematic. Wolves (h) and Aston Villa (a) are matches two and three of a five-game run that Liverpool have to negotiate in the space of a fortnight. They’re all league fixtures, too, so no convenient chance to rest the regulars a la Plymouth. You could envisage the likes of Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Kostas Tsimikas and (in the Villa game) Curtis Jones getting a start apiece. Will Alexander-Arnold, “not even close” to being anything other than a substitute on Wednesday, get two starts? Was there anything to read into Cody Gakpo’s post-match limp?

It’s for all those reasons that I’ve gone dull as dishwater with my Liverpool: minutes monsters Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.

There’s a bit of uncertainty at Aston Villa, too, at least until Unai Emery faces the media on Friday. The fitness statuses of Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Ollie Watkins all need clearing up, so the selection of the latter is very much written in pencil. The worry is that Donyell Malen and Marcus Rashford proved such able deputies in the FA Cup last Sunday that Emery may opt not to rush Watkins back for the fixture you’re banking on for returns.

Villa’s defence has been underperforming even when at full strength (a dismal three clean sheets in 24 league fixtures), so I’ve got little optimism about their prospects in Gameweek 24 when Lamare Bogarde and Boubacar Kamara could be moonlighting at centre-back. A shut-out against Ipswich and save points in the Liverpool match is about the best you can hope for from Emiliano Martinez.

Morgan Rogers has started every league match he’s been available for this season, so expected minutes are on his side. All three of his double-digit hauls have come at Villa Park, too, while there’s no post-Champions League hangover to worry about this weekend.

Away from the doublers, Arsenal, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace are the leading teams for clean sheet probability in Gameweek 25. Gabriel Magalhaes and Daniel Munoz are also, you could argue, the Premier League’s most threatening defenders from set pieces and open play respectively. Dean Huijsen is fond of a set-play attempt too (Southampton are ranked 20th for dead-ball chances conceded) but it’s his bonus point-magnetism that really catches my eye.

Nottingham Forest most definitely have a tougher fixture on paper in Gameweek 25 but I envisage a tight affair at Craven Cottage, just as the reverse fixture was. Forest can’t be beaten for clean sheets (10) in 2024/25, while Neco Williams is ranked fourth for minutes per chance (65.3) among first-choice defenders. If Nuno Espirito Santo continues with a wing-back system, expect more attacking freedom for the Welshman.

There was a wealth of midfield options to choose from this week, with some key names missing out in my selection. When Cole Palmer, Dango Ouattara, Antonie Semenyo and Amad Diallo can’t get a look-in, you know the competition must be good. I own Palmer and naturally will be starting him but Brighton’s cup win last weekend, and Chelsea being without a proper striker (Nicolas Jackson, for all his faults, was a good link-up man), has dampened my expectations this week.

Rather than double/triple up on the Bournemouth attack, which is a perfectly viable tactic, I’ve spread the love and gone only with Justin Kluivert. It’s not just the penalties and set pieces with Kluivert but the more advanced, central roles he’s taken up since Ouattara started his run up front.

Arsenal and West Ham United have good enough fixtures to warrant consideration and, like the Cherries, they’ll probably go into Gameweek 25 with a ‘midfielder’ up front.

I’ve gone with the budget-freeing Ethan Nwaneri over Leandro Trossard, however; the youngster has really impressed this season and was even the stand-out Arsenal attacker in the EFL Cup semi-final last week. Nwaneri is almost level with Salah for minutes per goal in 2024/25 (small sample alert)! As for Jarrod Bowen, he was straight back into goalscoring form on his comeback from injury against Chelsea. Leading the line for the Hammers, he’ll be facing a Brentford side with a clean sheet record as poor as Villa’s (three in 24).

Selecting five forwards was a head-scratcher for different reasons this week, with few names leaping off the page. Chris Wood and Alexander Isak don’t have the easiest fixtures on paper, although Manchester City’s struggles against Real Madrid in midweek was the latest in a long line of unconvincing defensive displays from the reigning champions. The Newcastle game being sandwiched by the Champions League play-off also raises my hopes that the Magpies can sneak something at the Etihad.

Two of the three forwards with the most ‘big chances’ over the last six matches, Erling Haaland and Yoane Wissa, round off the striker selection.

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