Just ahead of Friday’s deadline, our weekly Scout Squad piece tries to identify who will be the best Round 9 players of Roshn Saudi League (RSL) Fantasy.
Looking at these fixtures in isolation, our team of Amer, Louis and Marc are discussing the best picks.
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SCOUT SQUAD: BEST SAUDI LEAGUE PLAYERS FOR ROUND 9
Focusing only on the upcoming Round, the Scout Squad doesn’t require any medium-term planning.
| AMER | LOUIS | MARC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Predrag Rajkovic | Yassine Bono | Predrag Rajkovic |
| Kewin | Mailson | Kewin | |
| Marcelo Grohe | Marcelo Grohe | Rakan Najjar | |
| DEF | Theo Hernandez | Theo Hernandez | Theo Hernandez |
| Danilo Pereira | Wesley Hoedt | Inigo Martinez | |
| Francisco Calvo | Francisco Calvo | Ali Majrashy | |
| Shaquille Pinas | Mario Mitaj | Waleed Al Ahmed | |
| Koray Gunter | Mohamed Simakan | Koray Gunter | |
| MID | Salem Al Dawsari | Salem Al Dawsari | Salem Al Dawsari |
| Joao Felix | Joao Felix | Joao Felix | |
| Moussa Diaby | Georginio Wijnaldum | Moussa Diaby | |
| Angelo Fulgini | Angelo Fulgini | Angelo Fulgini | |
| Valentin Vada | Yannick Carrasco | Valentin Vada | |
| FWD | Cristiano Ronaldo | Cristiano Ronaldo | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| Marcos Leonardo | Karim Benzema | Karim Benzema | |
| Silvere Ganvoula | Silvere Ganvoula | Marcos Leonardo | |
| Roger Martinez | Roger Martinez | Roger Martinez | |
| Ramiro Enrique | Mateo Retegui | Ramiro Enrique |
- THREE PICKS: Cristiano Ronaldo, Roger Martinez, Salem Al Dawsari, Joao Felix, Angelo Fulgini, Theo Hernandez
- TWO PICKS: Karim Benzema, Silvere Ganvoula, Ramiro Enrique, Marcos Leonardo, Moussa Diaby, Valentin Vada, Francisco Calvo, Koray Gunter, Predrag Rajkovic, Kewin, Marcelo Grohe
AMER SAID…
Defence
Al Ittihad goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic is at home to Al Riyadh, and it feels like he has a strong chance of keeping a clean sheet, although the team’s defensive performances still need improving. Another stopper, Marcelo Grohe, faces the joint-second-worst team, Al Okhdood.
Theo Hernandez makes my back five again. He has returned at least seven points in each of the last half-dozen rounds, including three double-digit scores. He feels like an essential pick, regularly delivering clean sheets, goals and assists.
Despite Al Ittihad being unconvincing, Danilo Pereira continues to score points, benefiting from defensive action points as well as accurate passes and bonus points.
Meanwhile, the third highest in this position for shots taken is Francisco Calvo. He gets big chances to score, alongside some decent clean sheet opportunities.
A couple of cheaper options now. Shaquille Pinas, Al Kholood’s full-back, is notable for his attacking threat. He should be confident of a clean sheet versus Al Hazem. Then there’s Koray Gunter against Al Shabab, who’ll be without the injured Yannick Carrasco.
Attackers
Of course, Joao Felix appears here. The league’s top goal scorer is a must-have when also considering Al Nassr’s strong attacking form.
Whereas Al Hilal’s Salem Al Dawsari was able to play all 90 minutes last time, delivering two goals, an assist and 22 points. He faces the defence that has conceded on the second-most occasions, Al Fateh.
At a lower price come Angelo Fulgini and Valentin Vada. The former has five attacking returns from the last three matches and is about to face Neom’s struggling backline. The latter has only blanked in one of eight outings, making him a brilliantly consistent Fantasy asset.
Up front, Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the game’s most dangerous forwards, while Marcos Leonardo was unlucky in Round 8. Before that, all four appearances ended with at least 11 points.
A different pick is Silvere Ganvoula. His Al Fayha side has scored in their last five league matches, and he’s netted twice. Opponents Al Ettifaq tend to struggle against attackers.
LOUIS SAID…
A home match against Neom SC should be enough for Mailson to pick up points. I also think Al Shabab’s Marcelo Grohe has potential against Al Okhdood.
Although Al Nassr aren’t exactly known for keeping clean sheets, Mohamed Simakan has potential this time. Good alternatives at the back include Al Ittihad’s Mario Mitaj, Al Ettifaq’s Francisco Calvo and Al Shabab’s Wesley Hoedt.
Unless injured, I think Joao Felix and Cristiano Ronaldo will likely be top picks in almost every round. Only one other side has scored more goals than Al Taawoun, aided by Angelo Fulgini.
Al-Hilal’s Salem Al-Dawsari should have another excellent game after hauling last time out, while Georginio Wijnaldum may have turned a corner when it comes to form. If Al Shabab penalty taker Yannick Carrasco recovers in time from his recent injury, he should also be a shoo-in.
Away from Ronaldo, picking forwards is tricky, for once. Roger Martinez stands out, having scored a hat-trick in Round 8. After Karim Benzema, options are hugely limited, but I see potential in Mateo Retegui and Silvere Ganvoula.
MARC SAID…
I agree with Amer and Louis on quite a few of these Round 9 Saudi Scout Squad picks. We all like Roger Martinez, considering his last four matches have delivered four goals and four assists. Neom struggle against strikers, so he has a huge opportunity for more.
Al Ittihad are under pressure to win a supposedly easy home match, so the all-round qualities of Moussa Diaby are likely to deliver. It’s worth a mention that he’s only scored in one match, mind.
It’s different for Ramiro Enrique, as the Al Kholood star has recorded at least seven points in all but two matches. Excellent at home, he’s against defensive strugglers Al Hazem.
Finally, between the sticks, Kewin gets to face last-placed Al Najmah.
MORE ON RSL FANTASY
If you’re looking for more, you can see the latest up-to-date league table on the official website, read our introductory strategy guide, keep tabs on set-piece takers and join the FFS mini-league (with £500+ worth of prizes) here.
As usual, Premium FFS members get even more – you can browse all the underlying Statsbomb data tables relating to the game in a dedicated part of the Members Area, play around with an editable fixture ticker for forward planning, and look out for extra articles for each round.
