Marc, Sam, Neale and Tom F are back for the Scout Picks warm-up that is the Gameweek 34 Scout Squad.

There is consensus about eight players this week, with a further four assets getting three votes apiece.

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 34 PICKS

Most popular picks: Rayan Ait-Nouri, Ryan Sessegnon, Mohamed Salah, Jacob Murphy, Luis Diaz, Alexander Isak, Matheus Cunha, Raul Jimenez (four), Kepa Arrizabalaga, Marc Cucurella, Cole Palmer, Chris Wood (three)

MARC SAID…

With only 16 teams participating, these 18-man squads will have much in common. Liverpool only need a draw to secure the Premier League title, so Mohamed Salah is a must. He’s goalless in four which, by his standards, is bad, but let’s not forget he bagged 21 points in December’s meeting with Tottenham Hotspur. And the north London side were trying back then.

Now, they’re fully focused on the Europa League and it’ll therefore also be good to grab Luis Diaz. While Arne Slot has five names for three attacking spots, Diaz seems to be a favourite. At the back, Virgil van Dijk guarantees minutes and a set-piece threat, so I’ll pick him over Trent Alexander-Arnold on my Free Hit. Still not sure if he starts.

I’m going all-in on Newcastle, Wolves and Fulham versus the bottom three. Alexander Isak has scored just one of the Magpies’ last 14 goals but, like Salah, got his season’s best tally in the Gameweek 17 reverse fixture. Back in the dugout, Eddie Howe may decide it’s time to change a starting XI that looked exhausted last Saturday and Anthony Gordon would be the first place to look, putting a slight doubt over Harvey Barnes. So let’s pick Jacob Murphy instead, fresh from three goals and three assists in five.

I’ve chosen goalkeeper Nick Pope rather than Newcastle full-backs because the chosen five defenders boast a bigger goal threat. For example, Rayan Ait-Nouri. He keeps trolling FPL managers but the recent haul v Tottenham was a well-timed reminder of what he offers. No defender has more attacking returns (10) and he has a great clean sheet opportunity versus a Leicester side that has failed to score in 14 of their latest 18 outings.

Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon is a cheap defender playing as an attacking midfielder. There’s a small risk that rotation occurs but he’s earned the right to keep starting, thanks to three goals and two assists in seven matches, where a few of them lasted less than 15 minutes. There’s Bernd Leno between the sticks and, should we hear that Raul Jimenez remains their only fit forward against Southampton, he’ll get the nod too.

Meanwhile, Ait-Nouri’s attacking teammates Matheus Cunha and Jorgen Strand Larsen look great. Wolves have won five in a row, a period where the latter has netted on five occasions and the other one is already contributing after returning from suspension. The Brazilian is in this season’s top six for attempts (89) and shots on target (37).

The weekend kicks off at Stamford Bridge, where I back Marc Cucurella to keep a clean sheet versus an uninspiring Everton attack. Furthermore, he recently scored at home to Southampton, Leicester and Legia Warsaw, also there to tap in against Ipswich, only to see it be deemed an own goal.

For some reason, I want to put faith in Cole Palmer one more time. Although his goalless streak is up to 11 matches, he’s the league leader for shots (41) in that spell, albeit with poor expected goals (xG) quality. Bryan Mbeumo has leapfrogged him as the second-best midfielder, following last week’s 18-point haul. Obviously, I benched him because that’s how this season is going.

Anyway, I expect Brentford to get a result at Nottingham Forest. The Champions League chasers are leaking attempts and shots on target, yet Matz Sels has conceded just once in five home games. On Monday, Chris Wood scored for the first time since Gameweek 25.

The final pick is Milos Kerkez. Bournemouth’s attack-minded left-back is on consecutive clean sheets and will face a distracted Man United.

SAM SAID…

Blank Gameweek 34 is one that I have been both looking forward to and dreading in equal measures. The Free Hit chip has been my nemesis in recent years, none less than last season and the dreaded 13-point Gameweek (when my five-player original team would have done better!).

However, unlike last season, Blank Gameweek 34 feels like an opportunity. There are 30+ players that I would like to have as part of my Free Hit team and quite frankly, narrowing it down to 15 was difficult. It is even harder still to work out who to bench.

Likewise, with my Scout Squad picks this week, I have been back and forth tweaking them for a good couple of hours. It still feels like there are a few key players missing from this squad.

In goal, I have taken a risk on injury-hit Jose Sa. If the Wolves man is ruled out in Friday’s press conference, then he is an easy switch to budget back-up Daniel Bentley, who kept a clean sheet against Man United in Gameweek 33.

Alongside the Wolves ‘keeper, I have opted for Bournemouth’s Kepa Arrizabalaga. The Cherries have had mixed fortunes of late but back-to-back clean sheets set them in good stead for a home match against a Manchester United side surely more focused on the following Thursday and their Europa League semi-final; Ruben Amorim has specifically stated that it is United’s priority.

My final goalkeeper is Matz Sels. I don’t love the fixture against a Brentford side who have been good in front of goal this season, however, there is plenty of upside from save points as well as the motivation of chasing the UEFA Champions League dream.

