We’ve put together our ‘very’ early Scout Picks for Gameweek 30 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
After a reduced Gameweek 29, we’ve 10 whole fixtures to choose from this time.
ABOUT THE SCOUT PICKS ‘BUS TEAM’
In this selection, we choose a first draft of our regular picks. We will then finalise and publish them much closer to the deadline on Tuesday April 1.
Plenty can change between now and then, with international fixtures, the FA Cup quarter-finals and the pre-match press conferences still to come
The upcoming Scout Squad nominations will also help shape the final Scout Picks.
There are certain restrictions for our picks, however:
- 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
It’s time to load up on Manchester City, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace assets, as they face Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton respectively.
The promoted trio have taken just eight points in 2025, with a combined 22 goals scored and 83 (!) conceded.
Erling Haaland (£14.8m) has been a consistent pick at the Etihad Stadium since the turn of the year, with 37 points across his four home appearances, thanks to four goals, two assists and seven bonus. Given Leicester’s woeful form, which has seen them lose 13 of their last 14 games, he’s arguably the best captain in Gameweek 30, too.
You don’t need any specific tactical insight to look at Bournemouth’s match at home to Ipswich and sense a chance for a decent Cherries win, either.
Milos Kerkez (£5.2m), who will not play in the FA Cup quarter-final due to suspension, seems an obvious pick, but Dean Huijsen (£4.5m) and Illia Zabarnyi (£4.4m) could save us some pennies on our meagre £83.0m budget.
Further forward, at least one of Justin Kluivert (£6.2m), Antoine Semenyo (£5.7m) or Evanilson (£5.7m) will make the Scout Picks, with cup minutes and press conference quotes set to be deciding factors when we finalise our selection.
You’d think Semenyo is the best bet for minutes at this stage, given that he’s rarely subbed off early. His 101 shots and 74 shots in the box both place him among the top four players in the league this season, but he has struggled for form recently, blanking in each of his last four appearances. Still, Semenyo will surely be on standby if Kluivert and Evanilson’s minutes are in doubt.
Above: Antoine Semenyo’s shot map in 2024/25
As for Palace, we’ll keep a spot free for Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m) should the forward look like he may feature against Southampton, and it’s probably fair to say that Daniel Munoz (£5.1m) and Eberechi Eze (£6.7m) will also make the cut in our weekly selection.
Mohamed Salah’s (£13.7m) inclusion is surely a given. The midfielder, whose Liverpool side entertain Everton in the Merseyside derby, is averaging 8.9 points per start in home games this season.
At least one representative from the Arsenal backline will also feature. It’s four clean sheets in seven matches for the Gunners, the most of any team in that timeframe.
IN CONTENTION
Ismaila Sarr (£5.6m) is another option in the Crystal Palace ranks. The winger has been Oliver Glasner’s leading chance creator this season, at least according to expected assists (xA), having had a direct involvement in 11 of their goals (seven goals, four assists).
Kaoru Mitoma (£6.5m) is an alternative mid-price option. The Japan international had a goal disallowed in the draw with Man City on Saturday and he’ll be facing an Aston Villa side who rank 16th for expected goals conceded (xGC) in 2025. The Villans did keep a clean sheet at Brentford last time out, however.
Brighton and Hove Albion team-mate Joao Pedro (£5.6m) also has a strong case for inclusion, with 17 points across his last two home appearances.
Bruno Fernandes’ (£8.6m) imperious form is hard to ignore but Nottingham Forest did beat Manchester United earlier this season, and the Tricky Trees have been transformed defensively under Nuno Espirito Santo. In fact, Forest have conceded the fewest home goals in the Premier League this season, having recently shut out Arsenal and Manchester City at the City Ground.
Above: Teams sorted by goals conceded at home in 2024/25
If anything, it boosts the appeal of Matz Sels (£5.1m), Nikola Milenkovic (£4.9m), Ola Aina (£5.4m) and Neco Williams (£4.4m) in Gameweek 30.
Stand-in striker Mikel Merino (£6.0m) is another possible candidate, but like Forest, opponents Fulham might be a tough nut to crack: they’ve conceded fewer big chances than any other team except Arsenal, Forest and Liverpool this season. Bukayo Saka (£10.2m), who is surely the catalyst for improvement, has a “good chance” of returning to action after the international break, however.
Elsewhere, Josko Gvardiol (£6.0m) and Omar Marmoush (£7.3m) come into the reckoning as Man City host out-of-sorts Leicester. Gvardiol has failed to have a shot in his last five matches but has created five chances in that period. Marmoush is a slightly riskier pick, with Kevin De Bruyne (£9.3m) and Phil Foden (£9.2m) lurking, but the upside is there, with four goals and one assist across his last three home appearances.
Alexander Isak (£9.3m) is another consideration for Newcastle United’s home meeting with Brentford. That said, Thomas Frank’s side have now reeled off five straight away league wins, with Bryan Mbeumo (£8.1m) and Yoane Wissa (£6.5m) combining seven goals and four assists during that run.
Alisson Becker (£5.6m), Virgil van Dijk (£6.4m) and Ibrahima Konate (£5.2m) are also in the Scout Picks mix for the Merseyside derby, although recent Liverpool displays, plus Everton’s uptick in form under David Moyes, perhaps dents their clean sheet prospects.
Fitness updates on Cole Palmer (£10.9m), Nicolas Jackson (£7.7m) and Noni Madueke (£6.0m) would be welcome, but Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur doesn’t take place until Thursday 3 April – so we may not get pre-deadline team news for those two clubs.
THE LONGER SHOTS
Nottingham Forest v Manchester United is a tricky one to call. Ruben Amorim’s side are inconsistent but have found some rhythm recently, with a draw against Arsenal and comprehensive wins over Real Sociedad and Leicester. Chris Wood (£7.3m) is likely to miss out on the Scout Picks, then.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v West Ham United is also in that ‘hard to call’ group.
Cody Gakpo (£7.4m) is an outside possibility against Everton but doesn’t look completely fit right now.
It’s difficult to make much of a case for an Aston Villa attacker, either: Brighton have won three in a row at the Amex, conceding just two goals.
GAMEWEEK 30: EARLY SCOUT PICKS
