The Scout Squad panel have unsurprisingly gone big on ‘doublers’ Crystal Palace and Newcastle United in Gameweek 32 – but there’s plenty of debate elsewhere with shifting priorities, midweek distractions and rotation influencing some Premier League clubs’ teamsheets.

Our in-house team of Marc, Sam, Neale and Tom explain their key nominations below.

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 our 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 32 PICKS

Most popular picks: Tino Livramento, Daniel Munoz, Pervis Estupinan, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Alexander Isak, Ollie Watkins (four), Bart Verbruggen, David Raya, Eberechi Eze, Jacob Murphy, Cole Palmer, Mohamed Salah, Danny Welbeck (three)

MARC SAID…

The teams about to play twice in Gameweek 32 are obvious triple-ups: Newcastle and Crystal Palace. Confidence is high at the Magpies and both these matches will be at St James’ Park. Eddie Howe made suspiciously positive post-match comments about Alexander Isak being “100% fit”, allowing him to recover from the blank at Leicester and become a good Triple Captain choice.

I was delighted to receive Jacob Murphy and Tino Livramento’s double-digit hauls on Monday night. The cheap midfielder has racked up FPL’s third-most returns since Gameweek 15, while Livramento is filling in brilliantly for Lewis Hall at left-back. Newcastle aren’t in any other tournament, so there won’t be any rotation.

Palace is a tough fixture for them, though. The Eagles have won 11 of their last 14 matches in all competitions, a run that has brought eight clean sheets. In addition to this, wing-back Daniel Munoz scored yet again in Gameweek 31 and feels essential, despite it being two tricky away trips.

I think I now prefer Eberechi Eze to Ismaila Sarr, as the latter hasn’t achieved a shot in two matches while set-piece taker Eze had four alongside a couple of assists. Jean-Philippe Mateta put them ahead against Brighton before Danny Welbeck equalised and I’ve picked both up front.

While it was the 34-year-old’s first league start since Gameweek 25, it’s hard to resist Fabian Hurzeler’s side at home to Leicester. Especially when the Foxes have only scored in three of their last 16 encounters, making a defensive double-up very appealing. Goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen has helped Brighton be the third-best at restricting shots on target (114) and Pervis Estupinan is one of the league’s most successful crossers, on top of his Gameweek 29 free-kick goal versus Manchester City.

Meanwhile, my fourth triple-up is the fun, exciting game of guessing Aston Villa’s lineup. If they weren’t against already-relegated Southampton, it wouldn’t be worth attempting. But they are. Neither midfielder Donyell Malen nor defender Andres Garcia are registered in their Champions League squad, so I think they start on the south coast. January arrival Malen netted in Gameweeks 30 and 31, though Garcia is a riskier punt. Colleague Ollie Watkins has started just one of their last four matches and even that one didn’t exceed 61 minutes, so this could be his turn.

Continuing the trend of backing against the bottom three, Chelsea get to host Ipswich on the back of some contrasting form: they’ve picked up a paltry three points from eight away matches, yet have five successive home wins. Ipswich won December’s clash, but I think Marc Cucurella can help the Blues collect a fifth clean sheet in six. Furthermore, he recently netted versus Southampton and Leicester at Stamford Bridge, so let him complete the trio.

I perhaps foolishly think Cole Palmer is about to end his goalless run, mind, and am still loyal to Mohamed Salah when he’s at home to West Ham.

Arsenal are in the middle of eliminating Real Madrid from the Champions League, making Saturday rotation likely. I therefore think David Raya is the Gunners’ safest defensive shout, as fellow stopper Matz Sels aims to repeat Gameweek 19’s clean sheet against Everton. It would be Nottingham Forest’s 14th overall.

Finally, Matheus Cunha is back from his extended suspension and ready to fire Wolves to a fourth consecutive win.

SAM SAID…

It’s Double Gameweek time and that can only mean one thing: the never-ending struggle of trying to juggle those who play twice with those who have one outstanding fixture.

In goal, I have opted for Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen. Right now, there isn’t a better fixture for goalkeepers and defenders than Leicester City. The Foxes have failed to score in eight consecutive Premier League matches, with their last goal coming back in January. With Leicester’s awful goalscoring form continuing, I have also opted for Pervis Estupinan. When I read that 22 different defenders have delivered attacking returns against the Foxes this season, including Estupinan himself in the reverse fixture, it blew my mind. As such, and after the haul Tino Livramento brought me last week at the King Power Stadium, the double-up could rake in the points.

I have also picked the ever-reliable Matz Sels and David Raya between the sticks. Despite neither player collecting a clean sheet in Gameweek 31, both have attractive fixtures this Saturday and the potential upside of save points. There’s no doubling goalkeeper in here but I am not sure of clean sheets for either Palace or Newcastle in Gameweek 32, so I have instead opted for the potential upside of attacking returns from the defenders of those teams instead.

