Gameweek 7 Scout Picks features left-sided assets with favourable match-ups

There is a left-sided theme to the Scout Picks for Gameweek 7 as many of our key assets face sides boast weaknesses on their right-hand side of their defence.

Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Spurs are all represented with a double-up, as we picked the best players for the next round of action from our most recent Scout Squad article.

We line up in the usual 3-4-3 formation for Gameweek 7, coming in at £82.1m, £0.9m under our budget of £83.0m.

Goalkeeper

Edouard Mendy (£5.0m) has made quite the impression since making his Chelsea debut and, in the most recent Scout Squad article, he earned top billing in this position from David, Neale and Andy. The Blues have always been a team that keeps their opponents at bay under Frank Lampard, they have simply lacked a quality goalkeeper to capitalise on that. In the last four matches, only one team has conceded more big chances than them, encouraging news ahead of a trip to Burnley, who have the second-worst goal conversion rate in the Premier League this season.

Defenders

While we have legitimate concerns about Liverpool’s defence this season, Andrew Robertson (£7.1m) looks best-placed to benefit from the slight chink in West Ham’s armour. Yes, they have been defensively strong during their tough run of games, but the Hammers have conceded nearly double the number of chances on their right-hand side compared to their left this season. 

João Cancelo (£5.4m) looks primed for a double-digit haul in Gameweek 7. With Aymeric Laporte potentially back this weekend, Manchester City’s clean sheet potential is about as good as it gets, considering they face a Sheffield United side with just three goals in six matches this season and the division’s worst goal conversion rate. Meanwhile, the Blades have conceded more chances down their right-hand side than any other team, perfect for whoever plays on the left for City on Saturday afternoon. Enter Cancelo, who has become a firm favourite of Pep Guardiola on the left-hand side of his back-four recently and has created more chances than any other Manchester City defender in 2020/21.

Kurt Zouma (£5.1m) is the second member of our Chelsea defensive double-up, mainly as one of the more nailed-on starters in Lampard’s defence. Ben Chilwell certainly got a lot of support in the Scout Squad article but we would be lying if we did not admit there is a chance of a benching, considering the fatigue he showed midweek and the fact that Reece James was rested. Zouma, meanwhile, has more shots on target than any Chelsea defender this season, Timo Werner the only player in the whole squad to have outperformed him in that department.

Midfielders

In keeping with the left-side theme of this article, Sadio Mané (£12.0m) has managed to earn a place in the Scout Picks over colleague Mohamed Salah. As already mentioned, West Ham’s right-hand side has proved twice as vulnerable as the left this season, which is perfect for Mané who, without penalties, has managed to best Salah for minutes per expected goal involvement (xGI) over the first six Gameweeks.

Son Heung-min (£9.5m) simply cannot stop racking up the attacking returns this season. One of the main reasons behind that is that no player has been afforded more big chances than the South Korean thus far. Against a Brighton outfit that likes to play expansive football with their full-backs bombing on, there is sure to be space for Son to be handed a few more high-quality opportunities by his colleagues on Sunday.

Phil Foden (£6.6m) fills in as our Manchester City representative once again, thanks to his value price and chances of a start. While he played 90 minutes midweek, the fact that Foden was benched for the Gameweek 6 draw with West Ham suggests that he may feature from the beginning against Sheffield United. The youngster also remains top of the charts or joint-top among Manchester City players for shots in the box, big chances and shots on target this season.

Jack Harrison (£5.5m) is yet another left-sided attacking asset to earn a place in the Scout Picks for Gameweek 7. This week really is the one for great match-ups on this side of the pitch, as Leicester have conceded 25 chances from the right this season, second only to Sheffield United. 

Forwards

Harry Kane (£10.9m) remains an auto-include for the Scout Picks considering he managed to come out of a cagey trip to Burnley with a 13th attacking return in six matches. The Spurs man is also still top of the league for shots on target and big chances created this season, highlighting his all-round appeal and potential for goals, assists and bonus in equal measure.

Raúl Jiménez (£8.5m) remains as reliable as clockwork this season, with attacking returns from four of his six matches thus far. He has found the net in two of Wolves’ three home matches while Crystal Palace have kept just one clean sheet all season, none on the road.

Callum Wilson (£6.5m) has largely crept under the radar this season but he has managed to score four goals and provide two assists in the first six matches. That has taken him into the top-five points scorers among forwards, backed up by the second-highest number of big chances among Premier League players in 2020/21. Wilson can certainly continue that form in Gameweek 7 as Newcastle host Everton, who are without a clean sheet since Gameweek 1.

Substitutes

Sam Johnstone (£4.5m) earned support from three of our Scout Squad pundits this week as West Bromwich Albion travel to Fulham. The Baggies have made improvements at the back over the last two Gameweeks, conceding the third-lowest number of shots in the box during that time. Meanwhile, Fulham have blanked in two of their first three home matches this season.

Surprise, surprise, another left-sided player makes it into the selection for Gameweek 7. Provided Liam Cooper returns to the side, Stuart Dallas (£4.5m) will share that side of the pitch with Harrison when Leicester come to Elland Road on Monday night.

Branislav Ivanovic (£4.5m) is another route into the West Bromwich Albion defence for Gameweek 7. Despite only playing two matches for the Baggies, the former Chelsea man is already second only to Grady Diangana for shots in the box among his new colleagues this season.

However, if anyone is going to find the net for Fulham, we are confident that Ademola Lookman (£5.0m) will have some involvement. In the last two Gameweeks, only four players have attempted more shots in the box than his total of five and, of course, he hit the post last time out.

THE CAPTAIN

We chose the Scout Picks captain using a four-way vote between our Scout Squad pundits.

Because the use of Fantasy Football Scout data is used so heavily in this process, the skipper we choose each Gameweek is known only to those with a valid Fantasy Football Scout subscription and revealed to the public only when the deadline has passed.

Here’s how we voted for Gameweek 7:

COMMUNITY CHAMPION

Each week, one of the Fantasy Football Scout community takes on the Scout Picks by pitting their chosen XI against ours.

The Community Member who beats our team by the largest margin will win a £100 Amazon Voucher and a place in our Moderators and Contributors League for the following season.

karsworde managed 40 points for the Community Champions in Gameweek 6 but the Scout Picks went 4-2 up for the season with a score of 45.

Riot takes us on for Gameweek 7, opting for a 4-5-1 line-up of Meslier; Chilwell, T Silva, Ayling, Dallas; Salah, Mané (c), Mahrez, D Jota, M Pereira; Werner (vc).

AA33 is the current leader, defeating the Scout Picks by a 53-point margin in Gameweek 2.