Following our in-house look at the best Round 1 players to own in Roshn Saudi League (RSL) Fantasy, it’s time to finalise our Scout Picks.
- READ MORE: Saudi Pro League Fantasy Round 1 – Best picks, tips + more
- READ MORE: Scout subcribers get Saudi Fantasy data!
Keeping the favourites of Chris, Amer, Louis and Marc in mind, we’ve come up with a final team that adheres to the following rules:
- An 83.0m budget for the starting XI
- An overall squad limit of 100.0m
- No more than three players per team
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RSL FANTASY SCOUT PICKS: ROUND 1
With the Scout Squad including a lot of pricey options (thanks, guys!) the Scout Picks team has had to work super hard to get down to a final XI that fits the budget.
GOALKEEPER
The first decision is to go a little more budget-minded between the sticks, selecting Al-Shabab’s Heorhii Buschcan (4.5m). To be fair, he’s got a decent fixture run and is in one of the top sides, so it’s hardly a rogue selection.
DEFENDERS
Continuing the budget theme, our first defensive pick is Jehad Thakri (4.5m). A cheap way into an Al Qadsiah defence that was the meanest in the league last season, conceding just 31 goals in 34 games.
If we’ve saved any budget on Buschan and Thankri, it’s going to be blown immediately with our second defensive pick, Roger Ibañez (6.0m) of Al Ahli. Topping the defensive rankings under the new points system (he would’ve had 224 points), Ibanez is capable of attacking returns (five goals and one assist in 2024/25) as well as clean sheets and is in the top ranks for other defensive contributions (including interceptions, tackles and clearances – see defensive data from the members’ area below).
Nawaf Boushal (5.0m) offers another reasonable way into the Al Nassr defence. Well-ranked in the members area for defensive actions, he would’ve secured a sizeable 171 points under the new rules last season and also offers attacking intent, with nine goal involvements (two goals and seven assists) to add to seven clean sheets last time out.
MIDFIELDERS
Steven Bergwijn (9.5m) is the first name on our teamsheet. With 21 goal involvements last time out (including one ‘Fantasy assist’), plus a recent goal in the Super Cup semi-final, the Dutch international is a top option in a dangerous attack. As the Statsbomb data shows, he’s second best for Al Ittihad’s non-penalty shots and non-penalty shots on target and also features well for key passes and touches in the box.
The indisputable best value pick in midfield (if not the game as a whole), appears to be Al Ahli’s Enzo Millot (6.0m). Although this is his debut season in the SPL, the Frenchman was in great form for VFB Stuttgart last season, netting 12 goals and eight assists across multiple competitions, and he’s already secured a goal and assist in two Saudi Super Cup outings!
Sergej Savić (10.0m) is our pick from Al-Hilal’s attacking line. A solid scorer in the last few seasons, he would have delivered a massive 241 points under the current system, and an opening home game against Al-Riyadh feels like a great opportunity to add to last season’s 12 goals and nine assists.
Al Fateh’s Mourad Batna (7.5m) is arguably a differential pick, but perhaps he shouldn’t be. Scorer of 199 points last season (on this year’s rules), with 13 goals and six assists, he’s on penalties and has a great first fixture against unfancied Al Fayeh.
FORWARDS
The big beast in the game, and our forward line, is the most familiar name in the game. Cristiano Ronaldo (14m) may be a year older and a good 1.0m more expensive than anyone else in RSL Fantasy, but he does feel pretty essential. The Al Nassr side, if not the entire SPL, is effectively built around him and we’d be rash to bet against CR7 adding to his 25-goal haul of last season and delivering big points in the opening weekend, especially when matched against Al Taawoun.
Alongside him, we’re opting for a new name to the league, but not UCL or Serie A Fantasy managers, in the form of Al Qadsiah’s ex-Atalanta forward Mateo Retegui (9.5m): 28 goals and nine assists from 49 games in Serie A and the Champions League are phenomenal numbers and we feel he could really explode in RSL.
Finally, we’ve gone with a third forward, Al Hilal’s Leonardo (7.0m). Scorer of 17 goals and three assists last season, he’s now expected to be out from under Aleksandar Mitrovic’s shadow (the former Fulham man is linked with a move away), and a home match vs Al Riyadh offers a chance to make the position his own.
THE CAPTAIN
No disputes here, the armband is on Cristiano!