Enter Livramento and Daniel Munoz. Both registered an attacking return in Gameweek 31, while only Fulham’s Antonee Robinson has more attacking returns than Munoz this season among FPL defenders.

I have also opted for one member of the defences from both sides of north London. Pedro Porro had a breathe in the league recently and so I am not expecting him to be rested around the Europa League fixture on Thursday evening. Porro has seven attacking returns this season and outside of the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold, he has had more attempts on goal than any other defender. Likewise with the injury to Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba is likely to be a key threat from Arsenal’s set pieces and has a good opportunity for a clean sheet against Brentford, too.

Cole Palmer should be the easiest pick ever here given the excellent fixture he has this weekend. However, I weirdly pondered for ages on his selection. Since Gameweek 22, Palmer only has two Premier League assists to his name and his underlying numbers have dipped. When comparing Palmer’s ‘per 90 minutes’ averages from Gameweek 1-21 to 22-31, for instance, hix xG is down from 0.6 to 0.4. All this being said, it’s a great fixture and hopefully we should see the return of the Palmer we know and love in FPL.

I had a 50/50 decision to make on my Wildcard between Eberechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr. Last week I came out on the right side of that conundrum but every week it still feels like it could go either way. I’m sticking with Eze on the back of his Gameweek 31 numbers in comparison to Sarr, who had no returns, no shots and created no chances. I am very aware that this 50/50 could swing the other way across the Double Gameweek! Jacob Murphy was another Wildcard hero for me and feels, dare I say it, essential for the double.

Morgan Rogers scored again against PSG in the Champions League and with a mountain to climb in the second leg, Villa will now need to refocus on the league and try to secure Champions League football again for the new season. I think Rogers is too important for Unai Emery to drop him – but Marco Asensio or Donyell Malen might be better minutes picks for the weekend.

The final midfielder slot weirdly sees Mohamed Salah left out. Instead, I am opting for Kaoru Mitoma. Leicester’s attack has been impotent in recent weeks, while their defence has sprung leaks that I think Brighton and Mitoma in particular will exploit.

Up top, there’s not much to be really said about Alexander Isak and Jean-Philippe Mateta; they choose themselves. There are plenty of options for the other three slots, however.

Ollie Watkins didn’t start again in the UEFA Champions League so I am expecting him to get the nod up top for Aston Villa against now-relegated Southampton. Meanwhile, Matheus Cunha returns from suspension against my team, who regularly concede.

Old favourite Liam Delap is my final forward selection. Chelsea’s defensive record has improved significantly recently with back-to-back clean sheets against Brentford and Spurs and four clean sheets in the last five. However, Delap has now scored in his last two matches and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him put one past the Blues, who may have one eye (or both) on their UEFA Conference League progression.

TOM SAID…

Newcastle and Palace, the only two ‘doublers’ in Gameweek 32, predictably supply six of my 18-man squad.

I reckon we will end up with four attackers from those two teams in Friday’s Scout Picks, with a defender apiece also included, which is reflected in my selections here.

Starting at St James’ Park, Alexander Isak and Jacob Murphy, who is on a 17-match starting run, are obvious choices. I’ve also gone with Tino Livramento, who has been superb since switching to left-back. His ability to drive forward with and without the ball could potentially be key against Man Utd and Palace’s back three/five formations.

I’ve gone with Daniel Munoz, Eberechi Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta for Palace.

Munoz has already recorded attacking returns against both of his upcoming opponents this season, amassing 18 points across those two matches, while Eze is fundamental to Palace’s attack. These clashes arguably suit team-mate Ismaila Sarr more, given his ability to get in behind opposition defences, but with set plays in his locker, Eze has an increased route to points.

If the Scout Picks is to include an Aston Villa attacker, which they almost certainly should do, I’d be happy with either Donyell Malen or Ollie Watkins. Both should at least start at St Mary’s, which let’s face it, is half the battle this week. However, I particularly like Malen’s matchup, having watched Ryan Manning struggle up against Brennan Johnson on Sunday, giving him far too much space. The Dutchman has also scored in back-to-back Gameweeks.

Elsewhere, Leicester are on an eight-match losing streak without scoring a single goal, so I’ve opted for Bart Verbruggen, Pervis Estupinan and Danny Welbeck. I especially like Estupinan’s attacking potential and would love to see him make Friday’s cut. He’s combined four shots and three key passes in the last three Gameweeks, while no defender has whipped in more successful crosses. Some of those from crosses were from corners, another string to his bow.

