The Scout Squad – Gameweek 25

The magic of the FA Cup is back in its false-bottomed box, next to the rabbit and the pack of marked cards, leaving us to enjoy three straight Gameweeks of unadulterated Fantasy bliss.

We start with two nights of midweek action involving plum home ties for Man City and Chelsea, while Spurs entertain Man United to cool most, if not all, of the interest in assets from that particular pair.

Our ‘expert’ panel of Fantasy Football Scout regulars Mark, Paul and Jonty and Career Hall of Fame luminary Peter Kouwenberg have all spent big on the stars from Pep Guardiola’s and Antonio Conte’s teams, requiring more budget-friendly picks across midfield and at the back.

Among the bargain buys being mooted are Southampton, Crystal Palace and Stoke City players, with the latter’s home match against Watford promoting the stock of Xherdan Shaqiri and even sparking a rare Scout Squad mention for Mame Diouf and a possible Picks debut for Moritz Bauer.

We’ll be back to unveil who makes the final Scout Picks team on Tuesday, leaving you with the thoughts behind the Scouts’ initial selections in the meantime.

Peter Says…

Subject to FA Cup exertions, I’m inevitably drawn to Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea host a Bournemouth side which has conceded more goals (12) than any other team over the last six matches.

And then there’s the Etihad Stadium, where a somewhat more obdurate West Brom defence will be sorely tested by the top home scorers in the league (42 goals).

I also fancy post-Sanchez Arsenal to overcome Swansea City after my Forest team kindly provided them with a welcome break over the FA Cup weekend, but anticipate that I may face accusations of chasing last week’s points by selecting Nacho Monreal.

Despite the Swans’ success last Monday, only four teams have kept Liverpool at bay this season and I don’t fancy Huddersfield to become the fifth.

I’m confident daddy-Klopp can prevail against mini-Klopp and that the former’s fab three (including Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino) will be firing on all cylinders once more.

With some highly predictable names already in, the more interesting task is padding the squad with some players from the lesser lights of the Premier League.

In the hunt for clean sheets, I call in at St James’ Park and St Mary’s Stadium to pick up some budget defensive players.

Brighton are also potentially vulnerable to set-pieces, bringing Maya Yoshida into my thoughts if he can reclaim his starting berth.

Meanwhile, with the joint highest headed attempts for defenders (15), I’m getting tired of listening to the phrase “Ben Mee heads just over” and hope that he will finally break his scoring duck.

Jonty Says…

Contrary to popular belief, Sergio Aguero was heavily backed by the Scouts last Gameweek ahead of his hosting of Newcastle.

Mark, Paul and I all listed him as second choice in our striker selection behind Harry Kane, who was facing a Southampton side he scored a hat-trick against over Christmas.

In the end we left the Argentinian marksman out due to price constraints, but following his treble against the Magpies, I’ve promoted him to top choice this time around.

Kane earns a cursory last place mention. His home encounter with a Manchester United side that has kept a record 14 clean sheets this season should see him miss the cut.

In fact, the Spurs striker only sneaks a mention due to the lack of other credible striking options this Gameweek.

In contrast, there looks to be a wealth of strong midfield prospects, which makes me think a 3-5-2 formation may be required.

Shaqiri looks to offer good value in the centre of the park in a new-look Stoke City attack. Over the last two Gameweeks, only Kane has had more on target shots than the Swiss mini-maestro.

I’m also backing the Leicester City attack to get the better of Everton at Goodison Park, with Big Sam’s defensive bus currently failing it’s MOT.

I’d like to see one of Riyad Mahrez or Jamie Vardy included, with the Algerian my preference. He’s scored three goals over the Foxes’ last six road trips, while Vardy has contributed just one.

Eden Hazard’s five goals in six appearances against Bournemouth makes him a shoo-in when the Cherries drop by Stamford Bridge. Mr Consistency, Marcos Alonso, is another essential Blues pick as he looks to deliver points for the ninth Gameweek in a row.

In addition, there looks to be some strong budget options at the back to consider, among them Southampton’s Yoshida.

