The Scout Squad – Gameweek 28

Four of the Premier League’s top six go head-to-head in Gameweek 28, prompting our Scouts into the biggest money-saving drive since West Brom’s warm weather training camp in Barcelona.

Premium defenders have been snubbed as our ‘expert’ team of Fantasy Football Scout regulars Mark, Jonty and Paul and Career Hall of Fame luminary Peter Kouwenberg aim to splash most of their cash on big-name midfielders and strikers.

The unanimous first choice at the back is the relatively pricey Virgil van Dijk, but there’s also agreement that Leicester is more and B teams – Burnley, Bournemouth and Brighton – are A-okay.

Mohamed Salah gets the nod in midfield because Mohamed Salah, while Christian Eriksen, Theo Walcott and Riyad Mahrez all jostle for a place next to the Egyptian deity.

There are uniform thought processes going on up front as well, mostly involving Harry Kane, Roberto Firmino and Jamie Vardy.

In fact, the Scouts’ selections are so similar that the discussions over who will make the final cut are likely to be more cordial than a bucket of orange squash.

We’ll be back later in the week with the Scout Picks article, but for now you can see for yourself just how a hive mind works with the team’s selections and justifications below.

Jonty Says…

With a number of top of the table sides colliding, this week looks a poor one to be investing in premium defenders.

Luckily, there are plenty of cheaper options at the back with strong clean sheet potential.

Brighton hosting Swansea City puts Mat Ryan (4.5) and Shane Duffy (4.6) in my thoughts.

I’d like to see one of them included as Brighton have four shut-outs at the Amex stadium and the visitors have created a record low number of chances on the road (61) while scoring just nine times, the fourth lowest tally in the league.

At 5.5, Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk also offers compelling value for money ahead of West Ham’s visit to Anfield, particularly as he is joint third for goal attempts (five) among defenders over the last four Gameweeks.

I’m keen for us to splash out on a Liverpool attacking double-up of Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino. Between them they have delivered eight goals and four assists over their last five league run-outs.

I’d also like to see a pairing of Spurs assets Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen for their trip to a Crystal Palace side that has conceded nine in their last four.

I’ve swerved the big names from Chelsea’s away encounter with Manchester United for fear of a drab 0-0 draw.

However, I think Manchester City’s trip to Arsenal looks to be full of goals with both attacks offering up options.

For the visitors, I’d like to include Sergio Aguero, who has six goals in seven away starts, if money allows.

And for the hosts, I think Mesut Ozil looks the man most likely to be involved in goals, after netting three times and assisting a further four in his last seven home matches.

Peter Says…

Very unusually for me, nearly all of my midfield and attacking selections (even Javier Hernandez) provided returns last time, with James Ward-Prowse and Callum Wilson the only exceptions.

In contrast, it was a horror show at the other end of the pitch, with only Lukasz Fabianski salvaging anything from my eight defensive choices.

This Saturday, the main footballing action will be at the Hendon Football Centre in Barnet for the Simon Humber Fantasy Football Cup, and I make no apologies for plugging our Just Giving charity page once again.

Moving to the Premier League, this week I have pulled together probably my cheapest ever defensive selection, allowing an expensive attacking choice.

My five defenders share three common traits: they are all at home against bottom half opponents; none are premium price players and they are all in double figures for shots in the box this season.

I am now chained to Ben Mee like The Defiant Ones, knowing that the one week I don’t pick him he’ll finally break his scoring duck. Hopefully, one of Duffy, Harry Maguire, Van Dijk or Jonny Evans can show him how it is done this weekend.

I’ll be doubling up on Burney’s and West Brom’s defence by selecting Nick Pope and Ben Foster to join the wildcard pick of Bournemouth’s Asmir Begovic – rousing names from inspirational teams, for sure.

Picking in-form players from high-scoring teams facing off against defensively frail opponents seems a decent starting point, and so double-ups from Leicester (Riyad Mahrez – toys now back in pram – and Jamie Vardy), Spurs (Eriksen and Kane) and Liverpool (Salah and Firmino) are unlikely to cause many raised eyebrows, although I note that Stoke City and West Ham have shown a little more defensive resilience over the last few matches.

With four attacking spots remaining, I hunted for a suitable combination from Bournemouth, Brighton, Manchester City and Watford and settled upon Junior Stanislas, Pascal Gross, Aguero and Troy Deeney, although I wouldn’t be surprised to see an Everton attacker make the final selection.

Paul Says…

I’m turning to the statistics to seek out budget-friendly alternatives this week, bringing in both Mee and Duffy for the visits of Southampton and Swansea respectively – with 20 efforts each inside the opposition box, their close-range goal threat is bettered only by Marcos Alonso (30) among defenders.

Eriksen and Jose Izquierdo were both featured in our Gameweek 27 Big Numbers article due to a recent upturn in form.

Over the last three Gameweeks, the Dane is ranked top for big chances created (four) and key passes (12) – that’s despite facing Man United, Liverpool and Arsenal during that period. He also warmed up for a trip to Crystal Palace – where he scored last year – by netting in last week’s Champions League draw in Juventus.

Izquierdo gets the nod over Gross for Brighton’s home encounter with Swansea. The Colombian’s improved pitch-time is key here – he’s played 90 minutes in each of the last three Gameweeks and welcomes the Welsh side on the back of successive goals against West Ham and Stoke.

Over that period, Izquierdo is fourth-top in midfield for shots in the box (six), while only Kevin De Bruyne can better him for shots on target (six to four).

I’m also backing Bournemouth to recover from the 4-1 loss at Huddersfield that ended their seven-match unbeaten league run last time out.

Callum Wilson entertains Newcastle in fine form, having supplied 12 points against both Arsenal and Chelsea in the last five Gameweeks.

The Magpies, meanwhile, have allowed more shots (65) and efforts in the box (45) than any other side.

Mark Says…

It comes as a blessed relief to take my eyes off the big picture and long-term planning and focus purely on the next Gameweek.

Perhaps there’s something in that.

Initially, things looked problematic and, given how the Gameweek 28 fixtures fall, I have ended up overlooking big names and loyal servants like Man City, Man United and Chelsea, purely because their match-ups are so difficult to call.

But Friday’s Picks won’t be short on talent and it’s again refreshing to give some plucky differentials an airing.

Kane and Salah remain present and correct, but if I have my way, they will be rubbing shoulders with Mahrez and Gerard Deulofeu – two silken-skilled and overlooked midfield craftsmen.

Somehow a Liverpool player soars to the top of my defensive pecking order, though the Anfield resilience and van Dijk’s set-piece threat can justify that.

Below him there’s room for at least one or two more leftfield options, with Maguire and Mee my favoured centre-back stoppers should we deploy a back four.

Much as I’d have liked to promote my own Charlie Daniels, I just couldn’t let my bias promote him above that pair.

Mee gets a leg up as uncertainty builds on Nick Pope’s start in the light of Tom Heaton’s return to training.

Pope gets another call-up in my 18, but only just – Mat Ryan is my preferred option in goal.

The Community Champion

Representing the community against the Scout Picks in Gameweek 17 will be davidoff7, who is in our Live Hall of Fame top 50 after climbing to 132nd in the overall rankings this season and finishing in the top 10,000 four times.

The Community 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 27’s contender, PKW, was beaten 71 -54 by the Scouts.

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