In defence, Rayan Ait-Nouri and I have had a love-hate relationship. I love him, he hates me, which he showed with multiple zero-pointers and a red card when I last owned him! However, Ait Nouri’s 10 attacking returns this season is tied first among defenders in the game and he faces a Leicester side who have only scored four goals since Gameweek 21. All four of these goals have come in two matches, meaning that they have failed to find the net on 11 occasions in their last 13 Premier League matches.

Ait-Nouri is supported by Marc Cucurella, Fabian Schar and Ryan Sessegnon, who are there for their attacking threat. Schar – who hopefully is fit – has registered four goals this season, more than any other Newcastle defender. Meanwhile, since Gameweek 24, Cucurella has scored two goals, which is only bettered by Sessegnon among defenders. Cucurella’s 24 penalty-area touches rank second over the same timeframe, again only bettered by Sessegnon.

The final slot goes to Dean Huijsen for his clean sheet prospects as well as his potential for bonus points if the shut-out sticks.

Mohamed Salah, on a day when Liverpool could win the title, needs little justification. The Reds are up against my own team, Tottenham Hotspur, whose eyes will surely be on the game the following Thursday.

I have been on and off the Cole Palmer train this week in my Free Hit team. Currently, I am selecting him, despite the fact that since Gameweek 22, he has registered just three assists and zero goals. That’s 12 matches without finding the net! However, I am choosing him here and in my Free Hit team because of the injury to James Tarkowski. When the Everton stopper was forced off in Gameweek 33, the hitherto tight Toffees defence conceded twice in quick succession. Without Tarkowski, I think Chelsea will be able to break down that usually stubborn rearguard.

Selecting Jacob Murphy over Harvey Barnes was a 50/50 decision. In the end, I have opted for Murphy on the basis that the Leif Davis red card in Gameweek 33 might benefit Murphy down that side of the pitch this weekend. The Tractor Boys will also be without Davis’s deputy, Conor Townsend.

Alex Iwobi feels like the perfect pick this week. The midfielder has attacking returns in two of the last three Gameweeks and faces a Southampton side who have conceded the most goals this season and kept just two clean sheets this campaign. 

I’ve flip-flopped between Jarrod Bowen and Luis Diaz for my final pick. In the end, the lure of the title being won at Anfield has tipped me in favour of the Colombian over the Englishman.

Up top, I genuinely could have selected six or seven forwards this week as they all seem to be finding form, returning from injury/suspension or have great fixtures all at the same time.

Alexander Isak has arguably the best fixture of the Gameweek this week. He is level on goals with Erling Haaland for the season and, in my view, is the best captaincy option for the week.

Alongside him, I have opted for Matheus Cunha as he returns from a ban. Cunha came off the bench against Spurs to return in Gameweek 32 and added to that tally with his first start since suspension last Sunday.

Like Cunha, Chris Wood has also recently returned to the starting XI. Against Spurs in Gameweek 33, he could easily have braced were it not for being a couple of inches offside. Wood has plundered 19 goals this season; only Isak and Haaland have scored more. 

The final two spots go to Raul Jimenez and Nicolas Jackson. Jimenez looks likely to get the start with Rodrigo Muniz set to miss out due to injury, while I’ve backed Jackson for the same reason I’ve kept faith in Palmer: a Tarkowski-less Everton backline.

TOM F SAID…

Ipswich’s poor form and Leif Davis’ absence at St James’ Park should play into the hands of Jacob Murphy and Newcastle’s attack on Saturday.

The Magpies plundered four goals in the reverse fixture, with Alexander Isak scoring a hat-trick.

I’ve also opted for Tino Livramento, who tried to get forward at every opportunity at Villa Park last week, although I do think Julio Enciso and Liam Delap have the ability to bust the clean sheet. Still, since switching to left-back in Gameweek 28, Livramento has created nine chances and 1.09 expected assists (xA), the second-most of any defender.

Tottenham have served up a couple of disastrous defensive displays of late, and face a daunting trip to champions-elect Liverpool on Sunday. Mohamed Salah and Luiz Diaz are both included, then, as Spurs may well be disrupted again with one eye on Thursday’s UEFA Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt. No player in any position has created more chances than Diaz in the last six matches.

Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk are the safer bet for minutes at the back, but Tottenham were all over the place defending crosses/set-pieces on Monday, which led to two Forest goals, so Trent Alexander-Arnold will be licking his lips. I will, of course, be closely monitoring Arne Slot’s Friday presser for any team news clues, not that we’re likely to get much.

Wolves have been in superb form recently, having made it five Premier League wins on the bounce at Old Trafford last week. Key to that success has been their ability to keep a solid defensive structure, so I’m therefore doubling up on their backline in the form of Rayan Ait-Nouri and Nelson Semedo. The wing-backs also offer additional points potential at the other end of the pitch, with Leicester often vulnerable down the flanks. Matheus Cunha completes the Wolves triple-up for obvious reasons.

Elsewhere, an unconvincing Brighton side who have conceded 13 goals across their last five matches, the most of any team except Palace, offers Jarrod Bowen an excellent chance to add to his tally of five attacking returns in eight matches. He scored and assisted at the Amex Stadium last season.

