It’s time for our early Scout Picks for Gameweek 30 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
We will finalise our selection closer to the deadline next Saturday.
A lot can change between now and then, of course, with FA Cup action and European club fixtures to come. The odd injury here or spot of rotation there could consequently affect the finalised XI.
The upcoming Scout Squad nominations, as well as the pre-match press conferences, will also help shape our final Scout Picks.
But this ‘bus team’, at the very least, offers an insight into the players and teams who will be under consideration.
There are, as ever, certain restrictions for our squad:
- An £83.0m budget for our starting XI
- An overall squad limit of £100.0m
- No more than three players per team
GAMEWEEK 30 FIXTURES
Gameweek 30 fixtures, sorted by difficulty on our Season Ticker.
THE LIKELY LADS
This week, there is only one place to start: Liverpool against a Tottenham Hotspur team that is in complete disarray.
It’s three defeats, nine goals conceded and one red card for Spurs in three matches under Igor Tudor, with poor defensive displays a theme throughout.
The only real question is which pair of Liverpool attackers, in addition to Virgil van Dijk (£6.2m), we go for.
Like five other teams (including Spurs!), Arne Slot’s side have a UEFA Champions League double-header on either side of Gameweek 30, which only adds to the possible game-time concerns. It is, at least, a Tuesday-Sunday-Wednesday turnaround for the Reds.
With the acknowledgement that rotation/minute management could come into play, Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.9m) and Hugo Ekitike (£9.1m) currently feature in our ‘bus team’.
Szoboszlai was back in the ‘10’ role earlier this week, at least until Ryan Gravenberch (£5.5m) departed. He’s averaging 6.8 points per start across his last six matches.
Given the lack of competition up top, Ekitike should be a safe starter too; however, we’ll be in a much better position to make a call on this next week.
As for Mohamed Salah (£14.0m), he’s pricey and has been presented with just one big chance in his last five matches (his goal at Molineux on Tuesday), but there is always haul potential with the Egyptian penalty taker, particularly against Spurs, who are 19th for expected goals conceded (xGC) per 90 minutes in 2026 (see image below).
Florian Wirtz’s (£8.3m) fitness will need to be monitored, meanwhile.
Elsewhere, Gabriel Magalhaes (£7.2m) offers clean sheet and defensive contribution (DefCon) potential, as well as set-piece threat. An Arsenal defensive double-up against Everton with David Raya (£6.0m) or Jurrien Timber (£6.3m) could also prove popular among the Scout Squad panel.
Marcus Tavernier (£5.3m) was desperately unlucky to blank in Gameweek 29, having hit the woodwork twice. The penalty taker will at least get to face Burnley next, who are one of only two teams yet to keep a clean sheet in 2026 (the other is Fulham!).
Bruno Fernandes (£10.0m) is another name we can confidently predict will make the Scout Picks cut next week, against an Aston Villa side that have taken only nine points from as many league matches.
IN CONTENTION
There could, of course, be more Arsenal, Bournemouth and Manchester United assets making the cut.
Revisiting the Gunners, you’d ideally want an attacker in there, given the potential for a comfortable home win (only Manchester City have scored more goals than Arsenal on home turf this season, even if they are spread around).
Bukayo Saka (£9.8m), Declan Rice (£7.4m), Kai Havertz (£7.3m) and Victor Gyokeres (£8.8m) are all in the mix – and the minutes they get in Germany next week, as well as the result, could have the final say.
As for Bournemouth, a defender – Marcos Senesi (£4.9m) or James Hill (£4.2m) – will likely complement Tavernier, while Manchester United’s Bryan Mbeumo (£8.7m) could perhaps feature in our selection against Villa’s high-line, too.
Over the last six Gameweeks, Newcastle United are the joint-worst team for big chances conceded (BC below).
There’s a decent chance a Chelsea attacker makes the Scout Picks cut, then. Joao Pedro (£7.7m) is averaging 9.4 (!) points per start under Liam Rosenior, while Cole Palmer (£10.6m) has seven attacking returns in as many starts to his name.
There could potentially be a minute’s risk for both, with fixtures against Paris Saint-Germain on either side, but we’re probably going to say that about a lot of players at this early juncture, including Manchester City assets (they face Real Madrid).
Should the omens look good for a start, Nico O’Reilly (£5.1m), Antoine Semenyo (£8.3m) and Erling Haaland (£14.6m) will naturally be under consideration.
“Now we play a lot of games in March, long travels away. The fatigue is involved: travel to Madrid, then after come back, travel to London. That means four or five hours to arrive to the hotel. So, we have to use all the squad, otherwise it will not be possible if we want to play in the rhythm we want to play.” – Pep Guardiola
Haaland has a superb record against West Ham United, with 11 goals, one assist and only one blank in seven matches against the Hammers.
Brentford’s Igor Thiago (£7.2m) is another candidate up front, with Kevin Schade (£6.9m) and Dango Ouattara (£6.0m) the alternatives in midfield. However, opponents Wolverhampton Wanderers could be a tough nut to crack: they’ve conceded just two goals in their last three matches against Liverpool, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.
Elsewhere, Ismaila Sarr (£6.3m) and Jorgen Strand Larsen (£6.1m) are considerations for Palace’s home meeting with Leeds United. Re the latter, the Whites have allowed the second-most headed goal attempts over the last six Gameweeks.
In a similar price bracket, Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.3m), Elliot Anderson (£5.4m) and Harry Wilson (£6.0m), if fit, could come into the reckoning at the City Ground.
Of the other defences under consideration, we’ll mainly be looking at Brentford (v Wolves), Sunderland (v Brighton and Hove Albion), Palace (v Leeds) and Forest (v Fulham).
THE LONGER SHOTS
Sunderland have the task of bettering the division’s fourth-best defence for xGC in 2026, so Enzo Le Fee (£5.0m) and co may find clear chances at a premium in Gameweek 30.
So poor has Aston Villa’s attack been recently that Harry Maguire (£4.4m) is perhaps closer to Scout Picks consideration than Morgan Rogers (£7.5m) and Ollie Watkins (£8.5m).
The in-form Crysencio Summerville (£5.7m) and Jarrod Bowen (£7.5m) lead the charge at West Ham, but have less convincing claims against Manchester City.
Leeds players like Anton Stach (£4.7m) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.7m) will surely take a backseat, too.
GAMEWEEK 30 EARLY SCOUT PICKS
