We are back again after a brief interlude for League Cup matches and have picked out eleven men for Gameweek 3.
As previously, the Scout Picks consists of 11 players only, but has a restricted total spend of £50.0m to account for a notional bench worth £10.0m, and to ensure that that the team is reflective of each manager’s budgetary concerns. This allowance will increase over the season in line with our collective transfer values.
This week’s team lines up in a 5-3-2 formation and comes in slightly under the budget at £49.8m.
Before we get into the picks, here’s a quick recap of the League Cup Last 16 results:
Celtic 3-2 Hearts
Hibernian 2-0 Kilmarnock
Arbroath 2-2 (2-3 pens) St. Johnstone
Raith Rovers 2-1 Aberdeen
Livingston 1-1 (4-3 pens) St.Mirren
Dundee 1-0 Motherwell
Ayr United 1-1 (3-4 pens) Dundee United
Rangers 5-0 Dunfermline
GOALKEEPER
Benjamin Siegrist (£2.9m) is the pick in the sticks this week, owing to The Tangerines’ resolute performance against Rangers in Gameweek 2, claiming a 1-0 victory and clean sheet. Their opponents St.Johnstone have only netted once in the opening two weeks, and that was as the beneficiaries of an own goal by Motherwell. They also have to contend with another round of Europa Conference football on Thursday which could leave the squad stretched. It may also be getting into the realms of wishful thinking, but the Saint’s have already missed two penalties this campaign (McCann and Kerr) and a third on Sunday would not go amiss.
DEFENDERS
Despite following up their shock loss to Dundee United with a disappointing exit to Malmo in the Champions League, our faith in the Rangers defence is not yet diminished. Their visit to Dingwall should provide welcoming opponents in the form of a Ross County side who have recorded a lowly 0.6xG combined from their opening two matches against St. Johnstone and Hibernian.
Owners of James Tavernier (£6.6m) and Connor Goldson (£5.3m) can even consider themselves a shade unlucky not to pick up attacking returns from the pair in Gameweek 2; with Goldson nodding the former’s corner inches wide of the post in the closing stages at Tannadice. It is this attacking threat coupled with their ‘nailedness’ which sees them return for another week in our side.
Anthony Ralston (£2.3m) continues to prove a man on a mission, playing the best football of his Celtic career and applying the finishing touches to their 6-0 win over Dundee with a pivoting volley which Robin Van Persie would have been proud of. The right back’s position continues to be under threat, with Celtic having agreed a transfer fee for Legia Warsaw’s Josip Juranovic, but for one more week he can provide a cut-price entry point to the Celtic back line ahead of an enticing home game against St.Mirren.
Greg Taylor (£3.4m) is the next addition to the side due to the fact he has currently has no threat to his position at left back. St.Mirren have been playing with wing backs who get high and relentlessly deliver crosses from wide areas, but if such an approach is adopted at the weekend it should leave space in behind for the Celts to attack the wide areas. Whilst the quality of Taylor’s delivery is generally limited, playing for such a dominant side meant that he still recorded a G+A/90 of 0.23 last season.
Our final defender is Hearts’ Michael Smith (£2.9m) who makes his debut for the Scout Picks side. The Northern Irishman has been finding himself in advanced positions from his wing back berth and has created 7 chances over the opening 2 weeks, providing one assist. Sunday’s opponent Aberdeen will have to contend with a quick turnaround from Thursday’s Europa Conference Playoff and a visit to a boisterous Tynecastle will be less than ideal. Smith will be directly facing the youngster Jack MacKenzie (£2.1) or reverse OOP Jonny Hayes (£4.4m) and may find joy from the wide areas against either.
MIDFIELDERS
In what is like to be the first of many appearances in this column, Kyogo Furuhashi (£5.6m) is the first midfield selection ahead of a home game against St. Mirren. The Japanese forward is listed as a midfielder in the game, but is, without doubt, an OOP asset, playing on the last man and demonstrating ruthless six-yard box instincts as he recorded a hattrick against Dundee in Gameweek 2. The new Celtic side looks entirely set up to feed through balls onto his runs in behind and 5 goals in 5 appearances (all comps) is a testament to the success of this approach.
Martin Boyle (£6.1) makes a third Scout Picks appearance fresh from scoring for the second successive week against Ross County, claiming all 3 bonus points in the process. Newly promoted opponents Dundee have conceded a staggering 9.3xG (vs St.Mirren and Celtic) in the opening two rounds and have been reduced to ten men on each occasion. The Scots-born Aussie International has just signed a new Hibs deal until 2024 and his clever movement is integral to the way in which the Leith side play.
A second Hibernian man completes our midfield in the form of Kyle Magennis (£3.5m), who has scored 4 goals in the last 5 games (all comps) and is looking an early contender for a budget enabler bandwagon. Whilst 2 goals from 4 shots in the league is an unsustainable rate of conversion, he is obviously well suited to his current role attacking the box from midfield and this weekend’s opponents Dundee struggled to cope with similar overloads of the box in Gameweek 2 at Celtic Park.
FORWARDS
Do not adjust your tv set; we are opting for a Hibernian offensive triple-up this week with the inclusion of Kevin Nisbet (£6.2m). The Hibs forward is playing well and recorded a goal and assist in the League Cup last time out. Whilst he has already established himself as the number one centre forward at the club, the ankle injury which has ruled teammate Christian Doidge (£5.7m) out until December will only serve to increase his expected minutes and position as the focal point for all deliveries into the box.
Liam Boyce (£5.1m) again completes the line-up this week following a 12 point haul (1 goal and 1 assist) in Gameweek 2 and another goal from the penalty spot versus Celtic in the League Cup. The Northern Irishman is as talismanic as they come and will be buoyed by a home crowd urging the Jam Tarts to continue their 100 percent record in the league so far.
Captain: James Tavernier
Vice: Kyogo Furuhashi