Yoane Wissa also makes the cut after Forest conceded 16 shots in the box and four big chances at Tottenham on Monday, although it should be noted Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are usually much better on home turf, with just 11 goals conceded in 16 matches this season. That said, they do have an FA Cup semi-final to navigate first, where they probably won’t see much of the ball, so Wissa could turn in one of his counter-attack specials.

NEALE SAID…

Without rehashing all of the information in this piece, I’ll attempt to more succinctly summarise my thoughts on Newcastle United, Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers picks.

Of the three fixtures involving those teams, I most fancy Newcastle for goals and Wolves for the clean sheet.

The lively Stephy Mavididi being ruled out for Leicester should be a huge filip for Vitor Pereira’s side, as he’s carried what little attacking threat the Foxes have posed in the last two Gameweeks. A team who have failed to find the net in nine of their last 10 fixtures, which has also allowed 23 different defenders to register an attacking return against them in 2024/25? Rayan Ait-Nouri is top of my defenders list, while I wouldn’t be averse to Jose Sa (if fit after his back niggle from last weekend) making the cut alongside the Algerian. Matheus Cunha, restored to the starting XI in Gameweek 33 to further boost his appeal this week, is also unsurprisingly included: he’s either scored or assisted 51% of the goals that Wolves have plundered when he’s been on the pitch this season.

As for Newcastle, I’m getting deja vu from almost exactly a year ago. Then, the Magpies put the final nail in the coffin of a side making an instant return to the Championship. They can do the same to Ipswich Town at St James’ Park this weekend, although you’d expect Kieran McKenna’s side will not want to go down meekly. They’ve shown a bit of belated, futile fight of late: a win over Bournemouth should have been followed up by victories over Wolves and Chelsea.

It’s hard to know whether Leif Davis being out is a good or bad thing for Kieran Trippier and Jacob Murphy. Ipswich have conceded a hatful of chances from their left flank but you’ve got to think a lot of that is to do with their lopsided set-up, with Davis playing further up the wing. I’m hoping Jacob Greaves proves to be a fish out of water in Davis’s stead and that the chances continue to flow. You’d assume that Newcastle would try and target Greaves as much as possible, given that the quietly competent Axel Tuanzebe is over on the other flank.

The Tractor Boys have also conceded a league-high seven goals from set pieces in the last nine Gameweeks, which is another potential positive for Trippier.

As for Fulham, if there is to be Free Hit disappointment this week, it could be provided by the Cottagers. They’ve matched the big guns all season but have often flopped against the also-rans, drawing twice with Ipswich and being held to a 0-0 by Gameweek 34 opponents Southampton in the reverse fixture.

Raul Jimenez, who only has one double-digit haul all season, is at least looking good for minutes with Rodrigo Muniz out. With Messrs Malen, Bowen and Johnson all scoring from the right wing against Saints in the last three Gameweeks, I’m also hoping that the ‘out of position’, inverting-into-central-positions Ryan Sessegnon can get into similar goalscoring situations at St Mary’s. I doubt very much whether you’ll see 90 minutes from him but I think it’s too soon for a Harry Wilson start and Sessegnon was arguably man-of-the-match material in Gameweek 33, with the Cottagers conceding twice after his withdrawal.

On to the best of the rest, I’m awaiting Arne Slot’s pre-match presser to hear what he has to say about Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s ability to start after his goalscoring cameo last weekend. While there are reservations about the premium defender (Spurs are also very capable of finding the net), there are few about Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz. The Lilywhites are without a clean sheet in eight league games, while they conceded six goals to Liverpool in the reverse fixture. Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota have traded mediocre performance after mediocre performance since their returns from injury, so I’ve got little doubt about Diaz – who has five returns in six and braced against Spurs in December – starting.

I suspect the heavier rotation from Ange Postecoglou and Rubem Amorim will come in Gameweek 35, in between those UEFA Europa League semis. Nevertheless, you wonder just how much weightage those two managers are going to place on (from their perspective) glorified dead rubbers this weekend. Kepa Arrizabalaga, who will be facing a United side who have scored just one goal in four league matches, and Evanilson duly make the long-list.

Like a lot of midfielders (including Cole Palmer) this week, there are reservations about Bryan Mbeumo and Jarrod Bowen. One will be facing a defence that has been division-leading for much of the season, the other representing a side that could barely fashion a clear opening against Southampton. But Brighton have conceded 13 goals in their last five matches and could be without Jan Paul van Hecke this weekend, while Nottingham Forest have looked more atypically open lately (ranked 17th for xGC over their last half-dozen games) and have been forced to field deputy left-backs (ie Mbeumo’s flank) since Ola Aina was injured.

There’s no Palmer but I have included Marc Cucurella from the Blues. He’s not quite Marcos Alonso but he does invert into some really threatening positions: goals in recent home matches against Southampton and Leicester were so nearly followed up by another against Ipswich, only for Tuanzebe to toe the ball into his own net. Everton also only have five goals in their last seven outings.

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