Finishing up, Conor Bradley made an instant impact after coming on against Fulham last week, and I expect Mohamed Salah’s attacking output to pick up again with him deployed behind. The Curtis Jones right-back experiment meant the Egyptian wasn’t anywhere near as effective, in my opinion.

NEALE SAID…

Let’s kick things off with the players who are doubling in Gameweek 32.

I don’t need to waffle on too much about Jean-Philippe Mateta and Alexander Isak, the Premier League’s two leading forwards for goals in 2025. Daniel Munoz, meanwhile, is the top FPL defender for xG (StatsBomb) this season. If you’re looking for portents, he scored against both Newcastle and Man City in the reverse fixtures!

Jacob Murphy will be the fourth template pick in many Gameweek 32 teams, even more so after Monday’s brace. He’s in my own FPL squad and, as a medium-term investment, is the sanest selection from the Newcastle midfield.

Just to play devil’s advocate and to stop the Scout Squad being a complete echo chamber, however, I’ve opted for Harvey Barnes here. The huge caveat is that this is under the assumption that Eddie Howe gives us a negative update on Anthony Gordon on Friday. If the England international isn’t available, then Barnes could reap the rewards in Gameweek 32. He’s got that Darren Ambrose/Kevin Nolan knack of picking up goals and assists without actually looking all that good. Barnes has as many attacking returns (nine) as starts in 2024/25, averaging 5.8 points per match when he does make Howe’s line-up. Since Gordon dropped out of the team in Gameweek 28, Barnes has had twice as many shots (14) as any other Newcastle player – even Isak.

Tino Livramento meanwhile takes my final Newcastle slot. It’s a toss-up between him and Kieran Trippier, who has set pieces in his locker. I do think the current back four get all three matches in Gameweeks 32-33 but if there is to be someone who gets their minutes managed, it’s probably going to be 34-year-old Trippier. We’ve seen him come off late on in the last two Gameweeks, complaining of cramp in his groin in the first of those two fixtures. Livramento has also been mightily impressive since taking over at left-back, even outcreating Trippier (six to five) in that time.

I’m sticking to my guns in opting for Ismaila Sarr over Eberechi Eze, with the former getting the more clear-cut chances throughout the season, even if the overall attempts are less frequent. City and Newcastle away feel like counter-attacking games to me, where you’d be hoping for more gilt-edged breakaway chances than Eze’s bus-bypassing pot shots from 25 yards. There’s a lot of owner bias talking here, mind.

So, onto the single Gameweekers. As has been widely discussed, it’s an absolute minefield with rotation this week. I am writing this entry before Thursday’s Europa/Conference League ties, too, so obviously Cole Palmer firmly re-enters the thinking if there’s any hint that there won’t be a repeat of last Sunday’s benching.

We can look to the midweek teamsheets for clues elsewhere, however, notably that of Aston Villa. The Wednesday-Saturday-Tuesday turnaround, plus the fact that it’s relegated Southampton providing the opposition in Gameweek 32, does mean the threat of rotation looms large at Villa. Ollie Watkins and Marco Asensio were on the bench in Paris so should come into starting contention at St Mary’s, while you’d hope Emiliano Martinez is immune to the carnage we see outfield. Asensio averages 8.9 FPL points per 90 minutes this season, a mean that only Mohamed Salah can better among Fantasy midfielders who have started at least one game.

Let’s hope Simon Rusk doesn’t repeat the result from his last game as interim manager of Southampton when he held a much-changed Fulham to a goalless draw…

While Brighton and Hove Albion are not in Europe, there are question marks over their starting XI, too. Joao Pedro was surprisingly on the bench in Gameweek 31, although the strapping around his knee might have something to do with it. Danny Welbeck is a tentative selection, then, along with Pervis Estupinan and Kaoru Mitoma. The upside of a Seagulls pick or two is big: Leicester are goalless in their last eight matches and haven’t kept a clean sheet in 24 games. Even Saints have picked up more points in 2025. As mentioned repeatedly throughout the season, the Foxes concede an alarming number of goals from crosses/passes in James Justin’s position, so Albion’s left-sided pair could be the latest to profit.

David Raya and Robert Sanchez (who is benched in Europe on Thursday) should offer rotation-proof routes into their respective backlines, while amid the hurry to recruit doublers, everyone seems to have forgotten the league’s two best defences for clean sheets have good home fixtures this weekend. I’ve included Neco Williams and Virgil van Dijk, with the former now ahead of even Munoz for shots (albeit many of them lower quality) this season.

Finally, Jorgen Strand Larsen. On a run of four goals in three matches, he should be encountering Spurs at an opportune time, as the north Londoners have UEFA Europa League matches against Eintracht Frankfurt on either side of their trip to Molineux.

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