Fresh off a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest, we triple-up on Brentford in our Gameweek 35 Scout Picks.
We deliberated over the Scout Squad submissions made by Neale, Tom, Marc and Sam before coming up with our final team.
As ever, we are limited by certain restrictions:
- An £83.0m budget for our starting XI
- An overall squad limit of £100.0m
- No more than three players per team
GAMEWEEK 35 SCOUT PICKS
GOALKEEPER
Brentford ‘keeper Mark Flekken (£4.4m) gets the nod for Sunday’s home clash with Manchester United. Granted, the Bees have kept just one clean sheet at the Gtech Community Stadium this season, but with only two goals scored in their last five matches, United’s woeful domestic attacking form will give Thomas Frank’s side plenty of encouragement. Should United score, Flekken will likely have save points to fall back on – no ‘keeper has more than his 36 over the season.
Above: Goalkeepers sorted by save points in 2024/25
DEFENDERS
Josko Gvardiol (£6.3m) is next up, ahead of Manchester City’s home clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Pep Guardiola’s side have picked up defensively of late, with four clean sheets and just six goals conceded in their last eight matches. Playing at centre-half, Gvardiol may not be the open play threat he once was, but he’s still a menace at set pieces, and perhaps most importantly, is a hassle-free City option given his security of starts.
Daniel Munoz (£5.3m) is back in the reckoning ahead of Crystal Palace’s home clash with Nottingham Forest. The Eagles have registered clean sheets in two of their last three matches at Selhurst Park, and with their visitors scoring just four goals in the last five Gameweeks, further defensive returns could be on the cards. As always, Munoz’s attacking threat bolsters his appeal, as he looks to build on his tally of four goals and five assists this term.
As Everton prepare for the visit of already-relegated Ipswich Town, Jake O’Brien (£4.5m) gets the Scout Picks call. The Irish defender has featured in every single match since David Moyes’ return, having shifted to centre-half for last week’s trip to Chelsea. The Tractor Boys have got a real problem defending set plays right now, having conceded 10 goals from such situations in 2025 (see below), something the towering O’Brien could potentially exploit on Saturday.
MIDFIELDERS
Mohamed Salah (£13.8m) retains his place in the Scout Picks, as champions Liverpool prepare for a trip to Stamford Bridge. The Egyptian has scored or assisted in 12 of his 17 away appearances this season, averaging 11.0 points per start on the road, the most of any player. The Reds have, of course, already won the title, but with personal accolades still at stake, Salah looks set to prosper once again.
The likelihood of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur rotating in Gameweek 35 is high, given their midweek European commitments. It piques the interest in players from their opponents, Brentford and West Ham United.
Having racked up four sets of double-figure hauls in front of his own fans already this season, Bryan Mbeumo (£8.1m) gets the nod. The midfielder has averaged 6.9 points per start at the Gtech Community Stadium, and with an out-of-sorts United winless in five, Mbeumo is a serious captaincy contender.
Above: Midfielders sorted by points per home start in 2024/25 (minimum 720 minutes)
Jarrod Bowen (£7.6m), meanwhile, is an obvious pick for Sunday’s visit of Tottenham. The West Ham man has blanked in just one of his last four appearances, and given Ange Postecoglou’s non-negotiable attacking approach, it could play into the hosts’ hands.
Saturday’s home encounter with Fulham brings Morgan Rogers (£5.7m) back onto the radar, as Aston Villa go in search of a vital victory which would seriously boost their hopes of UEFA Champions League qualification. With six attacking returns across his last seven appearances, Rogers could well prove the difference against Marco Silva’s side, who last kept an away clean sheet in January.
FORWARDS
Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak (£9.6m) is another highly-fancied candidate. The Swede is up against a Brighton and Hove Albion outfit that have conceded at least two goals in each of their last six matches. Having averaged 6.4 points per start this season, Isak’s contribution will be key as the Magpies look to avenge their 1-0 reverse at St James’ Park in Gameweek 8.
A unanimous pick among our Scout Squad panel, there’s no surprise we’re backing Omar Marmoush (£7.6m) ahead of a home clash with Wolves. With Erling Haaland (£14.8m) probably not ready to feature on Friday, the Egyptians starting role is surely not in question. Vitor Pereira’s side won’t be a pushover, having won six matches in a row, but Marmoush looks more than capable of adding to his six-goal tally for the Cityzens, with set pieces and potential penalties another string to his bow.
Brentford’s Yoane Wissa (£6.6m) completes this week’s Scout Picks XI. Opponents Man Utd remain flaky at the back, which should be ideal for Wissa, who has eight goals, three assists and 88 points since the turn of the year, the most of any forward.
SUBSTITUTES
- Aaron Ramsdale (£4.4m): While Southampton are no great shakes defensively, Leicester have failed to score in 10 of their last 11 Premier League fixtures.
- Jakub Kiwior (£4.8m): The Pole looks set to start again at the back for the Gunners with centre-half alternatives thin on the ground. Arsenal have conceded the fewest goals (29) in 2024/25, while Kiwior stepped up in Gabriel Magalhaes’ (£6.2m) absence to score from a set piece in Gameweek 33.
- Ezri Konsa (£4.4m): Unbeaten in 16 home league games, Villa have also kept clean sheets in three of their last six Premier League fixtures.
- Leandro Trossard (£6.7m): The Belgian has four goals in as many appearances and will be expected to start amid concerns over game-time elsewhere.
THE CAPTAIN
We chose the Scout Picks captain using a vote between our Scout Squad panel.
We’re handing Bryan Mbeumo the armband this week, with Omar Marmoush named as the vice-captain.
COMMUNITY CHAMPION
A Fantasy Football Scout community member takes on the Scout Picks each week.
The community member who beats our team by the largest margin will win a £100 Amazon voucher. They’ll also get a place in our Moderators and Contributors League for the following season.
Boleyn Boy’s 80-44 victory in Gameweek 6 gave them the biggest win (36-point difference) of 2024/25 so far.
Our champion this week is Thomas Docherty, who has gone for: Pickford; Munoz, Mykolenko, Dias; De Bruyne, Bowen, Mbeumo (c), Salah; Watkins, Marmoush, Wissa
The Scout Picks are 20-11 up on the community this season.
FOLLOW THE SCOUT’S WEEKLY TRANSFER PLANS
We’re running a Scout FPL community team this season, with regulars like TopMarx, Tom Freeman, Marc Jobling and more contributing to the weekly decisions.
And we’re not just looking one week ahead like we are with the Scout Picks but instead planning in advance for the weeks and months to come.
You can follow our team via the Premier Fantasy Tools Pro Planner, which you can read more about here.