The centre-back’s set-piece threat is clear. He’s scored both his goals from corners and fired off 16 close-range efforts this term, which will come in handy against a Brighton side that remains fragile from dead-balls.

Paul Says…

As usual, I’ve scoured for some differential picks as budget options to go along with the usual big-hitters.

At home to a Brighton side that’s failed to score in their last six road trips, Southampton’s defence could be worth backing.

Costing just 4.4, Alex McCarthy has started the last four Gameweeks and is a cheaper option than the fit-again Yoshida if we’re struggling for budget.

All five of the Saints’ league clean sheets have arrived with the Japan international in their XI, and his return to action helped them to a 1-0 FA Cup win over Watford at the weekend.

Stoke have the chance to register a second straight win under Paul Lambert as Watford make their way to the bet365 Stadium in midweek.

The Hornets have two goals in their last five on the road, which could bring new right-back Bauer into contention at 4.5.

Handed his debut in Gameweek 23, the Austrian is ranked second among defenders for key passes (three) in the last two rounds of fixtures. As ever, the creativity of Shaqiri will be vital, while his close-range goal threat caught the eye last weekend – all three of his efforts against Watford were inside the box and on target.

Elsewhere, I’d be reluctant to overlook the Spurs attack at home to Man United at Wembley – the Red Devils may have served up four clean sheets, but no side have allowed more shots inside the box (36) over that period.

If there’s no space for Kane, Son Heung-min – with a goal in seven of Spurs last eight in their temporary home – still merits consideration.

Goals could be on the menu as West Ham and Crystal Palace’s injury-hit squads collide at the London Stadium.

With the hosts’ options up front limited, Chicharito now looks a secure starter and found the net against Bournemouth in the previous Gameweeks.

Yet – against the odds – it’s Christian Benteke who is the in-form striker for this one. The Belgian has one goal, three assists and 21 FPL points in his last three road trips.

Mark Says…

With Aguero re-established as a sure-fire selection for Gameweek 25, it seems we’re destined for a big spend up front.

I’m still advocating Kane as his partner. For me, United’s defence continues to ride its luck, giving up too many shooting opportunities in the box. Even if we look at just the last two matches (both clean sheets), they’re ranked third behind only Everton and Southampton for penalty area shots conceded.

If Mourinho’s backline allows Kane some sighters, I think he’ll punish them. Much has been made of the difficulty of this fixture, but he scored in the corresponding match-up last season and I think he can repeat that.

I have a feeling that I’m going to get shouted down and, once again, it will be Roberto Firmino who joins team-mate Mohamed Salah in our selection.

I’ve not changed my views here – Liverpool have struggled both against Swansea and West Brom and, for all their frailties, Huddersfield also fit the profile of a team that will sit back and demand that Klopp’s men have the craft to unlock them. Liverpool will need an early goal, or I fear the points on offer could disappoint again.

I’ve ranked Firmino third in my striker selection but, ideally, I’d like to limit our XI to include just Salah.

If we do spend big, I think we’ve got enough cut-price options to fill the gaps. Stoke look destined to be well represented with Shaqiri looking a certainty in midfield. I’m even putting Mame Biram Diouf forward as an option for our third striker.

I’ve also stuck Bakary Sako in there. I see some joy for Palace at West Ham in a clash of two teams ravaged by injuries and a lack of confidence.

Sako has been started up front with Benteke for the Eagles and, over his two starts, he has fired six shots in the box – matching Salah and Anthony Martial as the top two FPL midfielders for that statistic.

The Community Champion

Representing the community against the Scout Picks in Gameweek 17 will be Pras United, who is in his eighth season and has finished in the top 10,000 twice.

The champion who has the best lead over the Scouts during 2017/18 will win a £100 Amazon voucher (currently we can only offer Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com vouchers).

Gameweek 24’s champion Tommo1888 beat the Scouts 68-57.

The one to beat remains Gregor, who achieved victory over the Scouts by a 33-point margin in Gameweek 5.